Category Archives: Features

FWA Q&A: John Cross

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John Cross Daily Mirror FWA Q&AIn this week’s FWA Q&A, we talk to The Daily Mirror’s John Cross about the dodgy hotels, Arsenal’s Champions League Final loss to Barcelona and having an unused 1966 World Cup Final ticket…

Your first ever newspaper?
Islington Gazette – a brilliant start. I owe my first editor Tony Allcock so much.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Yes – but only briefly. I was an office junior while waiting for an opening in journalism and also digging drives one summer.

What was your finest achievement playing football?
Captaining Manhattan Lights, my old Sunday team, to the Barnet Junior Cup. We won on penalties. But only after Steve McFadden, Phil Mitchell in EastEnders and a right winger, had thrown a bit of a showbiz strop and stormed off after being substituted.

Most memorable match covered?
I’ve seen Arsenal win amazing games as a fan (Anfield, Old Trafford). But to cover them, probably the Champions League final against Barcelona. Bad result but wrote the most amount of words of any game covered. Nearly 5,000 in one night. So much for lazy journalism.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Arsenal winning the title at Anfield in 1989.

Best stadium?
For memories. I went to Boca Juniors in Argentina. What a setting, what a city, what a holiday.

…and the worst?
Fratton Park. A Premier League ground with non-league facilities.

Your best ever scoop?
The Hartson and Berkovic video. The joys of being a young freelance at the time meant I didn’t get the full credit…

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Too many Wi-Fi disasters to mention!

Biggest mistake?
I had Matt Jansen going to the 2002 World Cup. It was on our back page. He got measured for the suit, Sven watched him – and then decided not to take him. But when it’s on the back page on the day the squad is announced it’s a hard one to justify.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Adrian Chiles – on a regular basis!

Most media friendly manager?
Arsene Wenger. Never dodges a question, has always been respectful. A special mention for Sammy Lee and the late, great George Armstrong. Two gems. George Armstrong would give me a lift home after Arsenal reserve games!

Best ever player?
Thierry Henry gets my vote as player seen/covered live. We also forget how good Cesc Fabregas is.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Arsenal – Invincibles; Spain – glorious to watch

Best pre-match grub?
Arsenal – fantastic food!

Best meal had on your travels?
El Greco – Italian restaurant in Barcelona. To shamelessly name drop, Thierry Henry recommended and booked it for a group of journalists. It was an amazing meal, fabulous occasion.

…and the worst?
On a Tottenham trip to Moldova, the local council held a reception for the travelling journalists. Despite being told not to drink the local water, a few of us couldn’t resist the ice cream. We all came home with a mild case of dysentery!

Best hotel stayed in?
Schloss Elmau resort. A spa hotel just over the German border while covering Euro 2008. Amazing.

…and the worst?
A hotel in Donetsk 11 years ago. UEFA had the best hotel. The press had the second. It was awful. Arsenal had the third best because it had better kitchens. But I’d hate to have seen their hotel if it was worse than ours. The country has come on a great deal. My most ridiculous happening on a trip was in Athens in 2004. The coach driver taking journos between Olympic venues refused to budge even though myself and Charlie Sale (Daily Mail) were trying to reach the 100m final for which we had tickets. In pure frustration, I leant down, grabbed the driver’s foot and pressed it against the pedal. It showed him how much we wanted to make it – and he kindly obliged while the very respectful Chinese journalists at the back of the coach looked on in horror without saying a word.

Favourite football writer?
Oliver Holt. Proud to be his colleague.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Clive Tyldesley – partly influenced by the fact that he’s one of the nicest guys you could ever meet. I love doing radio and TV work. It’s been such an enjoyable part of my career in the past few years. But all of the professionals have my respect. It’s such a tough part of the industry.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Just more open and friendliness. It’s so much harder to criticise those you like.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
I have covered three Olympic Games. You just can’t beat it.

Last book read?
‘Ghosts of Manila’. I love boxing books. But it was purely coincidental that I was reading it just before Joe Frazier’s death. Kevin Mitchell’s ‘War, Baby’ is such a great read. I tried to tell him once how much I loved that book but was a bit worse for wear at an FWA dinner. It came out something like: ‘Ish really, weally, love you, Kevin…’

Favourite current TV programme?
The Wire.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
My Dad’s UNUSED 1966 World Cup Final ticket – still in the original envelope. My Dad went to every England game but got food poisoning and missed the final. I still can’t believe he didn’t go! But he gave me the ticket as a keepsake.

