Author Archives: FWA News Editor

FWA Q&A: Dominic Fifield

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Guardian football writer Dominic Fifield on ruining people’s holidays in France…Ashley Cole putting the boot in on lap-tops…and curry for breakfast

Your first ever job in journalism?
I had work experience on papers from the Yorkshire Post to the Croydon Advertiser, but the first proper job I was offered was a traineeship at the Guardian. Unless you count working for periods as a press officer at Crystal Palace Football Club, which was far more about dealing with journalists than actually being one.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
I worked for a company called Europ Assistance, offering British motorists abroad roadside assistance when their cars broke down on holiday. Usually in France. It was telephone work mainly spent reassuring people whose head gasket had just blown that their holiday had not, in fact, been ruined. And then talking to the mechanic we’d called out who would invariably confirm that there was no repairing said “joint de culasse” and that their holiday was therefore, indeed, ruined. It did not always end well.

Most memorable match?
Probably the 2005 European Cup final in Istanbul, which still feels vaguely ridiculous even seven years on. One of my senior colleagues chose to write about Harry Kewell’s surprise inclusion against Milan just before kick-off and I was therefore switched to do a piece on Steven Gerrard instead. As it turned out, Kewell hobbled off after 23 minutes and Gerrard inspired Liverpool’s ludicrous comeback and ended up as man of the match. Luckily enough.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
“David Hopkin, looking to curl one.” Wembley stadium, 90th minute, 26 May 1997. [Crystal Palace v Sheffield United play-off final]

Best stadium?
Cowboys stadium in Dallas with Chelsea was one of the more spectacular modern ones, but I like the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. An arena more interesting than the town.

…and the worst?
The Central Stadium, Almaty for Kazakhstan v England in the summer of 2009. The press box was quickly crammed so the FA put out seats pitch-side next to the dug-outs. We sat there with laptops perched on our knees and Ashley Cole attempting to boot every clearance into touch right at us.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Once lost a 2,000 word transcript of an interview with Salif Diao when my computer froze. Some people might, of course, consider that a blessing.

Biggest mistake?
Probably misjudging deadline timings when covering my first Merseyside derby, a late afternoon kick-off on Easter Monday in April 2001. Liverpool went down to 10 but ended up winning 3-2 with a long-range goal from Gary McAllister in stoppage time. I took it all in, listened to the managers’ post-match press conferences and started writing it up before noticing there were four missed calls on my mobile phone. The last one was the chief sub saying: “Dom, where are you? We need your copy. We’re reaching meltdown here.” I’d just assumed I had an hour after the final whistle. They took in PA for first edition…

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Someone over here in Poland has accused me of looking like Phil Jones. Which, considering he’s virtually half my age, I’m taking as a massive compliment even if it is a reflection more of him than me.

Most media friendly manager?
Carlo Ancelotti.

Best ever player?
Zinedine Zidane. Just edges out Vince Hilaire.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
The best I’ve seen were probably Barcelona and Spain of the modern era. Though I’ve rarely witnessed either actually win in the flesh…

Best pre-match grub?
Chelsea are directly responsible for me putting on at least a stone over the last season.

Best meal had on your travels?

Fresh seafood cooked dockside at dawn in Busan, South Korea after a few of us had stayed out all night following England’s victory over Argentina at the 2002 World Cup. God knows why we ended up at the docks – I’m blaming the bloke from the Daily Mail for that – but the boats were coming in and their catches were being kept in buckets of sea water on the quayside. There were octopuses clambering out of one trough and into another, seeking the sea. We were invited to have a beer and a stir-fry, cooked outside, by some of the locals. Never tasted better.

…and the worst?
Andouillettes in Troyes with Leeds back in 2001. Can still taste intestine now.

Best hotel stayed in?
The Busan Lotte was special, but the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur served curry for breakfast. This is all becoming slightly foodie…

…and the worst?
Can’t remember the name but it was a chain hotel in Eindhoven, and it appeared to have its own micro-climate. I stayed in a freezing February and had my face bitten to pieces overnight by mosquitoes in my room.

Favourite football writer?
Paul Hayward.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
John Murray.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Try and instigate a greater level of trust between the clubs and the journalists covering them.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
An England Test match victory at the SCG or MCG to win the Ashes.

Last book read?
Dark Matter, by Michelle Paver.

Favourite current TV programme?
My obsession has switched from The Wire to Scandinavian cop dramas… so The Killing, The Bridge or Wallander.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
I’m not a big collector, but I have an Everton programme signed by Sylvester Stallone. And a Palace shirt signed by Andrew Johnson. Only one of them is mounted on the office wall.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Contrary to the cliché, it’s not all about opinion. You need to do put in the news scuffling to be able to offer up an insight.

KLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE GOALSCORING KIND

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By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

IT WOULD be an exaggeration to say that all Miroslav Klose does is to score lots of goals but only just.

At 6ft, Klose is not significantly tall for a striker yet the five headed goals he scored at the 2002 World Cup underline his strength in the air. He is not lightning quick, does not possess the technique to leave defenders tackling his shadow and rarely scores from outside the penalty-area. He also does not take penalties.

Yet Klose is an international goal-machine, a player who may have struggled at club level but when he pulls on the white shirt of Germany is transformed into a striker who is rewriting the record books. He has scored 63 goals (plus 21 assists) in 117 internationals and trails Gerd Mueller’s German goalscoring record by five.

During the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Klose scored at least one goal in every single game he played, striking against all of Germany’s opponents: Belgium, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Austria. Despite winning only six caps during the qualification programme he scored nine goals and provided two assists which made him Europe’s second most prolific striker behind Klaas-Jan Huntelaar who scored 12 times in eight matches for Holland. Germany have never lost a match in which Klose has scored.

He was 34 on June 9 and knows Mario Gomez, who scored Germany’s winner in their opening Euro 2012 tie against Portugal, is a constant threat to his place in the national side. Who will lead the line has been a hot topic in the German press but coach Joachim Loew refused to join in the debate. He said: “Honestly, I don’t have the energy to worry about what other people are saying. I have a different point of view [on who to play up front] than the media or fans.”

