I copied this off the Stoke board...thought you may find it interesting...sorry if you've already covered it but I didn't see anything about it on your board. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/alan-hudson-hits-rock-bottom-1981623 Chelsea legend Alan Hudson hits 'rock bottom' in homeless hostel 23 Jun 2013 00:00 Hudsonâs riches-to-rags story is a stark reminder of the turmoil many ex-footballers face when they retire Struggling down the stairs on crutches, Alan Hudson leaves the cramped hostel he lives at after becoming *homeless. The former England, Chelsea and Stoke City footballer says he has hit ârock-bottomâ in a fall from grace which has left him in a dingy room three miles from the Stamford Bridge ground where he used to play. âI have nowhere to go,â says Hudson, 62, who was once one of Englandâs finest footballers. âI have hit rock bottom and I donât see any way out of it.â Hudsonâs riches-to-rags story is a stark reminder of the turmoil many ex-footballers face when they retire. In an exclusive interview he tells how his life spiralled out of control after a car accident left him disabled. And problems with gambling and alcohol have also blighted his life. Hudson now survives on disability benefits of £100 a week and a paltry £300-a-month pension. Choking with emotion, he admits the situation left him begging for somewhere to stay. âThe council have put me up in this hostel but because of my legs I can hardly make it up the steps,â he says. âAll I have is my laptop, a shaving bag and my crutches. I havenât even got a change of clothes. "There is no towel, no soap and they wonât let my son in to visit. "Living at this hostel is like being a *****phile and coming out of prison â they want to know your every move.â In a pub near the hostel, Hudson, who helped Chelsea to win the European Cup Winners Cup in 1971, traces his woes back to December 1997, when he was hit by a car and left in a coma for 59 days. To this day he has physiotherapy. âWhen I had the accident I was buying a house with my wife,â he says. âWhen I came out of the coma I found out that she didnât want me back home. "She didnât fancy pushing me around in a wheelchair. "My mum said to me that I had better go back to live with her on the Worldâs End estate in Chelsea. âYou could see Stamford Bridge from the house. It was only yards from where Iâd grown up. "About 18 months later I found out she was dying of cancer. My mum passed away in about 2003 and things got worse from that point. âJust three days after she died I got a call from the council saying that Iâd got to get out. "I had got a pay-out from the *accident but someone convinced me to invest it into a property in Cyprus. "I put in £150,000 and when it went belly up I got less than half of that amount back. âThings got worse. I stayed with a mate in a pub up in Stoke, but I should have been rehoused. "Itâs of my own doing in one way, but I canât see why I should have ended up homeless.â Until last year Hudson was living with his son and young daughter in a studio flat. But after his son was diagnosed with a mental illness it became impossible to remain there. He went to Kensington and Chelsea council who told him he would have to stay in a hostel. âIt took me over five minutes to get up less than six stairs. I got to the reception and it felt like an episode of Porridge after theyâve let Ronnie Barker out of the nick. âThen they said to read the rules and regulations. It says you canât have anyone in your room â well, you wouldnât want to show anyone your room. "Theyâve got a toilet that I canât sit down on because of my knees.â Hudson says he feels betrayed by the clubs he played for. He says: âIâve been let down off the field and on the field but yes Iâve also let myself down.â He also admits he has fallen foul of the demons which blight the lives of many former players. âIâm a social drinker,â he says. âI can go out on an 18-hour session, but I donât rely on the drink. âI love a drink. I like a drop of vodka, I like a drop of whisky. I like pink champagne and when Iâm in America I love a drop of bourbon. I was brought up in an age where that was what people did. âPeople say to me, âEvery time I see you youâre in a pub,â and I say, âThatâs strange because every time I see you youâre in a pubâ.â Hudson is angry at never being offered a testimonial fundraiser by Chelsea that he thinks would have spared him his present predicament. Hudson said: âChelsea have given me absolutely nothing. "When I was in the coma I was sent thousands of cards from all around the world, but never one from Chelsea. "When I die they will all be paying tributes, but that will be no good then. "I mean how many chances does Gazza want? Nobody in football has ever helped me.â Hudsonâs situation has left him bitter at the wages todayâs players earn. âWhen you look at the money the players are on today, some of them £130,000 a week,â he says. âAt Chelsea I was the fetcher and carrier with greats like Osgood and Cooke around me. âThe most I ever earned was £125 a week. Now thatâs not even sandwich money.â
Be good for the club to do something, not really their responsibility but would be a fine gesture. Very sad to hear, I briefly read it on the top 10 player thread, think Angelordevil posted it.
