For the last ten years I've sponsored a player's shirt. I've had some indifferent ones, some poor ones and some better ones. But this year, I had one of the bedrocks of our fabulous team - Mr Shaun Derry. Tonight I attended the Kit Sponsors' Evening where you get given the item of kit you have sponsored and have your picture taken with the player. In general I have been disappointed with these evenings - the players have often looked as if they don't want to be there, conversation is (for many understandable reasons) a bit 'stiff' and they are usually out of the door as soon as they can get away. Last year's event was better than most, but this year's was very poor insofar as the players could not get away fast enough. It would be possible to read all sorts of things into this under the current circumstances, but I believe it was simply a case of overload - the Watford aftermath, followed by POTY, followed in Shaun's case by a tv appearance in Portsmouth.
But, the real point I wanted to make is that after the presentation was made, Shaun Derry said "I've got something more for you" and then produced for each of his kit sponsors (my son and I in my case) a pair of his boots which he then signed. He didn't have to do this and he is the only player in ten years who has gone beyond the minimum. He came across as a genuinely nice guy, who was concerned to hear whether we had enjoyed the season (not half!) and is now, in my view, a complete legend :) |  |
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