Have you ever written a letter?

mirwillbeback

Just wondering has anyone on here ever written a fan letter to a player, or a complaint letter to a club.

Back in 1986 I was 12 and broke my leg playing football. Neville Southall had done the same a few months before against Ireland.

My da was mates with Alan Kelly ( RIP ) and as he was coaching goalkeepers he got me to write a letter to Southall and sure enough I got one back with a bit of advice on keeping fit and to keep positive.

Not sure would that happen these days.

Xavi6

Yep wrote one to Joe Royle back in 1997 when I was 12. Told him I thought he was the right man to get us out of Division 2 and wished him luck for the season.

Got a letter back pretty much straight away from the man himself full of thanks for my time and effort, and discussing some of the suggestions I'd made to him.

Top bloke is Joe.

Qwerty27

I wrote a letter to Robert Pires looking for an autograph about a year ago and a few months later got a signed card! Bit sad onmy behalf but my favourite Arsenal player of all time so wanted a souvenir to add to my collection.

Used to write to all Premiership temas with my brother years and years ago go singed pics and stuff, might be worth digging outof the attic!!

Tom65

When I was about 10, I wrote to a few Man Utd players asking for an autograph. A couple didn't reply, a couple replied saying they don't give autographs. One player replied, with an autograph. That player was Jordi Cryuff. Thanks, Jordi!

Chardee MacDennis

The Guardian sent a letter to every Premiership player and received 11 replies or something, and most of them were just autographed pictures.

Kess73

Wrote one to Rick Parry when my dad (big Liverpool fan) was very ill with Guillain-Barre syndrome to see if he could get a get well message from a player or two as my dad was not fighting the illness.



He organised for a squad signed get well card for my dad, and five players went a step further and made a point of sending their own personal messages to my dad, and then passed on my dad's details to Markus Babbel, who was at Stuttgart at the time (as Babbel had Guillain-Barre syndrome also), who got in touch with my father by phone to encourage him.


So despite all the flak that Rick Parry got from fans at the club, I will always remember him as the Chief executive of a top club who took the time to check that it was for real and then he went above and beyond by getting that done for my dad.


In my eyes he will always be Rick Parry LFC legend.

8-10

Tom65 wrote: »

When I was about 10, I wrote to a few Man Utd players asking for an autograph. A couple didn't reply, a couple replied saying they don't give autographs.

I thought Gary Neville and Becks were the only couple at the club?

LuckyLloyd

Kess73 wrote: »

Wrote one to Rick Parry when my dad (big Liverpool fan) was very ill with Guillain-Barre syndrome to see if he could get a get well message from a player or two as my dad was not fighting the illness.



He organised for a squad signed get well card for my dad, and five players went a step further and made a point of sending their own personal messages to my dad, and then passed on my dad's details to Markus Babbel, who was at Stuttgart at the time (as Babbel had Guillain-Barre syndrome also), who got in touch with my father by phone to encourage him.


So despite all the flak that Rick Parry got from fans at the club, I will always remember him as the Chief executive of a top club who took the time to check that it was for real and then he went above and beyond by getting that done for my dad.


In my eyes he will always be Rick Parry LFC legend.

Thanks for sharing that Kess.

everdead.ie

I never have but my uncle sent one over on my behalf before to a distant cousin and he sent one back with a signed photo that was darren fletcher. I support spurs but it's still cool tho:D

flahavaj

I wrote an e mail to Newcastle bidding to purchase the club a few weeks back, if that counts?

I offered a half eaten packet of Monster Munch and an odd sock I found gathering dust under my bed that morning in return for full ownership of the club. I told them I was a very well to do Arab called Mustapha Shyte and my 10 year plan for world domination involved a dream pairing of Philippe Albert and Mirandinha to run footballing matters.

Needless to say I'm still awaiting a reply, I'm sure its just becasue the're busy getting my mame engraved over the gates of St James' Park as we speak.

MrStuffins

Tom65 wrote: »

When I was about 10, I wrote to a few Man Utd players asking for an autograph. A couple didn't reply, a couple replied saying they don't give autographs. One player replied, with an autograph. That player was Jordi Cryuff. Thanks, Jordi!

How sad!

MrStuffins

Kess73 wrote: »

Wrote one to Rick Parry when my dad (big Liverpool fan) was very ill with Guillain-Barre syndrome to see if he could get a get well message from a player or two as my dad was not fighting the illness.



