Writing’s on wall if stars snub plea for autographs
There was once a time when cynicism towards celebrity hadn’t taken its grip.
We’ve all been wide-eyed young Rory McIlroys, waving a bit of paper and a pen for a scribble from the latest hero.
The Irishman’s revelation that he has never liked Roy Keane after being blanked for an autograph as a kid opened up some old wounds and similar tales of unrequited love.
The earliest weren’t even sport related. Step forward Pat Kane of Hue and Cry fame who signed on to the Parksy s***list for obnoxiously waving away a request for an autograph in the early 1990s.
The aptly named Seduced and Abandoned tour still leaves a sour taste.
Texas singer Sharleen Spiteri was the polar opposite, signing her name with an eyeliner pencil she had searched for in her bag when she was stopped on Buchanan Street.
Throughout the years her Halo hasn’t slipped.
There’s a saying that in life you get the face you deserve and Davie Dodds had the blinkers on one afternoon when asked to sign a mate’s book after he bumped into the former Rangers striker at Ibrox.
He’s in good company. Sir Alex Ferguson wasn’t full of the airs and graces at a recent dinner to celebrate the great and the good of the game – one glare was enough to ensure a hasty retreat after trying to secure his signature.
The autograph refusal business can be a dangerous game though. Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba had a plate thrown at him and was backed into a corner by furious fans after snubbing a request.
Karma comes in the strangest of ways.
A former SPFL boss routinely camped outside Barry Ferguson’s driveway with a batch of strips that he wanted signed to flog on the lucrative memorabilia market and was soon told to keep away.
McIIroy still harbours that feeling of rejection from an idol. It’s a moment that stays with you for years and it has been a life lesson for the golfer.
He says: “If a kid asks me for an autograph now I always try to do it.”
Most sportsmen play the game when it comes to public requests.
Duncan Ferguson was half an hour late on his first day at Everton for the Monday morning team meeting.
Toffees boss Howard Kendall was inside checking his watch while Dunc patiently signed autographs for the fans who had waited to greet their new hero. Apologising to his gaffer, Dunc said: “Sorry but it’s Big Dunc mania outside.”
Positive stories stick but negative experiences shatter that superstar status and bond between hero and fan.
Gordon Strachan couldn’t have been more generous with his time during a chance meeting with my family at Hampden.
The fact this column hadn’t been kind to him the previous week mattered not a jot.
But there’s a favourite story that stands out – and it involves MailSport legend Hugh Keevins.
Shug was waiting for an age outside while his wife was in a department store. Eventually he heard a voice asking for Mr Keevins and saw a man waving a pen and piece of paper.
Graciously, Shug asked who he should make it out to.
The guy said: “Mr Keevins, I’m a shop assistant and your wife’s just bought a TV. If you just sign where it says credit agreement that will do fine.”