No, this is not a cleverly titled Dorset thread. I would like to share a little background story before getting to the jist of the thread

I work part time in Washington DC at the local Puma store. It was something I was doing during the summers while at university, but kept it up after I got a 9-5 job, mostly because its really easy, gives me a bit of extra cash, and they give you a boatload of free clothes every few months as part of the deal.

The basics of my job there is I work in stock, and after being called for certain shoes by the staff, I send them up on a dumbwaiter to the main floor of the store. Like I said, very easy stuff.

However, today was far from ordinary. You see, Sheva walked into the store with a friend and started browsing around. He was apparently very polite and sociable, took a picture with one guy on the staff, and signed a few business cards. It was great except for one thing:

NOBODY F**KING TOLD ME UNTIL HE LEFT

At first when I found out i was more excited than anything. Then when I realized he wasnt coming back, and that he had met the whole staff (who affectionately called him "that soccer guy") bar me, because nobody had thought to tell me, I was utterly utterly destroyed. Some even kept on about it "yeah, he was great" etc etc the farkers

I dont think the word "crushed" goes far enough. I had to listen to them all swap stories of how cool he was, when I knew they didnt have a f**king clue who he was, or what meeting him wouldve meant to me. This was the same store in which I risked being fired to wear an adidas, royal blue kit on the last day of the season for good luck. And I felt totally stabbed in the back. It was a long long 8 minute drive home.

ANYWAY, my question to all of you is whether you have had the privilege of meeting any players, explayers, reserves, managers, or legends outside of a situation where you knew they were gonna be. For example, I met Kerry Dixon once, but I heard he was coming to the bar, so that wouldnt count.

Have you just run into any one of the lads on the Kings Road, while walking your dog, or while contemplating which cereal to buy at the Aldi. Or if it wasnt by chance share those stories too!

And please, tell me someone has something as heartbreaking to share as me!!!

(mods, sorry if this isnt in the right spot, but I thought it belonged here)

Unlucky mate - can't belive his legs were so quick to browse around and escape before you managed to catch up with him

Quite a few - not wanting to large it but............

Colin Lee - Walking out of the Bridge once when I was walking in as a kid.....'Where you off to Coll'' My Dad asked............''Not in the side?''.....The look said it all as he stormed passed the Cottage out of the front gates!!!!!!!!

Mickey Droy - ''Allo Mick - where you off to?'' - Same circumsatance's as above!

Both wearing 'east-ender-extra's style leather jacket's''!! It was the early 80's after all!!

John Bumstead - I grew up in the area John came from, bumped into him once or twice as a kid and stood in awe of someone I used to watch play in the shirt! Managed to become friend's with his son as kid's and still say hello if I see him today. I think I was one of the only kid's where I grew up who actually knew, and had respect, for who his dad was!

Nigel Spackman - My dad always repeats the story of my brother asking him for his autograph on a programme as he turned up for a game........''Hello young man what's you name........etc....'Can I have your autograph?'.....'Of course you can...and what's your name - he asked........etc etc.......he was a proper gentleman and still comes across as one on TV!

Met Claudio Ranieri when first appointed manager outside a restaurant by London Bridge also met or bumped into....Peter Osgood / Ron Harris / Peter Bonetti/ keith Jones/ Pat Nevin/ Jason Cundy...( there's more....) I've bought a drink for Roy Bentley, Jimmy Greave's/ my dad Kerry (and he actually paid for Bentley's drink) and have been through the scrap book and heard some of the stories of Johnnie Boyle....

Some of these fella's you may know, but you just don't bump into players around the bridge anymore, if you do they seem to have the persons of Elvis in the 50/60's........

Modern football hey!?!....modern players are so distanced from the average fan - it's not like it was when I was a kid........!!

(Saw Georger Best down the Fulham Rd once.........drinking champagne at 10:30AM - .......what a shame!)

Some different ones

After spending some hours looking around the Bridge one morning nearly got run run over by this car backing out.

Nearly started going off at the driver until I saw, Vialli driving, Zola, Melchiot, Lambourde and Babayaro all squashed inside.

Typical Italian driving ............and no it wasn't a Fiat.

Soxy played with my brother and was on his stag do. Better refraise that ......... Same team before coming to Chelsea.

