Evening guys I've seen and chatted with a few players new and old down the years outside of football. I used to regularly see Mike 'flash' Flanagan in Hornchurch and ended up referreeing for his son's team on a regular basis (this was back in the late 80's). I've also had a brief chat with Keith Peacock when he was window shopping at Lakeside. But the best had to be Super Clive and his Mrs (wow she was gorgeous) in Debenhams. He hadn't played for a while due to that back injury and was hoping to return to training asap. After we chatted for a bit he wrote out a Chrismas card to my son who was in complete awe of him, I was in complete awe of his Mrs LOL. Have you seen and chatted to any players past or present?
I used to teach Kyel Reid and Jordan Cousins. They went to the same secondary shool. Have to say that Kyel was smashing and very likeable. Clever lad too. Don't know Jordan as well as I left the school when he was in year 7. Chatted to Kyel quite a bit last year, especially towards the end of the season. He seemed resigned to leaving. Matt Holland pulled up alongside me at the lights in New Eltham after I'd taken some kids to the training ground. Recognised us and challenged us to a race. My Ford Focus against his Merc...only one winner.
I saw Radostin Kishishev and his Mrs tucking into a McDonalds on a Thursday night before a match at The Valley I once bumped into John Robinson in Orpington when I was a student at the college and got his autograph on my year diary seen Ray Parlour at Bluewater once met Matt Holland in the away end at Colchester 2 years ago but the best has to be meeting and shaking the hand of then-England Captain John Terry in Portugal 4 years ago now, think he was on his stag do
I work up and Gatwick Airport so I see bundles of sports stars and celebrities coming through⦠Peter Crouch and Abi Clancy came through the other week⦠My goodness she is absolutely scintillatingâ¦!! Crouch is an enormous mass of limbs, who is most definitely punching well above his weightâ¦!! I just couldnât get over how tall and thin he isâ¦!! How he doesnât get snapped in half when he gets clattered playing football is a real mystery to me⦠Bosingwa and Hilario came back from Porugal the other day ready for their pre season training to begin wth Chelski⦠Lawrence Dallaglio came through a few years back and he was an absolute monster. If he was running at me at full tit Iâd be out the way a bit sharpish⦠a cracking bloke though. My all time favourite story where bumping into ex Charlton players is concerned was when me and my mum were waking through Lewisham market and just so happened to bump into my least favourite Charlton player of al time⦠Here goesâ¦: Franco â (elbowing my mum) âThatâs Carl Leaburn over thereâ Mum â âWho?â Franco â âCarl Leaburn, he plays for Charlton, but heâs absolute shiâ¦â¦â¦.â Mum â âLeaburn, Leaburnâ¦. Mr Leaburn (screaming at the top of her voice).â Franco â âLeave it mum, leave it, I donât even like him heâs proper useleâ¦..â (too late heâs already walking over in a grey tracksuit covered in white paint. As heâs walking over Iâm standing there thinking⦠I hope heâs a bloody better decorator than he is a footballer. Everyoneâs looking at my mum convinced sheâs out on day release). Leaburn â Alright luv. Mum â (pointing at me) Oh Leaburn, my boy loves you (no I f*****g donât) can you sign this for him (she thrusts an old screwed up bus ticket under his nose). Leaburn â Of course I can. Mum â You been doing a bit of painting have ya luv (no s**t sherock). Leaburn â Yeah luv, I wouldnât be walking about covered in paint otherwise would Iâ¦ha ha ha. Mum â No I suppose not⦠ha ha ha. (please god let the world end now) Leaburn â Alright you two take careâ¦. (off he goes) Mum â What a lovely young man. Heâs tall aint he? Is he any good? Franco â No mum heâs absolute garbage, without doubt one of the worst players Iâve ever seen. Mum â Ohâ¦. (long pause).... Why did you want his autograph then? ⦠My mum is an absolute lunatic bless her. She does crack me up though. Iâll never forget the sight of 6â4â Carl Leaburn bent double talking to my 5â2â old mum whilst signing an old scrunched up bus ticket ⦠.
