blue Kipper - Joggers Snapshots 10

Jogger's Snapshots is for all you photogenic Evertonians to show the world how fantastic you looked when you wore a scarf around your wrist all those years ago. (Last week in some cases). So send in your photo's of you and your mates decked out in those silly bobble hats at Wembley, or hobnobbing with the players, or better still, send a photo of your mate looking a right Dick, and Jogger will gladly put it on this page. Click Here for More Jogger's Snapshots
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I brought my two teenage daughters down for the West Ham game on Saturday and was fortunate enough to meet both the Big Yin and The Duke (No not Billy Connolly and John Wayne). I first posted a few weeks back now, explaining how difficult it was trying to bring up two teenage daughters as good Evertonians in Lancashire, when all of the mates support either the shite or the scum (Owen and Beckham clones). Anyway after the day we had on Saturday, I will never again have to worry about them being lured to the dark side. Got down to the Goodison Megastore just after 9:00 am. Surprise, surprise it doesn’t open till 9:30 am. FFS, it’s a match day, a guaranteed full house, people queuing to spend their hard earned cash. The place should be open first thing. End of rant. Bought the girls some tops, shorts and socks. Whilst I treated myself to the Bayern Munich semi on DVD and a copy of “If you know yer history” cd. Went to our kids to see the family and kill some time before making my way to Bellefield to meet Duncan. Got to Bellefield just before 12 noon and parked up. Duncan was still getting changed so we hung around the car park. Bumped into an old pal whose lad plays for the youth team and reserves. I asked him about things under Moyes and Irvine and he confirmed that his lad had come on leaps and bounds since Walter and Archie had departed. He said his lad had become a much better player under Irvine and wished he would have been there two/three years ago.	Our Day Out
	Duncan came out a couple of minutes later. He is a very imposing character (The girls remarked how tall he was, I’m no midget at 6 foot 2) and looked as if has lost a pound or two on the road to recovery. I shook his hand, thanked him for taking the time out to meet us and introduced him to the girls. He gave the girls a peck on the cheek (they were absolutely delighted) and posed for some photographs with them, joking that he would probably spoil the photos. He then signed a couple of shirts (the away kit is murder to sign by the way) and then engaged the girls in conversation about Everton in general and in particular about the West Ham game. I know he has his detractors, but what I will say is that he is an Evertonian through and through and a fabulous ambassador for the club. We bid him farewell and set off toward Croxteth to meet Wayne. On the way, the girls remarked how well Duncan had come across and the youngest one said, “He smelled lovely dad”. We waited at the McDonald’s on the East Lancs for the call to go to the house. Just before 12:30 we got the call. The girls were getting really excited now as we pulled up outside the house. Let me tell you, these people are no shrinking violets. The windows to the front of the house are full of Everton memorabilia. Given that Wayne is one of the most high profile sportsman in the world, shows how proud the family are of Wayne and the club and do not give a flying f#@k about any abuse they may get from passing RS. After a couple of minutes Wayne emerged from the house looking very smart in his club suit (Evening Standard and the rest of the gutter press please note, not chewing gum and with his tie knotted correctly).
Wayne has a swagger about him, not a cocky or arrogant one but the kind of swagger a prizefighter has when he knows that he is the baddest man on earth (similar to a young, hungry Tyson minus the verbals). I introduced him to the girls and we took a photograph in front of the house. He then signed some memorabilia for me, before shaking my hand and quietly walking back into the house with a bottle of Champers I had given him with the instructions that it was to be enjoyed by the family on the evening of his first goals against the RS. He is an extremely shy lad, he spoke no more than a couple of words during the time we spent with him, but that was ok. The lad is seventeen for Christ sake; he has been thrust into the limelight, where he constantly has to justify himself to our national press who seem intent on picking up on any chink in his armour. He didn’t pass his driving test first time; so what neither does the vast majority of people who take their tests the first time of asking. “Looney Rooney” reported the mirror, after his sending off this season. Let’s be honest if it wasn’t for Robbie Savage’s winging and the fact that Ellery was in charge, he wouldn’t have even been booked. When he held the play up against West Brom, they called him arrogant. Darren Moore (WBA) said, “If he continues to pull stunts like that he is going to get a kicking”. Darren, you would have to catch him first, you have the mobility of a f@#ck#@g subutteo player. No one criticised George Best when he sat on the ball and quite rightly so. That is all about having confidence in your own genius and the ability to pull it off. No on mentioned the fact that WBA had kicked lumps out of Everton all afternoon and that allied to the fact that he was taking the piss he was also running the clock down. Mere mortals head for the safety of the corner flag, not Wayne. He took the piss, took them on and won a free kick. They said he was arrogant and showed disrespect when he received the young sports personality of the year award. FFS, that’s why they nominated him. He is seventeen, he is shy, he is special, he’s no saint but would you want him any different. End of rant.
	Wayne’s mum called me over and gave me some signed photos. It is very obvious, how proud she and the rest of the family are of their lad and remarked that they had another couple of bottles of bubbly on ice to go with mine to celebrate his inevitable goals against the RS. We left and got up to the ground early. The girls were badgering me for some scarves and insisting that they wear there new away tops (this day was getting better by the minute). The game was somewhat of an anti-climax, but I can’t really complain when I think of how fortunate we had been earlier that day. I managed to lose my mobile, probably when jumping up to prematurely celebrate Stubbsy’s headed goal. How did that not go in? My faith in human kind was restored by an Irish Blue, who found it and reunited me with the phone at the Megastore (see earlier post). Many thanks to that man. Most abiding memories of the day. On the way home, I put the “If you know yer history” cd on in the car and the three of us sang along, especially when we picked one of the girl’s friends up (RS supporter). She got the full treatment, full blast in yer face. The final memory was Duncan’s parting words “Take care big man”. Big man was right, on cloud nine and feeling ten foot tall. I will try and post the piccy’s as soon as I get them downloaded from the camera. Steve (05/04/03)

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