Glenn Moore: My Week

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Glenn MooreFind out what The Independent’s Glenn Moore has been up to with the latest in our My Week series…

Friday October 28
I’m normally in The Independent’s Kensington office on Fridays, working on our Saturday sports supplement, but there’s a change of schedule today. I’m up early to finish off a story about ‘The Four Year Plan’, a highly-revealing forthcoming film about QPR in the Briatore/Ecclestone era, then it’s off to the fourth and final day taking the FA’s Youth Award, module 1, one of the new generation courses which focuses on coaching the crucial 5-11 age group. It’s an excellent course, thought-provoking, eye-opening and full of practical advice. I’d recommend it to anyone involved in coaching young players. I’ll be writing about it in the paper in due course.
 
 Saturday October 29
A morning coaching my son’s U10s team which provides the chance to put into practice some of the exercises I picked up on the youth award. Having done a session, then watched them win 5-1, I rush off to cover an unexpectedly high-scoring game, Arsenal’s stunning 5-3 win at Chelsea. Write a piece about Arsenal’s resurrection for The Independent on Sunday.
Sunday October 30
 A stint in the middle, as referee for an U9s match. Fifa issue red and yellow cards at the ready, but no controversy in a 2-2 draw. Followed by watching Spurs v QPR game on TV.
  
 Monday October 31
A day off, and time to catch up with calls and admin. Unusually in this industry I work a three-day week. In practice I am available seven-days-a-week and log the work I do based on quarter-days. So a story which takes me two or three hours will be a quarter-of-a-day’s work. A match is usually three-quarters of a day. The flexibility is obviously handy for the office, but without it I would be heavily restricted in the events I could cover.
  
 Tuesday November 1
I’ve been away for the last three Champions League weeks, to Dortmund, Valencia and Marseille, so I’m happy to stay at home this time, play a 5-a-side match, then watch the matches unfold on TV.  
Wednesday November 2
 A quiet day as my wife is working overseas so I’m solely responsible for childcare. I make some calls to set up a feature or two next week and do some paperwork before channel-hopping the evening’s Champions League games. The way Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are playing I’m not expecting an English Champions League winner this season.  
Thursday November 3
 To Cobham for a press conference with Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea’s manager. His English is very good but there is a sense he, and we, are still finding out about each other. He’s obviously very good tactically, his man-management is modern and inclusive, and he has a lot of experience in coaching despite his youth. I do wonder, however, whether he has the maturity to cope with the media pressure when results go awry, as they have begun to do recently. This is one of the views I espouse on a stint with the Mirror’s John Cross on Chelsea TV’s Paperview programme which we record at Stamford Bridge in the afternoon. In the evening I call Neil Warnock, the QPR manager, who I assist in writing his weekly column for The Independent. He’s been writing for us for about six years now, through Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, and now QPR, two promotions, one relegation and an administration, and is very good to work with.

FWA Q&A: Ian Ridley

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In this week’s FWA Q&A we take to Daily Express football columnist Ian Ridley about England scoops, dodgy computers and that night in Munich… In this week’s FWA Q&A we take to Daily Express football columnist Ian Ridley about England scoops, dodgy computers and that night in Munich…

