Category Archives: Features

FWA Q&A: Dennis Signy

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DENNIS SIGNY, a former FWA chairman and Life Member, on reporting a match he hardly saw, how he almost signed Ian Wright for Aston Villa and something fishy at Wycombe.

Your first ever newspaper?
Joined the Hendon and Finchley Times in 1942 as a fire engine-chasing cub reporter at £4 a week. Later returned as editor for 17 years – with Saturdays off for football.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
I was general manager of Brentford in the mid-1960s; then chief executive and a director of QPR in the Eighties. Was PR consultant to the Football League for a decade.

Most memorable match covered?
An amateur international between Holland and England at Zwolle when I moved to Fleet Street to join Hayters. England won 5-2 but I didn’t see any of the goals because I was on the phone to the London Evening News from the secretary’s office behind a goal for all but the first 10 minutes of the game. I had to cover the match for FIVE Sunday papers and TWO Mondays after completing my Evening News runner. Had to go into the crowd behind the goal to get names of England scorers from solicitor Mike Pinner, the Manchester United and QPR goalkeeper. It’s a great after-dinner speech story.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Brentford fans singing “There’s only one Dennis Signy” after we beat Fulham at Craven Cottage in the London Senior Cup Final.

Best stadium?
Anfield, with Liverpool at their peak.

…and the worst?
The Shay, Halifax – but many contenders.

Your best ever scoop?
I got news that Ron Greenwood was to be appointed West Ham United manager at a board meeting in two days time. News came from an insurance man who had met the Hammers’ chairman on the stairs. Daily Mail paid £75 for the exclusive; Reg Hayter refused to let me have a £75 bonus.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
NIL RETURN

Biggest mistake?
Going to work for the late Jim Gregory at QPR after being his Press man (unpaid) for 23 years.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Yes, Doug Ellis, the former Aston Villa chairman. I was at Highbury one day sitting with George Graham when the man from PA, who had been sitting with Ian Wright, came over and said Ian was wondering what Doug Ellis was doing there. George Graham called him over and said that Mr Ellis wanted to sign him for Villa. We made it last some time – Ian always called me ‘Doug’ after that.

Most media friendly manager?
Got to be Barry Fry. If I had a pound for every name Barry gave me for soccer chat I’d have retired years ago.

Best ever player?
Tom Finney.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
The present Barcelona, Arthur Rowe’s push and run side of the Fifties (possibly better than Bill Nicholson’s Double winning team) and the Hungary side that humbled England 6-3 at Wembley. Puskas – great – di Stefano – magical – Hidegkuti – supreme.

Best pre-match grub?
Fish pie in Wycombe Wanderers’ board room; Cumberland sausages at Luton Town.

Best meal had on your travels?
Can’t remember what we ate but Martin Samuel paying for dinner at Peterborough was memorable.

Favourite football writer?
David Lacey – I went head-to-head with him on my first match for the Times.Glenn Hoddle’s debut for Monaco. Reg Hayter had a hard job convincing me my copy was not rubbish by comparison.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Brian Moore was the TV master.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Get rid of agents.

Favourite current TV programme?
Have I Got News For You.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
A Lifetime Achievement award from BBC London for my work in football over the decades.

My Week: Ralph Ellis

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RALPH ELLIS on good tips, near bankruptcy and what is music to his ears

Monday, December 26, Boxing Day
Some people are out today at 6am waiting for the sales to open. You’d never catch me camping outside the Mall for Next. Instead my Boxing Day begins in front of the Tesco Express at the top of the road just before eight, waiting to buy the papers.

I like to see all five tabloids every day. It was drummed into me by the late but lovely John Pyke back in 1987 when I first joined the staff of the Daily Star that if you don’t know what’s old, you can’t know what’s new. But there’s another purpose today as I have a column to write that goes on the Blog website run by the gambling exchange Betfair. It’s based on what’s in the papers, using the bits of insight provided by so many experts, to try to find a good bet.

Betfair like me to find items away from football when I can, and today I’m struck by an interview with Saracens winger David Strettle explaining why his team can beat Premiership leaders Harlequins tomorrow. So I’m tipping them to do that – and also recommending to lay Quins to finish top of the table. While football’s bottom team at Christmas always gets relegated, I’ve researched some stats that all of the sides who led rugby’s Premiership on Christmas Day have ultimately lost their lead.

Then it’s a chance to join my son and daughter-in-law who’ve just arrived, and unwrap presents. I’m at Stoke in the evening, so the late kick-off means a rare chance to spend time with the family on Boxing Day. When my two boys were little, my wife Sue always ended up building all the new Lego with them. Today I’m leaving home at around 4pm to drive to Stoke. Good job, as it gives me an excuse to leave a big game of Monopoly just before I go bankrupt (having already spent time in jail).

I’m covering Stoke against Villa for the Daily Star, and like to arrive early to do some homework and be ready with facts and figures. Just as well, because there’s a 750-word match report to write, most of which must be filed after 70 minutes, and very little action to talk about. Inevitably the only real incident, when Marc Wilson’s header hits the bar and then might, or might not, have crossed the line, happens two minutes before I’m due to press the button to e-mail my copy.

Fortunately the managers arrive quite quickly to the press conference. I use the Wilson header incident to highlight that FIFA might finally give the green light to goal line technology in 2012, and not surprisingly both Alex McLeish and Dave Kemp, who is doing the talking instead of Tony Pulis, are hopeful it happens. A fresh match report filed, it’s back in the car and the greatest hits of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on a CD that was a Christmas present to keep me awake until I get home at about a quarter to one.

Tuesday December 27
Good morning to all at Tesco Express again, and back home for some coffee and a look at the papers. My Betfair Blog column today is a round-up of the Boxing Day games with the aim of spotting some trends for the rest of the season. I’m amazed to read that Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has effectively ruled his club out of the title race after drawing with Fulham, while Roberto Mancini was also moaning about the fixture list following Manchester City’s 0-0 draw at West Bromwich. Meanwhile canny Sir Alex Ferguson is about to deliver on his promise to be top on New Year’s Day. United are more than 2-1 to win the title so I’m telling my readers to back that.

