Name:
Bill Harper (or William Charles Harper)

Birthplace:
Walthamstow, London

Previous Clubs:
Played for Harlow Town at schoolboy level and then multiple Saturday/Sunday League Teams in Harlow, Mansfield and Bradford

Childhood Crush:
Lots to choose from but we’ll go with Ms Scadding, Biology and girls PE Teacher at Passmores School. Perhaps I should also mention Mary Herrington who was in my class at William Martin Junior School (started lusting at a very young age 😘😘)

Favourite Professional Player Of All Time:
This is a real tough one, but I’ll go for Bryan Robson (Captain Marvel) who I think just edges out Bobby Moore and Cristiano Ronaldo. But a couple of beers and another day they could be in a different order

Favourite Odiaxere Player:
So many good players, I could have chosen half a dozen and been happy with the choice, but I’ll go for Tony Wyld. He’s not been at the club long but has shown he is a very good player and has quickly integrated into the gang. Yet another great personality to include in the lineup

Most Difficult Club Opponent: Again so many good players, in this category I’ll go for Sergei. So hard to get the ball off him and he uses it well.

Most Memorable Match: Champions League Final 2008 - Chelsea vs Man Utd in Moscow. Not only for the result but a great day out in Moscow with some mates meeting me and my lad at Moscow airport, taking us to a bar or two and generally a great laugh, made all the more special with the win

Biggest Thrill:
Of course the biggest thrill of my life is my wonderful wife marrying me (after 7 years of asking), closely followed by skydiving and scuba diving with my daughter

John Lennon or Paul McCartney: Paul McCartney

Oasis or Blur:
Oasis

Biggest Disappointment:
Touching wood as I type (making it very difficult), but I’ve been quite lucky in life so I guess my biggest disappointment will be that both Ms Scadding and Mary Herrington failed to recognise my obvious charm and sparkling personality all those years ago. But my therapist says I’m now making great progress and she will be finishing with me soon. Alternatively perhaps I should mention the cancelling of our Trip to Alaska, thanks to Covid-19

Best Country Visited:
I did quite a lot of travelling in the past and the USA has always been right up there with many great locations visited, but pushing hard in joint second place is Bali primarily for the great people and Copenhagen in Denmark, consider it for a definite City Break some time

Favourite Food:
An easy one, a big fat juicy Steak, Preferably T-Bone or Rib Eye, served with Mushroom, Onions and a side salad, but as long as the Steak is on the plate the rest is optional

Favourite Portuguese Food:
Pork Cheeks and I hear that the offering in the Odiaxere cafe is well worth a try, when possible - How about a team lunch there to try them out?

Favourite Drink:
Beer, Champagne & Cognac. Shame I can only afford the beer 😏

Miscellaneous Likes:
Good company, football matches and beers with mates, family time, travelling, exercising, watching a good film or drama

Miscellaneous Dislikes: Inconsiderate dog owners, Inconsiderate and rude people generally (which is a problem because apparently I’m one of them), cooking and Portuguese drivers

Favourite TV Show:
Tough one again, basically I like the TV dramas, most recently binged on 'Save Me' in preparation for watching 'Save Me Too' (now waiting on 3rd series). But there have been many good dramas to choose from. If I have to pick one good clean family show I’ll go for Doc Martin

Favourite Film:
I do like a good film and can appreciate most types of films but at the end of the day I’m a Sci-Fi man. And so it’s an easy choice, but it’s not one film, it’s all of the Star War films. I watched the first of the Star War films in 1977 and was blown away, but my absolute favourite of the Star War films (so far) would be Rogue One, which was released in 2016 and was actually a prequel to the 1977 film and answered many questions.
And I know I’m cheating but another great sci-fi film was Armageddon with Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck in 1998

Favourite Singer:
Got it down to three, but Diana Ross (with or without The Supremes) nudges out Freddie Mercury and Tina Turner

Favourite Actor:
Denzel Washington

Biggest Influence In Career:
Sorry guys but there’s two in this category, firstly my Uncle Don who introduced me to ‘Computing’. His company had put in some paper tape/card readers (obviously this was a long time ago) and he was fascinated with them. He spent a long time explaining how they worked. His enthusiasm was contagious and eventually I ended up with a career (if that’s not too much of an exaggeration ☹️) in Computing.
Second major influence was a guy called Jim Smith, my boss at one stage when I worked for RHM Computing (the old Rank Hovis McDougall group). Deceptively bright, plain talker and everybody’s friend. He was a joy to work with, and I purposely say WITH because he didn’t have to act the boss he just led by example and got things done by making things happen. Something that’s easier said than done

Biggest Drag in Soccer:
Soccer hooligans/racist behaviour and Mamby-Pamby footballers rolling around after they’ve tripped over a blade of grass.

What One Item Would You Take To A Desert Island:
At the risk of not being original, a giant fridge filled with Beers and Steaks

Which Person In The World Would You Most Like To Meet: Captain/Colonel Tom, who has already proven himself a hero after fighting for his country in WW2 and at 100 years old has proven to be an inspirational character with a great positive attitude. Whilst his body may now be failing him his marbles are all still working fine.