I tell you, this slide show thing is doing my scone in. You would think that there would be a simple set of instructions titled something like 'how to increase the size of your photographs'. However, it seems that in order to achieve this seemingly simple task, I have to bring together information from about five different websites, not to mention learn what feels like the entire foreign language known as HTML; all to see a bigger and therefore uglier photograph of me!! Hopefully it will be sorted soon......either that or I will learn something else........the aerodynamic qualities of a HP laptop, and the impact resistance - or not - of double-glazing. Anyway, that's not the porpoise of this post; more sport (says Wee-Ali with a roll of her eyes!).
It's amazing. When I first thought of this subject of the month, I was worried that I might be short of ideas after the first couple of weeks. Then stories just keep popping into my head. Except today ladies and gentlemen; today I am offering you a bargain. You lucky people......today you are getting not one story, but TWO. I can almost hear your little cup of joy overflowing. Both stories are on a similar theme, centred around one of the big reasons I love supporting a team like Stockport County.
First of all, let me introduce you to Jarko Wiss. Back in the days (a LONG time ago!) when County were a half decent team, we started to trawl mainland Europe to buy a players. Jarko was a Finland international with a wicked free kick; but what endeared the fans to him the most was his character. I don't think he will mind me saying that he wasn't blessed with boatloads of skill, but he made up for it by running round the pitch non-stop, and giving everything he had in the match, every match. At the final whistle he invariably staggered off the pitch, caked in sweat.
After one particular game I had to pop to the supermarket (don't get me started!) and about three aisles before making a break for the checkouts, I turned round and who should I run into? Jarko doing his shopping! I walked up to him, shook his hand and congratulated him on a good game. Quite apart from wanting to get away from me, he was more than happy to chat in his faltering English (NB: better than my Finnish). I particularly recall him still being out of breath, telling me 'I very tired, I go home to rest'.
In reading this, I understand why many people will not see the significance of this, and it is hard to explain why it means something to me. I just found it weird - good weird - that I was at that moment, in a supermarket, chatting to the guy I was cheering on just an hour or so before. He was not a famous man to most people, but to a few thousand people - including me - he was much admired. This made him different from meeting a player from a higher league; more accessible, less aloof, appreciative, and much, MUCH more humble.
Now if you don't mind, I am going to whisk you over to Macdonalds (as well as back in time a few years from Jarko), for story number two. Although I wasn't directly involved in this one, it is certainly worth the telling!
It was the morning after the night before, the night being one of the greatest in County's history. We had beaten West Ham in the League Cup 4th round, a quite astonishing result for a team like us (google 'Iain Dowie own goal' for a taste). My sister, Clare, thought she would treat herself to a naughty Maccy D's breakfast, and was sat chomping into her McMuffin while reading in the papers (national, not regional!!) about our victory. Heaven only knows what she was doing (according to her, she was 'doing a little dance of celebration' in her seat); whatever it was, it was enough to be noticed by a guy leaving with a coffee in his hand. He tapped Clare on the shoulder and said 'great result wasn't it?!!' And so started a ten minute conversation about the match, how brilliantly we played, and how great it is to be a County fan.
As the chap was leaving, he asked Clare 'by the way, did you go to the game?' Clare responded with 'too right I was, I don't want to miss a match like that!!........were you?' With a smile, he nodded. 'Of course I was there.....I was playing!!'
Of all the people to meet in McDonalds, she had been bumped into by Peter Ward. Not only did he play for County, he was our captain!!
Like I said, I can't see either of these things happening with Manchester United players.........
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