There’s a follow-up for the Daily Star to be written from last night’s game. Alex McLeish has fears that Emile Heskey and Darren Bent could be out for a while, and he’s let slip in his press conference that he might talk to Villa’s owner Randy Lerner about cash for new players. It was this time last year that Lerner suddenly released £24m to buy Darren Bent and I’m pretty sure McLeish will want to remind the powers that be of the positive effect that had on the club.

Next job is to go through the stats from yesterday’s games. I’ve kept my own Exel spreadsheets for the last six seasons that track all the Barclays Premier League teams with how many minutes everybody is on the field, as well as the obvious things like goalscorers and red and yellow cards. Before that they were always in different coloured pen in a big accounting book. You have to be a bit of an anorak in this game.

In the afternoon I’m covering Swansea against QPR for the Daily Star. It’s a 5.30 kick off, which is an odd time, so it’s back in the car at 2pm with my £5.70 in coins ready for the Severn Bridge. I like Swansea’s passing style and they dominate the first-half, but then Adel Taarabt starts to dominate the game and Rangers equalise. The story of the game, however, is another horrendous refereeing mistake as Lee Probert misses an obvious penalty when Armand Traore fouls Danny Graham. Brendan Rodgers is predictably annoyed, and then even Neil Warnock says it should have been given too which makes the top to the match report.

While everybody else is waiting for the press conference, I sneak out with Paul Jiggins from the The Sun to try to talk to Taarabt. He finds another way out of the stadium, but at least we chat to Luke Young who provides a follow-up line with the opinion that the club “would be mad” to sell the Moroccan.

Back home about 10pm – and check Sky Sports News to find that Saracens did indeed beat Harlequins. Good news – I’m never happy unless at least one of my Betfair tips each week is a winner.

Wednesday December 28
Freelancing is an insecure way of life, but the up side is that you don’t need to ask anybody’s permission to take a day off. Today we’re off to Hertford where my brother lives for the family get-together. He’s used a big lump of MDF to turn his table into something from a film set with 16 of us round it, and a jolly time is had by all.

Mind you, that’s not until after I’ve parked myself in the corner of the room with the laptop for an hour to write up the Luke Young story for the Star, and also a piece with Swansea midfielder Leon Britton about how Harry Redknapp helped launch his career. Modern e-mails make mixing work and pleasure so much simpler. I can remember one year when my boys were small we took them on the Severn Railway to visit Santa’s Grotto. While everybody else was queuing to see Santa, I was in the old red phone box at Arley Station dictating the previous day’s match report to a copytaker.

Thursday December 29
Starting to get into Sunday Mirror mode today. I have an arrangement with them to cover all the Midlands clubs, so need to think about some possible stories this weekend. First, however, there’s a Betfair column to write. The Betfair Blog – you’ll find it on http://betting.betfair.com – has been running four years now and without ever advertising itself has built by word of mouth and thanks to the wonders of Google a readership that many national newspapers would be pleased with. Today I’ve spotted some stories about Zak Hardaker, the young centre who has been given Keith Senior’s
shirt number at Leeds Rhinos. Leeds are reigning champions but long odds for this year’s Super League title, which seems a good bet to me.

The rest of the day is spent making some calls for a gossip with various contacts in the hope of finding some juicy information ahead of the transfer window opening. Sadly, there’s lots of chatter, but so far not too many stories.

Friday December 30
West Brom play Everton on Sunday, so I’ve got to provide a preview for the Sunday Mirror. Roy Hodgson is full of cold at his lunchtime press conference and not keen to do too much talking, but there’s a line with defender Gareth McAuley explaining how Roy Keane helped convince him that, at the age of 32, he was good enough to become a Premier League player. Then it’s in the car (again) to head for Kensington where I do a regular Friday shift as Night Sports News Editor at the Daily Mail.

Big print runs and early edition times always make Friday a busy night, but Liverpool playing Newcastle adds an extra twist. Then reporter Sami Mokbel gets confirmation that David Beckham is about to forget about joining PSG and sign a new contract with the LA Galaxy, so there’s more frantic re-drawing of pages going on. The Mail have an experienced team and all the deadlines are met – just. Head for home shortly after midnight when we’ve seen the first editions of the other papers. Tonight Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks is the CD for singing loudly along with down the M4. Another Christmas present to fill a gap in my collection. Just as well there’s no sound on this
website.

Saturday, December 31, New Year’s Eve
Another day, another drive. We’ve lived in Bristol since 2000 when I spent two years as Bristol Rovers’ commercial director. I love the city as a place to live, but it suffers from being a long way from the nearest Barclays Premier League club, and I drive 40,000 miles or more a year. Today I’m covering Stoke against Wigan for the Daily Star, so the M5 and M6 are the motorways of choice.

Since the closure of the News of the World handed the Sunday Mirror nearly a million new readers the extra print run means a Saturday match report must be filed on the final whistle – not easy when all the action and talking points at Stoke are in the last 15 minutes. How cool is Roberto Martinez? He stayed calm enough to send on his specialist penalty taker Ben Watson, while everybody else was arguing about a soft decision, to earn his 10-man team a late equaliser. And how cool is Watson too, come to that, to step straight off the bench and score with his first kick. It makes a great match report line.

Drive home listening to 606 on Radio Five. Jason Roberts was a young striker when I worked for Bristol Rovers and he’s now becoming an excellent radio pundit. I thought he and Darren Fletcher dealt brilliantly with some emotional calls about the Luis Suarez situation.

Sunday January 1. New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day begins at midnight on Clifton Suspension Bridge watching the fireworks all across Bristol, and sharing with Sue a toast to the New Year. Hope it stays as busy as the last one! But today is a day off, so we finish the giant Wosgij (it’s a back to front jigsaw) that got started over Christmas, while keeping one eye on the telly to see Everton win at West Brom and Sunderland surprise Manchester City. Oh, and put yesterday’s stats into the computer so they are ready to go again at Aston Villa v Swansea tomorrow. What’s the phrase? We never close.

