Author Archives: FWA News Editor

FWA Interview: Neil Custis on Sir Alex Ferguson

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NEIL CUSTIS of The Sun looks back on an unforgettable Sir Alex Ferguson era at Manchester United and says despite the press bans…

“WE HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE TO BE DOING THE JOB IN A TIME WHEN FERGUSON HAS BEEN AROUND”

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

NEIL CUSTIS, who has covered Manchester United for The Sun for 14 years, is like the newly-crowned Barclays Premier League champions – top of the table. Custis has been banned “about five times” by Sir Alex Ferguson, believed to be a Football Writers’ Association record.

Yet Custis is sad that Ferguson is set to retire at the end of another successful season. The bans and the media rows are all part of a complex man who has managed Manchester United with an iron fist yet behind the occasional anger at headlines or true stories he would rather have not been printed Ferguson will be missed by football writers everywhere.

He refused to speak to the BBC for seven years. The Guardian’s Daniel Taylor was red carded six years ago after his exceptional book “This Is The One – The Uncut Story Of A Football Genius” was published. It was generally full of praise for Ferguson, but reliving some hairdryer moments upset the Scot.

Taylor told football365.com: “He got a press officer to read it on his behalf, who gave it this professional, over-the-top report with sub-headings and everything, and the recommendation of this report was that there’s nothing wrong with it, and it’s completely fair, and he basically said ‘I’ll ban him anyway.’”

At the beginning of the season the Daily Telegraph’s Mark Ogden was banned for revealing [correctly] that Rio Ferdinand would miss the game against Everton because of injury.

More recently one national newspaper was excluded for printing that Antonio Valencia left the training ground on crutches while two others were banned in the wake of stories about Wayne Rooney’s future. Ferguson is the only manager in the Barclays Premier League to snub after-match press conferences with the written media yet for all his extremes Custis said the United manager has given all football writers an era they will never forget.

Custis said: “I think I’m probably top [of the banned table] because I’ve done the job longer than the guys from the other dailies.

“The thing is, I’d get back in, we’d make up and have a laugh about it. I have always got on with him, despite the bans. I’d stand up to him, we’d have rows…battles…I think he enjoyed it, though I’m not sure if I did all the time. I think occasionally reporters would get a ban because he saw them as a threat.

“After my last ban I was stuck in traffic…Ferguson arrived early and I sneaked in at the back. He said ‘Custis, you’re back in and you’re late.’ I replied that I was sorry but I went to The Cliff it’s been so long.

“I shall miss him. Newspapers spend thousands of pounds so football writers can travel around the world with United pre-season and the reason is for the 45 minutes we get with him. He enjoyed the banter, the game he played with the media, the challenge of the press.

“As football writers we have been very fortunate to be doing the job in a time when Ferguson has been around. It’s been the best time to cover Manchester United.

“He would come out with phrases like ‘squeaky bum time’ and ‘football, bloody hell’ that are part of the game’s lexicon.”

Not to mention the hairdryer or Fergie time.

“He has a wonderful way of talking about football that took it away from being just a sport into a drama that encapsulated everybody.”

Luke Edwards of the Daily Telegraph has just been banned by Newcastle United and the publicity this generated surprised Custis because in Manchester such things are a regular occurrence. He said: “People have been discussing the lad who’s been banned by Newcastle and it is wrong to be banned from games. But I thought someone had just invented the wheel.”

The announcement of Ferguson’s retirement came as a surprise, but Custis said in hindsight it should not have been. He said: “I suppose it’s always been on the cards because the guy’s 71 yet he seemed so full of life though he always has the capacity to shock. The thing that made me wonder was the fact he was so emphatic that he wasn’t going, almost too emphatic.

“For me it’s not just what Manchester United have lost, it’s what football has lost. Sir Alex Ferguson can say something mundane and it’s a back page lead plus inside spread. Someone else can reveal they’ve landed on Mars and it wouldn’t have the same impact. OK, I exaggerate, but the guy was the embodiment of the Barclays Premier League…his teams and Ferguson himself have created so much drama that without him the league would not be the same. Ferguson sums up not just what is great about Manchester United, but what is great about English football.

“The reason the Barclays Premier League is so popular around the world is in many ways because of Ferguson.”

When Ferguson was appointed manager of United on November 6, 1986 they were 21st in the old First Division, finishing the season in 11th place. It was four years before Ferguson won his first trophy, the FA Cup – 37 trophies have followed in 23 years.

Cuistis said: “If you want to know about Ferguson’s legacy you just need to walk around Old Trafford and then look at photos of how Old Trafford was when he arrived. It is now a monument to Manchester United and to Ferguson.

“His record will be impossible to beat because nobody will have the chance to beat it, to dominate in the way he has. No one will be given the time to create something that can have such longevity. Ferguson was allowed the time to build a foundation that would need be just tinkered with each year, but not a major overhaul.

“He’ll be remembered as the man who created the modern day Manchester United, the man who put down a marker for all football clubs in how to operate. There is a lot of short-term thinking at clubs now, but United have thought long-term. No other club would have stuck with their manager to the extent United did with Fergie in his early days.

“In the time he’s been in charge Chelsea have had 18 managers, it’s a similar story with Manchester City.” For the record, Real Madrid have had 24.

Many believe that the best job in football is the man who follows Ferguson’s successor. Custis disagrees and said: “Ferguson has said that while people call it ‘the impossible job’ it isn’t. It was an impossible job when he took over given the state Manchester United were in. It seemed impossible that almost 27 years on they’d be in the position they are now.

“The new manager has everything set up for success, from the training ground, the academy, the current squad…far from being an impossible job, it’s the best job.”

Inevitably it is United’s two Champions League successes, won in the most dramatic squeaky bum fashion, that give United fans their greatest moments.

Custis said: “He’s touched so many people’s lives, not least United supporters who were at the Nou Camp in 1999 or in Moscow in 2008. Those memories will remain forever. It’s not just what he’s done for United, but for a whole generation who have stories to be passed on to their children.

“Some have done this for a short time like Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, but he quit after five years because he was finding it a bit tough. One of Ferguson’s finest achievements was keeping the club together amid all the turmoil when the Glazers took over [in 2005]. The fans were in revolt, the club were suddenly in debt, the future was uncertain, but the one person who kept his foot on the ball was Ferguson. He was the glue that held the club together at a very difficult time.”

Covering United has given Custis many unforgettable moments, but one Fergie memory stands out.

“It has to be when he said ‘there are too many Custis’s.”

Neil’s brother Shaun, The Sun’s chief football writer, had been banned by Ferguson who had an identity crisis, saying to Neil: “What are you doing here, you’re banned.”

Custis said: “He tried to throw me out of a press conference for a story Shaun had written. I pointed this out and he replied laughing: ‘There are too many Custis’s.’”

WAS IT REALLY “THE MATTHEWS FINAL”?

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DAVID TOSSELL looks back at the 1953 FA Cup final when Blackpool beat Bolton Wanderers 4-3 but…

WAS IT REALLY “THE MATTHEWS FINAL”?

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

IT IS forever known as the Matthews Final – Blackpool 4, Bolton Wanderers 3, May 2, 1953. Stanley Matthews, the first ever Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year in 1948, was the most popular player of his generation, more Bobby Charlton than David Beckham in his appeal, but who had twice been on the losing side in FA Cup finals with the Seasiders, in 1948 and 1951.  At 38, the clock was ticking – could the man nicknamed the Wizard of the Dribble make it third time lucky?

