Category Archives: Features

FWA Q&A: Nigel Clarke

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NIGEL CLARKE on walking into the ladies locker room at Wimbledon…eating horse flesh…and sleeping by an open sewer

Your first ever job in journalism?
First job was for Dixon’s Agency the forerunner of Hayters. Messenger boy, tea maker, errand boy. Kept mouth shut and ears open

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Never done a day’s work in any other profession or ever wanted to.
Most memorable match?
England 4, West Germany 2 1966 World Cup Final.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
The above for sheer unmitigated tension, anxiety, emotion and, in the end, pride.

Best stadium?
The Olympic stadium in Rome.

…and the worst?
Crystal Palace.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Snitching a 1,000-word interview with Franz Beckenabauer, who I knew, before the England v. West Germany semi-final in the 1990 World Cup. Then pressing the wrong button, losing the lot, and then, missing the coach back to hotel where I could have phoned it through on copy. Missed edition, office not happy.

Biggest mistake?
Walking into the ladies locker room at Wimbledon assisting an injured player who had turned her ankle, to be confronted with about ten naked tennis players, who stood their ground. Averted eyes and exited left very quickly.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Geoff Hurst. But then I write like him too.

Most media friendly manager?
Malcolm Allison. Different class.

Best ever player?
George Best.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Chelsea side that did so well under Mourinho. Brazil 1970.

Best pre-match grub?
Arsenal in the old days.

Best meal had on your travels?
A pint of whisky sour and a burger in Palm Springs.

…and the worst?
Horse flesh and stale cabbage in Moldova.

Best hotel stayed in?
Plaza New York.

…and the worst?
A dump in Albania with an open sewer running through the back of the bathroom. Toilet was brown and blocked.

Favourite football writer?
Ian Ladyman.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Brian Moore.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
More contact between players and press. Like it used to be without any media officers snooping around.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
A re-visit to that ladies locker room at Wimbledon…knowing what I know now.

Last book read?
A history of the Cuckmere Valley, the East Sussex beauty spot in the Seven Sisters Park.

Favourite current TV programme?
Countryfile.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
The badge of Bobby Moore’s spare England shirt. He gave to me when my daughter was born.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Eyes open, ears open, mouth shut. Look learn, and listen, and, never, even give up. The job is the most joyous thing in life.

Nigel Clarke has covered football and tennis for the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express.

My Week: Steve Bates

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STEVE BATES, the outgoing chairman of the Football Writers’ Association, on gaining brownie points with The Boss…dinner with Robin van Persie…and breakfast with superfit Sven

SUNDAY April 29
Weather shocking so usual Sunday morning tennis four ball is off. Take a glimpse at Sky Sports’ Sunday Supplement to see if there is any reaction from the chaps to my story that Harry Redknapp fears he has been passed over for the England job with Roy Hodgson about to get a call from the FA. Always a bit nervy when you go out on a limb with a tale and you can end up red faced, but after making phone calls galore to contacts I have a good feeling this is right. Read the papers then watch Chelsea destroy QPR. And mid-afternoon leave home in Manchester to drive up to Cumbria for over-night stay with friends in the farming community of Kings Meaburn. During dinner get a missed call from a contact who had helped with the Redknapp tale. Immediate thought is the FA have called it on with Harry. Before I get a chance to call back, my People colleague Dave Kidd rings to break the news that Hodgson has been approached by the FA and offers his congratulations. As any journo will tell you, there is no moment to match the joy when you get a big one right and the news makes my day. Minutes later talkSPORT ring asking if they could patch me straight through to Des Kelly hosting the Press Pass programme. My hosts at the dinner table look bemused at this sudden activity on a Sunday evening but that’s the beauty of our profession. News is unpredictable and stories often break when you least expect them. After a few glasses of red wine I go to bed a happy man.

MONDAY April 30
Set off from Kings Meaburn heading for Scotland. I’ve taken a couple of days off for a break at the St Andrews Old Course Hotel to celebrate my wedding anniversary and reclaim some brownie points after a long old season and my impending exile at Euro 2012. Haven’t brought the golf clubs although would have loved to – but I’m not that brave. Never stayed at the hotel or visited St Andrews before but it’s a fabulous place with a world class spa so my stock is high with The Boss. Bump into Colin Mongomerie, literally, as we enter reception and when I see the 17th hole right outside the back of the hotel am seriously wishing I’d packed the clubs. Booked this jaunt before Manchester United decided on their break at the hotel a few weeks ago but I understand why they came. Hotel has lots of class – and even more Japanese golfers. A fixture switch means the Manchester derby is rescheduled for tonight and I sense City will win. Go down for dinner in the hotel and sit next to a group of Jap golfers who are all smartly dressed bar one who is wearing a United shirt. An omen? No. Watch the second-half after dinner and see City take a giant step to the title.

TUESDAY May 1
An hour in the gym, a read of the Scottish papers which major on Rangers’ ongoing plight then breakfast before heading out for a two-hour walk along the beach at St Andrews. With the Footballer of the Year dinner fast approaching on Thursday I know the phone won’t stay silent for long even though everything is in place and Robin van Persie is looking forward to being crowned double footballer of the year after his PFA award. Sure enough there are e-mails and messages stacking up when I turn on the mobile. One is from Paul Stretford, Wayne Rooney’s agent. Wayne is hot favourite to win the best goal of the 20 seasons of the Premier League – an award that is to be made at our dinner. I’ve been liaising with Paul and the Premier League over arrangements should Wayne win. It would be great to get him to the dinner to collect his award in person for his stunning overhead kick against Manchester City last season but there are plenty of obstacles to overcome. Spend the rest of the day looking round St Andrews and chilling in the hotel spa.

WEDNESDAY May 2
Another stint in the gym before breakfast, then pack up and check out for the five-hour drive back to Manchester. As I’m leaving take calls from Arsenal’s press office and Robin van Persie’s management team regarding arrangements for Thursday’s Footballer of the Year presentation to the Arsenal striker. A succession of calls about the dinner follow, one of them from the Premier League to say Rooney has won their iconic goal award. Relay the news to Paul Stretford but filming commitments with sponsors Nike means Wayne won’t be at our dinner. Would have been great to have had him in person in London, instead he’ll record a message to be shown tomorrow night. Home at tea-time and take my dad for a pint in his local as it’s his birthday. Later, watch Spurs pick up a big win at The Reebok against a Bolton side looking increasingly doomed. Start to write my final speech as Football Writers’ Association chairman.

THURSDAY May 3
Pack my bags and on the road again for another four days. First of all drive to Carrington for Sir Alex Ferguson 9.30am press conference. The United manager seems a little subdued after losing to City and clearly knows his stars are relying now on a major helping hand from Newcastle on Sunday. But, as usual, lightens up a little when the cameras are turned off and he’s speaking to a smaller group of Sunday journalists for our private briefing. Quickly out of Carrington and head for Stockport Station to catch train to London to prepare for the dinner tonight. Matt Dickinson from The Times rings to tell me Fabrice Muamba is on his table tonight. Great news – we will make a fuss of him (Muamba not Dicko). Take calls from Arsenal and the Premier League but all okay. Ring van Persie’s agent, Darren Dein, to make a final check everything is fine with our Footballer of the Year. Thankfully, it is. Amidst all of this talk to my office to run through Sir Alex Ferguson quotes from his press conference and topics for Chris Waddle, our columnist at The People whose column I ghost write. In these weeks, as FWA chairman, you need an understanding office. Fortunately, my editor at The People Lloyd Embley and sports editor James Brown have been top class throughout. Van Persie arrives bang on time for our dinner, Muamba’s appearance brings the house down and so does van Persie’s speech later in the evening. But not too late as Wenger wants him gone by 9.30-ish which he is. Sit with Robin at dinner and he’s engaging company. A top guy. It’s a huge event to organize so delighted when the super-positive feedback starts immediately tumbling in. After four years as chairman I celebrate my last dinner in charge with a few glasses of champagne.

