Category Archives: Features

FWA Q&A: Bob Harris

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We talk to The Sun’s Bob Harris about East German food, Swiss ringers and, er, In the Night Garden.

First ever newspaper?
The now defunct Birmingham Planet

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Cricket beckoned until serious injury which also cost me my “other” job which was basically playing cricket for a company once a week with the title of assistant progress manager.

What was your finest achievement playing football?
Keeping the score down to under 10 while playing in goal for the press against a team of Swiss ringers who were better than our ringers – by a long way!

Most memorable match covered?
1966 World Cup Final.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Gordon Banks’ save against Pele in Mexico 70.

Best stadium?
The old Maracana in Rio before it started to fall down because of lack of investment.

…and the worst?
Heysel Stadium, Brussels May 29, 1985.

Your best ever scoop?
Still waiting!

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Far too many to mention – still prefer biro and notepad.

Biggest mistake?
Wiping out a huge feature (did I ever write short ones?) on the old Tandy by pressing the wrong button as the family waited for me to take them to Sunday lunch.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Eric Morecambe (while he was still alive I hasten to add).

Most media friendly manager?
Who else? The late Sir Bobby Robson.

Best ever player?
Pele, John Charles, Duncan Edwards and, of course, Messi.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Liverpool (76-81); Real Madrid (1955-60); Man Utd Treble winners (1999); Birmingham City (1956); Brazil (1970 and other dates).

Best pre-match grub?
Not too much choice outside the Barclays Premier League.

Best meal had on your travels?
Doyle’s at Watson Bay in Sydney.

…and the worst?
East Germany (various).

Best hotel stayed in?
The Kempinski, Bodrum and a large selection of five stars in Mauritius including the latest addition Long Beach.

…and the worst?
Any number in the old Eastern Europe.

Favourite football writer?
David Lacey (Guardian).

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Mike Ingham and the late Peter Jones.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Far, far too late, perhaps the Tardis to take us back to pre Premier League wages days.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
My 10th Olympic Games in London next year (fingers crossed).

Last book read?
The Prometheus Deception by Robert Ludlum.

Favourite current TV programme?
In The Night Garden.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
Signed picture of Bobby Robson and John Charles in action in an England v Wales international.

Bob Harris covers matches for the Sun

My Week: John Richardson

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Sunday Express writer and close friend of Gary Speed, John Richardson, writes about his difficult week in the aftermath of the Wales manager’s death.

Sunday November 27th.

A lovely Sunday morning, the traditional walk with my wife Sue – I don’t know how she puts up with me either – by the river in our home city of Chester which must encompass a bacon or sausage bap in our favourite waterside cafe.

It’s one of the delights of being a Sunday newspaper man – Sundays completely to yourself. If you’re lucky maybe Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays as well. If Sports Editor is reading this, just joking.

What’s this, a missed call from Chris Bascombe of the Daily Telegraph? What does he want on a Sunday morning? Maybe he just wants to check something out.

Nothing personal Chris but it’s probably the worst return call I’ve made in my life. He informs me very hesitantly knowing the likely impact that there are rumours circulating about Gary Speed. “Like what?” I enquire a little nervously. “That he’s hung himself,” answered Chris.

My mind is in a complete whirl. Speedo is a big mate. I’ve got three chapters of his autobiography sitting in my bottom drawer. We often meet in his local for a chat, both living in the area. He and his lovely wife Louise joined us on a boat on the River Dee to help celebrate our wedding just over four years ago.

This has got to be one of the sickest rumours that has ever circulated around the football world…surely? But the fact that Chris had heard it from two different sources put me on edge.

I rang a mutual mate, fellow Welshman Ian Rush. He would be able to nail these stories. He was in Dubai and the way he answered his phone suggested the worst case scenario. Normally he would be ready with a quip. This time it was a solemn “Hi Ricco.”

“You’ve heard the rumours Rushy about Speedo?” I replied. “Yeah, I think they’re true mate,” were the words I will never forget.

Right, there’s only one way to prove everyone is barking up the wrong tree. I’ll ring Speedo. His mobile rang out – there you are it’s not switched off, he’ll answer in a moment. I’ll be able to tell him there’s some sick people out there. It went into message. “Do us a favour pal can you ring me back. I’ll then put you in the picture about some gossip doing the rounds.”

There would be no ring back. Within half an hour the news is out. Gary Speed who appeared to have the perfect life had ended it all at the age of 42.

I couldn’t handle it. All I could think of was the numerous conversations we had about the two boys Ed and Tommy who he absolutely doted on. I sobbed and then felt guilty that I hadn’t felt this bad when my lovely mum died in May. She was 86, had enjoyed a full life and was suffering from dementia. Speedo had the world at his feet at a relatively young age.

Took the father in law out for a meal as planned but it was a surreal afternoon. Originally told Sue I don’t care if he has to miss out on a pudding I want to get back for the Liverpool-Manchester City game on Sky Sports.

Now I couldn’t care less if he wanted to go through the card. Football was inconsequential. Arrived home at half-time. Watched the second half in a daze. Saw Mario Balotelli get himself sent off. But yesterday Speedo was alive, today he is isn’t…

Monday November 28th.

Went swimming after buying the normal mound of newspapers. There’s my mate all over them, a poignant reminder that it hadn’t been a nightmare that you wake up from.

Everywhere you go people – many of whom aren’t even interested in football – are talking about why somebody as rounded and principled as Speedo would end it all.

Never had so many text messages or spoken to so many people in such a short time – all about the one subject.

Had an interesting chat with Kevin Ratcliffe, a former Wales international and mutual mate who had played golf with Speedo on the Thursday. We were going around in circles, why? why? why?

For a few minutes we puncture the gloom by recalling the time when Speedo used to, or probably more correctly, didn’t deliver newspapers to then Everton star, Ratcliffe. “No wonder I never gave him a tip at Christmas,” Rats chuckled. “He was ruddy hopeless.”

For his book Speedo had admitted that if he was running late or his bike developed a puncture Rats, being one of the last people on the round, would miss out.

Sat up late unable to read the deluge of tributes in the papers just wondering whether I could have done anything to have prevented this tragedy. Had there been any signs of a change in Speedo’s character? I know I wasn’t alone in examining the previous weeks.

After all he had appeared on BBC’s Football Focus on the Saturday exuding all that charisma which lit up rooms.

Tuesday November 29th.

Typical of a so called journalist, I’m struggling to write the sympathy card to Louise and the boys. Can hear Speedo in my ear wondering why he had chosen me to help him write his autobiography when according to him I couldn’t even spell.