Germany and Holland have met eight times at finals tournaments. The Germans have the slight edge with three wins against two and two draws.The 1974 World Cup final remains the most significant and memorable of the clashes with West Germany coming from behind to break Dutch hearts in a 2-1 win.

But as Germany prepare for the mouth-watering tie against Holland tonight, a must-win game for the Dutch, Klose, who came on as a substitute against Portugal, looked even further ahead and is confident of playing in his fourth World Cup in 2014 in Brazil when he hopes to score the two goals to overtake local hero Ronaldo’s record of 14 goals at the finals. Klose is also the only player to have scored five or more goals in consecutive World Cups, as well as the only one to have scored at least four goals in three different tournaments.

Injuries over the last two years have seen Klose strugggle to make the impact expected with Bayern Munich and Lazio, who he joined last summer, but 11 years after making his debut for Germany as a substitute against Albania – he scored, of course – the goals still flow.

He relishes his role as the elder statesman in the team. “I’m just the type of person who wants to lead by example,” he said. “I take no special cream that keeps me fit.”

Klose said he would assess “from year to year” what his body and mind would allow him to do. “I’m still here, and I will remain for some time.”

Yet in Klose’s mind Mueller – Der Bomber – remains untouchable whatever the record books may eventually state. Klose said that “the brand which has been Der Bomber will always remain number one” and he would “never presume to even scratch it.”

Germany won all 10 qualifying ties and Klose warned the rest of Europe: “I can say unequivocally that this is the best German team in which I’ve played. But we are not yet at the end of our journey.”

EURO 2012 CENTURIONS
Iker Casillas (Spain, 131 caps)
Anders Svensson (Sweden, 126)
Shay Given (Republic of Ireland, 122)
Giorgos Karagounis (Greece, 119)
Dennis Rommedahl (Denmark, 117)
Miroslav Klose (Germany, 117)
Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland, 117)
Anatoliy Tymoshchuk (Ukraine, 117)
Gianluigi Buffon (Italy, 115)
Olof Mellberg (Sweden, 114)
Xavi (Spain, 109)
Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine, 108)

…AND THOSE HOPING TO JOIN THE 100 CLUB

Damien Duff (Republic of Ireland, 98)
Lukas Podolski (Germany, 97)
Rafael van der Vaart (Holland, 97)
Xabi Alonso (Spain, 96)
Josip Šimunić (Croatia, 95)
Ashley Cole (England, 95)

My Week: Neil O’Riordan

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NEIL O’RIORDAN, chief sports writer of the Irish Sun, on nail polish and sex appeal…dumb Irish journalists…and the most powerful girl in Poznan

Monday June 4
We play Hungary in a friendly in Budapest. It’s my first time there but the presence of a taxi drivers’ protest makes me feel at home. I am disturbed by a dream I had the previous night where I use nail polish remover instead of shampoo to wash my hair and it all falls out of a result. An internet search tells me that such dreams are associated with concerns about losing sex appeal and attractiveness. I tell a colleague who helpfully enquires as to whether I had not had this dream before. The game was in jeopardy because of an electrical storm and torrential downpour. It goes ahead and Ireland are poor but claim a scoreless draw to extend unbeaten run to 14 games. Afterwards Giovanni Trapattoni suggests he will change his team to play Croatia. Efforts to clarify whether he means personnel or formation are unsuccessful and the Hungarian hacks are amused by the row that ensues; me less so as it’s the second time in four days I’ve been involved in a shouting match with him.

Tuesday June 5
We fly from Budapest to Gdansk via Warsaw and the patience of the tired Press corps is tested when the tour guide on the bus from Gdansk to our training camp in Gdynia starts talking about passing petrol stations. A crowd of more than 10,000 turns out to watch Ireland’s training session, impressive when you consider a similar session in Ireland last year attracted about 1,000. The players reveal their game-plan when they kick a load of balls into the crowd but the locals are pleased. Trap is in a far calmer mood than the night before but there is a touch of condescension in the way he asks if we all understand him. The olive branch, such as it is, is accepted in the dailies’ briefing but perhaps it would not have been had we known he referred to Irish journalists as ‘dumbs’ in Italian to some compatriots in the broadcast section.

Wednesday June 6
A day off for Ireland which would be fine except we learned of this at only 9:30pm the previous night leaving us all to wonder how we might fill our pages given a planned mixed zone has also been cancelled. I suggest making the goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly available for interview given the lingering doubts over Shay Given’s fitness. The FAI press office agree and the former international provides plenty of colourful copy with memories of Ireland’s preparations for the 1994 World Cup when the players had to train without water because they would be prevented from rehydrating during games. He recalls losing 16 to 18lbs of weight a day and then having bottles of water stacked up in front of him ‘like Cool Hand Luke’ after the sessions.

Thursday June 7
The Ireland mixed zone takes place. I’m surprised to have people wishing me a happy birthday upon my arrival. It turns out a former Sun colleague Garry Doyle had tweeted that I turned 40 that day. I’m 33. Garry lost his job with the closure of the News of the World last year but is a good operator and is here working with uefa.com. It doesn’t seem like a natural mix but his tweets keep all of us amused. In the mixed zone, Keith Andrews tells us the players had asked for a day off while Marco Tardelli claims it was Trap’s initiative. Yet another misunderstanding in the Ireland camp but decide against going big on the story. After all it’s 72 hours before Ireland’s first game at the European Championship in 24 years and you have to ask yourself how much people care about who decided they should have a day off.