FRIDAY May 4
The morning after the night before – and I feel dreadful. Intended to bale out about 1am but it’s 4am by the time I get back to my room and I’m not the last by a long way. Plenty of texts, e-mails and tweets about the dinner being a great success. Everyone happy except our chairman-elect Andy Dunn who swears at me more than once and asks: “How do I follow that?” Joking aside, I am sure he will as our functions seem to set new standards each time. My sports desk are still looking for stories despite having a great live day on Saturday with the FA Cup final so after writing Chris Waddle’s column hit the phones. A quiet night is the order of the day.

SATURDAY May 5
FA Cup final day was a magical occasion when I was a kid and I used to be up early to watch the players at their team hotels in the hours leading up to their journey to the stadium. Somehow it’s not the same these days but it’s still a big game to cover. Before heading to Wembley I have to go to The Emirates to present Robin van Persie with his Footballer of the Year award for the second time in less than 48 hours, before the game against Norwich. Former Arsenal star Paul Davis is there to present RVP’s PFA award too and we both go on the pitch as Robin finishes his pre-match warm-up routine. Then it’s straight off to Wembley before Arsenal kick-off. Chelsea and Liverpool restore some of the missing sparkle to the Cup in a cracking game, but the tea-time kick off means deadlines are tight for Sunday papers like mine so we have to do a running report with 500 words at half time 250 at 75 minutes and an intro on the whistle. Then it’s into a a quick-as-you-can re-write to polish things up which is a good thing for this final as it was a classic game of two halves.

SUNDAY May 6th
Finally heading back home to Manchester after a hectic few days but there’s one final surprise as I sit at breakfast with Paul Hetherington the FWA’s executive secretary. Over to our table comes Sven-Goran Eriksson to say hello and have a chat. He’s been at the Cup final and is spending a few days in London. Looks relaxed and fit – not surprising as he has a jog in the park before AND after breakfast.

FWA Q&A: James Mossop

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JAMES MOSSOP on eating peacocks’ tongues…bog snorkelling…and a slight involvement in the Watergate scandal

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
For three months after Barrow Grammar School and before joining the North West Evening Mail I was a labourer working shifts close to the furnaces at the steelworks. Tough is not the word.

What was your finest achievement playing football?
Must confesss to an absence of glory with Holker Old Boys. Signed amateur forms for Barrow AFC (mainly because I was the young travelling reporter with the Reserves and they feared trialists might not turn up) but never got a game.

Most memorable match covered?
Phew! So many, but cannot top England-West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final. Man City clinching the old First Division, winning 4-3 at Newcastle on May 11, 1968, will never be forgotten.

The one moment in football you would put on DVD?
Peter Osgood riding tackles and racing from halfway at Turf Moor in the 60s to set up a Chelsea away win. Or any one of a thousand George Best clips.

Best Stadium?
Maracana (Rio) had a profound affect but it is hard to split the many modern grounds—-Wembley, Emirates, Etihad, etc. Old Trafford retains its sense of theatre.

Worst?
Hate to batter Pompey when they are down but Fratton Park is a dump.

Your best ever scoop?
Nothing mind-blowing but World Cup star Roger Hunt telling me exclusively that he was quitting international football was big. Tony Waiters walking out on Blackpool in mid-season when he (and his club) was in his pomp. Willie Johnston sent home from 1978 World Cup on drugs charge. There were a few others but I was no Neil Ashton.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
On deadline, I was ridiculing the late Joe Melling phoning his copy over and telling him my Tandy was the infallible future. I pressed the send button with a triumphant gesture and my copy disappeared into space. Had to ad-lib report to copy-takers.

Biggest mistake?
Hard to quantify. Once personalised an attack on chairman Peter Swales after he sacked Peter Reid from Man City. Regret every word about his comb-over hair and built-up heels. Totally unnecessary and hurtful.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Richard Nixon, frequently. An American on his golf buggy pulled up alongside me and said: “I thought I had seen the ghost of Richard Nixon.” Some of my old hack friends used to call me Millhouse (his middle name).

Most media friendly manager?
Most of my work was done before the blight of Press Officers. Pitching up at training grounds I was always welcomed by the likes of Allison, Mercer, Revie, Shankly, Charlton [Jack], Atkinson, Graham, Pleat and so on. I also had rows with them but always met them face-to-face for clear-the-air moments. I have a strong relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson but we once had a major fall out.

Best ever player?
Has to be George Best, although I have been lifted high by Pele, Law, Bobby Charlton, Maradona.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Tough call. Could look back and nominate a few club sides – Manchester United 1968 etc. Spurs even further back, Arsenal a few years ago but last year’s European Champions, Barcelona, take the club prize. Internationally there has been nothing better than Brazil 1970.

Best pre-match grub?
Usually an interesting selection at Newcastle.

Best meal on travels?
The late Bobby Keetch once ordered peacocks’ tongues for me in Paris. At least he said that’s what they were. As a foodie I have always sought out starred/rosetted restaurants. Great steaks in Beunos Aires. Best restaurant in UK: L’Encume in Cartmel, Cumbria.

…and the worst?
Bulgogi and kimchi* in Seoul. I can taste and smell it now.

Best hotel stayed in?
For fun reasons, the Yacht Club, Disney, Florida with Joe Melling 28 nights during the 1994 World Cup where, they said, every night was New Year’s Eve.

…and the worst?
England played Albania in Tirana in 1989. The hotel would have struggled for a one-star rating.

Favourite football writer?
Henry Winter.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Rob Hawthorne.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Tricky, but weekly meet-the-players sessions after training might produce better relationships and understanding.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
Bog-snorkelling. After all I have covered World Cups, Olympic Games, golf majors, tennis, F1, boxing, horse-racing, Rugby (both codes), cricket and even the World Curling Championships.

Last book read?
A Book of Heroes by Simon Barnes. I love his bird books and The Horsey Life, too.

Favourite curren TV programme?
Toss up between Coronation Street and Scott and Bailey.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
I have an official 1978 World Cup football signed by Pele.

Advice to any would-be football writer?
Build relationships, have a sense of purpose, don’t strive too hard with the words, let them flow. Take the job seriously, but not yourself.

(*Made with: beef, carrot, garlic, green onion, ground black pepper, honey, hot pepper paste, kim, kimchi, lettuce, rice, roasted sesame seeds, sesame oil, soy sauce, ssamjang, sugar, water).

James Mossop now has his feet up after 50 years in Fleet Street with the Sunday Express and the Sunday Telegraph. He was made a life member of the Football Writers’ Association at the Footballer of the Year dinner on May 3.

The FWA Interview: Robin van Persie

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Image courtesy of Action Images.

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

The suspicion is that Robin van Persie knows in his mind what he plans to do when he sits down with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis to talk about his new contract.

When van Persie was presented with the Footballer of the Year trophy at the Lancaster London on Thursday evening the Holland international gave little away about his future but made one thing clear. “I will always feel a Gunner,” he said.

Van Persie, 29. has a year to run on his existing deal and he must balance the drive to win another major honour – he has only one FA Cup winners’ medal to show for his eight years with Arsenal – and the deep affection he has for the club.

