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It’s not just their own cars that have caused our players to have mixed reputations though. Taxis
are often a scene of violence, sordid behaviour and much mirth. What you have to remember is that footballers are young men. Young men have a habit of doing silly things when intoxicated. Young men in groups with other young men, even more so. Take a few young men on a trip to Exeter for instance. Their manager has told them, under no uncertain terms, that they were not to go out drinking. They’re young though and in a new town, who would possi- bly know? This thought process occupies the minds of far too many young men and footballers are, of course, no different. So when John Kay visited a drinking establishment in Exeter with a couple of his teammates it was perhaps unsurprising. The fact that the men managed to get themselves into
a heated exchange with Devonshire locals is also probably unsurprising. The players ran from the pub pursued hotly by Exeter’s horde of revellers (if you want to know what the argument was about you
will have to ask them). John Kay was a very fast runner, setting county records. On this occasion
his companions beat him down the seafront to the nearest taxi though. One can only assume the rea- son for that. We all know that John Kay was never one for backing down so perhaps that explains it. His teammates grabbed the taxi and sped off down the road catching up with Kaysie who jumped, Dukes of Hazard style, through the open window. A feat which earned him the moniker taxi for the rest of his career at Sunderland.
Perhaps the most frustrating moment for supporters involving footballers and cars though was in 1994. Phil Gray had signed for Sunderland, a promising goalscorer who would, one day, form part of the G Force MkII alongside Don Goodman. A very skilful Northern Irish international who knew how to hit the back of the net. He was signed for a princely sum for a Second Division team at that time. In addition to Phil Gray we had signed Andy Melville from Ox-
ford United; again, a bit of a statement signing as a Welsh international who had impressed at his previous clubs. Ian Rodgerson was another signing; we didn’t know all that much about him but he signed from Birmingham and given the calibre in Melville and Gray we assumed it was positive. Then there was Derek Ferguson. Now I liked Derek Ferguson but I am always reminded by friends whenever I speak of him fondly that he tried unsuccessfully to tackle Stan Collymore about four times as Collymore ran through the Sunderland team before smashing it into the net.
His crimes on this day were far greater. Return- ing from a pre season friendly away to Boro Ferguson stepped behind the wheel of his Vaux- hall Astra, no doubt emblazoned along the sides with a sponsorship deal and sped off away
from Roker with his three fellow new signings
in the car. He was in a hurry, explaining after the event that he wanted to get home to see his wife. He approached a roundabout and went to overtake a car in front, somehow failing to see the roundabout in front. He would later claim the roundabout did not conform to Department of Transportation regulations. After overtaking he had no option but to go around the roundabout the wrong way and straight into a head on col- lision with a mother, a grandmother and son. Melville had whiplash, Phil Gray had glass in
his eye, Rodgerson had a dislocated shoulder. Ferguson was sent home after a check up. He would later be ordered to pay £2,300 in fines, banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to retake his test. Sunderland started the sea- son without their new signings.
Footballers and cars have a long-standing history, but if you learn anything from them, when you step behind the wheel of the car; just be careful.
ALOVESUPREME | ISSUE260 | 39
BY MICHAEL CONROY