Your first ever newspaper?
I became Sports Editor of the Worksop Guardian, in Nottinghamshire, in 1977. I say Sports Editor, I was the only member of the staff, covering the Tigers of Worksop Town FC and filling two broadsheet pages a week with the bowls and pigeon racing results. Great grounding.
Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Journalism is a profession? No, went straight into it from University and have never quite been able to leave, though it’s threatened to leave me a few times. Also done books and scriptwriting, which have kept me sane.
What was your finest achievement playing football?
Scored a goal for the Guardian when we beat the Times in the Fleet Street Midweek League Cup final at Selhurst Park in the 80s. Can’t remember the year but I’m sure Rothman’s Football Yearbook will help you out. Think it was on the cover that year.
Most memorable match covered? Germany 1 England 5 in Munich. I just remember the look of disbelief on the faces of all the English journalists. Was on the Observer at the time and it was a privilege to be asked to write a front page colour piece that turned inside the paper. It’s times like these you learn to love again, as the Foo Fighters sang.
The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
It came in a kick-about among the press at La Manga during an England training camp before the 1998 World Cup when I curled home a shot from 25 yards. Oh, you mean a proper football moment? Ossie Ardiles’ testimonial at White Hart Lane…Hoddle chips forward to Maradona, who cushions it on his thigh before lobbing it perfectly into the path of Mark Falco – who volleys it 20 yards over the bar. The game at its most sublime and ridiculous.
Best stadium?
Always liked Porto’s Dragao stadium. The arches at one end offer a view from on high down the river making the place a great example of how an architect should use location to enhance the stadium, rather than just plonk some anonymous bit of kit down.
…and the worst?
The one in San Marino probably. Have they used all the money they have made over the last 20 years to build a proper one yet? Someone has done well there, I’m sure.
Your best ever scoop?
One that never was. It was a Sunday at the England training camp in La Manga ’98 and I was on the way to the first tee for a round of golf with Joe Melling, the late, great Football Editor of the Mail on Sunday. As we went past the pool, where the England players were sunbathing, Paul Merson, who I was friendly with at the time, called me across. He told me that Gazza was not going to the World Cup and had just trashed Glenn Hoddle’s room in anger at the news. As I was on a Sunday paper at the time, I had no paper to put it in. Mind you, I was on the Independent on Sunday at the time and as Paddy Barclay said, telling the Sindy was the nearest thing to keeping a secret. A few hours later, it broke for the daily papers. These days, I could probably have tweeted it.
Your personal new-tech disaster?
Working for the Daily Telegraph back in the early 90s, I was sent to do a feature on new international team San Marino. In covering their home match against Switzerland, my old Tandy “computer” locked and I lost 750 words of copy five minutes before the final whistle. I had to hastily ad lib a piece by phone. It’s times like these you learn to hate again, as the Foo Fighters didn’t sing.
Biggest mistake?
Can’t think of anything major – but I may have blocked out all the stories and judgments I got wrong. Perhaps there are helpful colleagues and rivals who may have a better memory….
Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else? On a football field, Lionel Messi. Off it, once in Boston, Mass, some bloke in a bar reckoned I looked like Danny Ainge, who played for the Celtics basketball team at the time. A young girl called me Sven recently just because I have grey hair and glasses probably. Would like his money.
Most media friendly manager?
Obviously Harry Redknapp is always very helpful and quote-friendly, along with Ian Holloway at Blackpool, but for someone who keeps taking knocks and coming back with insights and good humour, it has to be Arsene Wenger. You can ask him about anything and he will answer. I am going to ask him for the meaning of life very soon.
Best ever player?
I always preferred Maradona to Pele, in the way I preferred the Stones to the Beatles, because the Argentine made ordinary sides great, whereas Pele gilded great sides. The way it is looking,though, I think Messi can top them both. As for a favourite player: Jimmy Greaves, my idol as a kid.
Best ever teams (club and international)?
Brazil 1970 and the Barcelona of now are the obvious answers, but no less true for that. I also enjoyed Holland of 1974 and Arsenal’s Invincibles.
Best pre-match grub? Am enjoying the rivalry in the press rooms of Arsenal and Manchester City as they vie for the title of best hosts. Not going to say which is better, in case they rest on their laurels. Enjoyed a sea bass teriyaki at the Emirates recently. Hard life, sometimes.
Best meal had on your travels?
Peter Robinson, the legendary secretary of Liverpool, once invited Paddy Barclay to lunch at the Grand Trianon hotel in Versailles. Generously, Paddy asked Peter if I could come along and he agreed. It was succulent. About £200 each as I recall, and it was 1994ish. Don’t think I got the bill through at the Independent on Sunday.
…and the worst?
Probably in Poland. Glenn Hoddle said he had picked a team there because it was “horses for courses.” David Lacey pointed out that in Poland, it was horses for main courses.
Best hotel stayed in?
The Dorint in Baden Baden for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. I was on the Mail on Sunday and for the first time with a paper who could afford somewhere decent. I had the most spacious and elegant room, which was just as well as we were there for around five weeks. Near enough to the Brenner’s Park to observe the England WAGS, far enough away to miss the House of Scouse also ensconced there.
Ian Ridley is an author of sports books and football columnist for the Daily Express. His latest book There’s A Golden Sky: How 20 Years of the Premier League Has Changed Football Forever has just been published by Bloomsbury and available at Amazon and Waterstone’s.

Mike Collett: My Week

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Find out what Reuters Soccer Editor Mike Collett has been up to with the latest in our My Week series…
Thursday Oct 20
The one thing certain about being a journalist is that no two weeks, no two days in fact, are ever the same. As the football editor of Reuters, the world’s largest international news agency, I tend to spend a fair amount of time travelling. This year alone I’ve been to Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, France….and Aldgate in east London where the Reuters sports desk is based. It so happens that writing the diary this week finds me in that rather less than exotique location. Still, it’s not all bad as it’s only a short hop to White Hart Lane in the evening to see the Europa League match between Spurs and Rubin Kazan. The only thing anyone will ever remember about the game is Roman Pavlyuchenko’s stunning blockbuster free kick which gives Spurs a 1-0 win and takes them to the top of the group. Earlier in the day, went to Wembley Stadium for a briefing about Great Britain’s Olympic team, with Stuart Pearce and Hope Powell named as coaches of the men and women’s teams.