Receiving the award from Football Writers’ Association chairman Steve Bates, van Persie admitted the team’s success was more important than individual glory. He said: “Even this season I was not really thinking about winning a trophy for myself. I was just playing because I love it and for Arsenal to finish as high as possible in the league. It makes me very proud to be here. I have seen the list [of previous winners]. For me, I never really thought I would be sitting here winning this trophy.

‘When I found out I had actually won it, I was a bit surprised. It was like ‘What, me? Really?’ It makes me really proud to be part of that history.The writers know everything about the season because they have seen every single game, analysed ever goal, every move. They know everything about you. They are doing interviews with me and other players, they get a clear picture of who is the best player, which is why it means so much that these guys have voted for me.”

Van Persie talks to previous winners Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires regularly. He said: “When I last spoke to Robert we chatted about Arsenal and he said: ‘I still feel like a Gunner,’

“Arsenal are an unbelievable club. I am the player I am today because of them. I’ll set a date to see the boss and Ivan Gazidis. We haven’t set a date but we will be having a meeting about my future and lots of other things.”

Van Persie paid tribute to Arsenal scout Steve Rowley who spotted him playing for Feyenoord reserves against Ajax. “He told me I had showed something. Without him I wouldn’t be here today.

‘When I signed for Arsenal Mr Dein [former vice chairman David Dein] said ‘use this pen, it will bring you luck.’ It was the same pen that Dennis, Thierry and Patrick Vieira used when they signed.”

Van Persie is currently enjoying his most productive season to date, having scored 34 goals plus 14 assists, the injury problems that have hampered him in previous years behind him. “To play in every game in the hardest league is unbelievable. I have to thank the medical staff and manager because without them I would not have done this.”

When Wenger appointed van Persie as captain following Cesc Fabregas’s transfer to Barcelona the striker had mixed emotions. “Firstly I was sad because it meant Cesc had left the club. I spoke to some of the other players and they were behind me. I learned a lot from Patrick Vieira who was a natural leader and different class. He taught me a lot both on and off the pitch.”

Van Persie will join Holland’s squad later this month as they prepare for Euro 2012. Holland are among the favourites and van Persie could go head-to-head with new Arsenal signing Lukas Pololski who has averaged almost a goal every other game during his 95 appearances for Germany. “He’s played at the highest level for a long time and he’s a great signing,” said van Persie.

But Arsenal’s best signing this summer would be van Persie agreeing a new contract.

My Week: Darren Lewis

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DARREN LEWIS of the Daily Mirror on an offensive Mark…root canal treatment…and getting shirty with Adebayor

MONDAY April 23
MY DAYS always start with a chat with the Mirror’s sports news editor Mike Allen. We talk through stories, ideas, potential issues and plan for that day’s paper. Today I am actually working on non-football stories with the focus on Chelsea’s rematch against Barcelona tomorrow night. We have three men there, Martin Lipton, Oliver Holt and John Cross.

So I am told to focus on the snooker where Irishman Mark Allen stands by his unwise decision to brand qualifier Cao Yupeng a ‘cheat’. Sadly the blast has come with Allen out of the competition. A shame really. On the one hand, he is a talented player and always great copy. On the other, his remarks at the Beijing Open crossed the line into offensive territory. He’ll be back however.

TUESDAY April 24
A FASCINATING day which started out as a brief from the office to cover the draw for the Olympic football tournament at Wembley. It ended with not one but two good stories.

The first surrounding England, with senior FA figures at Wembley for the draw adamant that they would be able to announce a new manager before the end of the season. Given that they have always maintained that they did not want to materially disrupt the season of any club this news was quite a departure.

A couple of phone calls reveal that neither Harry Redknapp at Spurs nor the club themselves have been officially or unofficially approached by the FA over the England job. Yet the FA clearly have something up their sleeves to be this bullish. If it is to be Harry we will find out later this week.

The other story surrounded Stuart Pearce, who is in charge of the Olympic Football Team. In a media briefing for the daily newspapers after the draw, Pearce revealed that the Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is on his shortlist for the competition – even though he has been out for pretty much the entire season. Told Arsene Wenger is against Wilshere taking part, Pearce maintained that as Olympic coach he would have the final say. It will be interesting to see what happens when Wilshere is fit.

Pearce also stuns us by telling us that he will pick an England squad for Euro 2012 if an England manager is not appointed by then. Correctly interpreting the looks of sheer disbelief on many faces, the FA clarify later in the day that Pearce would only pick the squad if he were managing it at the Euros and that they remain convinced they will get their man before.

Not one journalist I speak to today is convinced it will not all end in tears. As for the Olympic draw, Great Britain were paired with Uruguay, Senegal and the United Arab Emirates. There are some good matches in prospect.

WEDNESDAY April 25
COLUMN day today and time for my weekly search for issues to discuss. I always smile when fans bombard Twitter accusing me of being biased in favour of Tottenham because of my articles on the Mirror football website. When I explain to them that Spurs are the club I write about because they are the club I have been designated, it seems not to register. So I don’t bother anymore. Its all good fun anyway.

This week I choose to focus on Luka Modric who has been a shadow of the player that Chelsea fought so furiously over last summer. I believe Spurs should cash in this summer but the word seems to be that, with a long contract, it may yet again be harder than the Croatian thinks to get away this time around.

THURSDAY April 26
SEVERAL of my colleagues are taking a well-earned day off after their superb efforts at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night but there are a string of stories to get stuck into today.

The fall-out continues today with whispers that Pep Guardiola is meeting with Barcelona supremo Sandro Rosell over his future. As the day wears on it is becoming increasingly clear that he is set to step down. The story has obvious relevance for us in England as Guardiola is known to be the man Roman Abramovich wants – despite the heroics of Roberto Di Matteo – to bring fantasy football to Stamford Bridge.

Elsewhere details are emerging of an interview the Spurs defender Vedran Corluka – on loan at German club Bayer Leverkusen – has given. In it, he is fiercely critical of Harry Redknapp and insists the Tottenham manager has not rotated his players enough this season.

Suspended John Terry is given clearance by UEFA to join in Chelsea’s celebrations should the Blues win the Champions League final. The backlash is instant on Twitter, however, with fans, journalists and pundits unanimous in their belief that, after nearly costing his side a place in Munich, Terry should do the decent thing and leave it to Frank Lampard.

The story dominates social media and radio phone-ins this afternoon.

Elsewhere the International Players Union (FIFPro) launch an audacious bid to persuade UEFA to scrap the yellow cards that will rule three Chelsea and three Bayern Munich out of the Champions League final. FIFPro point out that in another of UEFA’s competitions – Euro 2012 – yellow cards are wiped out after the quarter-finals, meaning a caution in the semi-final wouldn’t instantly rule players out of the Final. UEFA reject the request but say they will consider it for the future. It surely is a matter of time before the apply it to the Champions League.

Midway through the afternoon I go to the dentist for my first session of root canal. Because my colleagues in London are off duty, however, I need to continue working afterwards.

The subsequent conversations with the news editor are comedy, consisting of him talking and me grunting until the anaesthetic wears off.

FRIDAY April 27
HARRY REDKNAPP’S press conference is a tetchy affair.

Confirmation is coming out of Spain that Pep Guardiola has indeed stepped down as Barca coach.

But as I am covering Tottenham’s bid to bounce back from their nightmare Barclays Premier League run on Sunday, my focus is on the club’s pre-match gathering at their Chigwell HQ.
The normally jovial Spurs manager comes out fighting against claims from one of his own players that his lack of rotation may have cost the club a Champions League place.

Vedran Corluka, on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, twists the knife by insisting Tottenham’s season will have been a failure if the club do not finish in the top four. Redknapp cites the examples, however, of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Leo Messi as players who don’t need – or want – resting.