A few weeks ago a couple of financial problems surrounding the Wales team had got him down and he was fleetingly talking about making a stand and maybe resigning. I asked him where he was calling from. He replied he was at the Trafford Centre with Louise shopping. I told him he could be shopping every day if he quit.

“You’re right,” he chortled. “I’d better stay working.”

I know one day this week I will have to write my personal tribute for Sunday’s paper. Can’t face it right now. To be honest I’m struggling to piece together my week’s schedule. A light has gone out, football and life isn’t the same at the moment.

Have tickets to watch one of my favourite bands, an Irish group called The Saw Doctors in Liverpool. Sue and I go ahead and thankfully for two and a half hours the gloom is lifted.

Wednesday November 30th.

Thankfully this is the last day of my personal Ramadan. It’s been a tradition for a number of years now that myself and a group of mates don’t touch a drop of alcohol in November. Safe to say I can always tell you what date we are in this month as it seems to last longer than a John Ley intro.

Already made plans for lent to end the next night in the local with a good pint of Cheshire Cat.

Having been in Liverpool the previous night I had recorded the Carling Cup quarter-final highlights. Watch them with interest especially Chelsea’s latest demise against Liverpool.

Received a lot of stick for calling Chelsea manager Andres Villas-Boas “an imposter” on the Sunday Supplement. That might have been a bit strong but have you ever seen a manager look so out of his depth?

Was told that Steve Bruce was on his way at Sunderland after a meeting with owner Ellis Short. Not out yet but one thing’s for certain the story isn’t going to last until Sunday.

Watch Manchester United tumble out of the Carling Cup against Crystal Palace. Want to see some of these Palace youngsters for myself. Not disappointed. It’s great for the Championship which is almost forgotten, especially by the BBC who show it during the graveyard shift on a Saturday night.

Thursday December 1st.

What a marvellous day, the first day of December. Already made plans to visit the local, Harkers, in the evening for that first pint. Better do some work first. Can’t put it off any longer, deliver 1,000 words for my Gary Speed tribute. It just came from the heart.

Make several calls to contacts for pieces for my column but of course the conversations were dominated by you know who.

Finally it’s that time – off to the pub with wife and step daughter who can always sniff out a free meal.

Break off to speak to some of the regulars in their corner – a place where Speedo would often pop in for an hour or so on a Monday evening. Plenty of hugs and tears. Great lads who are hurting.

Four pints down the hatch aided and abetted by fish finger sandwiches – don’t laugh, they are all the vogue now. Crikey we’ll soon be having egg, sausage and chips for our January Tribute dinner at the Savoy. And why not?

Friday December 2nd.

Off to Manchester for a double date with Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini. For Sunday purposes it’s all about Champions League previews. En route while flying down the M56 I’m talking live – and hands-free – with Rob McCaffrey, former Sky Sports host who has TV and radio shows in Dubai.

It’s his radio show which is full of middle of the road pop crap – don’t worry I’ve told him and his listeners about the motley collection of records. Makes Ken Bruce seem like John Peel. At least one week he managed to find a Bruce Springsteen track to try and pacify me. After all there’s only so much Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep you can take while waiting to express your views.

Fergie in good mood although I cop it when I’m out of the blocks too quickly for the Sunday conference which follows his top table briefing with TV and the dailies. “Richardson, where are you going?” he barks at least with a smile. Had enough hair dryers over the years to open up a hairdressers.

Always more relaxed with the Sundays mainly because we’re prehistoric and he has pity that we are still roaming the football world.

Off next door to see Bobby Manc. He is more relaxed now and starting to understand the English media. Talk about the forthcoming game with Bayern Munich. He’s confident City can still remain in the Champions League. His team seems unstoppable in the Premier League.

Told football is off in the evening. I know, don’t laugh…still playing at my age along with Roscoe Tanner of the Daily Express. Something about pitch maintenance. Go swimming instead. Anyway always a chance of chatting up some decent totty in the sauna instead of listening to Roscoe dribbling on.

Saturday December 3rd.

The day from hell. On the road before 7am to travel up to Tyneside for Newcastle v Chelsea knowing I’ve then got to drive down to London to appear on Sunday morning’s Sky Sports’ Sunday Supplement. Vanity sometimes gets in the way.

Never enjoy covering Newcastle – kick every ball as well as trying to concentrate on compiling a half decent match report. Feeling okay until walking down to St. James’ Park after parking up and see a billboard on a lamp-post advertising the Gary Speed tribute programme. Whack, I’ve gone again, God knows what I will be like when they hold the minute’s applause?

Actually I’m okay until I see Newcastle coach John Carver crying his eyes out being comforted by fourth official and top guy Mark Halsey.

Chelsea win 3-0 but only after somehow David Luiz is given a yellow card instead of red. See one of the best ever goalkeeping displays from Newcastle’s Tim Krul. Impressed by how Villas-Boas handles himself in after match press conference.

After four and half hours finally arrive at the Marriott, Heathrow – my traditional overnight stay when appearing on the Supplement. Just have enough time to visit the local McDonalds for a quick take-away before getting back to the room in time for Match Of The Day.

There’s an obvious language problem. Ask for large Fiesta Chicken. Get a Latte. No large please, don’t even like coffee. Finally believe I’ve made a breakthrough and eagerly take my package with orange instead of coffee back to room. Somehow the Fiesta Chicken has transformed into what looks like a Big Mac. So hungry by now could have eaten a horse – probably have!

Sunday December 4th.

Never sleep well before Supplement duty so awake before alarm goes off at 6.45 am. Picked up by car and into Sky to meet host extraordinaire Brian Woolnough and producer Dave Wade. Honestly feel Woolly is one of the best presenters on TV and a top bloke to boot. (If that doesn’t continue my appearances, don’t know what will). On with two mates which always helps – Rob Beasley and Paddy Barclay.

Good knockabout stuff although receive a gentle telling off for telling Beez that he’s a “tight arse” after he admitted he doesn’t tip his postman at Christmas. Trouble was it’s picked up live after coming back from an advert break. Not exactly a Richard Keys-Andy Gray job though is it?

Drive back to Chester listening to Andy Dunn on Five Live or is it Five Dead! Come on Dunny raise your game. Seriously as usual he talked a lot of sense. Good to have him back on the Sunday Mirror.

