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FWA Q&A: Tony Stenson

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Have you ever worked in a profession other than football?
Sold fish and chips while still at school (some say I should have stayed there – I did a decent battered haddock) and was a messenger boy at the London office of The Sydney Daily Telegraph, often delivering front pages to owner Frank Packer when he stayed at the Savoy.

Most memorable match?
In the time honoured reverse order: Third place: Rome’s Olympic Stadium on a balmy, velvet night in 1990 watching the Republic of Ireland sadly lose 1-0 to host nation Italy in a World Cup quarter-final. Second: my club Wimbledon – the love affair starting when I reported on them for my local paper when they were in the Isthmian League – beating Liverpool 1-0 to win the 1988 FA Cup Final at Wembley, less than a decade after they were stealing towels from hotels because they were so poor. Third: England winning the World Cup in 1966. No explanation needed.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
The total look of horror on my red-veined face, hewn by a visit to a pub or billion, when England World Cup hero Jack Charlton offered me a Guinness in a sewing thimble when he was Republic of Ireland manager. Several of us were in his hotel room during the 1994 World Cup in America and he ran out of glasses.

Best stadium?
Purely for the memories, Wembley and Rome’s Olympic Stadium

…and the worst?
Albania’s Tirana Stadium in the early 90’s when the toilets were so poor I used a vodka bottle to relieve myself. I watched in horror later as a spectactor picked it up and drunk it.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Too many to mention. Bring back Remington Rands and copy-takers.

Biggest mistake?
Rowing with a fellow scribe only to see him turn up later as my sports editor.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
I once turned up at Wimbledon’s old training ground, a truckers cafe on A3 delivering Dave Bassett’s programme notes – I wrote them unpaid for years – wearing a brown overall because I had been painting. Alan “the white Pele” Cork said I looked like Compo from Last Of The Summer Wine.

Most media friendly manager?
By far…….Dave Bassett, Jim Smith, Harry Redknapp, the late Bobby Robson and Ray Harford. Those men always returned calls.

Best ever player?
If I could, I would like my heart rule my head and say Wimbledon scoring legend Alan Cork. In reality it has to be Pele (met him several times and he was a gent also) from yesterday.This year it’s Ronaldo just ahead of Messi. Pele made things happen; things happen around Ronaldo. He’s a great player in a good football team. Messi is a great player in a great team.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Liverpool in the Shankly and Paisley eras and United during the Charlton, Law and Best period. Brazil when Pele led the orchestra.

Best pre-match grub?
I never eat on an empty stomach. So rarely eat at grounds. It’s cooked on Wednesday and re-heated. That’s my excuse. Prefer a trip to the local on route to work on my research.

Chums tell me Chelsea and Arsenal are top hole.

Best meal had on your travels?
A restaurant in Izmir, Turkey. Not for the food, but seeing John Bean, then of the Daily Express, using salt to do a sand dance on a table, much to the shock of the locals.

And worst?
Anything in Albania.

Best hotel stayed in?
Swiss Hotel, Turkey, where my state room over-looked the Golden Horn of  the Bosphorous, where East meets West. Looking from my window sipping a glass of chilled white wine. Wonderful. To this day, I still don’t know how I got the room on the usually miserly Daily Mirror.

…and the worst?
Albania again. I was in the next room to Tony Incenzo (he wrote about it on these pages last year) when he had hot and cold running rats and policeman asking to share his bed. My secret’s safe, Tone.

Do you have a hobby?
Golf, particularly the 19th hole. The way I play I need to go to the range more. Instead, I go to the bar.

Favourite football writer?
Brian Glanville of yesteryear. Patrick Collins of today; I  enjoy reading  the columns of Dave Kidd and Steven Howard.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
I thought Kenneth Wolstenholme was excellent. Listen again to his 1966 World Cup commentaries and they do stand the test of time. Today, I like Martin Tyler.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
All press officers be sacked and we go back to being allowed to talk to anyone we want.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
Been lucky enough to cover many Masters tournaments, Test Matches, Tour de Frances and football finals. But would love to cover an Ashes Series Down Under.