Friday June 8
Finally the tournament gets underway, 22 days after the first group of Ireland players assembled in Dublin for training. Watch the first half of Poland’s game in my room as I’m finishing work but get to see some of second in the hotel bar and watch Russia impress over dinner. I fare better than the colleagues who leave Sopot at 6pm for the five-hour drive to Poznan. With extra work to do for the Sunday edition, I decide to make my own arrangements and book a train for early the next morning. Sopot is a decent seaside resort with enough to keep us amused but the levels of drunkenness of the locals comes as shock to us. People think nothing of drinking in the morning and it’s not odd to see people sprawled on a bench by lunchtime. I know those in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones etc but it still seems excessive.

Saturday June 9
A motley crew of nine journalists get the train to Poznan just after 9am with an advance crew going even earlier. The train is something of a throwback but comfortable and there is impressive multi-tasking by one employee. One minute he’s pushing a trolley up and down the carriages and the next thing he’s whipping up some scrambled eggs in the buffet. In Gdansk it’s a hectic trip to the stadium to collect accreditation, back to hotel to dump stuff and then back out to stadium for the Press conferences. Robbie Keane gets the media onside when he politefully but forcefully tells the UEFA official who has been picking out Italians to ask questions that, as a country, Ireland have waited long enough to be here and their journalists should be given a chance to be heard. Ask Robbie about his memories of winning the under-18 European Championship in 1998 when they beat Croatia 5-2 in a group game in which the current Croat keeper Stipe Pletikosa also played. I ask him too and he provides good copy on someone he knows from a stint at Spurs.

Sunday June 10
Match day is by far the quietest work-wise with everything crammed into a few hours at night. The centre of Poznan is bedlam. For the most part fans from both sides mix well but there was some trouble the night before when some Polish hooligans decided to attack some Croats. There’s more trouble around 5pm but the atmosphere at the match is amazing. The Croat chants are better but by sheer weight of numbers Ireland’s supporters make more noise. The game is a disaster from an Irish point of view as we lose a competitive game by more than one goal for the first time since we lost 5-2 in Cyprus in October 2006 but it’s good to see the Irish fans stick with the team and still singing after the final whistle. Not many would do that. Afterwards Trap and Robbie both avoid the temptation to blame the referee for our shortcomings. Robbie again earns kudos when he tells the same blazer he can hear me when he insists I wait for a mic to pose a question. A girl in the media centre becomes the most powerful person in Poznan when she is given a remote control to unlock the fridge stocked with beer in the media centre. Thankfully, she is not quite the jobsworth as others here as the Croats celebrate and we drown our sorrows.

FWA Q&A: Shaun Custis

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Shaun Custis (Chief Football Writer, The Sun) on being a theatre critic and a double-glazing salesman…being told by Fergie to work in Glasgow…and dog day afternoon in South Korea

Your first ever job in journalism?
I did a week’s work experience on The Hexham Courant where my first byline read Theatre: By Shaun Custis which will have some of my colleagues spitting out their sparkling water in disbelief. On my last day one of the reporters left a note for his mate warning him not to touch my typewriter because he had wired it up to 10,000 volts.

My first full-time job was on the Coalville Times in Leicestershire and my first interview was with the very pleasing on the eye gymnast Suzanne Dando who was opening a local leisure centre. She thanked me for my time and I floated out of the front door thinking ‘is every day like this when you’re a journalist?’ I soon discovered that it wasn’t.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
I did a week training to be a double-glazing salesman. Strangely it actually helped me when I went into newspapers because it taught me a lot about how to soften people up and get them to trust you.

Most memorable match?
As a youngster nothing beats Blyth Spartans 1 Wrexham 2 in an FA Cup fifth round replay at St James’s Park in 1978.

In my work life it’s level-pegging between Germany 1 England 5 in Munich and Liverpool coming back from three down in the Champions League final against AC Milan in Istanbul. Mind you Manchester City’s win over QPR to take the Barclays Premier League title runs them close.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Malcolm Macdonald’s hat-trick against Liverpool on his home debut for Newcastle in 1971. Supermac was born.

Best stadium?
Durban’s newly built ground for the 2010 World Cup – fantastic atmosphere and great working facilities.

…and the worst?
The Tofik Bakhramov Stadium in Aerbaijan. We were squashed together on rickety benches without shelter in the cold and rain and no-one could not get a signal. I eventually filed some copy from the showers in the stadium which also doubled up as a toilet for the fans. Number ones and number twos were much in evidence and I’m not talking about the chief football reporters and their deputies.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Knocking my computer off the desk at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and watching it bounce off three steps of concrete. I tried to switch it on and it wouldn’t work meaning I had to file 1,000 words on copy. When I flicked it on the next morning it sprang back to life.

Biggest mistake?
Excitedly telling Alex Ferguson that I was a new football reporter on The People and looked forward to working with him. He replied that he hated the paper and everybody on it and that he would get me a job in Glasgow where his mate was the sports editor. He said if I didn’t take the job he would have nothing more to do with me and he’s pretty much stuck to his word.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Whenever I went to The Open in the late 80s I was often mistaken for the Australian golf Ian Baker-Finch. After he won the title in 1993 it got even sillier and I was once pursued through the car park by a Japanese TV crew who refused to accept that I wasn’t him.

Most media friendly manager?
Arsene Wenger – whether life is good or bad he never ducks an issue, however annoyed he might be with the line of questioning.

Best ever player?
My personal favourite was Malcolm Macdonald but growing up watching the game on television I realised Johan Cruyff was pure genius.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Arsenal invincibles of 2004, Holland in the 70s, Newcastle Journal Wednesday League Cup winners 1987.

Best pre-match grub?
Chelsea – great variety and very nice cakes which you know you must resist but can’t

Best meal had on your travels?
A plate of elk in Estonia very late in the evening. The meal also sticks in the memory because Steve Howard got very excited about the fact there were ashtrays at the table and he could smoke indoors. Suddenly a waitress came round, took his ashtray, and told Steve not to light up. The smoking ban in Estonia had started at midnight and it was now 12.05am.

…and the worst?
Dog in South Korea on the basis you have to try everything once – once was more than enough.