Nat Lofthouse, the great Bolton and England centre-forward, conceded: “Everybody in England, except the people of Bolton, wanted Stanley to get his medal. We had a huge emotional barrier to break down.”

The country, Bolton excepted, had its wish, but was it really the Matthews Final? Did the emotions of the nation and the media create an image that was more fantasy than reality? Stan Mortensen was credited with a hat-trick and Bill Perry scored the dramatic late winner – even Matthews was to say: “To be honest, I found the whole thing one big embarrassment. Every time I hear the words [Matthews Final] I cringe with embarrassment because quite simply it’s not true.”

In a fascinating and superbly researched book – The Great English Final – David Tossell has separated fact from fiction, including doubts surrounding the scorers of two goals, of one of the greatest games Wembley has ever staged.

THE COVERAGE of the 2012/13 FA Cup final between Manchester City and Wigan Athletic will be intense, supplements published, with television and radio providing a fitting hors d’euvres to a match that retains a special place in the English sporting calendar, despite the growing emphasis on the Barclays Premier League.

In 1953 things were rather different. Media interest in the preparation for the final was minimal, the Evening Gazette reporting that Blackpool were watched by “a couple of dozen men, two women, four press photographers and a dog” during a pre-Wembley training session. A dozen fans were at the station to see Bolton off. There were no “exclusives” or the sort of hard-hitting back page stories demanded now by sports desks.

Sixty years ago football was wary of the presence of television cameras, believing it could affect attendances and 16 Football League games were played on the same day as the final. The BBC secured the rights to televise the Wembley game for a fee of £1,000, the Football Association stating: “The national interest in soccer [yes, soccer] must come first.” However, the Light Programme broadcast only a second-half commentary, having failed to persuade the FA to mirror television’s coverage of the entire game. Ten million people, huddling around five million TV sets, watched the match – more than some finals in recent years have attracted – with as many again listening on the radio. In 1953 the FA Cup final was as much a social event as a football match.

Some things have remained constant, though. Each finalist was allocated 12,500 tickets, underlying the FA’s policy was the feeling that they were simply unwilling to have their national event dominated by the working-class masses that typically made up most clubs’ fan bases. Far better to allow in the lords and colonels who dominated the committee rooms of the amateur game. Ticket prices at Wembley ranged from £2.10s to 3s 6d, with Nat Lofthouse having 97 requests for tickets dropped through his door.

The FA sent Blackpool’s allocation by train, a bemused-looking porter captured by photographers as he pushed his trolley bearing a priceless brown paper package. Blackpool gave 10 tickets to the Blackpool Corporation, the names of the lucky councillors drawn out of a hat by the Mayor. When the Evening Gazette tried to find the names of the recipients they were told: “No comment.”

The players were paid £12 a week, Bolton’s promised win bonus was £25 per player, £5 more than Blackpool’s. Matthews, probably English football’s first superstar, earned £15 a week from a boot sponsorship with the Co-op, the deal requiring him to make personal appearances at stores on the morning of away games between nine and 11.

Future BBC commentator John Motson, who grew up in Lewisham, south-east London, attended one such appearance and said: “Matthews was undoubtedly the most famous footballer in the country. He sat at a table in the store and we all queued up for his autograph. I remember being very shy and just said: ‘Thank you very much.’”

Matthews, the first player to have a ghosted column in a newspaper, the Sunday Express, also promoted Craven cigarettes – “The cigarettes for me” – in newspaper advertisements, despite admitting: “I’ve never smoked in my life.” Emphasising the difference in attitude towards smoking then and now, the last line of Blackpool manager Joe Smith’s team-talk was invariably: “Get two goals up before half-time, lads, so I can enjoy my cigar in the second-half.”

THE DUKE of Edinburgh performed the pre-game ceremonial duties on behalf of The Queen, his wife of five and a half months, his acerbic wit evident even then as he remarked that Bolton’s shiny satin navy britches made them look like “a bunch of pansies.” The kick-off was almost delayed as Blackpool centre-half Harry Johnston, the Footballer of the Year in 1951, had forgotten to take out his dentures and had to dash to the touchline, 12th man Johnny Crosland the lucky recipient of his captain’s choppers. As Johnston later stood in line to receive his winner’s medal he suddenly realised he had not reclaimed his dentures. “Quick John,” he shouted to Crosland. “My teeth, my teeth, I’ve got to meet The Queen.”

Nat Lofthouse gave Bolton a second minute lead, Stan Mortensen equalising on 35 minutes, a goal generously awarded to the striker as it took a significant deflection off Harold Hassell. Going outside full-back Johnny Ball, Mortensen shot left-footed across the goal towards the far post and Hassell, racing back to cover, diverted the ball inside the near post, leaving goalkeeper Stan Hanson helpless. Mortensen’s cup final hat-trick has become established as historical fact, but Kenneth Wolstenholme, the BBC’s commentator, called it as a Hassall own-goal. The keeper seemed likely to have saved Mortensen’s scuffed shot and in modern times the Premier League’s dubious goals committee would most certainly have ruled against Mortensen, though few begrudged the achievement of one of the most popular men in the game.

Five minutes later Bobby Langton is credited with restoring Bolton’s advantage, but again there are doubts about who had the last significant touch. Langton clipped the ball left-footed towards the far post. Arriving late, Willie Moir ran across goalkeeper George Farm’s line of sight. As both men stretched for the ball – Moir with his head, Farm with fist – it continued unimpeded on its path and nestled in the far bottom corner of the net. Wolstenholme said later in his commentary: “We’ve just received confirmation from the Bolton dressing-room that Willie Moir scored the second goal. He must have touched it with his head.” Yet the record books give the goal to Langton.

Eric Bell made it 3-1 after 55 minutes and it seemed as if Matthews was going to be a three-times Wembley loser. But Mortensen struck again in the 68th minute, converting an overhit centre from Matthews that was flapped at by Hanson, allowing the centre-forward to slide between two defenders and steer the ball home from two yards. However, there were signs that belatedly the great man was stepping further towards the front of the stage

With one minute of regulation time remaining referee Sandy Griffiths signalled a Blackpool free-kick, apparently penalising the merest brush by Doug Holden on Jackie Mudie. A group of four Bolton players stood momentarily with hands on hips, looking quizzically at the official – the closest the era ever came to a present day all-too-familiar surrounding of the referee. Mortensen completed his [alleged] hat-trick, blasting the ball past the wall and inside the left post.

In the second minute of stoppage time Matthews made his most significant contribution to the final, slipping slightly as he crossed the ball for Bill Perry to fire home Blackpool’s winner. Matthews was at last able to lift the FA Cup.

There were no after-match TV or radio interviews on the pitch, a handful of photographers capturing Blackpool players with the cup. Remarkably, both teams had booked the Cafe Royal for their post-match banquets, with champagne drunk and humble pie eaten in the finalists’ respective rooms.

A FAMILIAR cry in Fleet Street after a big match has been: “What’s the line?” This time there was only one angle. The News of the World’s headline was: “That Old Matthews Magic Delights The Queen.” The Sunday Chronicle: “Magnificent Matthews,” saying “Matthews 4, Bolton 3 is more correctly the result.”