Quick meal with my good lady and it’s off to Manchester to watch Coldplay at the Arena. Why is it that, unlike football, you never know when the group or singer you have gone to see are going to come back on stage? Finally Chris Martin and the crew bounce on stage at 9.15 pm. Enjoy a rousing 90 minutes but takes nearly as long to get out of the car park.

Arrive back home at 12.30 am, the missus asleep in the car even though The Stranglers are on full blast.

Pogo to bed.

FWA Q&A: Warren Haughton

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We talk to talkSPORT producer Warren Haughton about the 1999 Champions League final, spare batteries and scoring in the FA Cup.

Your first ever newspaper?
The first ever newspapers I wrote for were The Sun and Daily Star when I was working for Hayters on a work experience basis.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
I used to be a professional footballer with Leicester City and played a good standard of non-league for Woking, Tamworth and Havant & Waterloovile

What was your finest achievement playing football?
Scoring FA Cup 1st round goals for Tamworth and Havant & Waterlooville or playing for Woking in the Conference, something I didn’t think would happen.

Most memorable match covered?
Dagenham were the first team I covered for a season and it was a pleasure to see them beat Aldershot 2-1 at home to clinch promotion to the Football League back in 2007.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Solksjaer’s winner against Bayern Munich in Champions League Final in 1999

Best stadium?
For work The Emirates is great.

…and the worst?
Rothwell Town

Your best ever scoop?
So far it’s Gervinho to Lille and PSG’s Taraabt bid last summer

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Assuming Griffin Park, Brentford, had Wifi when I covered my first ever Football League game

Biggest mistake?
Not having spare batteries for Luton Town post-match managers’ press conference and having to run out of stadium to local shop.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Some would say I’ve been mixed up with someone who actually played football.

Most media friendly manager?
Apart from Harry Redknapp it has to be Martin Allen, now Notts County

Best ever player?
Maradona but Messi is not far behind.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Barcelona 2011 and loved the Brazil 1982 World Cup team

Best pre-match grub?
The Emirates

Best meal had on your travels?
The Emirates

…and the worst?
Spurs is the worst of a good bunch

Favourite football writer?
I’m a big Observer fan so I’ll go for Paul Wilson

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Radio: talkSPORT’s Sam Matterface and Stan Collymore; TV: Martin Tyler

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
I don’t think you can introduce any hard or fast rules, just a softening of the approach to each other from both sides

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
London 2012 Olympics 100m final

Last book read?
Football – Bloody Hell by Patrick Barclay

Favourite current TV programme?
Dexter

Your most prized football memorabilia?
A Bronze predator boot presented to me by Kenny Dalglish in 2000 for being one half of the best strike force in non-league football that season.

My row with David Beckham – Because I gave him a six

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The former Manchester United midfielder never forgave STUART MATHIESON for his match marking

BY CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

TO MILLIONS of people around the world Stuart Mathieson, the Manchester United correspondent of the Manchester Evening News, has the best job in football journalism.

It is the dream job for any United fan, covering Wayne Rooney and company each week yet Mathieson admits he grew up supporting the noisy neighbours.

He said: “I was a City fan as a kid. I used to sell programmes at Maine Road as a teenager but when I became a football writer at 17 I realised there was a bigger picture. I can’t say I’ve lost my affinity for the club and still look for City’s results but I became aware there were footballers out there as good as the ones I hero-worshipped.

“My family are all City fans so my job makes it easier in that as much as I love covering United I don’t necessarily want to go out all the time and talk to my family and friends about work.”

Mathieson succeeded David Meek in 1995 and since then has reported on 10 Barclays Premier League titles, three Champions League finals, three FA Cup and three Carling Cup wins

There are few reasons to be critical of the most successful club in Barclays Premier League history but United are notoriously sensitive to what they perceive as negative coverage. As the local beat man Mathieson more than anyone must be aware of the line in the sand but he has still fallen victim to the Old Trafford media sanctions. While still on good terms with Sir Alex Ferguson, Mathieson has no special privileges.

He said: “When I started I had access to Ferguson every day. I would phone him at home, the training ground or on his mobile so to be too critical then was difficult because I had to pick up speak to him the next day. But over the last five years the relationship’s changed.”

The News’s coverage of FC United of Manchester, the club formed in 2005 by supporters opposed to Malcolm Glazer’s takeover, did not go down well with the Old Trafford powerbrokers.

Mathieson said: “It was a big story and had to be covered but Fergie didn’t like the way we continued to cover it. He told me it was nothing personal but the phone call every day went out the window. I only see him at press conferences now, usually twice a week. It’s not ideal because you don’t pick up updates on injuries though in some respects it makes it easier to be critical because I have nothing to lose.”

FWA members have been handed a one-game ban – or more – for what they have written and Mathieson said: “It is very much a treading on eggshells situation for anyone who covers United. I’ve discovered down the years that whatever I write some people will think I’ve got it wrong or that I’m biased against United or biased in their favour.

“I always write honestly – I couldn’t do anything else – and if it upsets people, what can I do?”

Probably the most touchy subject for players are the marks at the end of a match report. Few FWA members have not incurred the wrath of an indignant player who feels his display has been under-valued.

Mathieson said: “Some people wonder if I have a vendetta against a player which I haven’t. If I did some would have got zero every week.

“As with everything else I do the marks honestly, not being generous because someone has given me a good interview or whatever. I’ve had big fallouts with Peter Schmeichel and David Beckham over the years. I had a major row with Beckham in France once because I’d given him six out of 10, he went ballistic. He probably felt he should have got a seven or an eight. I stood my ground and we argued. He never spoke to me again after that. When he went to Real Madrid a couple of sports papers gave him a naught for one of two games so I wasn’t that bad, perhaps.

“The 6-1 home defeat by City was easy to cover because the defeat was so comprehensive there was no argument from anybody. No one complained about their marks, mind you, I doubt if any United players read the papers for a few days.”

Mathieson has covered the cream of the Barclays Premier League players over the past 16 years and for him two stand out. He said: “In terms of being helpful, Steve Bruce was magnificent even though I didn’t work with him for that long. He was always very good to me and since he left United it’s been the same. I spoke to him before United played Sunderland about Wes Brown and John O’Shea and as always he was brilliant.

“On the pitch it has to be Cristiano Ronaldo because of the things he could do. There were some parts of his game I didn’t like but he was a sensational player and United miss him. United had five years of Ronaldo which is all they had from [Eric] Cantona and he’s an absolute legend. I think Ronaldo is very close to that. He won two titles and the 2008 Champions League final virtually on his own. He was as close to a one-man band as you can possibly get.”