Friday Oct 21
Friday always seems the busiest day of the week as I’m either at a manager’s press conference, or like today, co-ordinating Reuters’ coverage of press conferences, talking to reporters about the best lines from the pre-match chats football writers have had with the managers. Main story of the day is a bit of a flyer following yesterday’s press conference at Wembley with the papers reporting that Wayne Rooney could be called up to play for the Olympic team, which is stretching the truth somewhat about what was actually said at Wembley, but is technically true.

Saturday Oct 22
Now this a bit of a rarity – a weekend without going to a match, how will I cope – and what’s worse, how do I get around London Underground on its now traditional weekend of Planned Engineering Works (although my ticket will, naturally, be available on local Replacement Bus Services)? London Underground are trying to get as much done before the Olympics next year as they can – I reckon they could win a gold medal for Planned Engineering Works and for a superb replacement bus effort. They get 0 out of 10 though for closing the District Line between Earls Court and Wimbledon when Fulham and Chelsea are at home. Numpties.

Sunday Oct 23
A red or blue letter day whichever way you want to look at it. Just look at this scoreline: Manchester United 1, Manchester City 6. Or this one: Queens Park Rangers 1 Chelsea 0. That’s why we love the Barclays Premier League. Listen to the pundits, read the four-page spreads in the papers, listen to the managers, tune in to the experts – does anyone really have a clue what’s going to happen next? Unfortunately I’m not at either game, I’m co-ordinating the coverage of the Barclays Premier League and other European soccer which has its own rewards. We do what I believe is a fantastic job on the day’s happenings across the continent – all of which were a darn sight more interesting than New Zealand’s 8-7 win over France in the Rugby World Cup final. That’s a famous soccer scoreline too – at least for the fans of Dulwich Hamlet and St Albans City. In an FA Cup match in 1922 Dulwich beat St Albans 8-7, a bitter-sweet day for Billy Minter. He scored all seven of Saint’s goals and still ended up on the losing side.

Monday Oct 24
Yesterday’s epoch-changing result at Old Trafford demands plenty of follow-up attention. I’m back in Aldgate at the very un-football time of 7am to co-ordinate our plans and get reaction from around the world. I’m in so early there’s no queue for breakfast at Kelly’s, the best run café in Aldgate whose staffing levels at 07.00 would probably see London Transport’s weekend engineering works completed in half the time. It’s a busy day, too, as I am planning to write an analysis of the global appeal of the Barclays Premier League – now regularly watched by 1.4 billion people a week according to Media Analysts Sport+Markt. And they should know. Oh No, what’s this? John Terry back in trouble for allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. I might be popping back into Kelly’s for a late supper.

Tuesday Oct 25
Back to Wembley for a chat with FA chairman David Bernstein, Club England managing director Adrian Bevington and the FA’s chief executive officer Alex Horne. The FA meet a select band of senior reporters once a month or so for an informal chat about this and that. They’ve been doing it for years in Parliament and as the FA is the governing body of football, why shouldn’t they do it too? The FA has come in for a huge amount of criticism, some of it justified and some of it not, but they are at least making strides to be open and transparent. For that they should be applauded. And at last the wait is over: after four days without a match I get down to Crystal Palace to see them beat Southampton 2-0 in the Carling Cup. They are changing the guard at Crystal Palace and Dougie Freedman has some fine young players together in an emerging team including England Under-20 right back Nathaniel Clyne and up and coming striker Wilfried Zaha. Both could be in the Barclays Premier League soon.

Wednesday Oct 26
One of Australia’s finest food and wine writers, Winsor Dobbin, an old Associated Press sports writer in the 1980s, arrives from his home in Tasmania, determined not to miss the chance of seeing his beloved Norwich City in the Barclays Premier League while they are still there. The way they have started the season suggests he has a fair chance of seeing them next year too. He’s organised some kind of wonderful day out for himself at Carrow Road and might even exchange some culinary tips with Delia. Meanwhile after talking to Rohan Ricketts, Red Star Belgrade coach Robert Prosinecki, the former India boss Steven Constantine and Vancouver Whitecaps’ CEO Paul Barber, who used to work for the FA and Spurs, my analysis of the Barclays Premier League’s global appeal gets some fantastic response. Thanks men.

Thursday Oct 27
So the build-up starts to another weekend which will see me at Chelsea v Arsenal on Saturday and Spurs v QPR on Sunday. Then, after working for 10 days straight, I’m off for a tour of London with the aforementioned Mr Dobbin. We could well kick-off in El Vino’s in Fleet Street for old time’s sake. That might mean an afternoon without football, but I’m sure Winsor will choose a few bottles of the finest wines known to humanity to ease the pain.