In the modern day of tabloid reporting, where the events of a game are often prioritised in order to fit around the newspapers’ chosen storyline, such side-steppoing of objectivity is commonplace. In 1953, pre-determining the narrative was rare. And to be sure, it was pre-determined. A week before the final Frank Butler of the News of the World had written: “If they [Blackpool] do win, it will go down in soccer history as the Stanley Matthews final. Never have so many wished so much for one man to get a winner’s medal.”

It is easy to fall into the trap of assuming the tag was applied purely because of what happened on the field, in which case it is also easy to feel sympathy for the overlooked Stan Mortensen and Bill Perry. The Opta report commissioned by The Times to mark the 50th anniversary of the final listed the contribution of Matthews behind, in descending order, Mortensen, Willie Moir, Johnny Wheeler, Ernie Taylor and Perry.

The conclusion the newspaper drew – “Put simply, the Matthews final is a myth” and is based purely on a statistical breakdown of the action, ignoring the environment in which it took place. It is a verdict as flawed as that of the reporters who, in their excitement, sought to credit Matthews with single-handedly winning the game.

Yet while Matthews may not have been Man of the Match, Tossell told footballwriters.co.uk the way the final is remember is still justified. He said: “In my view the Matthews Final is merited, not because of misplaced perception that he won the game single-handedly, although he was clearly the classiest player on the field, but because of the way he dominated the narrative both in the build-up and on the day. It’s impossible in these times to fully appreciate the widespread love – it’s the appropriate word – the public had for Matthews, who was considered a model of all that was good about England.

“It’s apparent in the reverential commentary of Kenneth Wolstenholme throughout. As I mention at one point in the book, it could have been Bolton who scored the last-minute winner yet it might still have reasonably been remembered as the Matthews Final.”

Adapted from The Great English Final by David Tossell (Pitch Publishing, £16.99).

FWA Q&A: Ian Ladyman

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IAN LADYMAN of the Daily Mail on a love letter to the sports editor…breakfast with a tiger (no, really)…and trouble with a pony tail in the USA

Have you ever worked in a profession other than football?
I was a news reporter for the Stoke Sentinel for three fantastic years. It’s a cliche but news is a great grounding. Being shouted at by Sir Alex Ferguson (not that it’s ever happened) is not so scary when you have had to knock on someone’s door and ask them if they will talk about the death of their son/daughter etc. The Sentinel was a great paper, too. Five editions, all of which we worked on live between 7am and 1pm. That meant my great exclusives about cats stuck up trees always got in that day. How exciting. That apart, I once worked nights stacking shelves at Morrisons. I hated it and it hated me. The supervisor took against me because he caught me reading a book on my break. Either that or he took offence at my pony tail. My comrades were okay, though. On my first night one asked me if I was married. I said I wasn’t and he asked if I was divorced. I was 18.

Most memorable match?
World Cup 2002. South Korea versus Poland, Busan. We all know what the co-hosts went on to achieve that summer but they went in to the tournament having never won a World Cup match and with coach Guus Hiddink nicknamed ‘Mr Nil Five’ as that was his team’s most common scoreline. That night, though, they swept Poland off the park 2-0 on the back of the most fanatical home support I have witnessed before or since. Everyone in the stadium wore red and before long everyone in the country did too. Including Neil Custis who watched their quarter-final on the TV in the Seoul main square wearing a bandana and face paint. No, he really did.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
In Gelsenkirchen 2006, I saw Argentina beat Serbia 6-0 and score one of the best goals I have ever seen. Esteban Cambiasso actually scored but it was the 20-odd passes that preceded it that made it so memorable. If you put that on DVD and mailed it to every under-12s football coach in the country then we may win the World Cup again sometime in the next 100 years.

Best stadium?
When I was a kid I loved the old northern grounds at places like Bolton, Blackburn and Burnley. Or maybe my memory is playing tricks. My dad used to ask me each Saturday where I wanted to go and we would head off and pay at the turnstile. A trip to somewhere like Old Trafford or Anfield was a once a season treat. I was so excited about one of those trips that I was sick in the car. These days, in terms of opulence and splendour I would choose the Donbass Arena in Donetsk. Just a shame you have to go to Donetsk to see it. In terms of old-fashioned atmosphere, it’s hard to beat Anfield when the home team have their blood up. About once every three seasons, these days.

…and the worst?
SoccerCity in Jo’Burg. Ugly, charmless and in the middle of nowhere. And every single World Cup Final they have had there has been rubbish.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Back in the days of filing via mobile phone/lap-top connection, I lost my phone down a hole in my desk at Benfica on a Champions League night. I spent a frantic half an hour literally tearing the wooden desk apart while stewards and Portuguese journalists just stared at me. By full-time, there were splinters, nails, screws and bits of plastic strewn all over the press box. A little dramatic, perhaps, given that I was only doing the ratings.

On a personal note, I once wrote a charming, loving and frankly hilarious e-mail to a new girlfriend and sent it to my sports editor Colin Gibson by mistake. Thankfully, I didn’t know her well enough to be suggestive but the e-mail did contain a description of how me and my dad once killed my pet mouse in a bucket of water. Me and the girl didn’t stay together long. Gibson sent the email to every sports desk in Fleet Street and I don’t blame him.

Biggest mistake?
Does the above not count?

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
I once worked on a summer camp in America and some of the kids thought I was a girl. It was that pony tail thing again. Apart from that, at school they said I looked like Steve Hampson, a Wigan Rugby League player. Needless to say, he has a big nose and enormous ears but carries it off rather well.

Most media friendly manager?
Sam Allardyce threatened to come round to my house and kick my door down when he was manager of Notts County and I was the local lad on the Evening Post. Happily he never did it and a professional relationship that began then still endures to this day. He answers the phone when you call his number and that, these days, is all you can ask for.

Best ever player?
Kenny Dalglish.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
The Liverpool team of Barnes, Beardsley and Aldridge was sublime. Football at its telepathic, expansive best. One of my biggest regrets was choosing not to go to Anfield the night they beat Forest 5-0 in Division One in 1988. They would have beaten anyone that night.

Best pre-match grub?
I always love dining at Old Trafford as it’s great fun trying to guess exactly what it is you are actually eating. It also gives you something to do while nobody from the coaching or playing staff will come and talk to you.

Best meal had on your travels?
Once had a 12-course banquet in a private dining room in Moscow when I was on Wales duty. Great food and even Janine [Self] had to stop talking to eat it. The squid and garlic wrapped in spinach leaves I had with [Jim] Holden, [Phil] Shaw and [Sam] Wallace at 7am at Busan fish market was pretty memorable too.

…and the worst?
Still with Wales, watching John Ley eat his third mixed grill of the day in a Cardiff curry house was something I won’t forget. Beef, chicken, lamb and god knows what else smothered in curry. Not a dish you will find in Calcutta that often.

Best hotel stayed in?
I stayed in a cracker in Seoul during the 2002 World Cup but only because the room belonged to Charlie Sale and he was somewhere else for a night. The suite had a view of the five rings of the old Olympic Stadium, an adjoining boardroom (complete with table and six chairs) and a hydraulic bed. I will leave you to guess which of these Charlie had specifically requested. Also on that trip my base was the Lotte Hotel in Busan. An enormous place with its own driving range on the roof and a live tiger in the breakfast room. Yes, really. It had been a gift from a former president. I came down on my first day and had a straight choice between a seat next to the tiger or a table with Paul Stretford on it. You know the punchline.