He also snaps at a question I ask about fans questioning his tactics. As the questions from other reporters continue you can cut the atmosphere with a knife. Later in the press conference he mellows somewhat as the attention turns to other subjects. But the pressure of the England situation, Tottenham’s poor form and Corluka’s criticism starts to tell.

SATURDAY April 28
I AM one of two staff men deployed to a Championship club today. Mike Walters is at Southampton, who will be promoted to the Barclays Premier League if they beat relegated Coventry at home.

I am at West Ham, who will go up in the Saints’ place if the south coast side fail to win and the Hammers win by three or more goals.

The possibility lasts just 16 minutes, however, as that is all it takes for Southampton to score the first of four goals to go up. The post-match interviews are all about the play-off semi-final which will now be against Cardiff on Thursday May 3 and Bank Holiday Monday May 7. Hammers midfielder Mark Noble is upbeat but manager Sam Allardyce is completely the opposite, insisting he is dreading the tension of the play-offs.

We can’t wait. Maybe it will stop raining by then.

SUNDAY April 29
A busy finish to the week begins with an early morning trip to the Sky News studios to talk through the previous day’s football.

Goal of the day has to be Luis Suarez’s 45-yard effort for Liverpool to crown his superb hat-trick against Norwich.

Result of the day, however, has to be Wigan’s 4-0 demolition of Newcastle.

There is better to come, however, as Chelsea thrash QPR 6-1 to render the Anton Ferdinand/John Terry affair a sideshow.

I catch the first half at home before travelling a couple of miles down the road for my second game of the weekend, Tottenham’s must-win affair at home to Blackburn.

White Hart Lane is tense with the knowledge that anything other than the three points will surely leave them with too much to do in their bid to finish in the top four.

Spurs are at it from the start and their pressure is rewarded with the opening goal from Rafael van der Vaart. But the bench is nervous as Aaron Lennon misses from point blank range, Sandro and Gallas hit the bar and other chances fall by the wayside.

The press box at White Hart Lane is situated directly behind both benches meaning reporters hear far more of the exchanges between managers, players, referees and coaches than at every other Barclays Premier League ground. There is amusement in the press box as Spurs misfielder Giovani Dos Santos is told to warm up after Lennon goes down injured. But when Dos Santos is told by his manager to get stripped to come on he takes an age.

Redknapp shouts: “Come on Gio we need you.” The Spurs boss’s expression tells us all a lot about why Dos Santos does not play more regularly than he does for Tottenham.

Kyle Walker’s screamer seals the points and eases the tension at White Hart Lane. Blackburn are awful but even bad teams can fluke a share of the points against better organised ones.

As the game approaches the 75-minute mark my colleague, Mike Walters, points out that Rovers have not had a single shot on target all game. We check through our notes on the match action. It is true. And, for a Premier League club fighting relegation it is truly remarkable. Even more amazing is the news acquired by the daily reporters that Rovers defender Gael Givet actially swapped shirts with Spurs striker Emmanuel Adebayor at half time.

I include the incident in my match report while Mike, who is writing quotes pieces for the back page and the front of the Mirror’s Mania pullout, puts it to Blackburn boss Steve Kean.

He refuses to comment. Then comments. His answer, however, is unconvincing. His expression suggests he may be a bit more so when he next sees Givet. Mike also asks Harry Redknapp about his future. The Spurs boss, as he has always done, insists no-one [from the FA] has been in touch with him.

The reason why filters through soon afterwards as it emerges the FA intend to speak to the West Brom boss Roy Hodgson about the England vacancy. I finish and file my match report and make a check call to the desk (on handsfree) during the drive home.

The England story is now running the news and sports channels. A few phone calls establish the fact that Hodgson really is the only candidate and that the job is pretty much his to turn down.

Incredible given the fact that Redknapp had been the red-hot favourite for so long. The reaction to this will be fascinating tomorrow.

As one newsworthy week ends, another begins.

FWA Q&A: Neil Custis

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NEIL CUSTIS of The Sun on a dodgy leek…falling out of a shopping trolly…and being mistaken for Lee Westwood…

Your first ever newspaper?
It was called the Alnwick Advertiser in Northumberland. The circulation was 3,000 and falling and it’s now a pizza restaurant. I did everything from darts to country shows. I remember covering two country shows and 11 leek shows in one day. There was real controversy at one of the leek shows as someone was found out for using tippex on the base of his leek to smooth out a scratch. They left the leek out on the table with the word ‘disqualified’ next to it to shame the bloke.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Between finishing my A levels and going to Journalism College I worked in a BT call centre. I have to say it is singularly most mind-numbing experience of my life. People were only allowed to do four-hour shifts in a day for fear of their sanity. You had to ask these questions and the person had to say the exact words ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in reply. Even if they said ‘oh of course’ you had to ask the question again to get them to say the word ‘yes’. I am starting to twitch now just writing about it

What was your finest achievement playing football?
At Darlington Journalism College I captained our class B against class A in a five-a-side tournament. We led eight games to four in a first-to-nine but they pegged it back to eight-all. The tension was incredible going into the final game and both classes blanked each other in the build up. I was in goal and came up with a masterplan for the final to starve their star player of the ball. Others involved that day included Graeme Anderson (Sunderland Echo), Paul Robinson (former Editor of the Newcastle Chronicle) and Simon Oxley who worked for the BBC and Luton Town. It was some night afterwards round Darlington, I think I’ve still got the cup at home.

Most memorable match covered?
It would be easy to say Nou Camp ’99 but the match itself was awful even if the finish was unforgettable. The 4-3 Manchester derby when Michael Owen scored in stoppage time was undoubtedly the most dramatic and breathlessly exciting game I have ever been at. After that I will go for South Korea beating Italy with a golden goal in the World Cup in 2002. I was there covering Ireland but when they went out I stayed to report on South Korea’s progress to the semi-finals. It was an incredible time to be in such a football mad country.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
The night Greece reached the Euro 2004 final. A crowd of about 30 of us descended on this bar in the old part of Lisbon as most of us were off home and more notably it was doubled up as Martin Lipton’s stag night. I would love a DVD of the last hour and then separate takes of people getting home. Myself and a colleague’s entrance into the Sheraton was particularly spectacular.

Best stadium? …and the worst?
Going up the steps the players would have walked up into the Maracana Stadium in Brazil was something special. We were there for the 2000 Club World Cup which caused such a furore because Manchester United pulled out the FA Cup. The other one which really took my breath away was Benfica’s old Stadium of Light in Lisbon. I was there on a Geordie boys golf holiday about 20 years ago and we just went to have a look around, truly immense. Unfortunately I have a black eye in the pictures as I had fallen out a shopping trolly the night before we flew out…long story.
The Daknamstadion home of Sporting Lokeren takes some beating for the worst. The press box was a double decker bus parked next to one corner flag. Rotherham’s old Millmoor Ground is pretty memorable too. I covered a game there for the Lincolnshire Echo and the press box was like an old burger van on stilts that you accessed via a ladder and my seat was a broken old bus seat

Your best ever scoop?
I had a really good run of stories on David Beckham in the lead up to him leaving Manchester United most notably when he was hit in the head with a boot – another man at the heart of the Sun was big behind that tale. I am also proud of revealing Alex Ferguson’s u-turn on his retirement when the club’s former chief executive sent a message to me to say it was ‘100 per cent not true’ – I went ahead with it and 48 hours later they announced it. I also had the Mark Hughes sacking at City and quite embrassingly Dave Bassett’s at Nottingham Forest, when unbeknown to me the first he heard of it was when my paper hit his doormat. I predicted Cristiano Ronaldo’s sale to Real and most recently I revealed Paul Scholes was coming out of retirement.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
It’s old tech really. I was faxing a comic strip from Viz called ‘Fruity Bun The Master Baker’ to someone in my office. It was absolutely double-up hilarious about a baker who would cook life-size gingerbread women then prop them up outside his bakers, drive round the block and then chat them up. Anyway I set the fax going but couldn’t find the piece when I came back, it had disappeared. Little did I know it had wrapped itself round the tube inside. So the next time I used it and sent a letter to a solicitor the phone call I had back was one of bemusement as this bloke with a double barreled name had received this comic strip interspersed with my letter.