Brodkin the lone Guardian of the Sports Desk

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BY CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

For Jon Brodkin, December 25 was just another working day on the Guardian sports desk. With one significant difference – he was the only member of the staff on duty along with colleague Penny Woods who was looking after the web site.

Yesterday was the first Boxing Day the Guardian had published during deputy news editor (sport) Brodkin’s time with the newspaper so a Christmas work rota had never been necessary.

‘We’ve been unique in that sense, not having people working on Christmas Day’ said Brodkin. ‘They asked for volunteers and I put myself forward.’

For religious reasons Brodkin does not celebrate Christmas but there was also a favourable trade-off for the New Year.

He told footballwriters.co.uk on Christmas Eve: ‘I asked for a sequence of days off over the New Year which I had special dispensation for several months ago. I felt from that point of view it was fairer for me to step forward rather than others doing a normal run of shifts and who would like to celebrate Christmas in a more traditional sense.’

Self-confessed Barnet fan Brodkin was scheduled to start at 12.30, finishing at 5.30. ‘A shorter than usual shift,’ he said. ‘Some pages will already have been sent but three have to be done on the day.

‘I would phone a reporter at home only if it was really necessary. The remit is they have a blanket day off. Any breaking news would have to be written by myself unless it was a huge story. A sacking on Christmas Day would be very harsh. I hope it doesn’t happen and not just because it would mean more work for me.’

While there were no English league games on Christmas Eve, it was business as normal in the Scottish Premier League with the Premiership rugby game between Northampton and Bath also arriving on Sunday morning.

Brodkin said: ‘There will be what you could loosely call live reports to deal with plus picture selection, page layout and that kind of thing. Most of the Boxing Day peviews would already have been prepared.’

His usual shift sees Brodkin driving home in the early hours of the morning but yesterday he was looking forward to a personal best time back to his family through the unusually empty streets of north London.

My Week: Christopher Davies

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Monday December 19
It is at times like this a guy finds out who his friends are, or even who his friend is. Someone, somewhere will be able to do the Christmas My Week…surely? I’ll ask a few of the lads. Bit of a bind having to keep a Christmas diary even for a great cause like the FWA but I have no doubt I can call up a favour or two from somebody. We all go back a long way.

So here I am starting the Christmas edition of My Week…

My first task of the day was to send last week’s My Week (apologies to the English language) by Tony Incenzo and Matt Scott’s Q&A to Fastwebmedia who produce the site. Still can’t get my head round Tony having all but 10 QPR home programmes since the War in his house which must be called Casa Programme.

Did a phone interview with Sam Delaney and Micky Quinn for talkSPORT’s lunch-time show. Spoke about the weekend’s football and while Manchester City v Arsenal was terrific entertainment, watching Barcelona beat Santos 4-0 in the Club World Cup final was another masterclass from Pep Guardiola’s superteam. We are privileged to be able to watch, thanks to Sky Sports, this perfection-touching side each week.

As I am on talkSPORT’s Breakfast Show with Alan and Ronnie tomorrow so I watched Crystal Palace 1, Birmingham 0. The sort of game I was happy not to have been covering, especially the first-half, but Palace deserved to win and Dougie Freedman is impressing me in his first full season as a manager.

As my alarm will go off (why do we say’ go off’ – shouldn’t it be ‘go on’?) at 5.15 Tonight, Happy Hour ends at 10.30pm tonight.

Tuesday December 20
Swore at the alarm when it went off/on at sparrow’s fart. Usual early morning routine – cup of coffee and bowl of muesli prepared the night before which should elevate me straight to the top of the Saddo League. Read some of the sports pages on line while having aforementioned breakfast, hit the road at 5.45am, driving through the beautiful south [-east London] to arrive at talkSPORT Towers at 6.20 where there is possibly the world’s smallest Christmas tree. Read the papers, made a few notes, quick chat with producer Dave Richards and on air with Alan and Ronnie at 7. Blackburn v Bolton was the main item, winced when I read about Scott Dann’s ruptured testicle. Cannot think of a more painful injury, not that I give a huge amount of thought to such things. There is a macabre interest in this el sackio game – and why do we call them six pointers? Is there a more pointless (sorry) cliché?

I cannot think of another industry where the boss gets so much abuse. Nowhere else would the head honcho turn up for work with thousands outside or inside wanting him to quit with banners bearing his name and the word ‘out’ after it. It is impossible to imagine how Steve Kean feels about the vitriol directed him by Blackburn fans. I think he’s conducted himself superbly under the circumstances but he was over-promoted by Venky’s. I wonder who advised them to sack Sam Allardyce, one of the most respected of Barclays Premier League managers with a consistent record of success, and appoint the untried Kean?

On top of el sackio, we also had the news the FA had found Liverpool’s Luis Suarez guilty of misconduct, fining him £40,000 and handing him an eight-game suspension for comments made to Patrick Evra. I’ll sleep on this one.

Wednesday December 21
Couldn’t wait to read the papers, deciding a bacon sarnie was the only possible accompaniment to see how everyone has treated the Suarez story. Half-way through the papers and sarnie it was announced the CPS will make a statement regarding John Terry this afternoon. With seven Barclays Premier League games, Kean and Suarez follow-ups plus JT sports desks are going to be rather busy tonight.