Mathieson is very aware how fortunate he is to cover every game of the biggest club in the world where success is virtually guaranteed,

He said: “Like all football writers I sometimes think ‘oh no, another spread’ or ‘another back page’ but whenever I go to a match and see how many people are there…the money they have spent…it’s ridiculous even thinking about moaning. The football I’ve seen over the past 16 years, and been paid to see, has been wonderful. I don’t think there is a provincial journalist who has covered the amount of success I have.

“People have spent their life saving going to the same games as me and I never lose sight of that.”

FWA Q&A: Peter White

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I would like to dedicate this to my late wife, Trish, who passed away very recently. I have done it because my son Jamie, Trish and I, were going through the questions having a laugh about the answers only the night before she died. Pic: Trish and I, circa 1982, when Villa were in full swing.

Your first ever newspaper?
The Banbury Advertiser and first assignment was finding out the cost of sheep at Banbury Market.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
My darling wife and I kept a pub for nine months when we moved to the Isle of Wight, but I was still writing as well.

What was your finest achievement playing football?
Scoring five goals in a game for Fenny Compton against Grimsbury in the Banbury and District League when I was 17.

Most memorable match covered?
Apart from Aston Villa’s glorious night in Rotterdam in 1982, it has to be in the Aztec Stadium, Mexico City when Maradona’s Hand of God goal and his pure genius knocked England out of the World Cup 1986.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Trish and I both agreed, we already had it. It’s when my son Jamie, aged 11, was playing in a cup final for Moor Green (now Solihull Moors) and scored a volley from the edge of the area in the last minute. They went on to win the game 3-2.

Best stadium?
Villa Park, of course.

…and the worst?
Birmingham City because of its press box. It’s like watching a match through a letterbox.

Your best ever scoop?
Gordon Strachan leaving Southampton, and an exclusive with Dwight Yorke on why he was quitting Villa for Man Utd. I gave him a lift from the training ground to The Belfry and he told me everything I needed to know.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
According to Trish it was my phone, laptop and anything electrical!

Biggest mistake?
Villa v Everton many years ago, when I called Derek Mountfield, Kevin Ratcliffe, all throughout the game in my copy. Ratcliffe wasn’t even playing.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
My near namesake, Peter Withe. Especially on foreign trips when the PA announcer always read out ‘number 9, Peter White.’

Most media friendly manager?
Lots. The majority more friendly than not, but Brian Little and I have always got on well with and Harry Redknapp was very good to me when he was at Portsmouth.

Best ever player?
It’s got to be Besty (George Best).

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Aston Villa 1981/82. Holland’s total football team, saw them thrash England at Wembley.

Best pre-match grub?
Man City’s Maine Road in the good old days.

Best meal had on your travels?
Best value for money-Bratislava- three course meal – £4.50.

…and the worst?
Remember big creepy crawlies in my lettuce in my Sunday lunch at Seoul Olympics 1988.

Best hotel stayed in?
Los Bricos, Acapulco, during 1986 World Cup trip.

…and the worst?
Hotel Cosmos, Moscow with Villa early 1980s. 320 bedrooms-one telephone!

Favourite football writer?
I could mention quite a few – let’s wait and see who sends me the biggest cheque.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Martin Tyler, but still prefer him with Andy Gray.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Ensure press officers/heads of media realise that there should be much better communication with journalists rather than think we are all ogres.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
Saw England win the Ashes at home, but would love to see them do it Down Under.

Last book read?
How to be more efficient with new tech.

Favourite current TV programme?
Spooks or Hustle.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
Signed programme from 1982 European Cup final Villa v Bayern Munich and Andy Gray’s old gold Wolves socks from the 1980 League Cup final win.

My Week: Janine Self

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You can read the winceyette pyjama-wearing, long distance driving Janine’s glamorous job in the People and Daily Mail.

Sunday November 20
Door to door, the commute takes about 30 seconds. Roll out of bed, stagger down corridor, enter office, plonk down in front of PC. None of this “what shall I wear” malarky. Winceyette pyjamas and hair rollers meet the dress code at Self Towers. Hah, you thought this job was glamorous? My first task of this working day (weekends are working days, generally) is to put the finishing touch to part of my match order from the previous day.

Having already written 750 words after the game for The People, I am now on Daily Mail duty, completing the Monday morning Match Zone box. I need to find a Top Tweet from the West Brom v Bolton game. Easy in theory, ridiculously hard in practice. Finally, after sending out a series of Twitter maydays, I’m pointed in the direction of someone who I’m assured is the real Phil Gartside. Hope so anyway, although his tweet is so banal it can’t be fake. Can it?

Match Zone sent, breakfast consumed (croissant and coffee) then it’s time to write a 400 word match report which will go on Mail on-line at 10.30pm. Pressures of space mean that there is simply no room for most Saturday matches in the Monday paper.

Now for the second part of my working day. I’m off to the Mail office to do a night news desk shift. The commute is slightly longer and I decide against turning up in either the winceyette pyjamas or the hair rollers. Door to door it’s 145 miles one way and the journey becomes a pigging one thanks to thick fog. Arrive in Kensington for 5.0ish. The simplest way to describe the job is that you are a conduit between reporting staff and the production desk. The only late sport tonight is the tennis at the O2 – Rafa Nadal’s press conference starts at past midnight and the Mail’s erudite tennis correspondent, Mike Dickson, is on the case. Leave the office at 1.0am for the short drive home. At least the fog has cleared.

Monday November 21
Knackered. Then again, I tumbled into bed at 4.0am. Unlike the song, I actually quite like Mondays. It’s usually an invoice-sending, money-chasing, books-updating slob-out day of catching up except when I’m on podcast duty (more of that later).

First though, I log on to socqer.com to answer a couple of questions. It’s one of the projects that I’m involved with – a football questions and answers site, which has been launched quite recently. Questions range from the in-depth to the inane and so do the answers.

After that I have one more task. I am on the committee of the Sports Journalists’ Association and every week the website publishes the week’s sporting quotes. Usual contributor, Ian Cole, is up to his neck in organising the SJA’s prestigious Sports Awards lunch on December 7 so I have stepped off the bench. My favourite is Gary Neville’s brilliant description of David Luiz – he looks like he’s being controlled by a ten-year-old on a Playstation. My day finishes in front of the tv, watching Tottenham toy with Aston Villa.