…and the worst?
Another World Cup and my base in Dortmund in 2006 was pretty rotten. Matt Lawton stayed in it the night he jocked me off the semi-final and made the mistake of bringing his girlfriend. “My balcony in Baden-Baden was bigger than this whole room,” Lawton sniffed. Mind you, he had nicked his Baden-Baden room off Steven Howard so I could believe it. On club duty, I stayed in a hotel in 2000 in Donetsk with Arsenal that was so bad we were advised by the travel company to bring our own bedding and food. Brian Woolnough complained to reception that his bath water was brown. They told him not to drink it.

Favourite football writer?
I loved working with Danny Taylor when he was still a Manchester man as it had always been my ambition to see my stories appear in a broadsheet. Outside those on the Mail, I will always read [Dave] Kidd, [George] Caulkin and [Paul] Hayward and be slightly nervous of Custis jnr, [Simon] Mullock and [Mark] Ogden. At my own place, Alex Kay will be my sports editor one day so I had better mention him, too.  Finally, [Ian] Herbert writes wonderfully and has a forensic mind and a love of proper journalism. I just wish he would HURRY UP!!!! [Me too – I am still waiting for his Q&A – Ed]

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
John Murray always makes me feel like I want to leave the radio on. Alan Green sometimes makes me want to turn it off but that doesn’t mean he can’t be terrific value; he can. On TV I was always a Barry Davies fan. In terms of pundits, ITV’s decision to ditch David Pleat was ridiculous. He remains a superb analyst for Radio Five Live and makes some of the younger ex-pros look as lightweight as they undoubtedly are. Gary Neville has raised the bar in terms of studio work. But then somebody had to. Graeme Souness is also terrific.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Judge the individual and not the perception of the industry. It’s not hard. Some people (big love here for Kloss at City, Tyrrell at Everton and McCann at Liverpool) already do that and it’s appreciated. Others (can’t name them all) do not.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
I am lucky enough to have seen England win an Ashes Test away from home and have seen Wigan Warriors win the Grand Final and the Challenge Cup. (That’s rugby league, by the way). I guess I would very much like to travel to the US Masters. I hope Lee Clayton is reading this.

Last book read?
‘Mud Sweat and Tears’ by Moire O’Sullivan. It’s about the experiences of a mountain runner in Ireland. I am, as you can tell, having a mid-life crisis. The sports car is next and then a divorce. Although I would have to get married first. Let’s not rush in to things.

Favourite current TV programme?
I am currently watching the box set of the Danish cop drama ‘The Killing’. I am getting a bit deaf so appreciate the excuse for sub-titles.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
I have one wonderful item but won’t describe it here as I don’t want the burglars to come round again. The signed photo of Willo Flood (14 man City appearances, one goal) is certainly the most ridiculous. I also have an article written by the great John Roberts in the Independent the day after Kenny Dalglish resigned from Liverpool in 1991. It’s only being held together by the frame these days but the way it was written resonated with me at the time and it still does. I met him once (Roberts, not Dalglish) but never mentioned the piece to him. I should have.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Take the job seriously but not yourself. We aren’t saving lives here.

(PS Thanks for omitting the ‘Best Exclusive’ category. It would have been embarrassing to leave it blank.)

Bale named FWA Footballer of the Year

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By Christopher Davies
Photography: Action Images

Gareth Bale has been chosen as the Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association.

Bale is the first Tottenham Hotspur player to win the award since David Ginola in 1999 and the first Wales international to be selected for English football’s oldest individual trophy since Everton’s Neville Southall in 1985.

Last year’s winner, Manchester United striker Robin van Persie, was second with Chelsea’s Juan Mata third.

A delighted Bale said: “It is a huge honour to receive the Footballer of the Year award from the Football Writers’ Association.

“It means a lot to win this award when you consider the number of players that have been outstanding for their clubs in the Barclays Premier League this season.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be playing in such a fantastic team and I owe a lot to my team-mates and, obviously, the manager who has shown such faith in me.

“This award has been won in the past by some of the greatest names in football and I consider it a privilege that the FWA have selected me to be named alongside them.”

It has been a vintage season for Bale, 23, who has scored 29 goals so far – 24 in 40 appearances for Spurs and five in eight games for Wales.

Andy Dunn, chairman of the FWA and chief sports writer for the Sunday Mirror, said: “In a contest for votes that took so many late twists and turns, Gareth’s penchant for the spectacular captured the imagination.

“He is a player who is rising inexorably towards the rarefied levels of world stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Twice the PFA Player of the Year and now, two months before his 24th birthday, the FWA Footballer of the Year.

“Let’s all hope he lights up the Barclays Premier League for many seasons to come.”

In a poll that saw a 91 per cent turn-out from the FWA membership, Bale won 53 per cent of the votes ahead of Van Persie.

Apart from the top three, thee were a wide range of votes for the likes of Leighton Baines, Pablo Zabaleta, Michu, Michael Carrick and Rickie Lambert.

Bale made his debut for Southampton on April 17, 2006 in the 2–0 victory over Millwall aged 16 years and 275 days, becoming the second youngest player ever to play for the Saints, after Theo Walcott, who was 132 days younger. He joined Spurs in May 2007 for a fee that was initially a down-payment of £5 million rising to £10 million based on appearances and success but, later agreed at £7 million.

The Cardiff-born player was hampered by an ankle injury in his first season, which restricted him to just 12 appearances. By 2009 Bale had established himself as one of the Barclays Premier League’s brightest young talents, the lanky left-back eventually switching to a midfield role with devastating effect. Bale’s forward move came when Benoit Assou-Ekotto returned from injury to become Spurs’ first-choice left-back. Bale was too good to be dropped so Harry Redknapp played him further upfield and the player he thought would become a world-class full-back has laid claim to that tag as a midfielder.

It was two stunning displays against Inter Milan in 2010/11 – Maicon look away now – that underlined Bale’s potential as an attacking force and alerted a European audience to his speed, strength and skill. At San Siro, Spurs had played with 10 men for 80 minutes following the dismissal of Heurelho Gomes and were heading for a 4-0 defeat until a brilliant second-half display of pace and power by Bale saw him score an unforgettable hat-trick, the last two goals in stoppage-time. The 4-3 defeat felt more like a victory for the visitors because Bale’s late burst had left them stunned. The comeback provided the platform for Spurs’ run to the Europa League quarter-finals.

Chris Hughton, the Norwich City manager, was at Tottenham as Bale tried to establish himself at White Hart Lane. Hughton said: “He went through a period of a couple of seasons where he had injuries and then burst on to the scene. He perhaps doesn’t have the close technical skills of a Ronaldo, Messi, Xavi or Iniesta. He is a different type of player. As an effective player he is absolutely a top, top player. Gareth can cross the ball as well as anybody. He has an incredible, unusual power and pace that can go past players at ease. He can score. He has a prowess in the air.”

Bale has always had a burning desire to be the best and admits he has learned a lot from the managers and coaches at Spurs, particularly since his move to midfield. He plays from the wing rather than on it and said: “I needed to improve myself as a player so I spoke to the coaches at Tottenham about it.

“Things had got to the stage when I was standing on the wing, playing well, with a lot of freedom, hurting teams and being targeted by defences. Being stuck outside was not good all the time. You need to mix your game up and give opponents things to think about.