I am staggered Suarez was not legally advised to say nothing, putting the burden of proof on the FA’s independent regulatory board. By admitting he used the word, because to him it was not offensive, this was the only evidence in the case. Had he kept quiet, with no witnesses it would have been impossible for the FA to find him guilty…one man’s word against another’s. In whichever context Suarez believed he was using ‘negrito’ it still breaches FA regulations on references to a player’s colour. Ignorance is no excuse for breaking a rule/law. I can accept in his mind he probably didn’t use it as an out and out racist term and we have read how the word is non-offensive in South America. I have a mate whose Colombian wife is known as Negra because of her jet-black hair. She is white and her nickname translates to Blackie. But Suarez is in England. And when in…

I still have issues with the FA’s disciplinary system. They allow too many potential leg-breakers to escape punishment, hiding behind a non-existent FIFA rule they claim makes it impossible for them to act if the referee has seen the incident (even FIFA say this is not the case) but it is welcome to see the game’s guardians taking a zero tolerance stance against racism. I suspect the eventual publication of the commission’s evidence will make their decision clearer. For Liverpool players to wear Suarez T-shirts was crass. The guy has been found guilty of making a remark about an opponent’s colour and his team-mates wear T-shirts in support of him.

After Suarez, Terry has also been charged, denying allegations of using racist language towards QPR’s Anton Ferdinand. This is the hottest of potatoes for the FA but little can be said or done until after the trial in the New Year. Tottenham v Chelsea tomorrow – of all the games… It doesn’t feel very Christmassy.

Thursday December 22
Breakfast and back-page racism stories – again. Most of the heavy hitters believe that while there must be a presumption of innocence John Terry should not captain England if the case drags on after the Holland game on February 29. Have to write a column for Japan today and while I think there is much wrong with the FA’s disciplinary system, they are right to take a zero tolerance stance on racism. AVB said eh will support Terry ‘even if he is found guilty’ which many will see as effectively condoning racism.

Tottenham 1 Chelsea 1 was marvellous entertainment, a match that showed the passion, skill and excitement of the Barclays Premier League. Another mistake by Petc Cech which Graeme Souness believed could be a legacy of the head injury sustained a few years ago. Glenn Hoddle uttered a phrase I’d like to see banned – ‘I’ve seen them given for that.’

Friday December 23
Breakfast with Ryan Giggs, well sort of. ‘I risked it all for secret sex with Ryan…now i want Rhodri back’ Natasha, Giggs’ sister-in-law tells the Sun. I am sure that is the best way to repair a broken marriage. She goes on: ‘I hope time can heal the pain I’ve cause.’ Course it will, give it a few weeks. ‘I cheated on my husband with his own brother who just happens to be one of the most famous men in Britain…it was never going to end any way but badly.’ Spot on there, Natasha.

I am in charge of the family dinner. Cooking is my passion. I have been to cookery classes including a Masterchef course; today I prepared the turkey crown with chestnut stuffing wrapped in bacon.

Went to Waitrose at Bromley…I have this theory that as many people visit others at Christmas and therefore won’t be cooking the supermarkets and shops should be no busier than at any other time. Like many of my theories it is a load of cajones.

Mark Cavendish Sports Personality of the Year has good coverage today. I have never been able to equate personality with sporting skill, though. What does personality have to do with sport? It is the most ridiculous title. There is a strong case for Cav to be Sportsman of the Year but Personality almost disregards his huge achievements.

Saturday December 24
No games today. What I really mean is no match fee. Sob. A day off so a chance to finalise my Chrissie shopping. Well, do it actually. The entire population of the universe seemed to be in Bromley but I shop better under pressure. Bought a rather splendid shirt for my son that will no doubt be on sale for half the price I paid come Boxing Day.

Yuletide television tends to be the same shows as we watch the rest of the year with the word ‘Christmas’ or ‘Special’ in the title, sometimes both. The worst is when they broadcast a Christmas Special repeat. How special can it be when it was shown last year? The other word to beware of is ‘Celebrity’ – thankfully I have not [yet] noticed a Celebrity Whatever Christmas Special.

Sunday December 25
The Sunday Times (Santa Times?) is published today, the first time I can remember a newspaper on Christmas Day. I cannot believe it is profitable, given how few retail outlets are open and how much it costs to distribute.

No work today (apart from this). Family Christmas, couple of pints in the Ramblers rest, Chislehurst, my turkey crown washed down with liberal lashings of Barolo. Pressie opening, bought my mother tickets to see Jackie Mason in March. ‘You are my favourite son,’ she said.

I am an only child…

FWA Q&A: Joe Lovejoy

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JOE LOVEJOY on drinking the profits, Dave Mackay’s key rings and the Alien in Georgia

Your first ever newspaper?
The Kentish Observer, Canterbury.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Yes. Ran a pub, briefly. No prizes for guessing where the profits went!

What was your finest achievement playing football?
Breaking Peter Brackley in half while on a course in Portsmouth.

Most memorable match covered?
The 1988 FA Cup Final, when Wimbledon beat Liverpool and my old mate “Corky” took me to the post-match piss up at Plough Lane.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
An enraged Dave Mackay lifting Billy Bremner off the ground by the scruff of his neck. Dave used to give out key rings with that pic on.

Best ever stadium?
The Maracana.

…and the worst?
Belle Vue, Doncaster. The old chairman should have been knighted, not put inside, for burning the dump down.

Your best ever scoop?
A pistachio/vanilla mix on the front at Blackpool.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
During Euro 2008, failing to file Big Phil Scolari’s first press conference on being appointed by Chelsea, when I’d asked most of the bloody questions!

Biggest mistake?
Trusting “Herr Flick”, aka Alex Butler.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Jack Duckworth, by a woman in a Monmouth pub. I even had the broken specs!

Most media friendly manager?
Harry Redknapp.

Best ever player?
George Best.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Present Barcelona team and Brazil 1970.

Best pre-match grub?
Chelsea.

Best meal had on your travels?
In Moldova. It was so good Charlie “Two Dinners” Sale ate Alan Smith’s main course as well as his own [it was supposed to be for 2 to share!]

…and the worst?
Something that turned my stomach into a scene from The Alien in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Best hotel stayed in?
Cavalieri Hilton, Rome, before Gazza’s debut for Lazio.

…and the worst?
The Europa, in bomb-torn Belfast. It took a bottle of Bushmills to settle the nerves. And that was at breakfast!