Better still a couple of months ago a friend of mine was coming back of a holiday and stopped in the middle of no where in NSW. It was a rest area (layby with toilets, BBQ etc) and was also occupied by another car. He had something to eat and a bit of a stretch. As he was wandering around the other car was about to leave. He looked over at the person about to depart. He thinks.............no? Can't be! Not here? No, never

Then Gianfranco drives off

Forgot, had the pleasure of meeting Blues Legend Dave Mitchell who came down to watch my team play some time ago. Think he picked up some tips! Bit late for him though. Always was a bit late for him.

No, this is not a cleverly titled Dorset thread. I would like to share a little background story before getting to the jist of the thread

I work part time in Washington DC at the local Puma store. It was something I was doing during the summers while at university, but kept it up after I got a 9-5 job, mostly because its really easy, gives me a bit of extra cash, and they give you a boatload of free clothes every few months as part of the deal.

The basics of my job there is I work in stock, and after being called for certain shoes by the staff, I send them up on a dumbwaiter to the main floor of the store. Like I said, very easy stuff.

However, today was far from ordinary. You see, Sheva walked into the store with a friend and started browsing around. He was apparently very polite and sociable, took a picture with one guy on the staff, and signed a few business cards. It was great except for one thing:

NOBODY F**KING TOLD ME UNTIL HE LEFT

At first when I found out i was more excited than anything. Then when I realized he wasnt coming back, and that he had met the whole staff (who affectionately called him "that soccer guy") bar me, because nobody had thought to tell me, I was utterly utterly destroyed. Some even kept on about it "yeah, he was great" etc etc the farkers

I dont think the word "crushed" goes far enough. I had to listen to them all swap stories of how cool he was, when I knew they didnt have a f**king clue who he was, or what meeting him wouldve meant to me. This was the same store in which I risked being fired to wear an adidas, royal blue kit on the last day of the season for good luck. And I felt totally stabbed in the back. It was a long long 8 minute drive home.

ANYWAY, my question to all of you is whether you have had the privilege of meeting any players, explayers, reserves, managers, or legends outside of a situation where you knew they were gonna be. For example, I met Kerry Dixon once, but I heard he was coming to the bar, so that wouldnt count.

Have you just run into any one of the lads on the Kings Road, while walking your dog, or while contemplating which cereal to buy at the Aldi. Or if it wasnt by chance share those stories too!

And please, tell me someone has something as heartbreaking to share as me!!!

(mods, sorry if this isnt in the right spot, but I thought it belonged here)

I live a few minutes from the Cobham training ground so often see the players in their Astons, Hummers, Range Rovers etc.

But one saturday about 8.30am I was in the local Shell station filling up, when a baby Bentley pulled in next to me at the pump. JT got out, in shorts flip flops and training top. Immediately said "good morning" and was then behind me in the queue to pay, with an armfull of the morning papers. Said "see ya" too on the way out. Top Chap !!!!

met luca vialli in a cake shop in brighton. my dad and me were talking at him, not too him for about 10 minutes. he must have thought we were mentalists. but he was brilliant. answered every question, and there ended up about 10 people round him all asking for his autograph. he was a gentleman and a fantastically funny guy. had everyone laughing with some of the stuff he said. i asked him if he should be eating cakes at his age with games coming up. he cuffed me round the head and offered me a race down the road....... i declined as i had already eaten cakes. plus i didnt wanna humiliate him by beating him...... (not a chance would i have beaten him. im strictly a 10 yards runner)

I dont think the word "crushed" goes far enough. I had to listen to them all swap stories of how cool he was, when I knew they didnt have a f**king clue who he was, or what meeting him wouldve meant to me. This was the same store in which I risked being fired to wear an adidas, royal blue kit on the last day of the season for good luck. And I felt totally stabbed in the back. It was a long long 8 minute drive home.

Maybe the storemanager got his/her revenge by not allowing anyone to tell you. Cruel, I know...

Or then there's ofcourse the chance that they were just that clueless who exactly Sheva is that they didn't think you'd be interested.

Seriously, I would've been absolutely furious for my workmates if that had happened to me, though. Sheva was one of my all time favourite non-Chelsea players before he joined Chelsea.

I wonder what he was doing in Washington, though. He's not moving to MLS, is he?

I met The Forse randomly in a pub when I was sh*t faced in Wimbledon, and insisted on shaking his hand and taking a photo of him with my phone. He was polite but not particularly friendly, and it was the summer he left Chels, so understandable I guess!

