No connection with the fans anymore.

[NPBlue]

As a few have said, it's not a new thing.

I remember seeing Bobby Charlton as a young kid by Lymm Dam back in the late '60's and being told to 'bugger off' when I asked him for his autograph.

Kevin Keegan was mortified when, as a kid, his footballing hero snubbed him, so when he grew up and became a star, he would always take time out to please as many people as he could.

Years ago I was invited to watch Villa play Chelsea. Lots of kids were in the corner where the players came onto the pitch in those days, and while most of them signed a few autographs and went on to the pitch to warm up, Gianfranco Zola spent a good twenty minutes or so chatting away and signing programmes.

It's an individual thing and some are happy with the attention, others not.

 

[RandomJ]

Have you not considered that those that didn't stop might have had a good reason for it? Maybe they were having a shit day, maybe they needed to rush off to some commitment. So many people forget that just cos they get paid a lot of money they are still people. I'd happily wager if you caught them at a better time they'd have happily signed an autograph for your kids.

 

[TFC]

You could say he's a ray of light

He may be nj"s lucky star.

 

[Impeccable One]

Your dad lived near Maine Rd. He didn't support City. Was he ill?

And a stalker !

 

[LWashington]

You could say he's a ray of light

He may be nj"s lucky star.

These jokes are borderline funny.

 

[hazmcfc]

Probably depends which day you get them on, my sister was in the hospital with my niece in the children's ward and she said the players were great with her and had all the the little merchandise to give out. However united players turned up a bit later on the same day and someone had to run across the road to get paper for autographs. As someone mentioned not all doom and gloom.

 

[Exeter Blue I am here]

I was told by someone at the club that the only two players who genuinely cared about City were Kompany and Zab. To the rest it's just a wage and they really don't give much of a shit.

A few seasons ago I was invited to the team hotel with some others from London and the SE (@Exeter Blue I am here was also there iirc) the night before we played Arsenal at the Emirates in a midweek game. The players were coming out of the restaurant and it was interesting to see their reactions to the 30 or so that were there. Quite a few just ignored us like we weren't there but the two who stood out were SWP & Tevez, particularly the latter. There was no quibble about photos and autographs and neither left until everyone who wanted one had one. Then Micah Richards & Dedryck Boyata came into the room where we were and the former was brilliant whereas Dedryck was like a rabbit in the headlights.

I felt a little sorry for them to be honest as it seemed like they were exhibits in a zoo. I had real respect for Shauny, Carlos & Micah who are larger than life characters and really seemed to relish the chance to connect with the fans but players like Boyata, Given and Lescott came over as essentially quite quiet and self-contained, maybe even a little shy. It's great if they do go the extra mile but I can't blame them if they don't.

Yeh, remember that PB. It was in the Melia White House hotel on Great Portland Street. Mancini looked like someone had shat in his cornflakes, cos clearly no-one had told him we'd be there and his OCD chip went into meltdown! To be fair to him he recovered his equilibrium and came and had a few photos taken, but his face was a rictus mask. Micah was an absolute star, and like you say so were Carlos, Gaz Baz and one or two others, but there were 3 or 4 others, most notably Joe Hart, who came out of the restaurant, saw us waiting there with our kids about 10 yards away where the club steward had asked us to stand, and then very deliberately turned and went the other way. I was really disappointed with Hart that night, cos it wasn't like there were hordes of us. John Lennon once said the reason the Beatles sometimes got arsey with fans was because they (the Beatles) were 'on' 24 hours a day and everybody from lift operators to shop assistants to hotel managers wanted a piece of their time, but it was clearly an OSC function, other players had obliged, and it would have taken 10 minutes of their time, tops. I don't wish to join the 'Billy Big Bollox wouldn't give me his autograph' whining club, but I did think there were some poor attitudes shown that night (and some good ones too)

 

[urban genie]

I am sure on a different day they may have stopped, Aguero came to the pitches at my work to do a puma ad a couple of weeks ago, but was running late by about 20 mins so rushed past everybody who had got word, After it was over he stopped to do a few pics, but he was being rushed along to another appointment, so it was so brief he only had about 2 taken.

I remember going down to watch the team train early 90's and bar a couple most just walked past us when leaving maine rd (we followed them up the street from platt fields).
Some lad about 15 asked Curle about him smoking and was it good for a player, got told to fuck off and mind his business, we were in stitches , but the lad was in shock a player would swear at him.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

Your dad lived near Maine Rd. He didn't support City. Was he ill?

I think his relationship with City has changed enormously over the years. He lived in Moss Side then, and went to watch each club alternate weekends, but in the late 40's my grandad got a greengrocers shop on Stretford Road in Hulme, which was much closer to old trafford and I think he gravitated much more towards united at that point. When I first started supporting City in the mid 70's he was still in that more neutral mood to some extent, and I distinctly remember him taking me to the Cup Final in '81 and supporting us, which seems a bit weird looking back. I think his attitude started to change throughout the 80's, partly, I suspect, because I became more recalcitrant towards united in that time, and partly because that was the way that football was heading more generally. That said, it's only in recent years that he's become discernibly vituperative towards City as we have flourished. Previously, we were merely a subject of mirth. The last ten years have certainly been a baffling process for him as a united fan, a period of time as a supporter, it's absolutely correct to say, I've enjoyed much, much more than him :-)

 

[yeah whatever !!]

I think his relationship with City has changed enormously over the years. He lived in Moss Side then, and went to watch each club alternate weekends, but in the late 40's my grandad got a greengrocers shop on Stretford Road in Hulme, which was much closer to old trafford and I think he gravitated much more towards united at that point. When I first started supporting City in the mid 70's he was still in that more neutral mood to some extent, and I distinctly remember him taking me to the Cup Final in '81 and supporting us, which seems a bit weird looking back. I think his attitude started to change throughout the 80's, partly, I suspect, because I became more recalcitrant towards united in that tune, and partly because that was the way that football was heading more generally. That said, it's only in recent years that he's become discernibly vituperative towards City as we have flourished. Previously, we were merely a subject of mirth. The last ten years have certainly been a baffling process for him as a united fan, a period of time as a supporter, it's absolutely correct to say, I've enjoyed much, much more than him :-)

my mum was 20 in the 40's ( god rest her) and she said that back then Man city and Man utd were both enjoyed by most alternate weekends..

how things have changed.

But she was City through and through from the 60s... hence why I was raised a City fan...

Love you mum.