Favourite football writer?
David Lacey, the doyen.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Anyone who doesn’t use the phrase “pull the trigger.” Whatever happened to the verb to shoot? A favourite? Mike Ingham.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Remove most of the press officers, who do their best to deny, rather than facilitate interviews.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
Pontypool RFC winning the Swalec Cup in Wales.

Last book read?
Lovejoy on Football by Tim Lovejoy. Forty years as a football writer and some chav puts my name on his advert for Andrex.

Favourite current TV programme?
Emmerdale. Chastity has got to be a misnomer!

Your most prized football memorabilia?
Signed painting of Stanley Matthews.

Joe Lovejoy reports matches for the Observer and Guardian. His book, Goals, Greed & Glory: Twenty Year Of The Premier League, was published recently.

Stats king Ley now happy to be a sub

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By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

It became a routine in Barclays Premier League press boxes. John Ley would walk in and a dozen or so football writers would wait for Statman (with apologies to Angus Loughran) to reveal the gems behind Portsmouth versus Bolton Wanderers.

While Ley was working for the Daily Telegraph there remains a camaraderie within the competitive world of journalism and he was happy to share the fact that it could be the first time Portsmouth have won five home matches in succession or whatever with other writers. On a freezing winter’s night when Fleet Street’s finest (and coldest) have witnessed the delights of a goal-less draw with no obvious ‘line’ a superstat can mean a welcome intro.

Within the industry Ley is known as the stats king and having worked with him for 20 years on the Telegraph I witnessed first-hand the time and effort he puts into knowing, within seconds, how many times Patrick Vieira or Roy Keane had been cautioned.

It all started when Ley was 15 and joined Hayters, arranging the telephones at Spurs and Arsenal for national newspapers who had booked lines through the agency (a task writers who have only lived in the mobile age will no doubt find quaint). Ley said: ‘Two years later Tony Roche, until recently the Sun’s rugby correspondent and whose son Daniel plays Ben in Outnumbered, told me there was a full-time job going. I got it, £19 a week, and one of the reporters I worked closely with was Albert Sewell, now an FWA life member.

‘Albert was in charge of Hayters’ stats and they had books going back to the 50s detailing every team’s results. This was before the days of the Rothmans yearbook and I was asked to keep the stats books up to date. Albert used to be part of the backroom team of Match of the Day and Des Lyman used to call him Uncle Albert…he was the godfather of football stats.

‘When I left Hayters to join the Oxford Mail I started to keep details of all the club’s sides from the first team to the youth team. When Oxford reached the top flight in 1985 I kept records of all the teams in the First Division. I found this very useful for previews and match reports so when I joined the Daily Telegraph in 1987 I extended this to all 92 clubs, the Home international teams and referees.

‘I don’t think anyone else was doing this and again the stats were very helpful for me and my Telegraph colleagues. I used to compile team news on Fridays, which I still do, and the stats helped.’

The internet has made such information readily available to everyone but Ley still keeps his own records of Barclays Premier League clubs, including cautions, sending-offs, suspensions and players’ injuries ‘because it is much easier to have them at my fingertips.’

Ley estimates he spends up to six hours a week – almost a full working day – of his own time compiling his stats. When he goes on holiday the book goes with him so he can update every day. ‘I have to because if I fall behind it would be so difficult to catch up.’

He has promised his wife Linda that Christmas Day will be stats-free but come Boxing Day it will be business as usual.

Football writers pride themselves on a famous scoop but Ley looks back with equal pride at being the first to discover that in 2001 the Barclays Premier League was soon to see its 10,000th goal.

He said: ‘I rang the Premier League who were unaware of it. Barclays agreed to donate £10,000 to the charity of the choice of the player who scored the 10,000th goal. It was Les Ferdinand for Spurs and I was proud to have helped a deserving charity in such a way.’

Ley’s professionalism in the world of stats has been recognised by the League Managers Association who contact him if they are trying to prove a point on managerial sackings or if a member is approaching his 1,000th game in charge. He said: ‘That’s quite an achievement these days because managers don’t stay around as long as they used to. There is one manager, who I shan’t name, who is convinced he’s in the 1,000 Club but he isn’t because international matches don’t count. The criteria as far as the LMA are concerned are games played in domestic and European football but not internationals. David Pleat has said to me he should return to management so he can reach 1,000, he is just short at the moment.
‘
‘My big regret is that I didn’t set up a web site in the early days because I would probably have been quite wealthy by now.’

I was expecting Ley to reveal, to the nearest pence, how wealthy but instead he is happy. However, he had initial doubts about his new role of senior production journalist at the Telegraph. Going inside to take a subbing job after 35 years on the road was not something Ley wanted or was looking forward to but he is delighted to have been proved wrong.

He said: ‘I was horrified that the Telegraph needed to lose a football reporter for economic reasons. Because I’d been there for 24 years they offered me alternative employment. It meant retraining, changing the way I worked and my hours. As a reporter I was occasionally very critical of a sub who had changed my copy but I now have a greater understanding of the demands of working in the office. I believe every writer should have a spell as a sub to appreciate the other side of the business. I love it, the team spirit in the office is terrific and everyone has helped me settle in.’

On a match night Ley will sub a report not just for the next day’s paper but also to go on the web site. He said: ‘I probably have 10 minutes to sub the runner [first edition report filed on the whistle] after it’s arrived before it goes to the revise sub for checking. For the second edition rewrite which includes quotes I probably have 45 minutes. The buzz I get from doing this has replaced the buzz I had when I covered games. I still write and I think subbing has made me a tighter, better writer.’

Having been both poacher and gamekeeper Ley is sensitive to altering copy. He said: ‘I only change if I have to, if the reporter has made a mistake which is understandable when writing under pressure.’

Ley, who now talks about widow’s breaks and stand-firsts instead of having to file 500 words by half-time, will have an hour for dinner early in the evening but not for him reading a book or listening to some music before returning to his screen. He spends the time keeping his records up to date.