“It was a case of teams putting two players on me, staying really tight and trying to mark me out of the game which is not difficult when you’re stood right out there with not much room. So I’ve had to adapt my game. The full-backs can’t follow you inside and the strikers occupy the centre-backs, so it gives you that bit of space – if you get into lots of pockets you’re able to turn and run at defenders, it’s just as good as being on the wing.”

Inevitably Bale’s form has seen him linked with most of Europe’s traditional powerhouses. No doubt Real Madrid and Barcelona would love to take Bale to La Liga, PSG to Ligue 1, Juventus to Serie A, Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga while closer to home it would be foolish to think the Manchester clubs wouldn’t love to have the newly crowned Footballer of the Year in their side. Any team would want such a breathtaking talent, though Bale has made no signs that he is anything but happy with Spurs as they make a final push for a place in next season’s Champions League.

Bale, named Player and Young Player of the Year by the Professional Footballers’ Association last Sunday, will be presented with the trophy at the Footballer of the Year dinner at the Lancaster London on May 9.

FWA Q&A: JAMES NURSEY

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JAMES NURSEY of the Daily Mirror on a bad gag at Peterborough…the hairdryer from Bruce and O’Neill…and being on the bleach in Bulgaria

Your first ever newspaper?
The Argus in Sussex in 2001. I had a job covering Non-League football for the paper and various other sports.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
No, apart from the odd student or holiday job working behind the bar as a teenager.

What was your finest achievement playing football?
Err, rather limited, probably captaining Loddon Grasshoppers U-12s B team to a 5-a-side youth football tournament trophy presented by then Norwich striker Robert Rosario.

Most memorable match covered?
As a new sports reporter at The Birmingham Post in March 2003, attending Aston Villa 0-2 Birmingham in the Premier League was a definite eye-opener. The match was a feisty affair as Dion Dublin got red carded for head-butting a certain Robbie Savage and Joey Gudjonsson was also sent-off. But the red-hot atmosphere in the stands was what I remember just as much and it served as a real education as to the Second City rivalry. I recall the press were told to stay in the ground long after the match as the streets outside were so dangerous!

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
I’ve had the hairdryer off Steve Bruce and Martin O’Neill. That would be worth watching but would have to be an 18-certificate!

Best stadium?
Wembley. It was late and very expensive to build but at least we have ended up with a world-class stadium once more now they have sorted the grass out.

…and the worst?
Peterborough’s London Road, visiting the antiquated toilet facilities there are enough to make you gag.

Your best ever scoop?
Being invited around Carson Yeung’s house near Wimbledon a few years ago for his first interview when he was buying BCFC. I remember at the time being told he paid for the property in cash, which on reflection says a lot.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Dropping and breaking my Blackberry was pretty expensive and stressful. I hated being unreachable for the office and potential stories. Thankfully the Daily Mirror kindly replaced it quickly.

Biggest mistake?
Err, a few to chose from. Mixing up twins Dean and David Holdsworth a few years ago certainly cracked a few journalists up. I’ve also had my share of bans but none are still outstanding or in force.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
A few journos have said I look like Thomas Sorensen.

Most media friendly manager?
I really rate Chris Hughton who, while not controversial, is a very likeable, decent person – not to mention fine coach. But for box office value you cannot beat Jose Mourinho, who continued to fascinate and entertain on his recent UK appearance for United v Real.

Best ever player?
Cristiano Ronaldo was always exhilarating to watch when he was at Manchester United. Most people, especially the press, have missed Ronaldo since he went to Spain.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Club…The Arsenal Invincibles were literally unstoppable in the Barclays Premier League. A fantastic achievement by Arsene Wenger who I admire greatly but his halo has slipped considerably since. Perhaps he should step aside soon with his pride and dignity relatively intact? International….I am enjoying watching the current Spain side a lot. It is great to see a side prevail simply by passing the opposition off the park – and is definitely preferable to the Germans winning.

Best pre-match grub?
I enjoy the mussels and prawns at Stamford Bridge on the odd occasion I am sent.

Best meal had on your travels?
I remember eating at a restaurant called the Cafe de Paris which was very classy and buzzing…even though it was in Hamburg

…and the worst?
I find increasingly stale sandwiches and dodgy pies wheeled out for the press, the lower down the leagues you go. But the friendliness and player access usually makes up for it and is a refreshing antidote to the sometimes sanitised world of the Barclays Premier League.

Best hotel stayed in?
The Radisson in Frankfurt before Germany v Wales in 2007 was very good. It had a relaxing indoor pool on the top floor. But I gave decided against the sauna when I opened the door and a couple of people were letting everything hang out.

…and the worst?
An Eastern-Bloc style place in Bulgaria ahead of Litex Lovech v Villa in the Uefa Cup in 2008. All the rooms stank of strongest detergent imaginable.

Favourite football writer?
Mike Walters of the Daily Mirror. Mike has a unique perspective on the game and personalities which always informs and entertain. His witty style is also very original.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
I enjoy listening to John Murray’s football and golf commentaries. He gives a good perspective on what is going on with plenty of colour on the surroundings too.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs…
Urge football clubs/managers to be more honest and not to lie to the press and dismiss stories which turn out to be true.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
As a golf fan, The Masters.

Last book read?
All Hell Let Loose by Max Hastings. The world at war 1939-1945

Favourite current TV programme?
Sherlock

Your most prized football memorabilia?
Still have my programmes from Norwich’s UEFA Cup games against Bayern Munich and Inter Milan which were great times to experience as a fan.

Advice to any would-be football writer?
Don’t give up. Take any rejections or criticism on the chin and get up again.

FWA Live: Gallery

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THE third FWA Live event on May 25 was another huge success. A packed audience at the Soho Hotel in London were entertained by a panel which comprised: Jason Burt (chief football writer, Sunday Telegraph), Andy Dunn (chief sports writer, Sunday Mirror and chairman of the FWA), Geoff Shreeves (Sky Sports), Laura Williamson (Daily Mail) and Oliver Holt (chief sports writer, Daily Mirror) plus West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce. The MC was Paul McCarthy, executive secretary of the FWA.



















THE THIRD FWA LIVE EVENT WAS FULL OF FUN AND CONTROVERSY

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BURT: We forget how difficult at times Mourinho was to deal with, people look at him through rose-tinted glasses

DUNN: Sir Alex Ferguson should earn far more than he does…the Glazers have doubled their investment and he’s responsible for that

ALLARDYCE: Why does someone at Chelsea not say “give David Moyes the job?”

SHREEVES: Roman Abramovich doesn’t believe Moyes will bring him sexy football

WILLIAMSON: When you see the Suarez incident it’s more shocking than a leg-breaking tackle

HOLT: Some of the reaction to Suarez has been pathetic, the worst type of lynch mob mentality

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

THE third FWA Live event on May 25 was another huge success. A packed audience at the Soho Hotel in London were entertained by a panel which comprised: Jason Burt (chief football writer, Sunday Telegraph), Andy Dunn (chief sports writer, Sunday Mirror and chairman of the FWA), Geoff Shreeves (Sky Sports), Laura Williamson (Daily Mail) and Oliver Holt (chief sports writer, Daily Mirror) plus West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce. The MC was Paul McCarthy, executive secretary of the FWA.

