What are the chances?

[U.F.G Anfield '89]

Football grounds are funny places, even though there are thousands upon thousands of people there you still end up running into someone you know eventually. so what's the strangest coincidence that ever befell you on the way to/from the ground or even in the stadium itself.

i'll go first.

this season i was going to the bolton game with my dad. we left highbury and islington station and began walking to the stadium when we realised that we needed cash, so we turned around and headed in the opposite direction to get to some cash points. on the way to the cashpoints we met a couple of irish guys who asked us the way to the stadium (the fact that they were irish is irrelevant to the story) after giving them directions we got our cash and thought no more about it.

The story got interesting after the game however, as we were leaving the stadium we met the same two guys who were heading to the north bridge as we were heading south. to top it all off we weren't in our normal seats, if we were we wouldn't have ran into them.

In the words of the great Harry Hill; What are the chances of that happening?

[The Final Salute]

Met a group of fans who used to sit with me and a mate whilst we were at Highbury in a random pub in Paris last May. Just by chance that was.

[DB10GOONER]

I had my missus over for a game in '98 (she was only my girlfriend at the time) and as we walked up Blackstock Rd to the ground we bumped into Bob Wilson strolling along (he was GK coach at the time). I went into hero worship mode and shook his hand and introduced the missus and Bob was a real gent. Then I realised I had left my camera back in the hotel. I felt sick. And embarrassed. What a missed opportunity with a real legend.

It bugged me for years afterwards. And then my bro and I came over for our first game at the E******S last season. We were using a mate's club level seats and were sitting in the Royal Oak bar having a couple of pre match beers and who is sitting at the next table? Bob! The bro and I strolled over, camera in hand, and politely asked Bob if we could get a couple of photos with him and again he was a total gent chatting and smiling happily as we took a couple of photos with him.

Then (and I swear this is true) he kinda took a second look at me and asked had we met before. I told him we'd once met on Blackstock Road and he smiled and said "You were with your girlfriend and you'd lost or forgotten your camera, right?"

I was pretty gobsmacked to be honest. He asked me if I still had the same girlfriend and I told him we'd since been married and had two little Gooners running around at home. He grinned broadly and congratulated me warmly.

We took our leave of the Legend with huge smiles on our faces. My bro was particularly impressed that Bob remembered me after all those years.

Bob Wilson - true gent and classy with it.

But the slightly weird thing was that the only two times I've met Bob in my whole life were while attending matches against Bolton Blunderers, nine years apart... (you can add your own Twilight Zone music here! )

[Trevheff]

When at school I fancied this girl for years but never had the bollocks to try my luck. Five years after leaving school my mate bumped into her in a club one Saturday night. She asked after me, told him she'd always liked me but never had the guts to do anything. He phoned me to tell me about it and I just put it down to a long lost opportunity. The following day I went to Highbury to watch us play Sheff Wed (Sunday afternoon game during the run in to 1997/98 Double Season I seem to recall).

Making my way up the North Bank steps at half time who should I bump into? That same girl!!! Not seen her for 5 years then the day after she spoke to my mate there she is and of all places she's at the Arsenal!! (All the more coincidental seeing as we both live in Swindon!!)

It turned out she was there with her boyfriend (booooo!!!) who was a massive Gooner and she tended to go a couple of times each season with him. But all was not lost! We exchanged numbers, had a few liasons and the boyfriend was dumped!! ................................ as was I a few months later. But it was fun while it lasted!!

It's very weird how things work out.

[tenementfunster5]

A couple of years back when Norwich were in the Premiership me, my old man and mate followed The Arse up to east anglia. We were up there early so went to get some grub at a local Morrissons/Safeway. At the checkouts met some Norwich fans and had a good chat and banter before going our seperate ways. We got into the ground and found our seats.
After a few minutes we heard raised voices from behind us. A stewart got our attention and there about 4 rows behind us on the other side of the segregation were these same fellas.

What are the chances?