Unsurprisingly, Ley has a full set of Rothmans/Sky Sports yearbooks, now in their 42nd year – ‘my most prized possession after my wife and kids.’ he joked.

At least I think he was joking.

FWA Q&A: Matt Scott

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The Guardian’s Digger and self-confessed Gooner on Sammy, Crossie, Steve McMahon’s finger and being Paolo Rossi in his garden

Your first ever newspaper?
The Daily Star. I was sent there to be Howard Wheatcroft’s Gooner nemesis.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
No: I came straight into it from university.

What was your finest achievement playing football?
You mean apart from only letting two goals in for Burnham Ramblers U-11s in the South-East Essex Cup final in the full-size goals at Chelmsford City (we won 3-2)? Well then, that has to be the second-minute Reducer I put on the Russian Press left-winger while representing England Press in Moscow. It is for others to judge whether it set the positive tone for our first half. But when I was taken off after 65 minutes we were only 2-1 down in a game we lost 7-2.

Most memorable match covered?
It has to be an Arsenal game, for obvious reasons. And it was probably Real Madrid 0 Arsenal 1 at the Bernabéu in February 2006. They went into the game 25 points off Chelsea’s lead and four points off Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place. And even when they had dominated the English game, that great Arsenal team had been extremely inconsistent in Europe. The expectations were very, very low as Arsenal took on a team who three seasons before had won the European Cup for the ninth time, but they absolutely dominated Madrid. I remember after the final whistle and exchanging conspiratorial my-God-did-that-really-just-happen glances with Crossie. It felt like something special, and it was – Arsenal were en route to a first ever European Cup final.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Sorry but it’s Arsenal again. I’d take those few minutes of that game at Anfield in 1989 between the moment when a snarling Steve McMahon goes around the Liverpool team cajoling them with his index finger and saying: “One minute left” to when Michael Thomas gives Grobelaar the nuts and Arsenal the title. The greatest dénouement of any season ever.

Best stadium?
Camp Nou with Celtic in it. I still have the tinnitus to show for the atmosphere.

…and the worst?
The much-lamented Layer Road, where I used to stand to watch Colchester United on a Friday night. Like so many football supporters in the 1980s I was unwittingly risking my life in a wooden stand among the crisp packets, polystyrene cups and discarded fag-ends beneath. God rest those poor souls at Bradford City.

Your best ever scoop?
My best-ever journalism was not a single story but the series of exclusives I did on the so-called billionaire Middle Eastern consortium at Notts County led by Russell King. I was on to this conman straight away and my work forced him and his cronies out of the club, preventing them from taking over BMW Sauber’s F1 franchise and from launching a dubious stockmarket float of a “mining company” that could have cost investors millions on the way. It was not the sort of stuff I expected to be uncovering when I set out in football reporting but it was thrilling to know I had achieved something meaningful. Even though it was a rocky road with a lot of the Notts fans at times.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
I like to think I’m New School enough to get the technology to work but I confess to having got annoyed when the Wifi and dongle connections have both dropped out shortly before the second-half runner is due over.

Biggest mistake?
Trusting someone who said he’d seen a famous unmarried sportsman booted out of the Wimbledon press box while canoodling with his latest squeeze. His tip became the basis of a 50-word diary-payoff item that the local bugle where he was from ripped off. He sued us for a few thousands. It was probably true but there were no pictures to demonstrate it, no way of tracking the stewards who ejected him and so I couldn’t prove it. I was young and impressionable.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Lots of people. Funny question.

Most media friendly manager?
In my experience, Mark McGhee at Millwall. He was always great in press conferences after matches and I later bumped into him in Brighton when he was managing there and in Edinburgh when he was at Motherwell. He was always an absolute gent.

Best ever player?
Lionel Messi. Already.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
I loved that 1982 Italy side and used to play at being Paolo Rossi in the garden. The Milan team that won the European Cup in 1989 and 1990 with Rijkaard, Gullit and Van Basten would have taken some beating in any era.

Best pre-match grub?
Oh dear. Arsenal.

Best meal had on your travels?
When we went to see Alisher Usmanov in Moscow at the Kempinsky he certainly lavished us with a meal I wouldn’t have got through on exes.

…and the worst?
Nothing that really sticks in the mind. Can’t say I’ve ever really experienced any upsets.

Best hotel stayed in?
The city-centre apartment-hotel in Vienna for Euro 2008. I was able to take my wife and my eldest, who was then one, while working out there. A rare treat to be travelling and not having to leave the family at home.

…and the worst?
The Soviet-era block in Minsk when I went there with Scotland. Not a place I’d return to in a hurry.

Favourite football writer?
Sammy. I don’t always agree with him (in fact I once found something he wrote downright offensive) but it’s always well researched and well argued.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Martin Tyler. Stood the test of time.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
I’d personally take a sledgehammer to all the fences around football-club training grounds and let us mingle with the players again. We, like them, are human beings.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
Watching England at the MCG in the Boxing Day Test with my best man who’s emigrated out there.

Last book read?
Treasure Islands: Tax Havens and the Men who Stole the World by Nicholas Shaxson. Breathtaking.

Favourite current TV programme?
Boardwalk Empire.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
The t-shirt and jetsam from the streamer-machines from the last-ever match at Highbury. How could I possibly end with anything else?

My Week: Tony Incenzo

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How Queens Park Rangers have taken over his house, visiting 1,736 football grounds and attending his 986th consecutive QPR home game

Sunday December 11th
After a good Saturday night out socialising, it’s time to catch up on the weekend’s football action. I have recorded all the highlights and goals from the Barclays Premier League and Championship so I sit down to watch them. Contemporary football fans no doubt take this extensive television coverage for granted. But when I was a kid growing up in London, things were much simpler. We only saw two games on Match Of The Day on a Saturday night back then. Then on the Sunday afternoon, ITV’s The Big Match had a main London game plus two regional fixtures. And Wednesday night saw a cup tie (European competition, League Cup or FA Cup replay) screened by either BBC1’s Sportsnight With Coleman or ITV’s Midweek Sports Special. If you watched all that – which I did – then you knew everything about football for the week. It is all so different nowadays.

