I always thought Mark Dennis was a Palace fan, but on a Where Are They Now article it lists him as a Palace/Millwall fan.

Can anybody confirm who he supports?

I'm sure in an old copy of Shoot or Match Weekly that in a player feature that they had on him in 1980 or 1981, while he was a Birmingham City player it said Palace was his favourite team.

He was a class act when he was with us.

He grew up on the Pollards Hill estate, my sister was friends with his sister or was it his girlfriend ?

Edited by kenners46 (03 Aug 2014 9.04am)

My nephew Stuart knew him and he drank in the 'ouse of gloom' (Horse and Groom).

I think he was a bit of a thug/rogue from what Stuart told me.

Just found this after a quick google:

MARK DENNIS believes drug abuse is rife among top-flight footballers. 

The former England Under-21 left-back has decided to speak out after admitting that he stared death in the face when he blew pounds 300,000 on cocaine during his playing days. 

Dennis indulged in a lethal cocktail of drink and drugs which left him skint and fighting for his life. 

On the eve of Rio Ferdinand's "trial" former Southampton defender Dennis insists football authorities are in a state of denial if they think that the game is clean and players are not using drugs. 

Dennis says: "There is far too much pressure these days, and there is no doubt that social drugs have become an outlet for players in a bid to deal with the pressure and the obscene amount of money they earn. 

"Having been an addict, I can see the signs that give away drug use and without naming names publicly, I would say it's rife at the top level. 

"When you start to dabble in drugs you think it's an outlet, that it's the answer to all your problems. 

"It worries me because I know what it can do to you. I was lucky to escape with my life, I'm fortunate enough to be around today to talk about it. 

"You're not talking about some mild drug here. I laugh when people go on about cocaine being a social drug when it's a registered category A drug. 

"And once you're hooked there is no going back. The side-effects are terrible and once you're on a high you have to deal with massive bouts of depression. 

"The drug makes you think you are invincible and you can overcome any problem in your life. But the fact is it's like a virus that enters your system and sets about destroying you." 

Dennis became hooked on cocaine shortly after joining Crystal Palace in the 1990-91 season, and the effects were catastrophic. 

He added: "I have absolutely no idea how I'm sitting here talking to you today. God knows, if I had been a footballer today I would be dead. In fact, looking back, I should be. 

"It's a miracle that I'm around to even talk about it. I have to say, having been clean for many years and a reformed alcoholic for almost two years, it hurts to look back - but sometimes it's more important to look at the wider issues involved and not be selfish. 

"When I started to dabble in cocaine I just thought it would give me a lift and help me during an awkward time in my life. 

"I was struggling with an injury, an injury that ultimately brought my playing days to an end, and then there were other personal problems that forced me to turn to drugs. 

"There were other players at Palace on it, and although I don't believe its use was as rife as it is now, there were players who were turning to it who played at the highest level in the game. 

"The funny thing is I tried drugs once for a laugh and smoked this joint in Australia. I threw my guts up, not being a smoker, and vowed never to touch the stuff. 

"The real problem with drugs is that it goes hand in hand with drink, and you tell me a player who doesn't like a drink! 

"The first time I did coke was after I got injured at Norwich playing for Palace. I just got introduced to some bloke down the pub by another Palace player and that was it. It spiralled out of control and every penny I earned went on it. 

"I was getting paid on Friday and it was gone on Saturday. I think I got around pounds 50,000 for signing for Palace and blew the lot in weeks. 

"But I got severely depressed the day after and at times I would lock myself away and contemplate suicide. It was hard attempting to get through training, as well. 

"The other thing is you become a Premier League liar. People around me had little or no idea of what I was doing - and I guess that is the case today. 

"I was living with my mum when I was at Palace, although I still had my house in Southampton which I was renting out." 

Recalling a typical night out, Dennis said: "I'd go out early doors to the local pub with a group of players and friends and meet the drug dealer who had Palace connections. 

"After downing a few pints we would make our way upstairs to make a purchase. 

"A few minutes later we would come down into the bar and have a few more pints before heading down to the cellar. The landlord had this big mirror downstairs - and that is where we would cut the cocaine. 

"The night had only just started. From there we would move on to another pub and another. If we wanted a fix we would just sneak into the toilets, close the door and load up again. 

"From there it was on to a night club. They certainly didn't check us for drugs because we were well known. 

"In the club you would just disappear to the loo if you wanted more coke. 

"The trouble is I would head home in the early hours of the morning, and the coke would make me so hyper that I couldn't sleep and did more. 

"Eventually I would get to bed and sleep during the day - and the next day I'd suffer total paranoia and depression as I came down off the drugs. It was just a vicious circle in the end. 

"I knew I was at my lowest point. I guess, if I hadn't had my daughter Joanne and been able to focus, I would have ended it all. It was the only realistic way to escape the problem. 

"A day doesn't go by when I don't think about my daughter and my second wife Nicky and how they saved me." 

Dennis was only able to kick drugs when he drifted out of football and could no longer afford to buy cocaine. 

He went on: "When I left Crystal Palace and drifted out of the game my money had run out and I went on to speed, which was far worse. It was cheaper, but you had terrible comedowns. It was so bad that I had to come off it. 

"When I was a player I never thought about getting help. I was in denial anyway - I wasn't addicted, well I never thought I was addicted, even when the money was draining out of my bank account. 

"I thought I had an old head on young shoulders. I was a binge drinker and a drug addict. I didn't drink during the week but after Saturday, it was all or nothing. 

"Fortunately I met Nicky and she was anti-drugs. If I hadn't met Nicky, at the risk of repeating myself, I know I would be dead. 

"We bought a house and moved away. Getting out of London was another major factor. I only go back to see my mother now. You can get involved in drugs anywhere. But in London it's rife, it's everywhere you go." 

These days Dennis has turned his life around. He holds a job down training young kids at the Southampton Football Academy and is Director of Football at non-League Eastleigh. 

He added: "You know, sometimes I look at my life and wonder whether the past ever happened. For all the trouble that has passed I can't really relate to the person I was then and the person I am now. 

"OK, I don't have the money, it's gone. But life is not all about money. I have a lovely wife, a beautiful three-year-old daughter Maddison, Joanne from my first marriage and a two-year-old granddaughter, Tayla. 

"I lived a Jekyll and Hyde existence, the past unrecognisable from the present. 

"But if, by speaking out, I can help other people then at least some of the suffering that I inflicted on myself and on others will have done some good." 

He did indeed at his mums house just passed the shops on the left. I lived in Walton Way, so the H&G was really close.

This operation, will make the 'Charge Of The Light Brigade' seem like a simple military exercise.

Dont know what it is,but have Mark Dennis and the Mailcoach linked in some way anyone have an idea why?