When I was a lot younger I met the whole team. My father used to work for Dixons (who owned Curries) and he was brokering a deal with Candy. Once the guy from candy found out he had 2 young lads and my dad was a massive red who grew up down the road from Anfield he invited us all to a game - trying to get a few 0's on the check pops was going to sign I imagine, but too good to turn down!.
When we arrived we were taken into a restaurant under the main stand for a meal and a tour. We spent the day eating and wandering about before watching the match - i was even given a whole liverpool kit, we had a meat and greet with a few of the players - I remember Grobbelaar wouldn't sign my shirt before the game as he said it was bad luck. Only being about 4 i spent the day running about, not really taking in where I was or who I was around...
Straight after the game we sat down to have another meal, and some post match drinks - for me it was lemonade! I sat with an old lady who really took a shine to me, and I sat on her knee - she asked me If I had met the players and I said I would like to but was told by the guys organising it they were too busy and kids weren't allowed to wander about. She had absolutely none of this!!! Picked me up and headed straight out of the bar area towards the changing room - at this point a security guy yelled down the corridor and asked us to stop! When we turned round he simply apologised and walked off looking very ashamed - she knocked a the dressing room door and Dean Saunders opened it and after a brief chat we were invited in, she asked the players if it was ok if they all signed my shirt- I took it off and they did, with almost all of them saying hello and patting me on the head as they walked about or left - my hero at the time Steve Macmanaman gave me a LFC football as he walked off. Turns out the old lady who liked me was Bob Paisley's widower Jessie!
As we left I asked if i could touch the 'this is anfield sign' - she of course said yes, but even jumping and then running and jumping I couldn't hit it so she asked if one of the players could pick me up to touch it and Brucie came over, said he could sign my shirt now, and asked Jessie to get my dad so he could take a photo - my dad still has it on his fireplace!
Amazes me how those players, and back room staff treated a little kid like one of there own - I only hope that if this happens to a youngster today the foreign stars would be as kind!
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