McCarthy thanked Barclays, sponsors of the Football Writers’ Association, and said that donations on the evening would go to the Brian Woolnough charity for cancer. Brian, who was represented by his son Ben, was known to millions as chief sports writer of the Daily Star and presenter of Sky Sports’ Sunday Supplement. He sadly lost his battle against cancer last year.

The Q&A session started with the 10-game suspension handed to Luis Suarez for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.

Holt: I think everyone accepts what he did was wrong. No one argues that he should not be punished…it was animalistic and shocking. My own view is that he should have got the standard three-game ban for violent conduct. If biting is 10 games, don’t ban John Terry for four for racism. Don’t ban Suarez for 10 games when Callum McManaman got nothing, don’t ban him for 10 when Pedro Mendes needed oxygen after being elbowed by Ben Thatcher who got eight. How does Suarez get 10?

Allardyce: They took his previous into account. I’ve been there. “Mr Allardyce about your previous disciplinary misconduct…”

Burt: He was warned about his behaviour when he was banned for the racial abuse of Patrice Evra.

Shreeves: To bite someone is revolting and reprehensible, but as Ruud Gullit said [on Sky Sports] he got a seven-game ban [in Holland] and didn’t learn a thing from it.

McCarthy: Is there a danger the Daily Mail has been leading campaign against Suarez which many people, particularly on Merseyside, will think has led to this? “Spineless” was the back-page headline. How much part do newspapers play in a decision-making process?

Williamson: I hope they don’t because that is the job of an independent FA disciplinary panel, but in reality those outside factors will be factors. When you see the incident it’s more shocking than a leg-breaking tackle…then you are hopefully trying to win the ball – it happens in football. Biting someone’s arm is unacceptable…

Shreeves: Which part of the body is more acceptable?

Williamson: Biting is not acceptable anywhere on the body and that is where my paper has been very strong.

McCarthy: Andy, you were astonished at some of the comments Brendan Rodgers made in his press conference today…

Dunn: What Brendan said basically portrayed Suarez as a victim and he is absolutely nothing of the sort. It’s really a six-game ban, the rest of the season doesn’t matter, Liverpool are going to finish seventh. When you start to compare the severity of penalties as Ollie did…I understand where he’s coming from and it was wrong Jermain Defoe was not punished [for allegedly biting Javier Mascherano], it was wrong John Terry only got four games for what he did…but if you set a bad precedent you ignore it and move on. You can’t say the FA weren’t severe enough on one player and when they are severe say “you only did that to him.” So would you say if Suarez had been given a three-game ban that would be the tariff for biting? The same as for an over-the-top tackle. Once you start setting tariffs you are on dangerous territory.

Shreeves: Where does biting sit with all of us? I think it’s the same as spitting. [Goran] Popov [of West Bromwich] got three games for spitting at Kyle Walker. So if biting is as repugnant as spitting it’s a three-game ban.

Allardyce: It’s no worse than that.

Shreeves: In the same game [Daniel] Sturridge went over the top [on Ryan Bertrand]…

Allardyce: A referee is asked by the FA if he saw a tackle. If he says he did, that’s it.

Burt: There is the “exceptional circumstances” rule, but a ref saying “yes, if I’d seen it and sent him off” means a three-game ban is not an exceptional circumstance. This summer there will be a drive among the stakeholders [including the Premier League, Football League, PFA and LMA] to widen that definition.

McCarthy: The McManaman tackle [on Newcastle’s Massadio Haidara] was horrible, a potential career-ender. The FA went to the LMA and PFA and asked if they considered the tackle an exceptional circumstance – they both said “no.”

Allardyce: At least we have an independent panel now. It used to be you were sat before three FA committee members  – you were being judged by the people who had found you guilty.

McCarthy: How would you have handled Suarez?

Allardyce: At Bolton I suspended El-Hadji Diouf and fined him two weeks’ wages [for spitting]. The PFA said “one or the other.”

Shreeves: I understand why Rodgers said what he did [in the interview after the incident]. He said he needed to review it, but I think there is room for immediate condemnation of biting.

Allardyce:  You can’t say that as a manager, you have to be very careful what you do. Suarez is a major asset to Liverpool and that is always a key factor. You have to be very careful with emotions straight after a game.

McCarthy: Liverpool were criticised for the way they handled the last Suarez incident [with Evra], could they have handled it better this time?

Williamson: I think they were quick, but they could have been quicker, something needed to be said on the night. Then to say they think a three-game ban would be sufficient is like “I’m the victim, woe is me.”

Dunn: I still don’t understand why the FA had to say when they announced the charge they thought three games was insufficient. Surely, if you are going to have a hearing, you can’t say that? It’s like pre-judging a trial.

McCarthy: Or “would you  go and consider your guilty verdict.” Will Suarez still be a Liverpool player next season?

Holt: I hope so because he’s a fantastic player and I love watching him play. Sacking him is naive. In this hang-him kind of situation, what do we think is going to happen if they put Suarez up for sale? West Ham would buy him.

Dunn: They can’t afford Andy Carroll let alone Suarez!

Holt: There’s always someone who’ll buy him. Somebody bought Marlon King. Someone bought Lee Hughes. The way some people are talking about Suarez makes him out to be worse than them…for biting an arm of someone which didn’t even draw blood. Some of the reaction has been pathetic, the worst type of lynch mob mentality.

McCarthy: How do you handle problem players?

Allardyce: If you look into his background, where he comes from it probably wasn’t very nice, he probably had a huge experience when he was brought up to survive, and his survival instincts probably came out in that game which had been inbred in him from a very young age, because of the way he had been brought up in his particular country. Just because he is paid a huge amount of money and he is a very talented player, you can’t just lock that in and just forget about it because it will come out in extreme forms somewhere along the line, that is probably what has happened to him. In his upbringing, he has fought to get where he has, and how he has been brought up in life. Someone has seen that talent, and grabbed hold of him and nurtured that talent, moved on to be where he is. All that does not excuse what he did, but it is certainly a factor. Rehabilitation is the best word here, it is about talking him through it – why do you feel the need to do these sort of things? That is not a particular manager’s responsibility, that is for a psychologist.[But] if you make him a calm, tame boy you might lose the beast that is so talented. Within the PFA remit should be doing lots with players about what they could get into today, in terms of things like gambling, they can easily get bored so there is a lot which can be done in terms of prevention – and we would rather be out there trying to prevent it than cure.”

A show of hands from the audience was 50-50 that they thought the 10-game ban was correct.

McCarthy: Manchester United could win the Barclays Premier League with a record [96] points total yet no one seems to be giving them a huge amount of credit…

Burt: It’s been a triumph for Sir Alex Ferguson rather than the team. Even getting close last season was. Not many players are at the height of their careers. Maybe van Persie. There is an element of winning it by default, but to win it so convincingly …I think Fergie is getting better as a manager.  Over his period in charge he has not allowed any club to dominate him, Chelsea tried it, but he saw off Jose.

McCarthy: Is this a classic, vintage United?

Allardyce: You think the Treble-winning team [of 1999] was the best team of all because of what it achieved. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and who’s going to win the Treble again in this country? It’s a young team, and a good team, its efficient and successful by a canter.

Shreeves: They could break the Barclays Premier League points total so they cannot be that poor though there has been little challenge to them.

Allardyce: If they were challenged they’d go to the next level.

Dunn: There is every chance this team will lend up with 20 more points than the 99 side.