Tuesday November 22
A morning of leaf-sweeping, an afternoon as a domestic goddess and then it’s Birmingham v Burnley for the Mail. Arrive early, tuck in to cajun chicken, sweet potato fries and Mediterranean vegetables – excellent fare considering that the club have no money and are in the Championship. The press room is virtually empty – many journalists have decamped to the FA Cup replay at Stourbridge. Nice to catch up with Darren in the Burnley press office and to poke fun at the slugs on the upper lips of Chris and Andy in the Birmingham press office. Birmingham win 2-1 with an injury-time goal – some 20 minutes AFTER I have sent my match report. I pick up the phone and talk the goal through with the sub-editor who is handling my copy. Wait for managers – both excellent value – then do a 350 word re-write and head home. I’m always hyper after a night match so stay up and watch the Champions League highlights. Napoli are quite good.

Wednesday November 23
Day off – apart from answering socqer.com questions, exchanging twitter banter, taking several phone calls and speaking to a man about a book. And does watching Chelsea labour in Leverkusen count as work?

Thursday November 24
Alarm goes off at 5.0am. A crazy day. First, podcast. This is my chance to sit on a red sofa and pontificate with the BT Life’s A Pitch panel and mine host, the multi-faceted Michael Calvin. Mike’s show is bi-weekly and there are a dozen or so journalists who contribute regularly. I’m a late stand-in today and my fellow “pundits” are Ian Ridley, author extraordinaire, and old chum John Cross of the Mirror. There is one logistical problem. I live in the Midlands and the BT headquarters is next to St Paul’s tube station. And I have to be there for 9.30am.

I hit the road at quarter to six, breathe a sigh of relief that there is no fog, ice or rain, just pitch-blackness and pull up at Perivale tube station at 8.30am, giving me time to check the morning headlines. Then it’s 35 minutes on the Central Line. The guys at BT are great. Opt for a strong cup of coffee but decline the offer of a sausage sandwich as we talk about what we’re going to talk about. Today Chelsea crisis, Manchester United blip in Europe, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City, transfer watch and manager of the season, so far (I go for Chris Powell at Charlton). We head to the studio around 10.0am then it’s make-up, lights, action.

As soon as we finish, I am off. The Mail have asked me to cover Mick McCarthy’s pre-match press conference, at Wolves’ training ground, at 2.0pm. Wolves are playing Chelsea, after all. I drive away from Perivale tube station at midday, which means I am not so much cutting it fine as embarking on mission impossible. Luckily, the way MM operates is to speak to the tv guys first, then radio, and finally written. I arrive at Compton at 2.25pm to find Mick still talking to the cameras. Phew.

Mick’s on fine form, too, accepting with good grace that he will spend a lot more time on the subject of Chelsea than the subject of Wolves. He gives the written press 20 minutes, finishing off with a message of encouragement for Matt Jarvis, whose form has dipped since his England call-up. The consensus is to keep the Jarvis line for Saturday morning as the match preview.

I realise as I’m driving home that I have not actually eaten anything but a banana all day. Thankfully there is a cold sausage lurking in the fridge when I get home. So far my working day has been 13 hours long and I’ve driven about 320 miles. Write my Wolves story for the Mail and crash out.

Friday November 25
While I am a freelance (available to work for anyone, in other words), my two regular newspaper gigs are for The People and the Mail. This weekend Aston Villa play at Swansea on Sunday so I’m on preview duty for The People, which means a trip down to Villa’s training ground – A SHORT DRIVE AWAY.

Last week we spoke to Alex McLeish about Spurs so today the club have made defender James Collins available to the Sunday papers. I know Collins from covering Wales and he is a very good talker. He is brutally honest about his own and Villa’s shortcomings in the defeat at Spurs. It will make a good read for Sunday. Bump into Alex McLeish on the way in and he looks at my boots and my gilet and asks: “Have you left your horse outside?”

He’s being peppered with insults and criticism from every angle but McLeish is a class act as a person even if I am now questioning his sense of humour. Consider bowling up in winceyette pyjamas and hair rollers next time.

Saturday November 26
Match day. West Brom v Tottenham and I’m really looking forward to seeing Spurs “in the flesh”. Food at The Hawthorns is of the pie and pastie variety with delicious creamy things and the strongest, most undrinkable coffee imaginable. Make the fatal mistake of mentioning the diary to the troops. Monday – did the ironing. Tuesday – vacuumed. And so on. Men will be boys, after all. My match order is 750 words on the final whistle and same again, with quotes, at 6.0pm. After a ropey start, Harry Redknapp’s team start to strutt their stuff although West Brom contributed fully to a great match. Even better, both managers are in the press room to give the post-match verdict very quickly. Email the re-write just before 6.0 and head home.

Sunday November 27
On the road 5.30am. Gale force winds and driving rain make the journey more interesting . Back down to London, this time for a day news desk shift on the Mail. Groundhog day for this diary. Miles driven this week – over 1,000. Days worked – most of them. And you thought this job was glamorous.

OVERCOMING THE INTERVIEW BARRIERS

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‘THERE ARE MORE BARRIERS THAN EVER TO OVERCOME TO INTERVIEW PLAYERS’ says Daily Telegraph chief sports writer Paul Hayward

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

Paul Hayward this week returned to what many feel is his natural home, the Daily Telegraph, after a six-year absence. While most newspapers are tightening their belts, the Telegraph are again investing in their sports coverage, 21 years after producing the first broadsheet sports supplement.

Hayward said: ‘That was a golden age and it was a great challenge to be part of the revolution. It started as a Monday supplement, then a Saturday and soon there was a sports supplement every day. It put sport at the forefront of the newspaper and we were able to write about sports as never before.

‘There was more space for columns and analysis but then the recession kicked in. The Telegraph are again big and bold, investing in sports journalism which is always attractive while I know Ben Clissitt who is head of sport at the Telegraph from the Guardian.’

Hayward spent three years with the Daily Mail and a further three with the Guardian/Observer after leaving the Telegraph in 2005. He said: ‘I have never changed my style wherever I have worked. I was presumably employed because of how I wrote so there is no point in trying to write like someone else. The Mail taught me a lot. The sports pages are highly disciplined and I learned to get to the point quicker in my columns.’

Football, inevitably, dominates the life of a chief sports writer and self-confessed Brighton fan Hayward said: ‘I’d say football probably accounts for 70 per cent of my writing. You cannot be a sports writer unless you cover football. The only exception I can think of with an iconic sports writer is the great Ian Wooldridge who turned his back on football to a large extent but these days you have to be educated in football.’