Best hotel stayed in?
It was in Crete when a few of us were lucky enough to be sent to a game between Greece and Albania because we were checking out the Greeks before their match against England in 2001. We stayed for four days in a hotel with a gorgeous pool, wonderful rooms and a sensational view and there were beach bars down a little flight of steps which stayed open till four in the morning. The office asked for ten pars!

Worst hotel stayed in?
A flea pit in Donetsk when Arsenal played there in 2000. We slept in our clothes because of the bed bugs, there were gun guards on each floor and I queued for an hour at the supermarket next door to make a sandwich of mouldy cheese slices in a bread roll which I swear cracked the pavement when I dropped it.

Favourite football writer?
John Gibson of the Newcastle Evening Chronicle who made following the black and whites seem magical. He is the reason I wanted to go into football reporting as a kid.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
The ones from your childhood seem the most special, Peter Jones on Radio Two and Brian Moore on ITV. Brian introduced himself to me when I was working on a local paper and I couldn’t believe how he took such an interest in someone so far down the ladder.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Make players available every day – that way the occasional interview we do get would not seem like such a big deal fraught with danger.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
The Masters – I’m determined to get there one day.

Last book read?
Chris Evans – Memoirs of a Fruitcake. He is a self-confessed idiot who finally worked out what was important in life but had a hell of a good time getting there.

Favourite current TV programme?
The Good Wife (Channel 4) – quality drama.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
Michael Owen’s signed boots from World Cup 2006 for winning a football skills competition. Michael did a press conference afterwards and was asked what was the biggest surprise he’d ever had in the game? He replied – “seeing Shaun win a football skills contest.”

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
If there’s a fact you need to know ask Martin Lipton, if you need a radio soundbite anytime of day or night ask Henry Winter or John Cross, and if you want to know the best restaurant ask Martin Samuel – but make sure you’ve remortgaged your house.

Dennis Signy – an appreciation by Gerry Cox

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When Dennis Signy rang, he didn’t need to introduce himself – that marvellous, gravelly basso profondo could not have come from anyone else.
But of course, being unfailingly courteous and having been brought up to introduce himself at the earliest opportunity, even to old friends, he would say: “Gerry, it’s Dennis. Everything alright, son?” before getting down to the nitty gritty, which was invariably a tip-off, a lead to follow up, or a bit of hot-off-the-press gossip.
In recent years the phone calls became less frequent and began to include more sombre news. It was Dennis who took it upon himself to relay the passing of some of the biggest influences in my career – Reg Hayter, Reg Drury and Ken Montgomery.
But Dennis was the biggest influence of all, so when his wife Pat rang on Wednesday morning, I knew what was coming. It was not unexpected. I had gone to see them only a week earlier, along with Nick Callow who now runs the modern version of Hayters with me. We’d both started out at Hayters in the late 80s, and while Reg instilled in us the essence of good writing and how to run a business, it was Dennis who told us all about getting a story. Their principles remain with us today, and we do our best to pass them on to the next generation of young sportswriters.
And when we started Teamwork in 1993, around the same time as Dennis found himself without a daily outlet for his steady stream of stories and tip-offs, it was then that the daily phone calls began.
“Might be worth getting yourself down to Chelsea’s training ground this morning,” he’d say, and sure enough we were often ahead of the pack on a new signing. And being so generous with his advice and experience, the only ‘payment’ Dennis would accept would be the occasional bottle of Scotch, accepted with gratitude and shared with pleasure, over some of the funniest stories in Fleet Street. There was the time a young copper called asking for Mr Signy-Obe, not realising that Dennis did not have a double-barrelled surname but did have the Order of the British Empire, recommended by his local MP (and good friend) Margaret Thatcher for his charity work.
The fact Dennis had friends everywhere, even in 10 Downing Street, was testament to one of his main principles – look after your contacts and you’ll have friends for life. He also taught me that stories come from the most unexpected sources – a car park attendant, the club doctor, the dinner lady. Dennis knew everyone and everything worth knowing, and sometimes created the news. When he was chief executive at QPR, having fulfilled a similar role at Brentford, he signed David Seaman from Birmingham for £225,00 before the goalkeeper was sold on to Arsenal at £1m profit two years later. It was a standing joke at Chelsea in the old days that you could get the lineup from Dennis before the teamsheet was printed – because he’d told the manager who to pick!
When Dennis moved on to help the Football League with their media relations, it was he who would introduce us to the young Richard Scudamore and David Sheepshanks, usually at a fashionably smart venue like The Savoy. And it was at the FWA events at the Savoy and the Lancaster where Dennis was in his element, as someone who served the FWA as Chairman twice, while Pat kept the operation running smoothly for years as executive secretary. It was Dennis who first got me involved in the FWA, telling me about its history and importance. No-one was prouder than Dennis when I followed his example by becoming Chairman in 2002, and he was the first man I thanked, having had such an influence over my career. I know the same goes for many of my peers.
We were all shocked when Dennis was taken seriously ill late in 2010, the day after Ken Montgomery’s funeral. He was in intensive care for some time, and not expected to survive long. But 11 weeks later he was discharged, baffling the nursing staff with his strength and resolve. The cancer wouldn’t stay away, unfortunately, and when Pat rang not long ago to say he was not long for this world, Nick and I went straight round. He was in good spirits, not surprisingly since his surreptitious slurps of Scotch were through a straw, and he recalled the day he and Reg Drury sat in El Vino’s making a vow never to retire. Reg reluctantly quit the News of the World, and he and Dennis spoke every day until his sad demise, knocked down by a car in 2003. But Dennis was still writing a column in the Hendon Times and doing his stuff for Barnet, almost until their final day survival against relegation once again. He was pleased with that, and pleased to see us last week when we called. I asked if he’d ever written his memoirs. “No, but there are plenty of stories I could write.”
He was right about that, sure enough, and those stories live on with us, as does his spirit. I’ll always think of him with a Scotch in one hand, cigarette in the other, and that wry grin as he asked. “Alright son?”
Yes, thanks to you, Dennis.