Monday December 12th
I am working on a history feature for the QPR club programme. It concerns a couple of fixtures from the great 1975/76 season where Rangers missed out on the League title by a point to Liverpool. So I dig out the scrapbooks that I kept at that time and read a number of match reports. I find 35 year old articles by the likes of Brian Madley in the Sunday People, Alex Montgomery in The Sun and Jeff Powell in the Daily Mail. When I was at school, other lads used to laugh at me because I diligently kept football scrapbooks. Now the cuttings are invaluable to me. I also have all but 10 QPR home programmes dating back to the Second World War, which I am constantly referring to as research tools. This football archive has taken over my house. Four of the spare bedrooms are stuffed full of memorabilia. I wonder how much a loft conversion will cost as I am desperately running out of space.

Tuesday December 13th
I put the finishing touches to a 5,100 word focus on Queens Park Rangers for the AirAsia in-flight magazine. This airline company are one of QPR’s new sponsors and so they want to introduce their passengers to the club. It is an interesting project for me as it is not aimed directly at football fans. So I have to write in a way that will hopefully interest a broad spectrum of people sitting on a plane. I outline the history of Rangers, the players’ pen pictures, reports on three of the club’s greatest matches, a focus on the Loftus Road stadium, plus interviews with Neil Warnock and Stan Bowles. Bowles is my favourite all-time player. I idolised him when I was a child. I find it amazing that I can now ring him up for a chat and he is always pleased to hear from me.

Wednesday December 14th
More programme articles today – this time for Watford FC. I compile a two page Diary Of A Groundhopper for all their home games. This focuses on my visits to football grounds around the country. Recent columns have varied from reviewing Brighton’s new stadium to attending a fixture in the London Airport Midweek League. I have watched matches at 1,736 football grounds to date so it is quite a passion of mine. The Groundhopper feature seems to be well received by Watford’s supporters and a couple of other clubs have already contacted me about including it in their programmes for next season.

Thursday December 15th
Today I am working on an article for FC Business Magazine about AFC Totton’s new stadium. This venue was showcased on ITV recently for a live FA Cup Second Round tie against Bristol Rovers. I interview Totton’s chairman to find out the benefit of their ground relocation and type up 1,500 words.

Friday December 16th.
I awake to see three inches of snow settling in my garden. My first thoughts are on how this will affect the forthcoming football fixtures. But I have to be prepared – come what may. So it is my stats day and I thoroughly immerse myself in the two matches I am scheduled to cover at the weekend. I plonk myself down in front of the computer and research goalscorers, appearances, past meetings, bookings, red cards, suspensions and quirky links between the teams involved. All this information is readily available on the internet of course. How did we ever survive before the world wide web? The only team news back in the old days was on Ceefax, Clubcall or in the papers.

Saturday December 17th.
I am booked to report on Swindon Town versus Morecambe for Sky TV’s Soccer Saturday programme. I set off for the West Country by train and arrive early so have time for a lovely pasta lunch in the hotel restaurant opposite the railway station. The match itself sees Swindon comfortably win 3-0 and their manager Paolo Di Canio gives an entertaining press conference afterwards.

Sunday December 18th.
I set off for Shepherd’s Bush with the trembling anticipation of a young child on Christmas Day. It is Queens Park Rangers versus Manchester United – probably the biggest game at Loftus Road for 15 years – and I am the touchline reporter for talkSPORT. But a Wayne Rooney goal in the opening minute dampens the home crowd’s excitement and United are worthy 2-0 winners at the end. This is the 986th consecutive QPR home game I have attended (League, cups, friendlies and testimonials) dating back to April 1973.

The Joys of the Long-Distance Football Writer

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Covering Carlisle United is a labour of love for Jon Colman

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

AS THE big hitters of the football writing fraternity pondered over their 1,000 word reports on Barclays Premier League matches, Jon Colman was putting together his back page story and a 1,200-word inside spread on Carlisle United’s League One victory over Scunthorpe United for the News & Star.

Forget RVP’s almost inevitable goal for Arsenal, Martin O’Neill’s typically theatrical return with Sunderland or Harry Redknapp’s post-Stoke ref rant, Colman’s focus was on Francois Zoka whose stoppage time winner gave seventh-placed Carlisle a 2-1 win at Glanford Park, a 250-mile round trip.

Colman’s shortest journey is to Preston, 90 miles away. He usually arrives home as Match of the Day is starting but for Colman, it is a labour of love.

A Carlisle fan all his life, he has covered the club for the News & Star for six years and his feeling for the Cumbrians eases the burden of producing around 10,000 words a week and being on first name terms with the road-works on the M6 and M1.

Last February, when Carlisle were in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final, beating Brentford 1-0 at Wembley, it was “absolute madness…chaos” but an average
> week comprises Colman writing one or two back page pieces and “a substantial inside spread” on a daily basis.

He said: “Carlisle United drive the sports pages in our paper. We don’t have superstar big names but being a smaller club can work in my favour, though clubs at all levels have changed the way they operate and deal with the press. Two or three years ago players would happily chat away before training but the club have exerted more control over this and everything goes through the press officer. While I don’t get to know them in quite the same way now, there aren’t as many barriers between journalists and players or the manager for me. I don’t have to fight too many battles to speak to them.”

Colman enjoys a good relationship with manager Greg Abbott, essential for the local beat reporter. “He’s quite a character,” said Colman. “He can be absolutely brilliant value at times when he’s upbeat and flying. You’ll walk out the room with a notepad full of gems but if the team’s not doing so well, it can be a bit different. I’ve not had any major run-ins with him though he has gone down the all too familiar route of not being accessible on the phone as managers at this level used to be. Most weeks it’s just the pre and post-match press conferences.”