Williamson: They have won 28 points from losing positions which is phenomenal. It says a lot about the team, rather than individuals.

Allardyce: They had a poor start to season, too.  Coming back from a goal down is so hard and to do it so often is phenomenal.

McCarthy: How long can Sir Alex Ferguson go on?

Holt: As someone who wrote him off 10 years ago… I agree with Jason, he’s managing better than ever – maybe for another three or years. After the last time [when he announced he would retire in 2002] we’ll find out on the last day of the season.

Dunn: There really is no sign of him slowing down. And when you think of what the club is worth now compared to when the Glazers took over [in 2005]…what he gets back, if he was working for a big company he’d be earning three, four or five times what he does. These guys have doubled their investment and Sir Alex Ferguson is responsible for that. If he had a deal linked to value of the club…

Allardyce: When George Graham showed him his contract at Tottenham and he saw what George was earning, United gave him more. Alex sorted it out.

McCarthy: He’s had to make some big decisions this season, many around Wayne Rooney. Do you think Rooney will be there next season?

Holt: I find the Rooney situation difficult to read. I think he’s a fantastic player. Neil Custis [of The Sun]  said to me when Dwight Yorke was older he dropped back to midfield because he did not have the legs any more. Neil thinks that’s why Fergie is playing him deeper. He’s having more ordinary games than he used to. He was at his peak in 2008 and he’s not the player now he was then. There are always whispers about his weight and fitness…

Allardyce: I think he’ll rise to the challenge not submit to it.

Burt: He’s not a great athlete which you need to be these days…

Allardyce: He was never going to be a great athlete, a great talent yes, but not a great athlete.

Holt: There is an argument that he’s been moved around, playing in different positions, but he has always said it is more important for team to win trophies. You could say he’s a manager’s dream

Allardyce: A very expensive utility player!

During the second-half the panel took questions from the audience. If Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund meet in the Champions League final and it goes to penalties, when would the shootout end…?

Shreeves: If Goetze [who has agreed to join Bayern next season] or Lewandowski [rumoured to follow his Dortmund team-mate] step up to take a penalty – good luck lads.

Another question concerned money going out of the game.

Allardyce: The problem with the agent scenario is we are so far down the line it’s virtually impossible to control what’s going on. They are too tight with the owners. It is much more important to get a relationship with the owners than players. When renegotiating a contract it should only be one per cent or even half a per cent [agent’s fee] and not five per cent as when you bring a player in to a club. To get another five per cent for renegotiating a contract…no.

McCarthy: Do you think Jose Mourinho will be back at Chelsea next season?

Shreeves: Nailed on, nailed on.

Williamson: It would be fantastic for us. I’m already looking forward to a pantomime every Friday…

Burt: …if he turns up. We forget how difficult at times he was to deal with. He didn’t turn up for [press conferences] for six weeks at a time and in the last year or 18 months [at Chelsea] the football was poor. People look at him through rose-tinted glasses.

Dunn:  He called all the chief football writers together for a meal at Stamford Bridge because he couldn’t understand why he was winning titles yet we were always praising Arsene Wenger who was winning nothing. He didn’t think we gave him the credit he deserved.  As football fans we liked the way they [Arsenal] played. He didn’t help himself by abusing the ambulance service at Reading and playing pragmatic football.

Burt: The press conferences became more entertaining than the games. He became the centre of everything. People forget what he was like. The reason he went was that no one at Chelsea could work with him.

McCarthy: If he comes back, and apparently it’s nailed on, how will the relationship with Roman Abramovich change?

Holt: It strikes me he’s been working very hard to come back. He has friends in the written press who have said for two seasons he’ll definitely be back. I’ve never been able to work out whether he wants to come back or he if wants to extract more money from Real Madrid. I understand what Jason says, but I tend to lean more to the entertainment value he provides. He is fantastic box office and that transcends his achievements.

Allardyce: Why not David Moyes? He over-achieves year after year, he’s got better and better. Why does someone at Chelsea not say “give him the job?”

Shreeves: Abramovich wants to see beautiful attacking football and I think he doesn’t believe Moyes will bring him sexy football…I’m not saying he’s right but it’s what he thinks.

The evening closed with the panel saying who they have voted for to be the Footballer of the Year.

Burt:  Gareth Bale, he’s never failed to impress me, he plays with a joy and is driven to be the best he can be.

Dunn: Robin van Persie. Until Sunday I would have voted for Suarez because there has not been a single game where he has failed to make an impact. It’s a  shame he did what he did because it deprives us of a chance to honour him. Had he won the award it might have even helped him.

Allardyce: For me, Suarez, too, apart from incident, but now Bale because of the amount of exciting goals he has scored.

McCarthy: Including one against West Ham…

Allardyce: In the 91st minute…

Shreeves: I probably lean to van Persie. He left Arsenal to win things, he said “I listened to the little boy inside me.” You will never, ever hear him say a bad word about Arsenal or Arsene Wenger. There should also be space in the discussion for the likes of Leighton Baines and Pablo Zabaleta who are worth an honourable nod.

Williamson: Bale because when I go to a match I want to be thrilled.

Holt: Juan Mata for the same reasons as the others. I love watching him, Mata has been phenomenal and does something in every game that excites me.

*Additional reporting: Jim van Wijk

See images from FWA Live by clicking here…

FWA Q&A: Gavin Hamilton

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GAVIN HAMILTON on sending a cheque back to Gavin Hamilton…dinner with Cristiano Ronaldo…and a honeymoon nightmare in South Korea

Have you ever worked in a profession other than football?
I worked elsewhere in newspapers and magazines before switching to football. I also worked in a library (Camberwell not Highbury) where the main job was stopping people nicking the books (and that was just the staff).

Most memorable match?
My office complain that I only attend games if sliverware is being handed over. Not strictly true but I’m lucky enough to have been to almost every major final, domestic and European, since the mid-1990s. If I had to pick one game, it would be the 1999 European Cup Final in Barcelona.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Alan Pardew’s header at Villa Park, Palace-Liverpool FA Cup semi-final, April 1990. Hopeless Al became Super Al in an instant.

Best stadium?
I love the walk from Lotto metro station in Milan to the San Siro at night. The stadium emerges from nowhere, lit up like a giant spaceship.

…and the worst?
Every stadium is special to somebody, it’s what makes the game unique. But I don’t miss Plough Lane.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Nothing career-threatening, usually to do with my lack of ability to connect to wi-fi.

Biggest mistake?
Nothing I can admit to in public.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Only the cricketer Gavin Hamilton. I once got a cheque for £500 from The Sun for a column on the Cricket World Cup, which was nice. I was working elsewhere at News International at the time and I actually sent the cheque back, thinking it would help my career. It didn’t, but I hope he got his money eventually.

Most media friendly manager?
One of the first managers I had dealings with was [Crystal Palace’s] Alan Smith, who used to give out his players’ home phone numbers. It’s been downhill since then, though I’ve always found Roy Hodgson very agreeable. In Europe, the Dutch managers – Van Gaal, Rijkaard, Hiddink – have been great value. It’s partly a language thing – Dutch-English makes people sound more interesting than they probably are.

Best ever player?
In my lifetime, Maradona, though Messi is pushing him closer every season. Imagine if Maradona had played in the Champions League every year… I also loved Van Basten, such an elegant striker. Those old enough to have seen him play swear Di Stefano is the greatest.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
The Barcelona side that won the European Cup at Wembley two years ago was sensational. Brilliant individuals but a wonderful team ethic as well. Again it’s hard to compare different eras, but Brazil 1970 would give Spain 2010 a run for their money.