Dennis Signy OBE

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Dennis Signy OBE passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of June 6th at the age of 85.
Dennis was one of the finest football reporters of the past 50 years, a former Chairman of the FWA twice and a life member of the association, along with his wife Pat, who was Executive Secretary for many years.
Dennis was editor of the Hendon Times for 17 years, before a long and illustrious career in Fleet Street with Hayters, the News of the World, The Times and Sunday Express, influencing a generation of football writers along the way.
He also worked in football, as general manager for Brentford and then chief executive of QPR, as well as a stint as the Football League’s media consultant before his final posting as PR consultant and vice-president of Barnet.
More news and tributes will follow…

Obituary: Dennis Signy

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Every member of the Football Writers’ Association would agree – without the drive and input of former chairman Dennis Signy OBE and his wife Pat, for many years executive secretary, the FWA would not be where it is today.

Dennis passed away at 4am this morning aged 85. It is difficult to think of anyone who has contributed as much to football writing and particularly the FWA as Dennis.

Tributes poured in from those who knew Dennis. “He was old school and new school and was widely respected by everyone,” said executive secretary Paul McCarthy, a former chairman. “Dennis was the main reason I wanted to join the FWA. He went on a recruitment drive to bring in some new blood. He explained to me the history of the FWA, what it meant and what an honour it was to serve on the committee.

“When I joined the News of the World as a young reporter he was one of the first to phone me up and offer any assistance. Dennis was brilliant. He was a sounding board for young journalists. He told us never to cut corners and was always willing to help.”

“Dennis and Pat were hugely supportive of the FWA, not least the regional dinners,” said former chairman Steve Bates. “They attended every dinner around the country. Dennis must take a great deal of credit for pushing the FWA to where it is today and ensuring a close relationship with all the footballing bodies, particularly the Football League.”

Mike Collett, Reuters global football editor, first met Dennis as a 16-year-old schoolboy and started to work for him at the Hendon Times two years later:

He said: “Dennis was my first editor when I joined the Hendon Times as an 18-year-old in 1972 giving me a job and keeping me on throughout my indentures despite insisting every other week that I should get my hair cut. He was a brilliant editor, a real inspiration and a guiding light throughout my career. He loved to tell the story of how I conned him on expenses every week claiming 50p mileage to visit Elstree Fire Station for my weekly call — until he eventually found out it had closed five years earlier. He asked for the money back – he never got it. A wonderful man, a true Fleet Street and football legend, He will be sadly missed.”

John Ley of the Daily Telegraph said: “He was an absolute font of knowledge for everything connected with football. The fact that he was honoured tells you all you need to know about him.”

Dennis Signy was a former wartime cub reporter on the Hendon and Finchley Times at £4-a-week and became group editor for 17 years in the late Sixties. He was a national football writer for five decades, spending 17 years with the News of the World and five with the Times. He was also the author of several football books.

Commanding instant respect from everyone involved in the sport, Dennis had brief spells with Brentford and Queens Park Rangers as chief executive and in 1969 returned to the Hendon Times as editor, forging its reputation as a campaigning paper. During his 17-year leadership he was awarded an OBE in 1983 for charity and community work in the Barnet area.

Dennis livened up press boxes when he wrote celebrity reports for the Sunday Express, accompanying such diverse figures as Michael Howard, Cilla Black, Jeremy Paxman and Delia Smith to watch their adopted football teams.

He became a consultant to the Football League who recognised the benefits in employing someone with so many friends in Parliament and Fleet Street.

More recently Dennis was PR consultant to Barnet chairman Tony Kleanthous.

Our thoughts are with his family and wife Pat at these saddest of times

My Week: Andy Mitten

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Andy Mitten on no Wise guy…a dancing daughter…and Xavi, the best talker in football…

Sunday, May 27
Sunday starts with an early morning rejection in paradise. I’m in Barbados to cover the PFA British Airways Legends tournament. Last year was good – 17 interviews done over four days on a beach for FourFourTwo. It made up for the hours waiting in mixed zones throughout the season.

The chat with Gary Speed in which he spoke of his love for his family was published just before he died. One tabloid lifted it for their front page and described it as ‘Speed’s last emotional interview.’ Which wasn’t true.

An interview with an unemployed Roberto Di Matteo gained additional currency when he was appointed Chelsea boss, especially the line about him training as a butcher.

My brief this time is to get Gianfranco Zola, Gus Poyet, Alan Shearer and Dennis Wise. The big one will be Wise, in part because he does so little media and I’ve got a substantial list of questions, some close to the bone.

I don’t know Wise and have heard mixed reports, but he appears cheery as he walks along the beach alone at 7am. I introduce myself shortly afterwards and he’s all smiles. He does not, however, want to do the interview. Wise says it’s something about a past dispute with the magazine, which is news to me. And everyone at the magazine.

Players usually want to speak to FourFourTwo. They like it and respect it, the biggest names. Not Wise.

The tournament, which is played in the historic Kensington Oval, sees Manchester United retain their title after again beating a very strong Chelsea team in the final. The United lads are buzzing and celebrations go on late.

Monday, May 28
Bit of work, bit of sea and sun. It’s not normally like this. Interviewed Zola, Poyet, Yorke and Shearer last night. Wise didn’t do any media.

Share a brew with Bojan Djordic, who talks of his plans to find a new club. Football is a precarious profession and the Serb has no idea where he will be living in a month, let alone a year. He’s lived in three countries in the last year alone and the stress has contributed to the break up of his relationship with a Swedish model. If contracts were awarded for enthusiasm he’d back at Old Trafford. Los Angeles is mentioned. Bojan’s the sort of lad who would have Angelina Jolie’s number within a week of arriving. And also any expat Serbs’ with questionable backgrounds.

Fine meal at night with the eight other journalists on the trip. An interesting discussion between the young guns who are keen on football writers who obsess over tactics. And the older heads who think said writers have little right to analyse tactics when they’ve not played, managed or coached football.