Isolated as Carlisle may be, Colman said it remains a football town and older FWA members will recall the club being top of the First Division for a spell in 1974. He said: “Those were the days. People are still very proud of that up here.”

Workington AFC are the traditional rivals of Carlisle but they are in the Blue Square Bet North so Preston or Hartlepool represent the nearest to any sort of derby, though hardly local.

Colman said: “We play Preston on Boxing Day for the first time in about 15 years and we’re looking forward to that.”

The travelling is accepted as part of covering Carlisle. “It’s only a grind if you get a lot of long trips all together,” said Colman who shares the driving duties with colleagues. “My paper allows me to stay overnight for some midweek and weekend games which helps. Not all local papers offer that facility.”

Brunton Park’s press box is basic “but we’re not too precious up here…we have wifi and as long as you can sit down and do the job, that’s fine.

“It’s not a job that’s going to make you rich, not at this level but I never get out of bed in the morning and think ‘bloody hell, I’ve got to go to work today.’ I’m generally pretty happy about turning up for work which is really a paid hobby. Sometimes it can be tough if the team’s lost a few games on the spin and people are reluctant to speak to you but against that we’ve had two trips to Wembley in the last two years.’

Carlisle lost 4-1 to Southampton in the 2010 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final but 12 months later were winners against Brentford “and there was a good story with the guy who scored the winning goal.”

The match-winner was Peter Murphy, Carlisle’s longest-serving player at the time. Murphy gave away a penalty in the previous final defeat a year earlier and two days before the victory over Brentford his partner Lisa had given birth to a son.

Colman said: “It was such a nice tale. Covering Carlisle at Wembley is up there with my best memories but it would be nice to have an FA Cup tie at Old Trafford or St James’ Park.”

My Week: Matt Dickinson

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We find out what The Times’ Matt Dickinson got up to during a week that took him to Spain and El Clasico.

Monday December 5
Monday morning. Column day. Some Mondays you wake up with a few scratchy thoughts and a dauntingly empty page to fill. Thankfully this is not one of them. Today Platini gets it, with both barrels. Load, aim, fire…

The decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar is far and away the most outrageous and illogical in my time covering sport. I remember visiting Doha before the vote and laughing out loud at the idea that a World Cup could come to this tiny Emirate where people die either of boredom or heatstroke.

For Michel Platini to have voted for Qatar will forever compromise him and he’s been blathering about it again. One of the easier columns I’ve had to write. And I suspect it won’t be the last time I return to that subject. Only 10 years of campaigning left….

In between writing that column, it’s a drive to Gerrard’s Cross to meet Chrissie Wellington, Britain’s four-time world champion at Ironman. Chrissie is a great interviewee; bright, robust with plenty to say, especially about the BBC SPOTY furore. Quite understandably, she is angry about the absence of a woman on the shortlist and even more so at the failure to have any women on the voting panel. It’s a huge cock-up by the BBC.

Tuesday December 6
Write up the Wellington piece, all 1700 words of it. Again, one of those articles that flows easily (I wish they were all like that) because there is a newsy issue and so many great quotes, from her
disdain for Gary Lineker over the SPOTY row to her explanation of how on earth you keep going for more than eight hours in an Ironman. And then there’s the stuff about how you make emergency toilet stops but you probably don’t need that here…

Head to Chelsea against Valencia in the Champions League. I’m at Stamford Bridge as the feature writer which means having to engage brain before kick-off about likely themes. Thankfully Didier Drogba, a walking melodrama, is in the mood, scoring twice, setting up another. It’s a great win for Chelsea though eyebrows are raised in the media room afterwards when Andre Villas-Boas says that the win is a “slap in the face” for his critics. Steady on, AVB.

Wednesday December 7
It’s a train to Manchester for City against Bayern Munich. It isn’t a bad game, and there’s a tale to be written because, for all the squillions spent by City’s Arab owners, they are heading out of the Champions League. But occasionally you know that you are not where the real action is taking place and the news that Basle have taken the lead against United confirms it.

City and United are dumped in the Europa League and suddenly we are all looking up when the final of that competition will be played (May 9) and where (Bucharest). Thursday nights just got busier.

Thursday December 8
Day off which means travelling back from Manchester, making various phone calls, tweeting (which remains annoyingly addictive even on the days when you despair at the abuse) and researching a book. This is a job which easily expands to fill all the hours in the day.

Friday December 9
Up at 5am for a flight to Madrid to preview the clasico. It’s going to be my fourth clasico of 2011. The first three have produced nine goals (four for Messi), five red cards (plus Mourinho dismissed), two mass brawls and enough fireworks to mark a new Millennium. So here’s hoping.

Plane is delayed by an hour and a half so land in Madrid, sprint through the airboard, dive into a taxi, dash to the training ground and….. Jose isn’t turning up. Not really a surprise given that he’s been on best behaviour since the eye-poking at the Super Cup. But disappointing nevertheless. Aitor Karanka, his assistant, is not a man who is going to sell newspapers.

Dinner in Madrid with Marc Aspland, the best sports photographer in the business, Sid Lowe of the Guardian and Guillem Balague. Perhaps a little too much Rioja consumed.

Saturday December 10
El Clasico. The biggest club game in the world. Not a bad climax to a busy week. There’s a mad scrum outside the Bernabeu as I’m walking around. Rafael Nadal has just arrived. This is a game that everyone wants to see.

A goal for Real after 23 seconds sets up a great night of football. If Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t in abject form, perhaps it might have been different but Barcelona hold their nerve, trust in their possession game and eventually dominate a match they might have won by more than 3-1 to leapfrog Real at the top of La Primera Liga. Mourinho talks afterwards about bad luck but even he must know, deep down, that Real have been comprehensively outplayed. A short piece for online is my only requirement so I can enjoy the spectacle.

Sunday December 11
Fly home. Write up 1000 words of Clasico report. Someone has seen that I’ve been to the Bernabeu and tweeted “you have a great job”. After a week like that, I wouldn’t dream of disagreeing.