He was polite but not particularly friendly, and it was the summer he left Chels, so understandable I guess!

It might not have anything to do with him leaving. I've never met him, but I've heard that he's not exactly a very sociable fella. Not sure if that's the truth, though.

Andy Townsend - Saw him at a set of traffic lights while I was on a bus going to the Brigde, didn't really care.

Sven - Saw him whilst waiting outside the old CIU club after Chelsea v Charlton in 2004/2005, he smiled and said hello and thankfully didn't try and shag me.

Could be Mak, could be.

Equally, he may just not have fancied talking to a pissed up bloke who was spouting all sorts of incomprehensible nonsense.

I would imagine my chat was more Stella than stellar....

...he may just not have fancied talking to a pissed up bloke who was spouting all sorts of incomprehensible nonsense...

That's as good an explanation as any...

Years ago when i went to see the day after tommorow at the cinema me and some mates were waiting outside the cinema and theres a land rover that keeps driving around the car park eventualy we see James Beattie is in the passenger seat.

Then when were in the cinema about ten minutes into the film he comes in with a load of other people and the place was almost full so he had to sit in the front row

Some great stories, thanks guys. Bluenut, you really have got some nuts saying something like that to Mickey Aussie, I often to do that strange sideways glance over at other cars, thinking I know the person, but to see five in one car! Wow.

All in all, stories like these make me even more committed to my goal of, one day, being a west londoner. If I ran into JT at the local shell like Coombsie I would be over the moon

Equally, he may just not have fancied talking to a pissed up bloke who was spouting all sorts of incomprehensible nonsense.

I would imagine my chat was more Stella than stellar....

I had a very similar experience meeting Kerry. I had had a few drinks at the bar and he seemed a little wide eyed and confused by my slurred words of admiration

I dont think the word "crushed" goes far enough. I had to listen to them all swap stories of how cool he was, when I knew they didnt have a f**king clue who he was, or what meeting him wouldve meant to me. This was the same store in which I risked being fired to wear an adidas, royal blue kit on the last day of the season for good luck. And I felt totally stabbed in the back. It was a long long 8 minute drive home.

Maybe the storemanager got his/her revenge by not allowing anyone to tell you. Cruel, I know...

Or then there's ofcourse the chance that they were just that clueless who exactly Sheva is that they didn't think you'd be interested.

Seriously, I would've been absolutely furious for my workmates if that had happened to me, though. Sheva was one of my all time favourite non-Chelsea players before he joined Chelsea.

I wonder what he was doing in Washington, though. He's not moving to MLS, is he?

Oh, they were oblivious Maks, but the manager came down with an apologetic look and said something like "sorry, we forgot you were a soccer guy", nevermind a Chelsea or a Sheva guy.

Still killing myself over it today at my normal job. Feel down in the dumps, and when I told my gf about it she was on the verge of tears as I told her. It helped to hear the commiseration. I seriously think I am just going to quit at the place, because its gonna take me a while to get over it.

p.s. He said he was there because he had family in nearby Potomac MD. There were so many bloody things I wanted to ask him about hte new manager, his situation, Moscow, the goal line clearance, etc etc

Back in the late 70's my younger brother saw "The Cat" and Ray Wilkins at some sport shop in Reading on the way back from school, the same school i went to - The jammy bastid. At least he was good enough to give me a couple of the autographed photos he got hold of.

I saw Pat Nevin and his dad waiting for a northbound train after an away game at Aston Villa in 1984. Pat's feet were dangling like kids legs do on the bench he was sitting on. He was going North because he was picked for the Scotland squad. We had a chat and i got "Wee Pat" to autograph my programme. Nice folks the Nevins.

I saw John Terry driving along near Charlton Station after the Charlton-Chelsea game (the one with the wonder goal from Carlton Cole) - he wasn't playing as the court case was going on. He was stuck in the traffic so i shouted out "good luck with the court case" - he smiled and gave me a wave. I heard a big cheer a little while later coming from outside the Antigallican pub - so a few more people must have recognised him.

Seven or so years ago, an old boy called Jimmy Leadbetter was round my mums house. He played a few games for Chelsea in the Early 50's when Billy Birrell was manager. He was more successful at Ipswich under Alf Ramsey, being almost an ever present in their Championship season. That was the first time i have ever met a League Champion. He was also a lovely old guy.