FWA Q&A: Philippe Auclair

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In this week’s FWA Q&A, we chat with Philippe Auclair of France Football about the Flintstones, Richard E Grant and having Thierry Henry’s coathanger at home…

Your first ever newspaper?
France Football, as it happens, if it’s football we’re talking about. Otherwise, Le Courrier Cauchois, a minuscule weekly from my native Normandy, for which I wrote ‘colour pieces’ about local history while still at school.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Let’s see: chef (in Brussels); musician (everywhere); mushroom collector; I also invented a board-game and still do a few voiceovers (highlight: dubbing The Flintstones in French).

What was your finest achievement playing football?
Being picked to play for my university when I’d gone something like six years not scoring a goal. I was supposed to be a left-sided destroyer. Really.

Most memorable match covered?
In terms of emotion, Arsenal’s 1-0 at the Bernabeu in 2006. In terms of action, the 4-4 between Chelsea and Liverpool in the second leg of the 2009 Champions League quarter-final. I was commentating the game for French radio, adrenalin pumping in my veins for hours afterwards.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Either Dennis Bergkamp’s pirouette and goal against Newcastle (you know the one)…or Alain Giresse scoring France’s third goal against West Germany in Sevilla, 1982. Could someone stop the tape at this point, please?

Best stadium?
Highbury. Cue tightening of the throat and flood of beautiful memories…

…and the worst?
The Stadio delle Alpi [Juventus] was cold, nasty, atmosphere-less, a nightmare to work in. Good
riddance.

Your best ever scoop?
The one I never used: a detailed count of the votes for the attribution of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, two weeks before the ‘decision’ was made. I couldn’t name my source, nobody believed me (including the guys at England 2018), and that was that. It still rankles.

Your personal new-tech disaster? A classic: checking my MP3 recorder was working…yes it does…doing a splendid one-to-one with Wenger…arriving home to find out I’d erased the interview instead of saving it to the hard disk. I was too embarrassed to call Arsène, so wrote the whole thing from memory, in a panicked trance-like state. I feel much better now I’ve confessed.

Biggest mistake?
A very funny one, at the 1991 Copa America. I was commentating for TV Sport – from London, of course, without proper team sheets, on a very small screen. Chile were playing Venezuela…who were playing in a different shirt from the one I was expecting. For a full five minutes, I believed one team was the other, and was waxing lyrical at how the minnows were outplaying the favourites. Then, I realised. I Froze. My co-commentator took over as I hyperventilated. From then on, I was the ‘analyst’ for that tournament. We didn’t get a single letter of complaint. Perhaps TV Sport didn’t have much of an audience then.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Richard E. Grant, on a number of occasions, including at the Wimbledon dog track, where I was asked if there’d be a sequel to Withnail & I by a bookie. I dared not disappoint him.

Most media friendly manager?
Guus Hiddink. Media-friendliness is not just about being friendly, which can lead to cronyism, but more about answering questions without trying to spin them, and showing respect to the questioner. Guus never failed me – never failed us.

Best ever player?
Alfredo di Stefano, judging by what people I admire have told me of him. Among the ones I’ve seen in the flesh, Diego Maradona, who won a scudetto, a UEFA Cup and a World Cup on his own.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Brazil 1970 will never be equalled, I’m convinced of that. As a club side, a purely personal choice: Valeri Lobanovsky’s 1980s Dinamo Kyiv team, which truly was poetry in motion.

Best pre-match grub?
Dead-heat between Chelsea and Arsenal.

Best meal had on your travels?
A stupendous barbecue organised by the Wadi Degla club in Egypt. This was during ramadan. Tough during the day (especially as we’d played six-a-side against their academy in the afternoon), but when Cairotes break their fast, oh boy…The finest lamb I’ve ever tasted.

…and the worst?
Try Auxerre’s sandwiches. They might change your views on French cuisine.

Best hotel stayed in?
The Ciragan Palace in Istanbul. A magical place in a magical city, right by the Bosphorus.

…and the worst?
The Britannia in Manchester. I don’t know where to start. A party of half-drunk sales reps had put on a blue movie on the bar video. It went downwards from then on. I actually got a refund.

Favourite football writer?
Brian Glanville is my master; prodigiously cultured, sharp, witty and brave. But I also think that David Lacey remains the greatest football reporter, which is not quite the same thing.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Martin Tyler. As a compere, Jeff Stelling. Who else?

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Simply enforce the regulations, and make sure that players do stop in the mixed zone or tunnel after the games. The current situation is disgraceful.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
The Cresta Run? No. Boxing Day test cricket down under, with Ian Bell approaching his triple century. By tea.