Favourite non-football sportsman/sports woman?
Abraham Lincoln.

Last book read?
Never Go Back by Lee Child.

Favourite current TV programme?
Mastermind. To confirm how dumb I am.

TV show you always switch off?
Reality shows, cooking programmes, those about moving house and anything with Jonathan Ross and Ricky Gervais. How do people find them funny?

If you could bring one TV series back, which would it be?
Without doubt: Only Fools and Horses.

Favourite comedian?
Tommy Cooper.

What really, really annoys you?
Unhelpful clubs, press officers, warm white wine and the current Labour party.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
Given most of it away for charity, including the shirt Ray Houghton wore after scoring for Ireland against England during the 1988 European Championship. But still have a yellow snooker ball on a plinth presented to me by Steve Davis when I left the Mirror after 30 years in 2003.

I had never played snooker and was suddenly asked in 1985 to cover the World Championships at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre. As I turned off the M1 and drove into Sheffield I saw posters on lamposts saying ‘Read Tony Stenson the No 1 for Snooker’ and ‘Tony Stenson the Man the Snooker Stars know’.

I thought I’d better watch the first game and settled into my seat as Davis, the defending champion, teed off at 10.30am on the first Saturday.

I whispered to my colleague: ‘What’s a yellow worth?’

Such are the sound effects of the Crucible, Davis heard me, turned said: ‘Two’ and immediately potted his first red.

When I retired he presented me with my trophy which had engraved on: ‘It’s still worth two,Tony’.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Look, learn and listen.

You can read Tony Stenson in the Daily Star Sunday.

“DON’T BREAK GRANNY’S WINDOWS,” SAID PRINCE WILLIAM

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IT IS fair to say that until last week there was a glaring omission in my CV despite 42 years of writing about football since I first cut my teeth reporting on  Finchley at Summers Lane in the Athenian League.

I must admit I had never covered a match in which the half-time refreshments were served on silver platters by tail-coated footmen – and it’s also a pretty fair assumption to say I will never do so again.

Last week’s match between Civil Service and Polytechnic FC on the lawns of Buckingham Palace, normally used for royal garden parties and diplomatic receptions, was a complete and unique one-off, the brainchild of Prince William, the Football Association’s president who persuaded, as Greg Dyke memorably said on the day “his granny to let us use her back lawn for a football match – though woe betide anyone who broke a window.”

Why was I there? Well, I had a call from the FA a few days earlier asking me if I would be interested in being the sole match reporter, doing a pool report for the world and assigned to one of two Royal Rotas covering the game. None of the other reporters there would be covering the match, they would be writing about presentations by the Prince to the 150 volunteers chosen by the FA to celebrate grassroots football.

The Palace wanted a lot of security details and advised me a suit and tie was the standard attire. That was another first. I don’t think I have ever covered a match in a suit and tie before. There would be no wifi at the Palace, and no internet because the press work room was being refurbished, but could I file 800 words as soon as possible after the game?

The match was to celebrate the grassroots of English soccer in this, the year of the FA’s 150th anniversary. Civil Service were chosen as the “home” side as they are also 150 years old this year and are the lone surviving founder member of the 11 clubs that formed the FA on October 26, 1863 at the Freemasons Tavern in Covent Garden.

Civil Service selected Polytechnic as the opposition because they are their local Chiswick rivals, were formed in 1875 and the two clubs have been playing each other since 1893. But this was no kickabout on the lawn .. it was a highly competitive Southern Amateur League First Division match, refereed by Barclays Premier League official  Howard Webb and the outcome mattered. Polytechnic won 2-1 and went second in the table. Civil Service were left floundering one off the bottom.

But how to report a match in which, through no fault of one’s own, you know none of the players, have little background , no press box, no seat, no electricity and no connections ? Easy, you just think to yourself, this is where I came in covering pretty much grassroots  matches, not much above this level and you talk to people. I found the respective chairmen of the two clubs – ian Hunter of Civil Service in his tartan trousers, and Barry Madigan of Polytechnic in the crowd and was given some good reliable background. I also acquired one of only 25 special edition programmes printed for the occasion.