As a columnist Hayward is not in the firing line when it comes to finding a back- or front-page lead though he has nothing but admiration for the news hounds who work at the sharp end of the business, searching for stories that clubs would, in many cases, prefer not to be made public.

He said: ‘I feel almost embarrassed sometimes seeing them in action, hanging around car parks and waiting in mixed zones for players. While I am usually in the mixed zone I am not under the constant intense pressure they are to produce stories to feed into the furnace. There are more barriers between the media and players than ever before. They are almost inaccessible with managers, agents or image rights consultants to be overcome.’

While in the past newspapers just competed against their rivals to break stories, the age of new technology means the internet is now a powerful opponent for the print media.

Hayward believes Twitter, the latest platform for breaking news and goal-flashes, can be used to the media’s advantage.

He said: ‘Sports journalists are cunning and have survival instincts. You can use Twitter to your advantage, opening up a market with people who would not necessarily read you. You should use your rival as a friend and a lot of writers have embraced Twitter. While you don’t want to spill the beans with a story, if you give people live observations from press conferences or games they may go on to read the real thing.’

With just about every major sporting event, plus well deserved individual awards on his CV, Hayward can look back on a wealth of happy memories but one occasion stands out. ‘When France won the 1998 World Cup with a multi-racial team and Zinedine Zidane at his peak,’ he said. ‘I was up until 5am in the streets of Paris and it was a wonderful, unforgettable night.’

The changing face of sports coverage is reflected in Hayward’s advice to the next generation of back-page football writers and columnists. ‘You must have ideas,’ he said. ‘Whoever you are interviewing, be it someone with 40 England caps or a player from Eastern Europe, you must find something new and interesting about him.

‘Also, no 21-year-old coming into the business can expect a career as just a writer. You have to take in radio and TV these days – and have plenty of energy.’

FWA Q&A: Andy Dunn

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We talk to the Sunday Mirror’s Sports Columnist Andy Dunn about Paolo Di Canio’s push, Eric Cantona’s bank manager and, erm, Made in Chelsea…

Your first ever newspaper?
Crewe and Nantwich Guardian

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Once worked as a volunteer in a Citizen’s Advice Bureau. Some citizens got some very bad advice. Was hopeless. But apart from that, no.

What was your finest achievement playing football?
Scoring in my first game as University of York captain against Sheffield Uni. Didn’t score many from right-back. Hit the bar with my largely redundant left peg as well. And we won 4-2. Fellow old boys now in the business include Daily Mirror’s David Maddock and The Guardian’s David Conn.

Most memorable match covered?
Covered all major finals of the last 12 years but, even though it was a qualifier, you would have to go some to match Germany 1, England 5. Tight deadlines heighten the thrill. And I remember going to a Munich tobacconist prior to the game with The Sun’s Chief Sports Writer Steven Howard. He bought the biggest cigar I’ve ever seen and sparked it up when the fifth went in.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Paolo Di Canio pushing over referee Paul Alcock. It happened right beneath my press box seat. Funniest thing I’ve seen at a match.

Best stadium?
The only game I saw in this stadium – England’s desperately scrappy win against Algeria – was a shocker but the backdrop made it memorable. Green Point Stadium, Cape Town.

…and the worst?
In the same tournament, did not like Soccer City. Pretty soulless.

Your best ever scoop?
Could probably claim a few that would be disputed by my fellow journos. Was told by Eric Cantona’s bank manager that he – Eric, not the bank manager – was quitting football. Didn’t believe him…and the King retired the next day.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
When David Beckham scored that late free-kick against Greece, I was filing on the whistle. Computer crashed and I rang tech dept for help. ‘Take the battery out and sit on it for ten minutes, I was told.’

Biggest mistake?
Not exactly a mistake but I almost caused the closure of a prominent local newspaper when I was acting editor by running a front page that libeled the entire borough council.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Yes, Fabio Capello.

Most media friendly manager?
Has to be Harry Redknapp. Arsene Wenger is good but Harry picks up the phone.

Best ever player?
Lionel Messi. No question. His goals against Arsenal at the Nou Camp were simply stunning. A breathtaking player.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Again, no question. Barcelona – especially the vintage that humiliated Manchester United at Wembley. Although England should probably have beaten them in the quarter-finals, I enjoyed covering the World Cup-winning Brazil team of 2002.

Best pre-match grub?
Breakfast at the Emirates ahead of an early kick-off.

Best meal had on your travels?
Covering David Beckham playing for Real Madrid in Beijing, went to a restaurant that served only duck … every single part of the duck. Eyeballs, the lot. It was sensational. And didn’t end up at the quacks.

…and the worst?
Monkey’s brains, South Korea. Duck brains, yes – monkey brains, no.

Best hotel stayed in?
Brenners Park, Baden-Baden. Not only for its grandeur but because we we sharing it with the WAG’s. Now, that was fun.

…and the worst?
Hard to single one out. Tend to forget about them pretty quickly. But I seem to recall the one in Tirana was pretty dire.

Favourite football writer?
Impossible to single one out. There are so many good ones right now.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Again, so many good ones. Like Mike Ingham’s style in particular.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Actually have meetings/seminars with managers/players to discuss the press issues. Not go a through a third party.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
As a chief sports writer, I’ve been fortunate to cover a lot of my dream events, Sydney Olympics, world title fights in Vegas etc. Would love to cover the Melbourne Cup. After that, the Masters.

Last book read?
A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng. Good but sad read.

Favourite current TV programme?
I have a strange fascination with Made in Chelsea. I suspect I am in a tiny minority.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
One of the few journalists not to do memorabilia.

Andy Dunn, formerly the Chief Sports Writer of the News of the World, is the Sunday Mirror’s Sports Columnist and regular contributor to BBC Radio Five Live and Sky Sports.

My Week: Colin Young

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The non-breakfasting Ireland correspondent of the Daily Mail takes us behind the scenes of the Republic’s qualification for Euro 2012…

Monday November 8
An international week with the Republic of Ireland always starts at Newcastle airport, followed by the joys of a certain low budget airline. Thankfully I always manage to fall asleep on planes as soon as they start to taxi, so I have no idea what all the fuss is about. Myself and my colleague Damian Spellman from the Press Association, another North East football hack, arrive in wind-swept Dublin after midday and head straight to the White Sands Hotel, our regular base for these trips, which is a pleasant mile walk along the coast to the training ground.

