Category: Footballers Drives

A look into the automotives of Preston North End’s star players. What do they keep in that glovebox?

Footballers Drives: Marcus Stewart

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The life of a footballer on loan is one of lonely drives up and down the country from your current club to your adopted one. That’s what North End’s latest striker Marcus Stewart had had to contend with in the past few weeks as he has made his way north from Bristol on more than one occasion, so the comfort and reliability of his car is something that is close to his heart.

How many times did it take to pass your test?
I passed on my second time, it took me about 18 lessons. I don’t remember the name of the guy, it was just some bloke who worked for a company in Bristol.

What was the first car that you bought?
It was a Ford Escort Mark II. I asked my dad if he would buy me one, he said yes, he said I’ve got a certain amount of money and we ended up buying it. The next car I got was a Manta GTE.

A what?
A Manta GTE, it was gold. I don’t think you can buy them these days, that one got stolen. I was only a young professional, about 19, 20 years old.

How many cars have you owned since then?
About six or seven, not too many.

What’s the best car you have had?
A BMW Seven series. I should have never got rid of it, it was a brilliant drive, a reliable car, it wasn’t really hot on petrol and it was very comfortable. I would say it was also the most expensive car I have ever had.

What car are you driving at the moment?
A BMW Six Series. It’s very nice, a very good car, very comfortable but it’s not as big inside as I would like it to be, not like the Seven Series was, you learn by your mistakes.

I suppose what car you drive is important to you at the moment with all the traveling from Bristol back and forth.
Yes, the one I’m in at the moment is very hot on petrol so I’m looking for Nissan to give me a car.

Well everyone else has got one! What would your dream car be?
I think that the Bentley that the Chairman has got is very nice.

What would you need to do to get one of those?
(laughs) Just go into my bank account but I don’t want to get one at the moment. I didn’t want to say that but you asked me the question.

Who has had the best car at any of the clubs you have been at?
That would be an Aston Martin Vanquish that one of the players at Sunderland had.

Were you a boy racer?
I’m sensible now but I used to be a boy racer. I had the speakers in my car with loud music and the windows down. You go through that phase and now I have grown out of it.

What music do you listen to in your car nowadays?
All sorts, from R&B to classical, it depends what mood I am in but I have got the full range.

If you are driving with the missus who decides what is on the stereo?
The kids decide. We both like Radio One so that is normally on.

What is in your glove box?
Some Sunderland signed photos which I have had in there since last season. I had 50 given to me and I have still got 50, the CD on how to work the satellite navigation is also in there.

What’s worse, speed cameras or speed bumps?
Definitely speed cameras. They’ve not caught me out too much as I have one of those Road Angel things in my car so I tend to clock them.

Model: BMW 6 Series
Engine Size: 3.0
Top Speed: 155 mph
Acceleration (0-60 mph) 6.5 seconds
Price: £47,500

FOOTBALLERS DRIVE: BRIAN STOCK February 7th 2006

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Brian Stock has had to get used to the confines of his car since making the move up north, he has already made the five hour journey from Bournemouth to Preston enough times to give even the calmest of drivers road rage. But when it’s not your car that you are driving it can be quite easy to pile on the miles!

Who taught you how to drive?
It was a driving instructor down in Southampton.

How many times did it take you to pass your test?
Twice, I got two crosses when I failed the first time.

What was the first car that you ever owned?
It was a Fiesta 1.1. It was a beat-up second hand thing but it did the job at the time. But I started driving in January and I was banned by March, I only lasted two months of driving.

So you were a bit of a boy racer then?
Not really, I was unlucky really.

How many cars have you owned since then?
Two, a Rover convertible and the Peugeot 206 which I am selling.

How often do you change your car?
I’m not that really bothered about cars so it is probably every couple of years. I’m only selling my current one because it is two small for the family, we have got a little boy and it is too small.

What would your dream car be?
I’m not really a car lover but a Porsche would be nice. Nashy’s car is nice, I would love to take Nashy’s car.

What would you have to do to get one of those?
Start playing some more games.

Which is worse, speed bumps or speed cameras?
Speed cameras because I have been done a few times.

Have you ever tested a car to its full capabilities?
Yes, many a time.

Ever crashed a car?
Never, not even a prang.

Ever broken down and not been able to fix it?
I broke down once, I was with Wade Elliott going into training and my tyre popped on the motorway and we tried to change it, we were struggling and then another car almost came crashing into us, it just missed us but fortunately they knew how to change a tyre and they did it for me.

As you get older do you think you will be buying more sensible cars?
Yes, I think so.

What music do you have in your car?
Everything, anything from Celine Dion to Kanye West. Sometimes it sends the baby to sleep.

If you are driving with your missus who gets to choose what music you listen to?
Probably my missus. She’s into anything but she’s into all the lovey dovey stuff.

What’s the longest journey you have had to drive?
The one that I am doing at the moment. I’ve had to do Preston to Bournemouth and back a few times, it takes about four and half to five hours.

Have you ever driven abroad?
Never.

Who is the worst driver you have ever had to drive with?
Probably Bernie the kitman at Bournemouth, he was the bus driver and we called him Bernie Brake so it would have to be Bernie Morton.

Who is the most famous passenger you have had?
Probably Jermain Defoe when he was on loan at Bournemouth he was a passenger many a time.