Biggest mistake?
Undoubtedly when I thought I was talking to Kevin Francis from the Daily Star on the phone when in fact it was Kevin Francis a man mountain of a striker for Stockport County. It is fair to say their builds and lifestyle are contrasting so when Kevin told me the delay of two months in ringing me back was because he had been teaching kids football in the Caribbean you can imagine my response. ‘F*** off, you, you’re having a laugh aren’t you? How the hell can you teach kids football?’ This continued for some time before the penny finally dropped on my side. I don’t think we spoke again.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
I was walking up the steps at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground with a cup of coffee when someone shouted at me ‘You should drink some ale Lee you’d hit the ball further.’ They thought I was Lee Westwood, who was a Forest fan. My grandma thought I looked like Stephen Hendry and before losing four stones recently my Manchester colleagues were giggling round a computer after calling up a picture of snooker player Stephen Lee and pointing at me.

Most media friendly manager?
I covered Norwich City for the Eastern Daily Press and Mike Walker was an absolute dream, you could not shut him up. Later when I worked in the Midlands John Gregory was fantastic copy and always very accommodating. More recently Sam Allardyce has always been brilliant with the press. Gordon Strachan was undoubtedly the rudest, although a decent enough bloke when you turned the tape recorder off.

Best ever player?
The best one I have seen is Roy Keane. People go on about Cantona but without Keane, United would not have won half of what they did. He was an immense presence, motivator and player. His performance for Ireland in the victory over Holland to qualify for the 2002 World Cup play-off against Iran was breathtaking.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
I will go on what I have witnessed live and the best club side was Manchester United’s from 1999 to 2001; they should really have won the Champions League three times on the spin. Internationally I was mesmerised the first time I saw Brazil play back in 1998 in the World Cup Finals.

Best pre-match grub?
My southern colleagues rave about Arsenal but for me Manchester City have taken things to another level. The food is fabulous, from the soup, to the carvery and then the ice creams. They even put out pick and mix, wine for afters and bring a pie to your work place at half-time if you can’t get down the press room. You can hardly walk when you leave there. They win the media hospitality award every year.

Best meal had on your travels?…and the worst?
The best and worst for different reasons was encapsulated in Oporto the night before a Manchester United CL game About 12 of us went to this restaurant that laid out an impressive spread of local dishes. We arrived late and in a rush I just told the waiter to give us a few bottles of the local wine, thinking that would be cheap. The waiter chose the local wine that was £100 a bottle and 10 bottles later the bill arrived and shortly afterwards some riot police…

Best hotel stayed in?…and the worst?
The best outside of work was The Nacional in Havana which is stuck in the 1930s and an incredible experience. With work it was The Westin just of Time Square in New York and the Shangri La in Singapore where myself and Matt Lawton calved up the grounds as we decided to extend the pitch and putt course into something more challenging. The worst came this season in Lisbon. Everywhere was booked up because of some medical conference and I ended up in a place which was described by one person on Trip Advisor as ‘a good place to commit suicide’. It was like that hotel Tom Hanks walks into towards the end of Saving Private Ryan. I was up two hours early on the last morning to go and sit in the airport.

Favourite football writer?
I think Steve Howard gets to the heart of things in my paper. Tim Rich is undoubtedly the most underrated writer out there, intelligent and funny. Dave Kidd’s column in the People is very good and always has something in it to make me laugh. But Martin Samuel is fantastic, his columns have the three big ingredients for me – they make you think, they tell you something you don’t know, and they make you laugh.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
I don’t know who the people are but there is a radio station my 11-year-old son and I try to pick up when we are in the car called Oldham Community Radio. It’s not always easy to get as we live in South Manchester but when we do an excitement ripples through the car. It’s hilarious although I’m sure not intentionally. It’s like eavesdropping on an old folks’ coach trip to Blackpool. There are lines like ‘And don’t forget cream tea afternoon sponsored by Oldham Community Radio in Library from 3 til 5’…or a bloke will be presenting and his female sidekick will say something like ‘oohh not like days down old dance hall, I could still do a mean gay gordons, me’.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
When I first started clubs were completely open to the press and as such the players became friends and a trust was built up. I still speak now to players who I met 20 years ago. The clubs argue that greater access will lead to more negative stories- in fact it would be quite the opposite, access is treasured by reporters. Clubs have created a ‘them and us’ environment. Everyone needs to relax and remember this is football.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
My big love is golf. I have covered a few Opens but would dearly love to go to Augusta one day to experience the Masters. My favourite TV sporting memory is watching Jack Nicklaus win the 1986 Masters aged 46 and supposedly finished. I still watch the closing holes now on YouTube. Going back in time I would have loved to have been at the bottom of the hill in Innsbruck in 1976 when Franz Klammer won the most dramatic downhill gold ever.

Last book read?
It’s a courtroom drama by Michael Connolly called The Fifth Witness. Nothing I’ll ever to able to quote in an article or mention with my nose in the air over pre-dinner drinks I know, but I have always liked these tense, court drama books.

Favourite current TV programme?
Spooks is undoubtedly my favourite of all time, physically gripping. But right now it has to be Homeland. We are coming up to the final episode next Sunday. Although it was slightly off putting last Sunday when after watching the main character Brodie make final preparations to blow himself up with a suicide vest I switched over and saw him presenting Have I Got News For You. There was just that split second when you are still not back in reality where I thought Noooooooo!

Your most prized football memorabilia?
I have a lot of photographs up in my office of people I have met over my 18 years on The Sun. My favourite is one with Paolo Maldini from 1997 at Italy’s training ground in Florence. I was down there four days on the trot before Italy took on England in Rome in that final World Cup qualifier. He was captain, his dad was manager, there was big pressure and he had the whole of the Italian media to deal with. Yet he still had time to speak to me on more than one occasion in perfect English and help me out. Truly one of nicest, most accommodating people I have ever met in my job.

Advice to any would-be football writer?
Never think you have cracked it because the moment you do you make a mistake. I remember back on the Alnwick Advertiser when I was 20 I would drink with a 60-year-old veteran reporter from the Newcastle Journal called Ken. He told me one night ‘I’ve been doing this job for 40 years and what I don’t know about journalism you could fill a library with’. I always think of that whenever I wonder if there is anything else to learn.

Di Canio the manager is very different from di Canio the player

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By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

ANDY WARREN did not go as far as to say his job was easy but as the Swindon Town correspondent for the Swindon Advertiser he knows many football writers have a more difficult, challenging time to produce their copy.

Whatever adjectives may be used in association with Paolo di Canio “dull” does not figure on the list. On Saturday he celebrated his first season in charge at the County Ground by leading Town to the League Two title with a 5-0 victory over Port Vale. Along the way (and this is the short list) there was a heated confrontation with Leon Clarke on the touchline that saw the striker loaned out, initially, to Chesterfield, two Football Association touchline bans and nine players were disciplined for enjoying too good a night out after a game against Plymouth.