Last book read?
Ronnie Reng’s biography of Robert Enke, which is simply magnificent.

Favourite current TV programme?
I do not watch television unless there’s football, cricket or (at a pinch) rugby union on. I much prefer the company of books; and of people, naturally.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
The coathanger on which Thierry Henry placed his shirt after scoring a hat-trick against Wigan, on the day Arsenal played for the last time at Highbury. This coathanger is reserved for the tuxedo I wear at the FWA’s Gala Tribute Night. Why that is I couldn’t say.

Philippe Auclair has been France Football’s England correspondent for over a decade, and regularly contributes to Champions and The Blizzard. He can also be heard on talkSPORT and various BBC station and is a regular guest on the Guardian Football Weekly podcast.

Martin Lipton: My Week

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By MARTIN LIPTON
Chief Football writer
Daily Mirror

Friday Oct 14: Still recovering – probably quicker than Fabio Capello – from the late-breaking news of Wayne Rooney’s Euro 2012 ban and the press conference leftovers from Chelsea to devour as well. A few calls to UEFA – to confirm an appeal would be a shot to nothing, with no chance of the ban being increased – and the FA to pass on the news and seek a reaction. Otherwise, quite a quiet day.

Saturday Oct 15: Up with the larks to watch the egg-chasers Down Under. Not sure Warburton would have any defence for that tackle on the football pitch. Second half of Liverpool v United on the box then off to Chelsea, showing great resolve to Just Say No to the three-course meal, although a turgid first half means I can’t resist the gateau during the break. Simple win for Chelsea, with David Moyes realistic about Everton’s lack of financial resources and Andre Villas-Boas backing Daniel Sturridge’s England claims.

Sunday Oct 16: Day off, but not until lunchtime, with a match report to write up and a few calls to make. Keep an eye on events at The Emirates and St James’ Park but others have to carry the burden today. Thankfully.

Monday Oct 17: LMA chief Richard Bevan sets the cats among the pigeons by claiming Barclays Premier League foreign owners want to scrap relegation and institute a closed shop. Aston Villa particularly angry at a perceived slur. Ongoing developments with the Chelsea Pitch Owners also mean a day of telephone calls, while trying to sort out looming trios to Genk and Kiev and a planned managers’ lunch.

Tuesday Oct 18: Joy of joys – 15 minutes of watching the Chelsea players warm up at Cobham before a 90 minute wait to see Villas-Boas. At least the Portuguese has learned to lighten up and speaks glowingly of the standard set by “benchmark” Barcelona. Then a Good Samaritan disaster. Agree to drive two Belgian journalists back into London, let them off at Tube and drive away – to discover they’ve emptied the boot of all the bags…..including mine with the laptop in it. Frantic round of phone calls to try to discover their identity before forced to go to Stamford Bridge where I know they will be at Belgian press conference. Return of bag was a a huge relief!

Wednesday Oct 19: Easy day followed by a late night, although Chelsea make easy meat of the Belgian minnows. Famine has become feast for Fernando Torres although he chooses not to speak in the mixed zone. Branislav Ivanovic is the agreed spokesman on his behalf.

Thursday Oct 20: Recording BT’s Lifes A Pitch podcast in the morning followed by a Central London meeting with a contact. Big event of the day was sitting next to Greg Walace (of Masterchef fame) on the Tube back home. He tells me I should cook with rapeseed oil rather than olive oil. Journalism doesn’t get tougher than this!

FWA Q&A: Mick Dennis

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Our series of member Q&A sessions continues with Mick Dennis of the Daily Express…


Your first ever newspaper?