Franco, that is a brilliant story. I once sat in a train carriage with Arthur Horsfield - does that count, KP? When I played cricket around Kent and South London, I used to regularly come up against Charlton players - my ribs took about six weeks to recover when I faced Jimmy Giles, strewth was he quick - and I played for Bexleyheath against a CAFC XI. I also played in a side with probably our briefest serving player ever, Martin Duffield. All a very long time ago.
Tewkes, that prob means you would have played alongside/against the Campbells and Mark Penfold ? All keen cricketers. Got tix for Lords next sunday - what do you think of Englands chances of getting to no. 1 ? Cant help but think that India have under-cooked themselves. Carrying on from my bit about bumping into Mark Fish in South Africa, i also bumped into him in Leeds 2005/6 when i was working there and he was coaching the Kaiser Chiefs youth team who were playing friendly against Leeds.I'm sure he thought i was stalking him! Also, living where i live now, I bumped into Hermann H. in Q in Lloyds Bank in Pompey High St- lovely guy,said that his Charlton days were the best of his career and that he loved the club and fans- and hoped he could come back in some capacity. Also, who the eff is Dorothy Parker ?!
Stu, I think it's Scott Parker's mum I have met Paul Elliot several times around Chislehurst, absolute gent and one of the best centre backs I have ever seen playing for Charlton.
I played against Mark Penfold when he was playing for Penhill Standard - really nice bloke. Never came across the Campbells though. Nor did I ever see Killer play - he missed the game at Bexleyheath - apparently he was an explosive batsman and hit several centuries. Gritty played for Hampshire II and Jimmy Giles played Minor Counties and for Kent II. Lennie Lawrence kept wicket! IMO, England are going to flatten India, brilliant though they are. Dorothy Parker was a poet, humourist, satirist and acid tongued critic. She'd make Ann Robinson look tranquillised. "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses" is probably her most remembered quote. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Parker
It's nice to read that some of you guys have played with or against old Addicks. It got me to realise that I played with was Robert Lee at Romford Royals FC. Robert would play for Charlton during the morning and come on as sub for us with about 15 mins to play and completely turn our fortunes around. he was a very quiet unassuming character. I also played in the same team in Dagenham as Tony Adams. We were good mates (Idated his sister) but shortly after he made the first team at Arsenal, he, how can put this, very much enjoyed his fame.
Kerpowell, yep Paul started with us went to Luton (when they were good) then Pisa then Chelsea. One of the best centre backs never to play for England.
When I was at Uni, Theo Foley and Stuart Balmer came to the football club 'do' to present the prizes. Foley was an odd chap. he was giving a speech and only said the following: 'It is nice to be important but it is more important to be nice...' Balmer stayed all night, stood at th ebar and spoke with a lot of us. Nice bloke..if a little scary.
Not a random meeting, but use to share a few pints witg my dad and a certain Paul Elliot before and after home games in crossbars. One of the nicest guys within the game- very intelligent too!
This is fairly rubbish, but 1)Saw Alan Curbishley buying andrex loo roll in sainsburys 2)Claus Jensen let me cross at a zebra crossing. how nice of him
Claus Jensen. I'll never forget that goal against the Gunners at Highbury. Perfection..pure perfection.
Had a great chat with Colin Walsh outside Preistfield pre season a few years ago. Told me the new first team coach was a bloke called Les Reed. When I married Mrs Leaburns Legs at the Valley we were there for a meeting the week before the Wedding and Keith Peacock came in and apologised for disturbing us. When Johnny Humphreys was a coach at Whitgift school he often brought teams to play at the school I work at, but as one of my all time heroes I always struggled to have a sensible conversation, nice bloke. He and Colin Pate also brought a team including a young Victor Moses who singlehandly took the Surrey Schools U15s Cup of us. Met Sir Chris at Wallington Sainsbury's once, he was reading about Charlton in the South London Press, we had beaten Spurs the previous afternoon, so I put my thumbs up like an idiot and said "nice one yesterday Chris" and he stopped, grinned nodded slowly and said "it was, wasn't it?"
My Gooner mate still, yes still, claims it was a cross...imagine the hyperbole had Henry or Bergkamp scored it? One of my fave Charlton goals in one of our best ever victories