I filed a first, quick story of 250 words off my blackberry …. letter by letter … and then returned to something approaching normality with a round of post-match interviews. Then it was more business as usual as I left Buckingham Palace, found an internet connection and filed 800 words for the FA plus another story for Reuters’ global subscribers.

As Howard Webb told me after it finished:  “When I got the call to referee a match at the Palace, I thought I was going to Selhurst Park.”

Me too, mate, but look at this way … we can all say we added a new ground to the list … one that doesn’t even exist any more.

*Mike Collett started his career at the Hendon and Finchley Times in 1972 and has been Reuters soccer editor since 1996. He is a member of the FWA’s national committee. Among other things, he has covered  nine World Cups, 30 European Cup finals – and one match at Buckingham Palace.

******

Members of the FWA usually report the news. Watch how @robshepherd5 MADE the news 20 years ago…

http://dailym.ai/18Uh12I

NOT THE FULL MONTE, SO ENGLAND SHOULD QUALIFY FOR BRAZIL 2014

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WHILE members of the Football Writers’ Association are confident that England will qualify for the 2014 World Cup finals, Dejan Saviević, president of the Montenegrin Football Association, is worried that his country’s hopes of success have been hit by injuries to four key first-teamers for the first of the two matches that will decide England’s World Cup fate.

What is certain is that if England beat Montenegro and Poland at Wembley they will be in Brazil next summer. However, England are becoming the draw specialists and at the sharp end of the qualification programme one point in either game is likely to see them finish second to Ukraine.

As Ukraine have Poland at home and then a trip to San Marino next Tuesday, the current Group H second-place team are a good bet for six points. England must match that total to avoid the playoffs or perhaps the nightmare scenario of being spectators when the World Cup kicks-off next summer.

England and Montenegro have played each other three times, each game ending in a draw. While England have not lost a competitive home tie since 2007, under Roy Hodgson they have won six and drawn six of their 12 Euro or World Cup matches. The stats may offer little comfort, but Saviević is concerned by Montenegro’s injury list: Juventus striker Mirko  Vučinić, goalkeeper Mladen Bozović, centre-back Marko Basa and midfielder Miodrag Peković have all been ruled out of the Wembley showdown.

“You don’t expect to lose four key players,” said Saviević. “We are in a bad situation, but we can promise that we will give you 100 percent of our opportunities. It is going to be difficult, but all the players are still giving maximum and we are happy with that. We’ll see what happens. We have achieved our first target at the start of qualifying, to be in with a chance of qualifying until the end.”

Goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksić, set to play his first competitive game in four years, added: “This is the most important game in the history of Montenegro, the most important in my career.

“It is going to be difficult, both for me and for my team-mates, but I am physically and mentally completely ready. We’re going to London to give a 100 per cent dedication and courage, and see what happens in the end. I am certain that all who play from the first minute will give the maximum, despite the handicaps, and a lot of times before we have proved to have a strong collective. We’re a real family,

“It is important that we do not concede a quick goal. The pressure is on England because they want to triumph in front of their home crowd. We have nothing to lose, we’re going to Wembley as outsiders, decimated numerous injuries. Maybe it is fate that this is our opportunity.”

Footballwriters.co.uk asked Evening Standard columnist Patrick Barclay; Andy Dunn, sports columnist of the Sunday Mirror and chairman of the FWA; Oliver Kay, chief football correspondent of The Times; Martin Lipton, chief football writer of the Daily Mirror; James Olley, chief football correspondent of the Evening Standard and David Woods, chief football writer of the Daily Star, about England’s World Cup fate…

DO YOU THINK ENGLAND WILL FINISH TOP?

Barclay: Yes, England to finish top.

Dunn: Yes.

Kay: With some misgivings, yes I do.