First up for the week is a meeting with Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni in Malahide United’s clubhouse. He is in feisty mood at the start of a long week, and he keeps repeating the mantra that Ireland are not favourites. Like us, the Estonia coach will not believe a word of it, but his assistant Marco Tardelli will repeat it also later in the week. After a short break, we head to the Grand Hotel in Malahide for a mixed zone with members of the Ireland squad. Jon Walters appears first for the daily newspapers and his interview will appear in tomorrow’s papers. The words of Stephen Kelly, Stephen Ward and Paul McShane will be held for editions over the next few days.

Tuesday November 9
I missed breakfast this morning but then we had a late start.

It was midday before we made our way back to the training ground and a meeting with Shay Given. Only there is a problem, the Aston Villa is absent from training with a neck strain and has stayed at the team hotel. When the players head straight to the bus after training, it’s clear we don’t have a player to interview. Assistant Marco Tardelli confirms Given’s injury. Turns out he has rested along With Richard Dunne, Keith Fahey and Keith Andrews. None serious, but we have our news story, especially for the back pages of the Irish editions.

Shay can’t provide us with an interview but he gives us a newsline. His absence from the media rota means a shifting in the running order from the mixed zone. So Fulham’s Stephen Kelly, who will start in place of the injured John O’Shea, moves from Wednesday to Tuesday and will be run alongside the Paul McShane interview.

My Irish Daily Mail colleague Philip Quinn sat in on the Ward interview, I sat in on Kelly and McShane, so I have a busy afternoon in my makeshift office with Mr Spellman above the White Sands reception area. With news coming from Sunderland on Connor Wickham’s injury, we both spend several hours tapping away furiously before retiring to the hotel bar for a well-earned pint of the black stuff. Or two.

Wednesday November 10
I missed breakfast today but we had a shot-gun start and a meeting with Mr Given in the clubhouse.

With wind and rain battering us, it was decided, quite rightly, to head indoors for the interviews, which were also carried by TV and radio. After training, Marco was around too with better news of the injured four, who all trained. The final decision Trapattoni must make is whether to start with Walters or Cox upfront as partner for Robbie Keane who is fit again.

The Irish Daily Mail is carrying five pages on the play-offs tomorrow, plus a short back page story, and between us Quinner and I deliver the lot, on top of an interview with Middlesbrough’s Tarmo Kink. So another busy afternoon in the White Sands bashing away at the keyboard. With Mr Spellman en route to Tallinn, I decided to go for a run down the coast road, which was bracing to say the least. Then just as I laid my head in the bath, news came through of Newcastle’s decision to change the name of St James’ Park…

Thursday November 11
I missed breakfast this morning because the kitchen was not even open when I left my hotel.

It was darker when I left this morning, than it was last night when I went to bed. I was very good and went to bed early last night but my alarm clock, which is a replica of the chimes of Big Ben, still had to belt out several `Bongs’ before I emerged from a deep slumber. Still, at least I will sleep on the plane. We are heading to Tallinn this morning, which is one of my favourite cities from 12 years of covering the Republic of Ireland, but not with the team who flew out yesterday. A couple of hours after our arrival we will head to the A Le Coq Stadium for a press conference with Robbie Keane and Giovanni Trapattoni. The veteran Italian has done a tremendous job with limited resources player-wise and is like the grandfather of the game, but boy can he be difficult understand on these occasions, with his mixture of Italian, English, Irish, German and Portuguese. Or Trappish as we call it.

Thankfully, for the English and Irish editions, today I will be mainly concentrating on Keane, who has been enjoying himself in the States with LA Galaxy. The Ireland captain will play, despite being virtually ruled out by Trap a month ago after he was forced to miss the final group win over Armenia. In the pre-match press conference, with his manager sat beside him, the former Spurs man is in great form. And the message is quite simple. Ireland have worked too hard, been hurt too many times, particularly in Paris, to throw this all away now. And Robbie is desperate to lead his country in Poland or Ukraine.

Friday November 12
I missed breakfast this morning because match day is always one of quiet contemplation and relaxation.

That, and a late finish in one of Tallinn’s trendier bars, suggests breakfast was never really going to happen in the first place. So after a pleasant snooze, a delightful lunch in a medieval hall in the centre of town (wild boar soup followed by a sea full of smoken fish) myself and some colleagues head to our hotel spa area. Never have I felt so cleansed and cleaned and refreshed. There were enough jacuzzis, saunas, massage showers and pools to float a navy, including a salt sauna, which involves smothering oneself in rock salt and sitting in searing heat. A definite first, but when in Tallinn…

Then finally to match time. And after covering Ireland for 12 years across the globe, I have become accustomed to tension, anxiety and nerves. And that’s just to get the wi-fi working. While the technology lets us all down in the alleged techno capital of Europe, the team and Il Trap do not. Although a little fortunate with one or two refereeing decisions, Ireland blow their opponents away 4-0 and by full-time they are within touching distances of next summer’s finals. It is party time.

Saturday November 13
I made breakfast this morning, although that was only because the breakfast bar had opened by the time myself and several of my Irish newspaper colleagues were heading to bed.

Yes it was that kind of night, although in our defence we left the A Le Coq Arena at one am local time, and the bars of Tallinn were only too pleased to take our custom.

But when the bongs went off on my alarm half an hour ago, it was not particularly pleasant. And the prospect of a three-hour flight to Dublin, a Trapattoni press conference within half an hour of our return, does not exactly set the pulse racing.

However, we will all be professional to the end, we will all be present for the great man’s observations on a very very good night. Just don’t expect him to get carried away.

Sunday November 13
I missed breakfast this morning because it was another late start at a wind-swept Malahide United training ground. No point spoiling a well-deserved lie-in.

I did contact home several times in the morning for running reports on Deerness Valley Under 15s’ game against South Tyneside Jets, and my lad Tom’s team came out 5-0 victors. Who needs their manager eh?

And there were junior games on the many pitches at Malahide too, but we were there to see Marco Tardelli who met us in the car park and was surrounded by a crowd of journalists hanging on his every word through the howling gale. Four hours later, we were back at the Grand Hotel to see Keith Andrews, Stephen Hunt and Simon Cox.

Understandably the mood in the camp is good and light-hearted, which is reflected in the interviews. And that’s just the journos – although one or two of my colleagues are looking rather tired.

Last night was the PFAI annual awards’ dinner. I was down to attend but when guest speaker Roy Keane pulled out, so did I. Some of my colleagues landed at six, went straight from the airport to the Grand to meet Mr Trapattoni for his press conference and then headed out, suited and booted, to the black tie event on the other side of Dublin. The last award was presented just before midnight, by which time some of our number were falling asleep at their table.