Eastern Daily Press (Great Yarmouth office of the Norwich-based paper)
Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
No, but I worked as a play-leader in parks while at school and then college.
What was your finest achievement playing football?
I once trapped the ball fairly cleanly
Most memorable match covered?
The 2006 World Cup Final, when Zidane’s last act as a pro footballer was to nutt an opponent.
The one moment in football you would put on a DVD
Norwich City’s second goal against Sunderland at Carrow Road, 26 Sept 2001
Best stadium?
 As a journalist, The Emirates. As a spectator, the Bernabeau
…and the worst?
Fratton Park, Portsmouth (as a journalist and as a spectator)
Your best ever scoop?
The electric fence at Stamford Bridge
Your personal new-tech disaster?
None. It is all much easier, and more reliable, than in the days of trying to get hold of a land-line phone to dictate a story.
Biggest mistake?
As a young sub-editor in Norwich I wrote a huge headline with three ‘E’s in Greenwood. About 25 years later, as sports ed of the London Evening Standard, I wrote a bigger headline with the ‘P’ missing in Campbell.
Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
As a young man, travelling with Norwich City, people used to assume quite often that I was one of the players — unless they’d seen me play.
Most media friendly manager?
Harry Redknapp and Arsene Wenger — very different, but both worth listening to and prepared to speak even after bad defeats.
Best ever player?
I saw Johan Cruyff and George best live and both were sensational. I’d opt for Besty, because played as he lived, closer to the edge.
Best ever teams (club and international)?
The Aston Villa team who won the league in 1981 were the most exciting club-side I saw a lot of. The 1970 Brazilians were peerless.
Best pre-match grub?
The Gunn Club, Norwich
Best meal had on your travels?
Why this fixation with food? Mostly on football trips I eat service station junk.
…and the worst?
See above!
Best hotel stayed in?
The Radisson Blu, Frankfurt
…and the worst?
The Adelphi, Liverpool
Favourite football writer?
David Lacey, The Guardian
Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Peter Drury, ITV
If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
I’d make football clubs employ PR professionals, rather than former journalists. They are different jobs with entirely different skills.
One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
I am lucky enough to have been to many. Football beats the lot.
Last book read?
A Golden Sky by Ian Ridley
Favourite current TV programme?
The Good Wife
Your most prized football memorabilia?
Media pass from Africa’s first World Cup (South Africa, 2010)
Mick Dennis’s column appears in the Daily Express each Wednesday during the football season and he reviews the newspapers on Sky Sports News each Thursday at 7.30 am.

FWA Q&A: Christopher Davies

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In the first of our new ongoing feature, we speak to Christopher Davies of The People about life as a football writer…

Your first ever newspaper?
South London Press
Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
I did a stint in public relations when I was younger…among the clients were a women’s hat manufacturer…quite
What was your finest achievement playing football?
Scoring a goal from the half-way line with a back-heel…eat your heart out David Beckham…oh, it was during a six-a-side game
Most memorable match covered?
Has to be the 1994 World Cup final between Brazil and Italy for the Daily Telegraph…my first World Cup final as a football correspondent…it was far from a classic match but like players, football writers also want to be at the big ones
The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Bobby Moore lifting the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966 – and I was there, my ticket cost 17 shillings and sixpence
Best stadium?
The Nou Camp even though the press box is so high you can shake hands with the man in the moon
…and the worst?
The old Plough Lane press box was, er, interesting…I remember covering the first game of the season there once and there was a sandwich left from the last game of the previous season
Your best ever scoop?
David Beckham to Real Madrid…sadly the Daily Telegraph decided not to use it…two months later the story broke…sob
Your personal new-tech disaster?
Arsenal 1, Parma 0 – 1994 European Cup Winners’ Cup final, Copenhagen…pressed ‘send’ but instead of sending my match report it disappeared into a new tech Bermuda Triangle…after a 30-second swearfest I picked up the landline (those were the days) and adlibbed 800 words
Biggest mistake?
On talkSPORT recently I said: ‘I hope Guus Hiddink returns to English football…he has one more big job in him and I hope it’s here’
Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
At the 2002 World Cup finals a TV crew from Cameroon wanting an interview thought I was Barry Davies…’no, I’m Chris Davies’…’oh, you’ll do’
Most media friendly manager?
At the highest level Arsene Wenger has been outstanding…it is rare that his press conferences do not produce a story
Best ever player?
When I watch Lionel Messi, which I do virtually every weekend on Sky Sports, I am continually astonished at his skill…he makes the near-impossible seem easy, the ball is almost velcro’d to his magical left foot while he does not indulge in the dark art of diving
Best ever teams (club and international)?
The current Barcelona and Spain (which some say is Barcelona without Messi) teams have raised the bar and taken football to a new level…Barca’s display in the 2011 Champions League final was as near football perfection as it gets
Best pre-match grub?
Football writers who cover Arsenal’s home games are always well fed
Best meal had on your travels?
Certainly not Albania! I remember having a baby beef in Buenos Aires in 1978…it was the biggest baby I have ever seen…I have never eaten a steak as good (or as huge) as this…BA is not the place to be a vegetarian
…and the worst?
Well, I didn’t actually eat it – it was in Iran and it was sheep’s eyeballs in yoghurt
Best hotel stayed in?
On Capri shortly before Italia 90…the ultimate freebie…my room had its own swimming pool
…and the worst?
Hotel Tirana in 1993…we were told we may have to share but I didn’t realise my room-mate would be a rat…the rat also complained
Favourite football writer?
As a young lad I always loved reading Hugh McIlvaney (Sunday Times) and still do
Favourite radio/TV commentator?
The late Peter Jones had a voice and vocabulary that is unsurpassed
If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
For young players to be educated in media relations
One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
Australia v England, the Ashes, in Sydney (with England winning)
Last book read?
Scouting For Moyes by Les Padfield…a little gem
Favourite current TV programme?
Romanzo Criminale on Sky Arts 1…set in Rome in the 1970s…terrific
Your most prized football memorabilia?
My 1966 World Cup final ticket signed by the two captains, Bobby Moore and Uwe Seeler
You can read Christopher Davies, a former chairman of the Football Writers’ Association, in the People and hear him every Tuesday at 7am on talkSPORT’s Breakfast Show with Alan Brazil and Ronnie Irani

