http://www.nationwide.co.uk/football/common/topstory.asp?ID=63758&W=0

Joe's Wembley joy
11 Nov

Joe Elliott, fanatical Sheffield United follower and front man for veteran
rockers Def Leppard, has played to millions in countless countries during a
distinguished musical career that spans a quarter of a century. Playing at
Wembley is one of his fondest memories, but surprisingly not in front of 75,000
adoring rock fans...

Def Leppard are one of rock's most enduring and hardest working bands who are
currently on the final leg of their 18-month World tour promoting their tenth
album -'X'. During their illustrious career the band have played countless gigs
in huge stadia but for singer and mad-keen football fan Joe Elliott his fondest
stadium memory is the time he traded in his mike stand and guitar for football
boots to take part in an 'international' at Wembley in 1991.

On that occasion Joe trotted out in front of a vocal crowd of 7,000 as part of a
representative England team boasting nine ex-internationals, Joe and Iron
Maiden's Steve Harris to face up to a Scotland XI.

Joe takes up the story: "I've played football all over the world and in some
great stadia, I took part in Tony Currie's testimonial celebrity game in 1986 at
Bramall Lane watched by 18,000 - that was really special, but the best moment in
my life was when I played in that England game at Wembley.

"The Scotland team was supposed to include Rod Stewart but he never turned up,
so someone else had to fill in. As well as Ross King from the Krypton Factor the
Scotland side included stars from the 70's and 80's such as the Gray brothers -
Frank and Eddie - Archie Gemmill, Gordon McQueen and the like.

"Those guys might have been well into their forties but they could still play,
they never lose it. We had our fair share of great players too and for us Steve
Coppell ran the show, he was brilliant. He should have still been playing at the
time he was that good!

"We drew 1-1 but the highlight of the game for me though was putting in an
inch-perfect cross that Frank Worthington rattled off the bar."

As well as the Wembley international Joe regularly managed to squeeze in
appearances on other pitches all over Europe thanks in the main to ex-Millwall
keeper from the 70's Bryan King. Based in Scandinavia the ex-Lions stopper
arranged many a charity football match in which Joe participated.

On one occasion Joe suffered extreme verbal abuse from a certain world cup
winning striker - Gerd Muller - for not passing the ball in a particularly
memorable game in Norway, said Joe: "He was the biggest moaning whinger
screaming at me in German for not passing. He couldn't take on board that I'm
just a singer in a band who loves playing football.

"He just didn't want me to have a shot as he always thought he was in a better
position so he kept screaming at me to pass and let him to score.

"But as soon as we got off the pitch he was nice as pie. Like all ex-pros when
they are on the pitch they just don't ever lose that mentality, just through and
through - gimme the ball, gimme the ball!"

Joe hasn't played football since he damaged his rotator cuff in a game in
Lanzarote that prompted surgery to his shoulder back in March. But, at the ripe
old age of 44 he is hopeful of making a full recovery, planning his comeback for
later in the year, once the 'X' tour is dispatched to history.

While on the road Joe and the rest of the band, particularly bassist Rick
Savage, do their best to keep in touch with the football scene back home. When
Leppard first toured America and the rest of the world in the early to mid-80's
it was in an era before mobile phones and satellite TV but that didn't prevent
the lads from getting their fix of English action as Joe explains: "We used to
have someone FEDEX out Match of the Day and the Sunday game on the Monday and
we'd get it by the Wednesday.

"We'd watch an hour a day, so by the time the following week came we'd just
about run out of stuff to watch but we were always a week behind. It was hard
back then you used to have to phone home on a Saturday or a Sunday to find out
what happened, we just didn't know what was going on.

"Things are a lot easier now. In America it's great each night after the gig you
get on the bus and Sky Sports news comes on - it's the tops, amazing - we get to
keep up with everything!
 
"And of course, there's always the internet. We can always find out whatever we
need to on that, anywhere in the world."

Joe Elliott was speaking to Managing Editor Dave Wilson in the first of a series
of three features on Def Leppard and football. Watch out for the second feature,
coming soon with Rick Savage, bassist and ex-Sheffield United schoolboy player.

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