An Evening with Peter Schmeichel - Northampton

It has been a long time coming, an evening I have had very mixed feelings about. I should explain further, something of an unwanted Christmas present. An expensive one at that too. Not being a fan of Manchester United it was quite a strange present to receive. I did try to offload the ticket at a much reduced price, to little avail. I then decided I wasn't going to bother even turning up. As time has got nearer to the event I felt duty bound to make an appearance. It is an early start too, a 6pm registration is required. A good thing I left early as car parking spaces were thin on the ground. Once inside the Mercure Hotel (formerly known as the Moat House) who should I bump into but Mr Schmeichel himself. Hurrying along with his travel case en route to his room. I showed remarkable restraint and let him go on his way. 

Assorted shirt memorabilia

There are plenty of opportunities to spend your money that is for sure. I am offered raffle tickets for just £10 , or the bargain of 7 strips for £40 . I politely decline, explaining that I'm not that keen on Man Utd in all truth. I purchase a small Diet Coke and take my seat in the auditorium. I am in Row I, not to bad, on the end by the aisle. The signed , framed shirts are being auctioned off to the highest bidder. The cheapest seemed to be somebody called 'Amad'  a current player I believe. There was a mere £200 reserve on that one. Perhaps a good investment if the player goes on to be a superstar. The compere is doing a lot of shouting trying to drum up support . Telling those interested that last time all the auction items are bound to be snapped up , based on previous experience. His advice was to go in high to avid disappointment. But then he would , wouldn't he. 

The 'Chirpy Chappie' Compere introduced himself as 'Pete Graves' of Sky Sports fame , as well as ITV Darts. He seems to think that Thursday is the start of the weekend? Back to the signed shirts and it seems that the 'Cristiano Ronaldo is the one everybody wants. Coming in with a reserve bid of £750 it will cost someone deep in the purse for sure. Not something I will be involving myself in though. Those of us who have the photograph with Peter (Schmeichel, not me) included are invited to start queuing up. I notice that a few people already had some mounts, in which to place the photo. I made some discreet enquiries and found out that these could be purchased for an additional £10. 

The queue moves fairly quickly thankfully. I would estimate that there are in excess of 500 people in attendance. Although not all will be having photos. When it gets to my turn there isn't much time for chatting. I do get to mention that I am a Leicester City supporter. Also that his son 'Kasper' was brilliant in his time with the club. As well as mentioning what a strong handshake he possessed  as we parted. The photo was printed out immediately, and it was pretty decent if I do say so myself. So much so that I decided to invest in one of the £10 mounts. Just need a frame now!

Sir Alex Ferguson

After a big build up 'The Great Dane' takes to the stage. Quite possibly the greatest goalkeeper of all time. In his 8 seasons at Man Utd he won 15 trophies, including 5 Premier League titles. There were also 3 FA Cups , and he was Captain when the club won the 1999 UEFA Champions League Trophy. He also played for Denmark when they won the 1992 UEFA European Championship. As well as a multitude of individual awards. In 2001 he received the MBE. Amazingly he has also scored 11 goals as well. The first half is very much about his early life in Denmark, how he always had a love for Man Utd and felt his destiny was to play for them. Lots of praise for his Manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and what a huge impact he had on his life. There are also a few stories about some of the big characters he played alongside such as; Roy Keane, Eric Cantona and Bryan Robson. Surprisingly not really an mentions of David Beckham. 

He talks a little about his son 'Kasper', saying that he has met a Leicester supporter earlier! I resist the urge to stand up an take a bow. After a short interview we 'kick off' again for the second half with a Question and session. I did submit a question but sadly it wasn't used. Our friend Mr Graves invited everyone to stand up if they wanted a signed Goalkeeper shirt. That seemed simple enough, at least until he then said sit down if you are not prepared to pay £200 for one. Strangely nobody seemed to be moving towards a siting position. Then he said ' sit down if you are not prepared to pay £250.. thankfully a few people around me sat down, I promptly followed suit. Once it had got to the £300 mark it turned out that there were in fact another 20 shirts available. They did seem to all go though. 

It has been a much better night  than I anticipated though. I felt that the speaker was quite reserved and played it fairly safe. There were some interesting thoughts for sure, but no revelations that I can't wait to share sadly.