He organised for a squad signed get well card for my dad, and five players went a step further and made a point of sending their own personal messages to my dad, and then passed on my dad's details to Markus Babbel, who was at Stuttgart at the time (as Babbel had Guillain-Barre syndrome also), who got in touch with my father by phone to encourage him.


So despite all the flak that Rick Parry got from fans at the club, I will always remember him as the Chief executive of a top club who took the time to check that it was for real and then he went above and beyond by getting that done for my dad.


In my eyes he will always be Rick Parry LFC legend.

Wow! What a legend! There was no obligation for him to do anything but for him to go through all that trouble is absolutely amazing.

flahavaj

Tom65 wrote: »

When I was about 10, I wrote to a few Man Utd players asking for an autograph. A couple didn't reply, a couple replied saying they don't give autographs. One player replied, with an autograph. That player was Jordi Cryuff. Thanks, Jordi!

Did they sign the letters?:pac:

MrStuffins

flahavaj wrote: »

Did they sign the letters?:pac:

I doubt it, i've met some footballers and i reckon it wasn't that they DIDN'T give autographs, but COULDN'T, unless it was an X.

I think this thread has called for an experiment....... if we got 20 people to take a club each, send letters to each player at the club and see who gets what kind of replies.................

Letters to ech player might take alot of time but if more than 20 people wanted to do it we could split some teams in half?

keane2097

Not quite the same thing but I'll tell my story anyway.

A good few years back my grandparents were out for a drink in their local. They ended up in company chatting to another elderly couple visiting from Cork for a few days. After several hours a guy comes up to the man and says "Excuse me but are you Roy Keane's father by any chance?".

Turned out he was and my grandfather asked him would he mind if he brought his grandson to meet him the following evening as I was a huge Roy Keane fan. Mr Keane was happy to accommodate so I ended up meeting Mr and Mrs Keane the following night. Lovely people, very friendly etc.

I asked them if there was any way they could get me a signed picture of the man himself. They said no problem, took my address and sure enough a few weeks later I get a signed picture in the post saying "To David, Best Wishes - Roy Keane"

Treasured.

CR 7

MrStuffins wrote: »

I think this thread has called for an experiment....... if we got 20 people to take a club each, send letters to each player at the club and see who gets what kind of replies.................

Letters to each player might take a lot of time but if more than 20 people wanted to do it we could split some teams in half?

I call Burnley.

MrStuffins

the_pm_of_17 wrote: »

I call Burnley.

Can they afford headed paper?

CR 7

MrStuffins wrote: »

Can they afford headed paper?

Don't care. As long as I get Chris Eagles' autograph, I couldn't care less if it was written on bark.

MrStuffins

the_pm_of_17 wrote: »

Don't care. As long as I get Chris Eagles' autograph, I couldn't care less if it was written on bark.

Isn't he too busy combing his hiar constantly to write?

craiginireland

When i was younger i wrote to most of the Everton players... Got loads of responses including a letter from Duncan Ferguson thanking me for my support during his time in prison. Nick Barmby sent me a merlin card of himself and I got a letter back from Andy Hinchcliffe, Daniel Amocachi, Dave Watson, Gary Speed, Joe Royle and Howard Kendall and a few others. They now have pride of place on my sitting room wall.

When your young that's the sort of thing that sticks in the memory

Tom65

MrStuffins wrote: »

How sad!

flahavaj wrote: »

Did they sign the letters?:pac:

It was a letter saying something like "Sorry, these players don't give autographs. Go away. Yours sincerely, Manchester United".

MrStuffins

Tom65 wrote: »

It was a letter saying something like "Sorry, these players don't give autographs. Go away. Yours sincerely, Manchester United".

Cnuts!

Mr.Nice Guy

MrStuffins wrote: »

I doubt it, i've met some footballers and i reckon it wasn't that they DIDN'T give autographs, but COULDN'T, unless it was an X.

I think this thread has called for an experiment....... if we got 20 people to take a club each, send letters to each player at the club and see who gets what kind of replies.................

Letters to ech player might take alot of time but if more than 20 people wanted to do it we could split some teams in half?

Where do you write to? The football club?

Blisterman

When I was about 8, I sent off letters to some Man Utd players asking for Autographs.

Got one back from David Beckham, Peter Schmeichel and Denis Irwin. Shame I lost them though.

MrStuffins

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Where do you write to? The football club?