“You’re missing out on some of the world’s great novelists to read about football tactics,” an old hand admonishes his junior. “Shouldn’t you being going out, getting drunk and speaking to girls?”

Tuesday, May 29
Up at 6am in rainy Barbados to write my weekly column for Yahoo-Eurosport. I spoke to Gaizka Mendieta, who is playing in the tournament on Saturday and got him to run through the Spanish team. I bolster his comments with a few words from Xavi, the best talker in football. I first interviewed Xavi in 2003 but he only gave me his number three weeks ago.

Spend three hours reading, editing and sending articles for the next issue of United We Stand to a designer and sub editor in Manchester. We’ve got the 56-page summer number to be done in a week. I was unsure whether to publish because the mood isn’t great among fans, but then fanzines can be at their best when all is less than harmonious and our readers are loyal. And we’ve had loads of quality contributions sent in and our line-up includes interviews with Rio Ferdinand, Louis Saha, Sir Alex Ferguson and one of the Happy Mondays.

Most days are spent in front of a computer screen in Barcelona or Manchester. I’ve divided my time between the two cities since 2001 and probably keep Monarch Airlines flying. I’ll typically attend 30 United and 30 Barça games a season, plus another 20 around Europe and beyond.

Speak to Quinton Fortune about Cristiano Ronaldo, Man United’s reserve team players and the ones most likely to make it. He trains with them every day at Carrington so he knows his stuff; he even has a locker. I first met Quinton in 2000 when I spent a week with him in his native Cape Town for a magazine article. We bumped into kids wearing United shirts in the townships who didn’t recognise him, despite him being a first team player from their neighbourhood.

Quinton is excited about playing for United’s veterans in the Bernabéu this Sunday night. A 60,000 crowd is expected. As the only Spanish speaker (he played for Atletico Madrid), Fortune will be asked to do the media in Madrid. He does impressions of key Real Madrid figures like Raul and Jorge Valdano and jokes that he’s going to mimic them in the press conference.

Fly from Barbados to Gatwick. Michael Carrick is on the plane with his family. I can’t understand why he’s not in the England team for the Euros, but then I rarely understand much when it comes to England selection.

Wednesday, May 30
Land at fogbound Gatwick at 0545 after an eight-hour flight. Sat next to Mark Irwin from the Sun. He’s cutting, dry and very funny. One reason why I only get an hour’s sleep.

I’ve been away from my wife and 18-month-old daughter for five days and miss both badly. Skype is wonderful for keeping in touch and my wife has uploaded a video of our daughter dancing. It melts my heart and keeps my tired eyes open.

I feel shattered, but I’ve got the UWS designer and sub-editor waiting for copy and spend most of the day working in a lounge at Heathrow airport before flying back to Barcelona. Steve Kean is spotted charging his phone in T5, while I speak to Andrew Cole about this week’s column for the National in Abu Dhabi. I’ve written four pieces a week, usually on European football, for the paper since 2008 and ghosted a column for Cole for two seasons. Cole’s a joy to work with: ultra reliable and never afraid to speak his mind. He was honest and critical of Di Matteo in last week’s column despite knowing he would come face to face with him the next day. They blanked each other.

Cole could be hard work with the media as a player, but I put it down to shyness rather than arrogance. He’s a private person but once you know him you know exactly where you stand. I’d rather that than someone who appears to be the life and soul but is actually moody and unpredictable like others I won’t mention.

Cole’s life story from a kid on a crime ridden Nottingham estate to a European Cup winner is fascinating – and very few people know it. He’s the son of a cricket-mad Jamaican who ended up as a Nottingham miner who refused to cross the picket line in the miners’ strike. And I’ll never tire of him talking about playing in the best game I’ve ever seen: Juventus 2 Manchester United 3.

Arrive home at 8pm. Dance with daughter. Sleep.

Thursday, May 31
Sell the Madrid idea to a couple of editors and check prices to Madrid. It’s €160 for return train and a night in a hotel – good value. Email Real Madrid for a press pass. They’ve always been fine deal with, Barça too. Benfica were the worst club I’ve dealt with, totally disorganised.

Ask wife if she wants to come and make a weekend of it as Madrid’s a glorious city. She reminds me that it’s our wedding anniversary and says she’d prefer to stay at home after the trip to Zaragoza last month. We went as a family on the faster-than-Kanchelskis AVE train, but daughter wouldn’t sit still and was practising her chicken and cow noises on the other passengers. There and back, nonstop. I managed to write a feature on Zaragoza v Barça in between.

A compromise is reached. I’ll spend Friday night and all day Saturday with the family, then head to Madrid and stay overnight Sunday.

Spend afternoon writing a column for the Manchester Evening News, a Manchester angle based around being face to face with Chelsea-bound Eden Hazard and Di Matteo in the last two weeks. I’m not convinced they will ever work together…

Friday, June 1
All the cheap flights and trains to Madrid have gone. Find a solution – a midnight flight back. It means not having the expense of a hotel and more family time.

A tabloid reporter emails for an update on Pep Guardiola’s situation and confirmation that he wants to spend time in New York. My source on that was a friend of his wife who had told her excitedly that she was looking forward to New York’s shops.

Write a piece on Cristiano Ronaldo for the National and edit more pages of the summer UWS. They’re coming in thick and fast. I started UWS when I was 15 in 1989 and we’re now on issue 217. I devote about five days a month to it. About 40 people contribute in one form or another – writers, sellers, sources, distributors and designers. It’s an eclectic bunch – from the Telegraph’s Jim White to former pro (and United fan) James Scowcroft, Mancunian poet Mike Duff to some high-flying talents who’d rather hide their identity. I doubt their employers realise they also work for a mere fanzine…

I’m very proud of the team and love it when a talented writer gets picked up and goes onto better things. I don’t like it when Royal Mail increases postal costs by 40% for our overseas subscribers.