There's a petition on the stoke board asking for a testimonial but think it's aimed towards stoke fc so I didn't add it...if this has been already covered feel free to close it so it don't waste anyones time. It is sad to see some one fall on hard times
This is a very sad story! He was a great part of the Chelsea achievers c.1970 and it is incredible he's fallen on his arse in such a big way! Ossie's mate and a hero to all true blue's, I find it amazing he wasn't propped up by the club/mates/fans when he was in trouble!
Like I said, it's not the club's duty, but would be nice to see them help someone who is literally in desperate need.
Here's the link to the petition, it is aimed towards both clubs, so please, feel free to sign. https://www.change.org/en-GB/petiti...estimonial-game-for-former-player-alan-hudson
When I read this report and posted initially it was to say how sad it was that ex players can end up like this. Did anyone read the comments that were underneath. There were a few interesting comments. (if true) It led me to wonder if it is mostly drink related that he has ended up where he is. If this is the case then he initially needs help with that first and its no good just throwing money at him. Also he collects £700 a month this is £260 a month more than I get, so why does he not have any clothes etc. One person had written (and I hope its ok to copy this) I know Alan and I also know his ex wife from my days with Mirror Group Newspapers She left him, initially reluctantly, not because she didn't want to push a wheelchair but because of the bitter, drunken and abusive way he treated her even though she spent every day with him during his long and slow recovery. Alan was an interesting drinking companion but left quite a lot to be desired as a human being Of course this is only one persons personal view, so mine is perhaps help him in finding some suitable accommodation, help with any psychological or drinking problems and just a little boost to get him back on a good path in life.
Yes, maybe the club should but that should be the icing on the cake with the PFA supplying the cake. The PFA shouldn't need asking, they should be acting.
Alan Hudson was as good a player as Chelsea ever had.He was a product of the 60s with all the wild behaviour that went with it. There was no safety net then, no advisors or managers tohelp the first true "rock stars" of their generation. He might be a piss pot,might be a horrible bloke, I wouldnt know. What I do know is he deserves better than hes got just for the way he played for Chelsea. So why these 25 year olds who never saw him play are rushing to judgement is too sad for words.
CP I am of the older generation but however good a player he was for Chelsea, he has had a better chance than I had (and millions of others), when I was young. I worked form 15 years old on paltry wages worked my way up and got the mortgage, wife, family and am left comfortable now, through many years of hard work. Hudson has pissed away probably hundreds of thousands of pounds, forget the safety net that was lacking at the time it was his own choice also the bad investments he made his own choice. Sorry for him. Yes, but have no sympathy at all. Just like Best and Gazza, had the world at their feet and ****ed up big time, and if the stories of being a **** to his wife turn out to be true, then he is where he belongs. You reap what you sow as it were.
Abu--I agree with your view! I remember a tale of Alan being struck by a car late one night in The Highway, Wapping! At the time there were inferences in the report he "might" have been drinking! Clearly he had been and that was the point where support should have been given! In find it difficult to believe he was left to his own devices to sort himself out!
All you say is too true. I earned everything I have as well, so know what you mean. Maybe the difference between you and me , and the Bests, Gazzas and Hudsons of the world is smarts ?? They got carried away with fame and its lifestyle, we never did. I once worked with 5 incredibly successful people, who had everything, including helicopters, houses in Aspen. They thought their popularity would never end, and played accordingly. Now none of them even own a flat. I saw first hand how fame can distort your thinking and see this in Hudson et al. Dumb, but it happens all the time.
