Collecting experts! Opinions please!

[christie_j]

Hello everyone. I'm new on here and started my hobby since last Dec.
I'm mainly into football and have sent about 10 requests now but no replies yet.
I know this hobby requires patience and as the season is coming to an end,
do you think I will receive replies from these?
(I ask because most of the ones I sent out had no success/ no one tried on here!)

Last Dec:
I sent to Andrew Taylor (Middlesbrough FC, sent to training ground)
Mark Noble (West Ham United FC)

Feb 08:
Ben Foster (Man Utd)
Jimmy Smith (Chelsea Reserves, sent to training ground tho )

Apr 08:
Nicklas Bendtner (Arsenal FC)
Michael Phelps (swimmer, email request)
Michael Johnson (Man City FC)
also sent an email to Middlesbrough FC to see whether they have fan packs... no reply so I assume no?

Also, as the season is coming to an end, should I still send out letter? Or when should I start sending out again?

Cheers :razz:

[Shambler]

EDIT

[christie_j]

You should definitely have more patience. Most requests take 6 months on average to come back to you. For example, I'm only getting in some now that I sent last November. Some footballers tend to get into 'signing patterns' - one month they'll sign/send out alot of autographs, but the next month, nothing. With regards to the season ending, someone better informed can tell you about that - but I have noticed the autographs I'm receiving back are becoming less and less now that the season's drawing to a close. You definitely won't get autographs from a Man Utd player mid-year, for instance in July as some of them [e.g Ferdinand, Hargreaves, Scholes] will be playing here in South Africa, and others will be training with and playing for their national teams in the Euro tournament.


Ben Foster, I haven't seen a success from him for quite a while strangely. I sent to him in March and haven't gotten anything yet.

hi shambler,
I know I need to develop my patience but I'm also worried because of the players I sent. Frankly except Michael Johnson, whom I sent to after I was on here, there isn't any success from all the others! Strange! Hope I could be the first one to share though.

I saw Ben Foster replied when he was at Watford last season and while Man Utd has a good fanmail system, it is really quite strange that he hasn't replied! Just wait and see. I am still worried that when season ends, all unreplied mails will just go into the thin air!

[Thumper]

Did you send a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE)
If you didn't then that's probably why the celebrity didn't reply.


Thumper

[Shambler]

Did you send a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope (SASE)
If you didn't then that's probably why the celebrity didn't reply.


Thumper

This is not true of most footballers. I've only ever used S.A.E's and have had returns from various English clubs who are kind enough to pay postage for you - especially Man Utd

[ROB123]

You should definitely have more patience. Most requests take 6 months on average to come back to you. For example, I'm only getting in some now that I sent last November. Some footballers tend to get into 'signing patterns' - one month they'll sign/send out alot of autographs, but the next month, nothing. With regards to the season ending, someone better informed can tell you about that - but I have noticed the autographs I'm receiving back are becoming less and less now that the season's drawing to a close. You definitely won't get autographs from a Man Utd player mid-year, for instance in July as some of them [e.g Ferdinand, Hargreaves, Scholes] will be playing here in South Africa, and others will be training with and playing for their national teams in the Euro tournament.


Ben Foster, I haven't seen a success from him for quite a while strangely. I sent to him in March and haven't gotten anything yet.

Why would [e.g Ferdinand, Hargreaves, Scholes] be playing in south africa?

[Shambler]

Why would [e.g Ferdinand, Hargreaves, Scholes] be playing in south africa?

Hey Rob it's recently become an annual tradition now for United to come tour here every June/July as part of their pre-season training. Two of our most famous clubs, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, play off against each either in order to win a spot in the final of the mini-tournament against United. Most of the squad's more famous English players will be able to make it this time because (fortunately for us fans on this side), England failed to qualify for Euro 08.

[christie_j]

Why would [e.g Ferdinand, Hargreaves, Scholes] be playing in south africa?

Hey Rob it's recently become an annual tradition now for United to come tour here every June/July as part of their pre-season training. Two of our most famous clubs, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates, play off against each either in order to win a spot in the final of the mini-tournament against United. Most of the squad's more famous English players will be able to make it this time because (fortunately for us fans on this side), England failed to qualify for Euro 08.

So are you going to watch them and possibly getting some IPs? Ask Ben Foster why he doesn't sign now if he hasn't replied by then!

Another new question: Is it possible to send to "somewhere" to the national teams playing for Euro 08?

Cheers

[Shambler]

My dad promised he'll buy me a ticket when they go on sale later this month, so I hope I'll be going! Going to try and get a couple of I.P's either outside the stadium, or outside their hotel, and I'll try my best to hunt down Ben specifically


I'm guessing you could go the V.V route and write to the stadiums the teams will be playing at. I wanted to try this myself but something tells me that it'd be easier and more reliable to get the players at a 'fixed' address - their respective clubs.