Good news and bad comes in the space of an hour. UWS has made the shortlist for the fanzine of the year for the second successive season. And I’ve lost my dictaphone. Good job I backed everything up.

Saturday, June 2
The cover design comes back and I test reaction on Twitter. It’s good.

Family day in Sitges, where Bobby Robson and Gary Lineker both lived when they worked at Barça. Watch a little bit of England v Belgium and catch up on Spanish domestic play-off news.

Sunday, June 3
Work during a very turbulent flight to Madrid and then write a colour feature about the vets’ game. United lose 3-2 to a Zidane-inspired Madrid side. It’s good fun. Speak to Van der Sar, Figo, Helguera after the game, plus the several of the other United lads who are like star-struck teenagers when describing what it’s like to play against Zidane.

Laugh it as a Madrid journalist who had just been embraced by Figo sees Andy Cole and say: “I need a photo with Cole. He was one of my idols!”

“Blimey,” says Sid Lowe, the Guardian man in Madrid who can’t believe the welcome Cole also got in the stadium. Sid’s got a book coming out on Barça and Madrid which I’m looking forward to.

Run back to the metro for a short trip to the airport and a midnight flight to Barcelona. Get home at 3am with another busy week ahead with interviews to write up ahead up the Euros and UWS due at the printers on Wednesday. Eagerly anticipating my own brief version of the close season and a complete escape from football.

Andy Mitten is a freelance journalist who has been editor of United We Stand for 23 years.

FWA Q&A: David Lacey

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The Guardian’s David Lacey on newly-wed mothers-to-be…a horsey steak in Albania…and English hacks protesting in Sofia

Your first ever job in journalism?
Cub reporter on the Brighton Evening Argus. First assignment: Paying the managing editor’s electricity bill.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Only national service in the RAF. Never saw a plane!

Most memorable match?
1970 World Cup semi-final. Italy 4,West Germany 3

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Maradona’s dribble through the England defence in the 1986 World Cup

Best stadium?
Aztec Stadium in Mexico City

…and the worst?
Dinamo Berlin’s stadium on a freezing night with no cover..

Your personal new-tech disaster?
No-go in Japan in 2002. Phoned everything

Biggest mistake?
As a young sub on the Brighton Gazette laying out the weekly page of wedding pics I picked up a an old batch by mistake and several mothers-to-be found themselves in the paper as only just married.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Someone mistook me for Murray Walker saying I looked just like him. At least I didn’t sound like him.

Most media friendly manager?
Ron Greenwood, depending on the media.

Best ever player?
British : George Best. World : Pele.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Club : The first great Real Madrid side. International : 1970 Brazil.

Best pre-match grub?
The Emirates.

Best meal had on your travels?
A lunch St Etienne threw for the media when Ipswich played there in the early 80s. I’ve still got the menu.

…and the worst?
Several contenders from Eastern Europe. Albania’s steak and chips had just finished last in the 3.30 in Tirana.

Best hotel stayed in?
Broadmoor Country Club,Colorado Springs,before the 1986 World Cup.

…and the worst?
Can’t remember the name but it was in Sofia. The hacks travelling with England staged a sit-down outside the dump until the Cook’s man agreed we could move to a better hotel after one night.

Favourite football writer?
Geoffrey Green.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Radio Mike Ingham. TV Martin Tyler.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Greater mutual trust.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
Ashes test.

Last book read?
John Keegan. The American Civil War

Favourite current TV programme?
I only watch old films.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
The autographed England shirt with Lacey No 10 on the back the FA gave me after I had covered my 10th and last World Cup.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Always listen to the pros. They’ve played the game and have a unique insight.

FWA INTERVIEW ADRIAN BEVINGTON

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HOW ENGLAND MANAGE THE MEDIA

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

THE DEMANDS of the football-covering media in England are greater than anywhere else in the world.

No other country has as many national daily or Sunday newspapers. Distribution in Spain, France, Germany or Italy would be impossible because of the size of those countries. So, on the continent, major cities tend to be served by one or two locally-based newspapers.

In England, the nine daily newspapers and 10 Sundays create an enormous rivalry, with sports desks wanting a strong news story for the back — ideally an exclusive — particularly when the national team are playing.

Abroad coaches, both at club and national level, usually have one press conference for all media outlets…radio, television, agencies and newspapers. In England, apart from the initial open press conference for everyone which is television-driven, there are then separate conferences for radio, agencies, daily newspapers and the Sundays.

I once attended the signing of a new player when the reporter from the local hospital radio asked Martin O’Neill for a one-on-one because “we have our own listeners, too.”

Every section of the media, particularly the written press, wants — needs — quotes others don’t have.

Adrian Bevington, now managing director of Club England, celebrates 15 years with the Football Association in November after initially joining them as media officer.

According to Bevington, the demands posed by the different and competing media outlets is: “one of the greatest challenges for us, particularly in tournament mode.”

He said: “It can be time consuming for the manager to do one all-in press conference, then the radio guys will want their interviews asking their questions, then you have the daily and Sunday briefings. At tournaments there is also a UEFA or FIFA TV interview. All this can last a couple of hours and because the manager has to be on his mettle it is quite intense. Also, inevitably there is a lot of repetition with the questioning.

“It’s a very different operational style to most other countries but it is part of how we operate. What started out as a press conference followed by a briefing for the chief football correspondents and chief sports writers now involves a briefing for the number two and three football writers on newspapers, too.

“At tournaments, the evening before a match we have a press conference with the manager and a player, usually the captain. After that the chief football writers want their 15 minutes with the manager to get their own angle for the next day’s papers which has not been out on the wires.

“We often have to scurry around in the stadium finding a room somewhere to hold this briefing, away from the other media outlets.”

In the search for back- or front-page lead stories the questioning can often be intense, bordering on hostile. So that necessitates some preparation for the England manager.

Bevington said: “What we do is not scripted but we have a good chat with the manager for half an hour over a cup of tea before the press conference to prepare for the sort of questions that might be asked. We do also try to work on holding something back for daily and Sunday papers’ conference where possible.