I have no idea, anyone else know? Would you write to the club with each letter containing the indivual names? Or to their agents?

craiginireland

MrStuffins wrote: »

I have no idea, anyone else know? Would you write to the club with each letter containing the indivual names? Or to their agents?

To The player c/o the club

MrStuffins

craiginireland wrote: »

To The player c/o the club

Sweet

Anyone else up for this?

stovelid

Some of these stories are great, especially getting a merlin card of Nicky Barmby.

I'm sorry I never wrote that letter to Stevie Coppell or Norman Whiteside now.

Would be interesting to see if players are slower to answer letters these days, what with the increased number of fans and the demands of media and sponsorship and the like on their time.

IvySlayer

I wrote to Denis Irwin in 2001 or 2002 and got back a signed card

DeadSkin

Slightly off topic, but, I was of the 'Jim'll Fix It' generation and thought I'd go straight to the man and wrote him a letter asking him could I meet the Liverpool team.

Bastard never got back to me

missingtime

Some nice stories here. Kinda wish I'd done it when I was a kid.

Bounty Hunter

did any of you think it was kinda odd that your footballing heroes had similar handwritting to that of your parents :pac::pac:

orourkeda

My father used to work part time at the old phoenix park racecourse when it was opened. Around the time of Italia 90 the Irish football team were on a day out up there. He stopped John Aldridge and asked him if he would mind asking some of the players to sign his racecard. This was near the start of the day and as it was nearing the end of the day he had assumed that John had forgotten. He didnt. He came back with the card signed by several of the players.

A sound bloke by all accounts

Rekop dog

I wrote a letter to Luke Chadwick when I was younger to ask him what acne cream he uses!
He never wrote back!

8-10

MrStuffins wrote: »

Sweet

Anyone else up for this?

Why not? I'm in. I reckon you get all the players with squad numbers in the league and stick them in an excel spreadsheet then randomly assign them to the 20 or whatever guys who wanna do it.

Or would ye prefer taking a team each? I'd prefer 25 random players than a random club.

Then we scan any replies and post them in drips and drabs when (if) they come through.

Tom65

Tom65 wrote: »

It was a letter saying something like "Sorry, these players don't give autographs. Go away. Yours sincerely, Manchester United".

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

did any of you think it was kinda odd that your footballing heroes had similar handwritting to that of your parents :pac::pac:

My parents were mean

orourkeda

Did anybody ever see the letter that some guy wrote to Middlesbrough football club in application for the vacant managers post a few years back?

It was fantastic. What's even better is the club responded and their letter was even better.

Heres the response

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2006/jun/23/middlesbroughm

MrStuffins

8-10 wrote: »

Why not? I'm in. I reckon you get all the players with squad numbers in the league and stick them in an excel spreadsheet then randomly assign them to the 20 or whatever guys who wanna do it.

Or would ye prefer taking a team each? I'd prefer 25 random players than a random club.

Then we scan any replies and post them in drips and drabs when (if) they come through.

I like that idea even better, 25 random players, awesome!

I'm gonna get on top of this........

gucci

Steve Staunton sent me a signed picture,personally wrote to me! Unfortunately he was playing for Villa at the time, and I was a Liverpool fan!
I knew someone who was related to him, and they arranged it for me!(I was about 8-9 at the time) Sadly he had just moved to villa....mustnt have had any of his Liverpool postcards left over!

If I only knew then what a great manager he would turn out to be...........

Third_Echelon

Xavi6 wrote: »

Yep wrote one to Joe Royle back in 1997 when I was 12. Told him I thought he was the right man to get us out of Division 2 and wished him luck for the season.

Got a letter back pretty much straight away from the man himself full of thanks for my time and effort, and discussing some of the suggestions I'd made to him.

Top bloke is Joe.

Joe Royle is a gent... Met him at a pre-season friendly when I was about 15 when he was manager of Everton. He was signing autographs as the team were walking off the pitch. He got to me and his pen ran out. He told me to hold on for a few minutes.

He came back with a card/photograph of the team celebrating after winning the FA cup... signed by all the players... I'll never forget that!

Y2J_MUFC

From these stories, my opinion of Joe Royle has gone up 200%.. pity he left Oldham, would have liked to see him bring them up.

Good story about Rick Parry too.

mirwillbeback

I'm in for the writing letters, best to do random players so that the whole club doesn't get blanket mail!!!!