Best pre-match grub?
Arsenal shade it over Chelsea. It’s the Ben and Jerry’s.

Best meal had on your travels?
A seafood extravaganza in Madeira with my colleagues from A Bola when we interviewed Cristiano Ronaldo. We were presenting him with the ESM Golden Shoe and he insisted on receiving the award in Funchal, his home town. Not only was he away from the watchful eye of Man United, so we got a great interview, but we also had a slap-up meal afterwards.

…and the worst?
Fortunately nothing poisonous but there have been plenty of rough burgers, late night at train stations.

Best hotel stayed in?
I have the English vote in UEFA’s Best Player in Europe award, when UEFA put us up in the very lovely Meridien Beach hotel in Monaco. But, generally, at FIFA and UEFA events, I get to spend a lot of time in the lobbies of top hotels, watching how the other half lives.

…and the worst?
On Jeju Island for the 2002 World Cup. The Koreans had the bright idea of hosting matches there to promote the island as a “honeymoon paradise”. But I pity any marriage that spent its first night at this place. There was no mattress, just a wooden bed frame and a plastic sheet, and everything reeked of disinfectant, it was like sleeping in a pub toilet.

Favourite football writer?
Brian Glanville is still an inspiration, for remaining so enthusiastic after all these years and for his ability to swear so eloquently in so many different languages. I’m always amazed at the hours put in by the daily correspondents, Henry Winter and others.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
John Murray is a fantastic commentator, informative and emotional without imposing his own opinions on a match. Martin Tyler and Clive Tyldesley are rightly top of the TV tree. I’ve been impressed with Sam Matterface for talkSPORT.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
If clubs made a different player available for interview after training every day, they would soon see the benefits. Unfortunately, Barclays Premier League clubs smell money even where it doesn’t exist. Launching their own magazines and TV stations has made them think they can control the media when actually the opposite is true.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
I’d like to try the Cricket World Cup, I’ve got an idea for a column.

Last book read?
Capital by John Lanchester, a terrific state-of-the-nation novel. Most of the best football books of recent times seemed to have been written by Jonathan Wilson although Dave Conn’s book on Man City was brilliant.

Favourite current TV programme?
Curb Your Enthusiasm. There’s a bit of Larry David in everybody.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
Nothing much though I’ve kept the teamsheets from the 1998 World Cup Final, with and without Ronaldo in the starting Xl.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Learn a language, it will always give you something extra, and if you can spend some time in another country, it will give you a different perspective. Embrace change, half the jobs we’ll be doing in 10 years’ time don’t exist yet because the technology hasn’t been developed.

Gavin Hamilton is Editor, World Soccer.

LUIS SUAREZ – WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO THE LIVERPOOL STRIKER?

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By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

IS BITING AN OPPONENT IN THE LAWS OF THE GAME?
Not specifically. Thankfully it is so rare the International Football Association Board, FIFA’s law-making body, have not seen fit to include biting in Law 12 (fouls and misconduct) but it would come under violent conduct and if a referee saw a player bite an opponent it would be a red card offence

BUT SPITTING WAS MADE A SENDING-OFF OFFENCE, WASN’T IT?
Yes, the offence was included in the Laws in the wake of AIDS. In Law, “a player, substitute or substituted player is sent-off if he spits at an opponent or any other person.” While the chances of infection through saliva or biting are minimal it is obviously a health risk. This is why players with blood wounds, usually the head, must have the wound covered and if there is blood on the jersey it must be changed. In 1999, the Football Association banned Patrick Vieira for six games after the Arsenal midfielder spat at West Ham’s Neil Ruddock. At Euro 2004 Alexander Frei of Switzerland was banned for three games for spitting on the neck of Steven Gerrard during England’s 3-0 win.

WHAT POWERS DO THE FA HAVE IF A PLAYER IS FOUND GUILTY OF BITING AN OPPONENT?
Without being pedantic, it is an Independent Regulatory Commission appointed by the FA that is responsible for any punishment. Basically, there is no limit to the sanction they can hand out.

BUT WHAT IS A LIKELY PUNISHMENT?
It goes in a player’s favour if he apologises and the club are seen to be pro-active with internal action…

THIS DIDN’T REALLY HELP ERIC CANTONA…
True, Manchester United banned him until the end of the season, four months, after his kung-fu kick at a Crystal Palace fan and the disciplinary commission extended this, handing Cantona an eight-month suspension. The FA weren’t too happy, but strange as it may seem, they have no hands-on control over such bans. A difference is that what Cantona did was against the law of the land while what Luis Suarez did is a football matter (so far).

SO FAR?
Anyone who is aware that a crime has been committed can report it. It is not essential for them to have been personally affected by the crime. Since 2011 the same procedure has been followed in criminal cases in every canton. The police investigate what has happened. At the end of the investigation, the public prosecutor’s office that has jurisdiction over the case decides whether there is enough evidence to bring charges. This is what happened with John Terry.

OK…BUT WHAT IS SUAREZ’S LIKELY BAN IF FOUND GUILTY?
He has “previous” and was suspended for seven games for a similar offence while he was an Ajax player which may be a yardstick for our FA. The governing body will be keen that the disciplinary commission ensures any sanction acts as a deterrent.

NO ACTION WAS TAKEN AGAINST JERMAIN DEFOE FOR ALLEGEDLY BITING JAVIER MASCHERANO SEVEN YEARS AGO…
The video evidence, while damning, may not prove beyond all reasonable doubt that Defoe bit the Liverpool player. Referee Steve Bennett cautioned Mascherano for a foul on Defoe who reacted, so under the FA regulations the incident was dealt with and they were powerless to take any further action.

BUT IF THE POLICE…
This is unlikely especially as Ivanovic told Merseyside Police he does not wish to make a complaint. But still a possibility.

ALL RIGHT, BUT DUNCAN FERGUSON WAS GIVEN A THREE-MONTH JAIL SENTENCE AFTER HEAD-BUTTING JOHN McSTAY OF RAITH ROVERS WHEN HE WAS WITH RANGERS…
Ferguson was neither sent-off nor cautioned for the offence by the match referee. However, the Scottish Football Association took action after viewing a video recording of the assault. The striker was on probation for a previous offence at the time of his latest indiscretion which broke the terms of his bail.

LIVERPOOL HAVE FINED SUAREZ “AN UNDISCLOSED AMOUNT” – WHY DON’T THEY MAKE IT PUBLIC?
Football still operates in a secret world and many feel supporters, who are told by clubs how important they are, should not be kept in the dark. Under Professional Footballers Association rules a two-week fine is the maximum apart from exceptional circumstances.

HOW EXCEPTIONAL DOES IT HAVE TO BE?
Manchester City wanted to fine Carlos Tevez four weeks’ wages after he was found guilty of five breaches of contract after refusing to warm up against Bayern Munich. The PFA refused to back the four-week fine and City, who were not best pleased, had to reduce it to two weeks.

VOTING FOR THE FOOTBALL WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION’S FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR OPENS ON APRIL 25. DOES LUIS SUAREZ HAVE ANY CHANCE OF WINNING THE AWARD NOW?
It will make for a lively discussion at the FWALive event later that day.