Beckham hopes for another year at Galaxy

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DAVID BECKHAM’S chances of returning to the Barclays Premier League in January were hit after he admitted he wants to play one more year in Major League Soccer.

Beckham’s four-year deal with the Los Angeles Galaxy ends in November. Spurs and Queens Park Rangers are keen to offer the former England captain a chance to return to English football this winter while the midfielder is keen to play for Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics.

If Beckham, 36, plays a fifth MLS season, which begins in March, he would almost certainly rest during December and January.

He said: ‘I’d like one more year with the Galaxy. I feel fit and want to help the Galaxy win the championship.’

The Galaxy became the first team to clinch a play-off berth with their 1-0 win over Colorado Rapids.

Robbie Keane was only a substitute after totting up 13,000 air miles on Republic of Ireland duty.

‘It’s tough,’ said Beckham. ‘I did it for a few years and it is difficult coming back and going straight into a game.’

While Barclays Premier League clubs are often critical of the heavy schedule of English football the Galaxy are focused on trying to get through the next three weeks without injuries or undue fatigue. Between the MLS schedule and CONCACAF Champions League matches, the Galaxy won’t have anything longer than a three-day break in mid-October, two weeks before the playoffs begin.

‘THEY’RE OUT TO GET ME’ CLAIMS MOURINHO

JOSE MOURINHO believes there is a campaign against him and accused UEFA of giving Arsene Wenger preferential treatment over his touchline ban.

The Real Madrid coach, currently serving a two-game Champions League touchline ban, is no stranger to controversy, having totted up more than £200,000 in fines during his career plus several suspensions.

He said: ‘What is a serious offence for one person is not serious for another. There are certain regulations for one and the rest.

‘UEFA did not accept my appeal so I was not able to go to the bench for the Champions League semi-final [against Barcelona] last season. Yet they accepted the appeal of another coach [Wenger] punishing him two days after a crucial game for his team.

‘I have to live with this.

‘There is a campaign against me and it is well organised. I almost enjoy it, though, because it motivates me. I like new motivations.’

Mourinho was delighted that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson spoke positively of him last week.

The former Chelsea boss said: ‘He is the most historic coach in world football in my opinion. To hear what he said was humbling.’

NFL HARD LINE ON DRINK-DRIVING WOULD NOT BE WELCOME HERE

ENGLISH football will no doubt be hoping the Football Association do not adopt the policy of the National Football League in relation to drink-driving.

The NFL suspended Baltimore Ravens offensive line coach Andy Moeller for two games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, also fining him £30,000..

The suspension stems from Moeller being found guilty of driving while impaired by alcohol. In the NFL, personnel are not paid while under suspension so Moeller’s ban would have also cost him around £100,00 in wages.

Imagine the reaction of managers, coaches and players found guilty of drink-driving if they also received an unpaid sporting ban. Yet anything that helps to reduce the offence should be welcomed.

Christopher Davies

The Road to Brazil starts…in Trinidad

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ONE DOWN…831 to go. Belize 5, Monserrat 2 (att 150) was never going to knock Alex McLeish or Luka Modric off the back pages but the game was significant as it was the first 2014 World Cup qualifier.

The road to Brazil started at the Ato Bolden stadium in Trinidad because there is no suitable venue in Monserrat, an island near Antigua which was almost destroyed by the 1995 reawakening of La Soufrière volcano. Deon McCauley claimed a small slice of history with the first hat-trick of the 2014 campaign.

Monserrat coach Kenny Dyer, who had a spell with Dagenham and Redbridge in the mid-90’s, remains confident ahead of the second leg in Belmopan on Sunday.

However, the smart money would be on Belize (formerly known as British Honduras) to finish off the job. Monserrat have only ever won two games since their first international in 1991 and in 2002 they earned the ignominious and unofficial distinction of being the worst team in the world when they were beaten by the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan to go bottom of the FIFA rankings.

*For the serious anoraks, Bhutan, Guam, Mauritania and Brunei Darrussalam of what Sepp Blatter likes to call ‘the FIFA family’ have not registered for the competition.

Christopher Davies