Warren said: “Paolo certainly guarantees you a back-page lead, there’s no doubt about that.

“He discovered that five players had an unauthorised night out. Most of those were left out of the team that played at Aldershot on the Tuesday. Subsequently he found out that another four players who had not owned up were involved and they were banned from playing at Gillingham the following weekend.”

As a player di Canio was something of a Jekyll and Hyde. In 1998, when he was with Sheffield Wednesday, he was given an 11-game ban by the Football Association for pushing over referee Paul Alcock. Three years later he won the FIFA Fair Play award. During a match against Everton di Canio shunned a goalscoring opportunity and instead caught the ball from a cross as Everton goalkeeper Paul Gerrard lay injured after he twisted a knee attempting a clearance on the edge of the penalty area. FIFA described the act as “a special act of good sportsmanship.”

The Italian has served two FA bans, the first for a Jose Mourinho-style touchline celebration after a stoppage-time winner against Northampton Town. The other was for comments to a match official. Typically di Canio thanked the FA after his second suspension, claiming watching his team from the stand was good for him. He said: “I give them permission to ban me for the rest of the season. We will win the league anyway. I don’t have homework because usually if I am in the dugout I have to watch the game again as I don’t have a clear picture. If they want to ban me again they can do.”

Di Canio is not the only manager who has had to discipline players for excesses he had also been guilty of and Warren said: “He admits there were high profile moments when he crossed the line of what is acceptable. Maybe the players look at him holding them to account and think ‘hold on, this is a man who pushed over a referee while he played’ but he is a very different person now to the player he was.

“It’s important for Paolo that any player who steps out of line admits what he has done. He sets incredibly high standards for them in terms of professionalism and demands those standards are maintained.”

Di Canio knows how to use the media and Warren is happy to be part of the process that produces story after story. He said: “Paolo talks a lot, he can almost talk you into submission and gives very long answers to questions. His English is very good but not perfect so occasionally things can be lost in translation.”

Many managers claim they never read newspapers. There was a famous occasion when one leading manager told the media: “You know I never read the **** you write…but you went too far this morning.” Di Canio certainly reads the Advertiser and has used his weekly column in the paper to clarify one of two things written about the team. Sometimes Paolo says things in the heat of the moment and he uses his column to explain what he really meant more fully.”

Whatever di Canio says or does, he remains a hero with Swindon fans. “They adore him,” said Warren. “I’ve never come across a manager who is loved as much as Paolo is. It’s not just the club’s supporters, either. The whole town’s behind him. He’s captured the imagination of everyone, not just those involved with football. I doubt if there is a single person in Swindon who doesn’t know who he is.”

Di Canio’s achievements with Town will inevitably alert clubs higher up English football’s pyramid. A manager who is successful, high profile and charismatic is hard to find and Warren said: “He definitely has ambition but at the same time he has clearly fallen in love with Swindon. The target he and the board set was to reach the Championship in three years. The first part of that was achieved in year one and there’s no reason why in two years’ time Swindon can’t be in the Championship with Paolo.

“But I am sure at some time in the future he will move to a bigger club. My dad’s a West Ham fan and I was told I had to like him.”

Warren has obeyed his father’s orders. “For me, Paolo is great to work with. Paolo is not the sort of person you necessarily want to like and he can be a little intense but being with him for 20 minutes you realise the absolute passion he has.”

FWA Interview: John Cross on Robin van Persie

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By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

Image courtesy of Action Images.

IT IS no surprise that Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie has been elected the Footballer of the Year by members of the Football Writers’ Association.

Joe Hart has been a model of consistency for Manchester City; Wayne Rooney, who was runner-up, and the born-again Paul Scholes, who was third, have been magnificent as Manchester United show their customary best form in the second half of the season during the battle with their noisy neighbours for the Barclays Premier League title.

But in terms of consistency from his first goal of the season against Udinese last August no one has done better than Van Persie who operates in football’s most demanding role. When members of the FWA decide on their choice they should consider “the professional player who by precept and example” is the Footballer of the Year. The yardstick is not whether a player has helped his team to honours, it is about his individual displays over the season.

That has been the case since the FWA was formed in September, 1947 by Charles Buchan, Roy Peskett, John Thompson and Clifford Webb on their way home from Brussels (by boat) after seeing Stanley Matthews, who was to be the first winner – there was 42 members then as opposed to approaching 300 now – lay on all five goals as England beat Belgium 5-2. Long-serving former chairman Dennis Signy said: “Note the word ‘the’ in the original minute. Over 60-plus years this has become, in my opinion, the most prestigious award in football. Others have followed suit with similar awards but this is THE Footballer of the Year.”

FWA members have one vote each. Occasionally the national committee have discussed the possibility of a 1-2-3 system but with little enthusiasm. It can be said with confidence the Footballer of the Year will remain on a one-member one-vote basis. The roll of honour is a Who’s Who of the greats of English football and Van Persie’s name sits comfortably alongside the previous winners.

Steve Bates, the FWA chairman, said: “Robin Van Persie has had a wonderful season and is a worthy winner of our award. He joins a long list of outstanding footballers. His goals have lit up the Barclays Premier League and carried Arsenal to the brink of Champions League qualification.

“The quality of his goals, the consistency with which he has scored and his attacking movements have been an eye-catching feature of Arsenal’s season. This was reflected by the overwhelming margin of his victory.”

John Cross, a self-confessed Gooner who covers Arsenal regularly for the Daily Mirror, underlined the FWA guidelines for voting and said: “When I think of the Footballer of the Year I think of an individual, irrespective of his team’s success. I take into account his influence on his team and when you look at all the candidates, and there have been some outstanding performers this season, Van Persie has had more effect on his side than any other player I can think of.”

The transfer of Thierry Henry to Barcelona in 2007 may have seen the departure of the player many Arsenal fans consider the finest to wear the famous red shirt but it allowed Van Persie to become the main striker rather than supporting the Frenchman from a wider role.

Cross said: “They were two big personalities when they played together first time round. Henry was so good he overshadowed everyone whether he intended to do this or not. Van Persie was not the only player who struggled a little living in the shadow of Henry. It is only since Henry left for Barcelona that Van Persie has really hit the heights. There’s nothing sinister to this, it’s just a natural progression.

“Henry set incredibly high standards for himself and as a player Van Persie or anyone can only learn from the best. Van Persie has done that in terms of dedication and focus. Henry was a big student of the game and used to watch hours and hours of football from around the world, taking something from each game. He would analyse his own displays to learn from mistakes. He would also read just about everything that was written about him in the English media.

“Van Persie has followed a similar route. He has a huge appetite to learn and this is a great quality to possess.”

As a youngster Van Persie had a spikey side to his character which we still see occasionally. He entered Dutch football folklore during his first season with Feyenoord when there was a dispute over a free-kick with Pierre Van Hooijdonk in front of 50,000 fans. The teenager took the set-piece when the elder player was preparing his run-up. When confidence was handed out Van Persie was near the front of the queue.

Incidents with Tim Krul and Gary Caldwell showed Van Persie has plenty of fire in his belly and Cross said: “He’s matured from being a little indisciplined in his early days. Top players need a bit of the devil in them. Van Persie’s desire to win makes him a bad loser and that’s no bad thing. Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach, said ‘show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.’ People have accused Arsenal of being a soft touch but not Van Persie.

“He has also changed as a player because when he arrived he was used in a wider position and was something of a supersub for the first couple of years. I never thought of Van Persie as a number nine, only a number 10. I didn’t think he would be a central striker but he has been phenomenal this season. Thirty eight goals in 50 games is an outstanding ratio. In fact throughout his Arsenal career has has averaged almost a goal every other game.”

While Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira may fit the more traditional view of a captain, Cross believes Van Persie’s leadership strengths should not be underestimated. He said: “While he may not bark orders or gee-on his team in a vocal sense, Van Persie leads by example. The way he plays can only insipre his team-mates and I think he has become an excellent captain.”

Arsenal’s press relations are first-class but the way football has changed over the past 20 years means it is harder for writers to become close to players. Press conferences tend to be stage managed while the mixed zone (aka a bun fight) after Champions League ties and internationals are often the only chance for journalists to grab a quick chat with top players.

Cross said: “Whenever I’ve been able to talk to Van Persie he’s been very helpful. He’s honest and forthright in his views and always has something to say. He’s taken a back seat recently because of questions about his future but football writers have almost given up asking about this. After a game the other week a reporter from Norway asked me if we’d be talking to Van Persie about it and I told him he’d been asked so many times we wouldn’t bother. What more can he say apart from ‘we’ll see at the end of the season.’?”

Van Persie will sit down with Arsene Wenger next month to discuss his future. The Holland international has another year to run on his contract and while Van Persie loves Arsenal, their history and heritage, the only trophy he has won is a 2005 FA Cup medal as a substitute. With his 29th birthday approaching Van Persie has to decide whether to remain with the club that have helped him become one of the world’s most prolific strikers or try his luck elsewhere.

Having lost Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri last summer Arsenal do not want another high profile departure. Cross said: “I’m not sure if he will sign a new contract in the near future but that does not mean Arsenal will sell him this summer. Arsenal are determined, even if he doesn’t sign a new deal, that he stays another year. I don’t think Arsenal fans would begrudge Van Persie leaving at the end of his contract because they know he has given everything for the cl;ub. But Arsenal will not have their hand forced like they did with Nasri and will want Van Persie to stay until 2013. The club Arsenal fear this summer is Real Madrid.”

Van Persie will be aware that Dutch players such as Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Klass-Jan Huntelaar have not prospered at the Bernabeu in recent years.

Cross added: “I think Jose Mourinho tried to sign Van Persie when he was at Inter Milan but I think whatever happens to Mourinho this summer Real will be keen to sign him.”

More immediately Van Persie will be at the Lancaster London hotel to collect his Footballer of the Year award on May 3.


Table taken from the official Arsenal website.

FORMER GUNNERS WHO WERE THE FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR PAY TRIBUTE TO ROBIN VAN PERSIE

Thierry Henry: “I saw him come in here and at the very beginning he wasn’t the easiest guy to deal with but then I wasn’t either, I guess. It’s amazing to see how he has improved. That tells you how intelligent a player he is. I have total admiration for what he is doing right now. Thank God he is playing for Arsenal and doing well. It’s nice to see a player improve. What RVP is doing now, in terms of not just goals but ratio of goals – apart from Ronaldo and Messi – is ridiculous. He is doing something amazing. That also tells you how important it is for him to not be injured. He has never had a chance to have a full season since he has been here, he was always out for two or three months. For the very first time he can go on a roll and you can see the difference. I can only admire what he’s doing now.”

Dennis Bergkamp: “He has been playing in a role [the main striker] which is very difficult. I think it is easier for a guy like Robin or me to play behind the striker and feed the main striker. Basically he is the one up front who has to make a difference which puts a lot of pressure on him but he can deal with it. He can make the difference time after time and in my opinion that describes a great player. It’s incredible how he has developed himself and players like that deserve trophies. His character and style of play is fantastic.”

FWA Q&A: Cathal Dervan

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Cathal Dervan, sports editor of the Irish Sun, on falling out with Roy Keane…tins of sardines in Albania…and why it’s good for football folk to talk…

Your first ever newspaper?
The Meath Chronicle in Market Square, Navan, County Meath. I started covering hurling matches when I was 15 simply because the career guidance teacher in our school was a brother of the Sports Editor. An early introduction to the theory that it’s not what you know but who you know…

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Other than some time as an 80s DJ, no. I have been known to spin the oldies on the Irish trips – music that is.

What was your finest achievement playing football?
Playing sweeper on the Dunshaughlin Dynamoes reserve team beaten 16-1 by WIndtown United in the Meath and District League sometime around 1983 with a dodgy knee. We still hold the record for the biggest ever defeat in the league’s history.

Most memorable match covered?
Has to be the day Ireland beat England in Stuttgart at Euro 88. I only discovered I was doing the match report, and not the quotes, for the new Irish Daily Star an hour before kick-off. The party in the team hotel that night was something special.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Paul McGrath’s display at centre-half for Ireland against Italy in the Giants Stadium at the 1994 World Cup. Like me, he played at centre-back with a very dodgy knee. There the similarity ends.

Best stadium?
The old Highbury. I became an Arsenal fan back in Dublin the day Charlie George fell to the Wembley turf in 1971 so to work at Highbury as often as I did was a real treat.

…and the worst?
The old Dinamo Bucharest stadium we visited for a European game with St Patrick’s Athletic in 1990- Not long after Ceausescu had fallen with the aid of a few dozen bullets as it happened. No dollars meant no phone – we’ve all been there.

Your best ever scoop?
I did have a hand in the Vinnie Jones for Ireland story and the lads at the Star in London put up the great ‘Vinnie O’Jones’ headline. More recently I revealed that Irish tycoon Denis O’Brien is bankrolling Giovanni Trapattoni’s wage packet.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Freelancing last October before I landed the gig as Irish Sun sports editor, I was covering the Slovakia-Russia game in Zilina for six Irish papers. I closed the laptop lid leaving the press box to walk into the adjacent conference room as Dick Advocaat came up the stairs. The computer has never worked since. Only a kind Czech mate, pun intended, rescued me as he allowed me to use his computer to access Google. The keyboard was a bit different but apparently it improved my copy. I did want to cry that night.

Biggest mistake?
Falling out with Roy Keane at a time when I thought it was clever to be opinionated and loud. I’m still opinionated but just glad I had the chance to make amends with Roy, with the help of Sunderland press guru Louise Wanshaw, a couple of years back in Portugal.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Bizarrely I was mistaken for the then Aston Villa player Kevin Richardson as I making my way into St James’ Park to cover their game with Newcastle United for the Sunderland Echo. And no, I didn’t have a moustache at the time.

Most media friendly manager?
Mick McCarthy. He stood up for me in Italy at the 1990 World Cup when there was a row over payments for access to the players pool and we have been the best of buddies ever since.

Best ever player?
Paul McGrath, without a shadow of a doubt.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
The AC Milan side of Gullit, Van Basten, Rijkaard, Baresi and Maldini. Great players, great team. Bias makes me vote for the Ireland side that qualified for the Euros in 1988, our first ever finals. They beat England, drew with Russia and lost to Holland. And you could talk to them without press officers, minders or agents getting in the way.

Best pre-match grub?
I used to love the Indian food at Luton Town when I worked for the Daily Star in London and they were still a club covered by the Daily Star.

Best meal had on your travels?
The most memorable is a visit to an Argentinean steak-house in Amsterdam before an England game against Holland when Rob Shepherd and Joe Lovejoy discussed the Falklands War at length. I was waiting for the chef to carve them up any minute.

…and the worst?
Albania with Ireland. Anyone remember bringing tins of sardines and Jaffa cakes with you on trips to Eastern Europe?

Best hotel stayed in?
Hotel Bristol near Genoa for four days before Ireland played Romania in the 1990 World Cup. Sheer opulence.