There is news of a possible friendly against England in Dublin next June, providing the two avoid each other in the Euro Finals draw on December 2.

Monday November 14
I didn’t make breakfast this morning. But only because I didn’t want to break the habit of the week.

I did grab a croissant from the shop next door after an early start because today is another busy one. It is the North East FWA annual awards dinner next Sunday and as one of the organisers there is work to do, even from here. Nothing major, just sponsors, top table, comedian, MC, auction and raffle, tickets, guests. There are, as Mr Trapattoni would say, small details to cover but they need to be done for the event to, hopefully, run smoothly.

At lunchtime there is a meeting with Richard Dunne. Ten years ago he was one of three unused outfield players in Japan and South Korea. In the summer he will be one of the first names in Trapattoni’s starting line-up. `I can’t stop smiling,’ he said in the Malahide clubhouse. He is one of the Ireland players who really understands what it means to be back at the European Championship finals and his words will make a nice piece tomorrow.

After a very pleasant lunch with my friend and colleague Paul Hyland from the Herald, we head back to the Grand for the latest instalment from Trap and Keane. He names the team – Hunt, Doyle and O’Shea come in for Kelly, Walters and McGeady – and he announces that Robbie Keane has turned down the chance to return to LA Galaxy so he can play (and no doubt celebrate) tomorrow night. The current captain’s decision is in contrast to that of his predecessor and namesake Roy who returned to Manchester United after the first leg win over Iran ten years ago, pulling out of the second leg in Tehran because `the job was done.’ Should make for some interesting copy from my Irish colleagues tomorrow.

Tuesday November 15
I didn’t make breakfast this morning as I didn’t want to spoil my early morning run – incredibly the fourth of this 10-day Euro 2012 adventure.

I am running a marathon for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust next year (venue still to be confirmed and to fit in with the Euro Finals once Ireland have sealed qualification) and the long, long road to fitness has started this week. The run down the coast and around the beaches into Malahide is one of my favourites, providing you can negotiate a route past the fellow joggers, speed walkers, dogs and prams.

After checking up on a couple of stories from the North East patch as usual, it is the traditional late lunch – chicken wings at the Elephant and Castle – followed by a gentle walk down to Lansdowne Road, or the Aviva Stadium as it is now known. The build-up of green-shirted punters in the many bars in the roads leading to the ground suggests the stadium really will be a sell-out tonight, although I’m sure they say that every month.

It should be a party atmosphere, it should be a straight-forward game and three different match reports for the English and Irish editions (plus back page and player ratings for Dublin). But this is Ireland . . . though no one shed any tears when Trap’s team only drew 1-1.

Steve Tongue: My Week

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Steve TongueFind out what The Independent on Sunday’s Steve Tongue has been up to with the latest in our My Week series…

Friday November 4

To NUJ chapel meeting regarding the forthcoming merger of sports desks on the Independent, Independent on Sunday and Evening Standard. There have been times in the past 38 years when union subs have felt a luxury but the Indy chapel remains one of the best supported in what we used to call Fleet Street. Militant mood on hearing that there could be up to 20 redundancies overall, the feeling being that resources are already stretched quite tightly enough without losing any more staff. Strong motion sent back to management. Return home to write piece on Fulham’s old boys facing Spurs on Sunday.

Saturday November 5
Unusually the FA have decided that Fabio Capello should meet the Sunday papers on a Saturday, something they had previously insisted was logistically impossible. It will at least prevent any further leaks to Saturday’s Sun. Suits me anyway, being in central London and en route to the late kick-off at QPR. Embarrassing moment at Charing Cross station when the office asks for the Fulham piece I “filed” yesterday evening. Oh no you didn’t, Stephen. Worse, it’s on the laptop I left at home, not the one I have with me – sheer incompetence. American tourists surprised by man doing impression of John Cleese. Saved by phone call to daughter, who calmly selects story and sends it with minimum fuss. What would we old folk do without technically savvy offspring? After that little drama, 1,200 words of Fabio on John Terry, followed by QPR v Man City is a piece of cupcake. Fine game, lively quotes and eventually make a 60th birthday party in the wilds of Hampton Wick.

Sunday November 6
“Day off” with 700 words to write for Indy on QPR game begins by catching up with papers and a Match of the Day recording, making clear everything we missed at the game. Grateful to other papers for guidance on player ratings, it being impossible to watch and report the game as well as assessing 26 players. Shame that’s the only bit the players read. Day continues with work and enjoyment coinciding, watching Wolves v Wigan and Fulham v Spurs, the latter bringing roars in our household at Defoe’s late goal, as son had a 100-1 bet on Bale scoring first in a 3-1 win. Banking on him for my old age. Quick look at Barca but wife seems strangely resistant to three games in a day and insists on final episode of Downton.

Monday November 7
Much more like a proper day off, in between calls and emails trying to sort out some interviews/features for a quiet international week. Still plenty of Monday sports sections to wade through, reflecting on the days when many papers would have had a single football page at most, or in the case of The Times, one match report “By Our Association Football Correspondent”.

Tuesday November 8
Fill in weekend stats in book, reflecting as ever that in school years I used to do that just for fun. Now it’s called “work”. Email from managing editor to all staff inviting voluntary redundancies (at half the rate it used to be). No thank you. Manage to make good inroads into this week’s diary column ‘Outside the Box’ and just before close of play receive joyous news that Brendan Rodgers will see me tomorrow. God bless him and the Swansea City press office.

Wednesday November 9
Uncomfortably early start to get from south-east London to west Wales by lunchtime, made worthwhile by the excellent Mr Rodgers and his press officer, who even ferries me back to Neath station. “There’s no advantage in getting older,” Woody Allen said recently, but here’s one: rail tickets with Club 55 on various western and Midlands trains mean a return from Paddington to Swansea at peak time costs less than £28. An extraordinary bargain, for which the Indy should be duly grateful. Power socket at every seat in “standard” class, Virgin please note, so that 1,400 words can be transcribed on the way back. And the bacon baguette was magnificent. Good day all round.

Thursday November 10
Would love to be heading for Tallinn with the Republic of Ireland for their play-off as they deserve to be at another tournament. Instead, polish off diary column and check carefully that the office have actually received it, then set to work on B. Rodgers for Sunday piece. Check stats laboriously compiled by a workie for second Sunday feature to be written tomorrow. In a quiet international week, no Friday presser to attend, but an evening with fingers and toes crossed awaits, watching the boys in green on TV.