“I’ll never lose sight of how important an element of the job the media are. I’ve sat down with Roy Hodgson and all our managers for long periods to make sure press conferences are prepared for properly. Likewise we try to help the players where possible and we try to be aware of the ad hoc pitfalls that may come our way.”

But the best laid plans can occasionally end with the sort of quote that the media love but which has the FA’s communications team bracing itself for unwanted headlines. Two sprang to Bevington’s mind.

“When Howard Wilkinson was caretaker-manager of England in 2000, he said we might as well forget out the 2002 World Cup in Japan and concentrate on the World Cup in Germany four years later. That was a big statement for a manager.

“Steve McClaren, who had endured a torrid time from certain elements of the media, after giving his initial thoughts on the game against Andorra in Barcelona said: ‘You can write what you like now’ and walked out.

“All the managers I’ve known have tried to work with the media. Steve took more abuse than any manager but he dealt with the media well in that he never closed down and worked within the framework we set out. Fabio Capello came from a different culture and the concept of radio, dailies and Sundays press conferences was new to him but he went with it. Sven was very phlegmatic in dealing with the media and it’s been good to see how he developed a healthy respect over a longer period of time with the UK media. In reality all the managers have tried in their own way to work with the media.”

THE PRESSURE on the written media to produce original quotes is intense and the introduction of Sky Sports News in October, 1998 made the life of football writers far more demanding. While SSN is ideal for keeping up to date with who is saying what, all sports desks have the channel on and if a reporter files a “nanny” (nanny-goat = quote) from a manger or player that has been broadcast, the chances are he will receive a call to the effect: “Old news, chum, sorry…we’ve heard that.”

Bevington is aware of this and said: “When I joined the FA’s media team the press pack was growing but it seemed to kick-on during the period when England were away from Wembley, on the road, when Sven was manager at the start of the last decade. One of the most significant moments was the launch of Sky Sports News soon after the World Cup in France. Until then we’d never had a 24-hour rolling sports news channel.

“This had an impact on how the newspapers worked. While it’s a fantastic platform for live sports news it meant football writers had to seek stories that would hold until the next morning. “
THE GOOD news for Adrian Bevington was that six months after joining the Football Association’s media team he was off to a World Cup. The bad news was that France 98 and then Euro 2000 saw a return of hooliganism that prompted UEFA to threaten to send England home from the latter tournament.

Those dark days have thankfully gone and while the FA would never become complacent about trouble-makers, England travel to Ukraine and Poland for Euro 2012 confident the excesses of the recent past will not be repeated.

Bevington said: “My early days were tainted by the disorder we saw in Marseille while there were some incidents with our clubs in Europe, too. The nadir was Euro 2000 and we were all on what was called hoolie-watch. It was not an enjoyable experience and we came as near as we have ever been to being excluded.

“Thankfully, the legislation that came in during the September of that year started the sea-change that followed. The next two tournaments, the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea and Euro 2004 in Portugal, saw hardly any arrests among the England fans who travelled.”

The Football (Disorder) Act 2000 meant that those convicted of football-related offences had to surrender their passports to prevent them attending overseas matches.

Bevington said: “There will be fewer fans travelling to Euro 2012 but we’ll do all we can to support them and provide them with as much information as possible. It’s a very different environment now to just over a decade ago.”

One constant is the inevitable criticism when England under-perform but Bevington says: “Criticism of performance, tactics, team selection etc are undoubtedly part of the territory. We all accept this. However, once it gets personal and mocking of managers and players I think it crosses the line. This is generally headlines and imagery and I know this is also a frustration to the writers. This is the side of the job which causes me most difficulty. They all have families and vitriol and humiliation should not be taken as par for the course.

Bevington accepts that headlines about a turnip, the wally with the brolly and in the name of Allah go “come with the territory.”

He said: “Everyone around the England structure understands that. When England play it is not like we are a leading club side with other clubs playing that day, we are the main story generally across all the media space.

“However, what we have to do, and hopefully we can improve, is to create an environment the players really do, genuinely enjoy coming to. We want to remove the intensity of the pressure around the set-up so while still highly professional, it’s also fun.”

There will once again be a ban on ghosted columns by players (or coaches) during the European Championship, though the FA will not ban Twitter.

Bevington said: “Only a few players Tweet and we’ll manage this sensibly. It’s not so much a case of rules, more regulations as guidance and common sense.

“We’ll be in a city centre environment in this tournament and that brings a whole different dynamic. The use of social media is still relatively new – I don’t believe we had players on Twitter at the last World Cup, and when I started here even the internet was still, in many ways, in its infancy. That’s how much the situation has changed.”

Another challenge for Bevington is to remain close to the journalists who cover England while not revealing the secrets football writers crave. He said: “Things have changed a little since I became Club England managing director. It’s very much a management role and I’ve had to have a little more distance from the journalists than I had previously. I still like to think that I can enjoy socialising with them when we’re on tour. What I don’t have any more is the day-to-day involvement. There are people within the FA’s communications department who are excellent to deal with football writers.

“I enjoy the journalists’ company. The minute that we close our ears to what the media are saying we’re in trouble. It doesn’t mean we have to agree with them or act as the media are telling us to do so but we have to understand what opinions are out there and make our judgment calls with that knowledge.”

A myth among certain elements of supporters is that the media want England to lose because it makes for sensational headlines. Wrong. Football writers would much rather report on a successful England because, as we have seen on the sadly few occasions when the national team is within touching distance of glory, it creates a feelgood factor around the country.

Bevington said: “I know the guys who report on England, not just the print media but the broadcasters as well. There are a lot of really good journalists out there who want England to win.

Newspapers will sell more copies if England are winning. When England go out of a tournament the writers are almost looking through a window at the remaining games.

“The demands on journalists now are huge because of the 24/7 industry that football has become. I have enormous respect for them.”