…and the worst?
Albania wins again. Tirana. If you were there, you know…

Favourite football writer?
Joe Lovejoy for broadsheets, Rob Shepherd for tabloids and Harry Harris for being Harry Harris.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Mike Ingham on radio, Jonathan Pearce on television. Legends.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Conversation. It’s amazing what happens when people talk to each other openly and without suspicion. Clubs need to realise that.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
The Masters. Thankfully this job has fulfilled all my other sporting ambitions.

Last book read?
The 150,000-word transcript for the tapes of the Jason McAteer book I am about to write. It is hilarious – as you would expect from a man called Trigger.

Favourite current TV programme?
The Big Bang Theory.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
My press pass for Euro 88. Millions in Ireland now claim they were there when Ray Houghton stuck the ball in the English net. I was.

Advice to any would-be football writer?
Learn how to work the internet, study radio and TV and remember – this is not a job, it is a way of life. If you are lucky, and I was, you will be paid to watch football matches. There is nothing better. And be nice to people on the way up – as my granny used to say you will meet them on the way back down.

My Week: Sam Wallace

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Sam Wallace, football correspondent of the Independent, on a banned electronic cigarette…punny man Shaun Custis…and writing a column sitting on the floor of a crowded train…

MONDAY 16 APRIL
The week really began yesterday, at Wembley for the Chelsea v Tottenham FA Cup semi-final. Sunday is always a big day for live action. On Monday, I talk to my sports editor Matt Gatward about the week ahead and Saturday’s paper, which is important. We talk a lot over the course of any normal day, which I am sure is the best thing about the job for Matt.
Matt and his deputy Marc Padgett run the department with considerable grace under pressure. The sports desk staff produces the Independent and the i newspaper sports pages, every day. Occasionally they are permitted a day off.

That evening is Wigan against Arsenal at the Emirates. Eight minutes in, Arsenal are two goals down and this has become a big story. I mention on Twitter that Arsenal have confirmed Wigan’s away support is the smallest-ever at the Emirates. Usually, making a comment perceived as criticising a club’s support would be to invite torrents of abuse. There is barely a reaction. I mention this to my press box counterparts. “It’s a victimless crime,” observes The Times’ Rory Smith.

Arsenal lose. Arsene Wenger announces that Jack Wilshere is out of Euro 2012. It is a busy night.

TUESDAY 17 APRIL
Under Roberto Di Matteo, Chelsea’s Champions League pre-match press conferences have been moved back to 6.45pm. Given that our newspaper’s first edition deadline is 7.30pm at the absolute latest, this presents problems. It gives me little time for the 1,000-word inside piece and the 800-back page lead. But getting it done in time is all part of the fun.

Matt Lawton of the Daily Mail asks Pep Guardiola the big question about whether he could see himself managing Chelsea one day. Unfortunately it’s a bit of an anti-climax because Guardiola misunderstands the question, which is a surprise because Lawton’s Catalan is excellent.

The format for official Uefa press conferences is terrible. You have to wait for a microphone to ask a question, then there is a translation and then the answer and then more translation and then a Uefa official grabs the microphone off you. It’s like trying to have a conversation with someone on a time-lapse telephone line.
Both pieces have to be tinkered with for the second edition. As I leave Stamford Bridge I walk past the old wooden matchday sign on the Fulham Broadway. It announces “Next opponents: Barcelona”. It really is a privilege to cover these games.

WEDNESDAY 18 APRIL
There should be some respite during the day because the paper will ultimately be full of the live action from the night’s game. My last option for a Saturday interview falls through. My colleague Ian Herbert comes to the rescue. He is going to see Shaun Derry, which works out to be an excellent piece.

The Stamford Bridge press room is packed. Roy Keane, an ITV pundit, is eating a slice of pizza with the same intense expression he once confronted opponents. Michael Regan, the award-winning (so he tells me) Getty photographer, mentions that some of his fellow snappers began queuing for their pitchside places at 2pm.

My colleague James Lawton is told by a Chelsea steward that smoking is prohibited in the stadium. Jim points out that after years of loyalty to Marlboro he is actually smoking an electronic cigarette. The steward is still insistent. It has to go. Jim shakes his head in disbelief. When he started covering football, the players smoked more than the reporters.
The game that night lives up to all expectations. I think Chelsea are excellent. It is an engrossing match.

As the final whistle goes I can hear Shaun Custis of the Sun shouting at me from across the press box. I don’t need to look up from my laptop to know what he’s on about. He’s telling me he’s going to write another match report intro punning on Didier Drogba’s name. Shaun has written more Drogba puns than any person in the English-speaking world. I just hope he doesn’t make a Drog’s dinner of this one.

THURSDAY 19 APRIL
The big games these days get three days of coverage in the newspaper. There is more to follow-up from the game. Drogba’s contract, for instance. He is a free agent at the end of the season.

That evening, I notice a tweet from the BBC reporter Rob Bonnet including quotes from Phil Gartside, the Bolton Wanderers chairman and Football Association board member, who has been interviewed for the following day’s Today programme. Gartside has endorsed Harry Redknapp as England manager. He is the first FA board member to do so. We manage to get a story into our final edition that goes at about 12.30am.

No decent reporter would ever rely on Twitter wholesale, but it can be an excellent way of monitoring what the opposition are up to.

FRIDAY 20 APRIL
Off to Arsenal’s training ground for Arsene Wenger’s weekly press conference. It is also the time of the week when I start to think about my Monday column which has to be written at some point over the weekend, but before the game I am covering on the Sunday.

A decent column has to have a coherent argument. Failing that, an incoherent argument. But it has to say something. Some weeks it is obvious what the column should be, others less so. It occurs to me that I have more ideas for the ‘My Week’ feature requested of me by Chris Davies at the FWA than I have for my column. This is a worry.

Wenger speaks to television and radio reporters first and then separately to the newspaper reporters. He is the kind of man who is always supposed to be in a rush but who answers questions as if he could talk all day. My bet is that he relishes the fierce intellectual jousts he has with us. Or perhaps we just amuse him.

My deadly rival John Cross, from the Daily Mirror, asks Wenger who he is going to vote for in the French presidential elections. I make a mental note that Crossy is probably working on a major, in-depth piece on French politics – in all likelihood, for the New Yorker magazine or something similar.

SATURDAY 21 APRIL
It surprises people when I tell them that Saturday is my day off. As a general rule, I do not work for the Independent on Sunday so this is my one free day. I unwind by drawing the blinds and working my way through a stack of DVDs of games from Germany’s lower leagues that I borrowed from Wenger. That is untrue. I spend the day with my family.

SUNDAY 22 APRIL
I get the 8.20am Virgin train from Euston to Manchester for United’s home game with Everton. I would much rather drive but I have yet to write my Monday column. The train is packed. Like many other passengers, I spend the journey sat on the floor. All of us agree this is outrageous. The ticket inspector arrives. No-one makes a complaint.

The game is another low-key affair: a 4-4 draw with two late goals for Everton that re-ignite the title race. On the return trip I decide to explore the generosity of the Independent expenses department by getting a £15 first class upgrade.

The first-class carriage is full of people who have been on corporate junkets at Old Trafford. One of them, an American, complains that half-time was not long enough for him to get a beer. Why is it not half an hour, he asks?

It should be said that the vast majority of football fans who email me or get in touch on Twitter are so knowledgeable about the game that they pick me up on the smallest mistake, and occasionally in a good-natured fashion.

The following day involves an early flight to Barcelona for the return leg. I never lose sight of how fortunate I am to attend these games. But, as with all my fellow reporters, it is all about the quality of the work produced. Most of all, I want to do a good job.