Who has had the worst car at any of the clubs you have been at?
Wade Elliott, he had this beat-up Escort and he used to pick me up when I was banned from driving to take me to training in Bournemouth. If the radio wasn’t working I had to put my hand out and fiddle with the coathanger, I usually had my feet full of water and he always had to stop twice to fill up the radio because it leaked. Looking back it was quite funny really.

Who has the best car that you have seen at any of the clubs you’ve been at?
Nashy’s I think. I like Nashy’s.

If we had a rally with all the players driving their own car, who would win?
It would be Nashy, even if he would be too scared to scratch it.

Spec*
Model: Vauxhall Vectra CDTi
Engine Size: 1.9
Top Speed: 130 mph
Acceleration (0-60 mph) 9.2 seconds
Price: £20,000

*This car is loaned to Stocky by his mate Johnny Saunders as Brian is in the process of selling his Peugeot 206.

Footballers Drives – Youl Mawene October 5th 2005

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Youl Mawene’s biggest concern when it comes to cars is staying on the right (or should that be the left) side of the road. He still drives a left-hand drive though although it is not the atypical Renault or Citroen which you would expect from a Frenchman but a practical Toyota, which drives ‘like a tractor’  according to the PNE defender

Who taught you how to drive?
I can’t remember it is so long ago. I just learnt in an auto ecole in France which is a school to drive, I passed it when I turned 17 and I drove with my parents’ car for a year before I got a proper license.

What was your parents car?
It was a Renault, a decent car, a normal car, nothing special about it. It was quite hard to drive actually, you had to push the steering wheel, it was a bit of a boat.

Is it easier to pass your test in France?
It’s crazy, it’s expensive for a start. I think it is probably easier in France, at the time it looked easy for me.

What was the first car that you had?
My first car was a Vauxhall Corsa. It was a tiny engine, a 1.2, it was pretty bad, my friends used to take the mick all the time because it was purple. The car is still running actually, we have had it a while and my mum still uses it a lot, it’s still alive and going.

Do you still take it for a drive for sentimental reasons?
Yes, I still take it for a drive but it is a bit temperamental now. You never know what you are going to get from it, whether it is going to start. I just leave it in the garage for now and my mum uses it from time to time.

How many different cars have you owned since?
I had two cars after the Corsa. I went crazy on one car, I was playing for Lens and I had the chance to play a few European games so I had a massive bonus for one month and at the end of the season I needed to change car and I was wondering what to buy and I ended up buying a Jeep Wrangler. It was a lovely car, a fantastic car to drive but it was a bit of a nightmare because at first I was pulling a petrol station behind me and it wasn’t a practical car at all. I sold it, it took me a lot of time to sell it because I was quite attached to it, it was a chunky 4×4.

What are you driving at the minute?
At the moment I am driving a Toyota Landcruiser. It is a good car, I am happy about it, it’s not too luxurious but it is comfortable, it’s not too quick but it’s not too slow. It’s a good car, it is reliable. It is still left-hand drive so I have got to be careful not to hit anybody on my right side because I can’t see anything on my right side. I don’t mind driving left-hand drive, it’s just getting used to it, for me it is easier, when I drive English cars and I go to change gear I hit the door all the time.

What would your dream car be?
Probably a Ferrari or something like that. It is a nice car, when I was at Derby there was a lad who had a Ferrari and others had Porsche, I don’t think it is me, I don’t think it would suit me, I’ll just leave it to others.

What CDs do you have in your car?
A bit of everything really. I’ve got a bit of reggae from Claude, rap, R&B, everything from 50 Cent to Red Hot Chili Peppers. African music as well, I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for African music.

What’s in your glove box?
Probably a map of Lancashire.

So do you get lost a lot?
Yes I do. I haven’t got this GPS system and I always have to try and drive and have a look at the signs at the same time which is always a bit of a nightmare. I have got to find my way around here, I’m still pretty new in the area.

Have you ever crashed your car?
Not this one, I have been really careful with this one. But when I was at Derby we borrowed a Celica and for the first six months I completely wrecked the car, I couldn’t drive properly and I kept banging the left side against the pavement. It was horrendous but now I am pretty careful. I don’t really drive quick, I am really careful when I am driving.

Who has got the best car at the club?
It is probably Dickson or Tyrone with their big Porsche Cayenne. It’s a really nice car, an expensive car.

If we were to have a rally with every player driving their own car who would win the race?
It would probably be Claude, he is a bit crazy with his car. It definitely wouldn’t be Brian, he’d have no chance with a Nissan Almera.

Are you a fan of private numberplates?
No I am not. I think people who do have one have something to compensate, so I am sorry for Pat and the rest but I am not a big fan at all.

Has your car ever broken down on you before?
I have had to change wheels before, it is pretty simple, nothing too hard, it is just a bit of DIY really. But when it comes to engine or anything I don’t have a clue.

Do you consider yourself a boy-racer or are you somebody who likes to drive really slow?
With my car it is like driving a big tractor anyway so you can’t really push it. I don’t really like speed, I like to be comfortable in a car first so I am definitely not a boy-racer.

Spec
Model: Toyota Landcruiser
Engine Size: 3.0
Top Speed: 109 mph
Acceleration (0-62 mph) 9.5 seconds
Price: £37,900