Lipton: Yes. I hope. But maybe not!
Olley: Yes. England have struggled of late, but two wins at Wembley to reach Brazil should not be an equation beyond their capabilities.
Woods: Yes.


IF NOT, WHO WILL?

Lipton: Only Ukraine. But all depends on Friday night v Montenegro.

HOW DO YOU SEE THE 1-2-3 OF THE GROUP?

Barclay: England first, Ukraine second, Montenegro third.

Dunn: England, Ukraine, Montenegro.

Kay: England, Ukraine, Montenegro.

Lipton: Hopefully, England, Ukraine, Montenegro.
Olley: England, Ukraine, Montenegro.

Woods: England, Ukraine, Montenegro.

WHICH WOULD BE ENGLAND’S BEST AND WORST PLAYOFF OPTIONS?

Barclay: Best – Hungary. Worst – Portugal.

Dunn: Best – Hungary. Worst – France. (Are we sure we can really get these teams?!) – If England are in the playoffs they should be seeded – at the moment the top four playoff seeds (see below) are Croatia, Portugal, Greece and Russia – Portugal and Russia are in the same group – with England next. England could play either Hungary or France – though until all qualifiers are completed nothing is definite.

Kay: Several of them would worry me, particularly France, Portugal, perhaps Sweden and Greece too. I’ve not got huge faith in this England team, but I do believe they’ll win the group.
Lipton: The draw will be seeded, so England probably won’t get Croatia, Greece or Portugal. In order (best to worst): Iceland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Sweden, France.
Olley: I wouldn’t fancy England over two legs against France. By contrast, Iceland have already lost three times in a poor group, conceding 14 goals in the process.
Woods: Well, the worst would be Portugal (because of a certain Mr Ronaldo).


SHOULD HODGSON STICK BY HART?

Barclay: Yes.

Dunn: Yes.

Kay: Yes. He should also have looked beyond Hart and taken a look at Hart and/or Ruddy in some of the friendly matches; since Hart’s form began to dip 12 months ago, he has played all but 45 minutes out of five friendly matches, which seemed questionable at the time and looks even more so now. You need to know what your back-up options are in case your first choice is injured or loses form. Hart has lost form – that’s undeniable – but I would still go with him on Friday.
Lipton: Yes. In the words of Margaret Thatcher (not somebody I would habitually choose to quote) There Is No Alternative.
Olley: Yes. Now is not the time to change goalkeepers. England should have experimented before now to ensure they could call on a viable alternative. Once qualification is assured (hopefully), that process can belatedly begin before the finals.
Woods: Yes, but only because he [Hodgson] foolishly has not given anyone else a real chance in friendlies or easy games.

IS THERE A WILD CARD PLAYER YOUY WOULD LIKE TO SEE PLAY? BARKLEY? TOWNSEND?

Barclay: Maybe Townsend, but it’s a time for experience and Milner’s defensive work is important. Baines is best attacking from left-back and should play regardless of Cole’s fitness.

Dunn: Andros Townsend.

Kay: I’m concerned by the lack of options on the wings. I don’t really like Welbeck in that position and Townsend strikes me as a substitute rather than a starter. I like the idea of Baines on the left wing, though that kind of option  often seems to work in better theory than in practice and won’t happen now because of Ashley Cole’s injury.
Lipton: No. Although he might go for Townsend rather than Milner on the right.
Olley: Townsend could get the nod due to injuries elsewhere and he is in good form, but remains very raw. Sooner or later, Phil Jones needs to start playing regularly at centre-back to realise his full potential.
Woods: Townsend, who is playing with “no fear” as he himself said after Chelsea game.

WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE TO WIN BRAZIL 2014?

Barclay: Brazil.

Dunn: Brazil.

Kay: Spain.

Lipton: Argentina.
Olley: Germany. Spain’s dominance surely cannot continue for a fourth successive tournament although they will no doubt contest the latter stages, as will Brazil and Argentina.

Woods: Boringly, it has to be Brazil.

WHO QUALIFIES FROM THE EUROPEAN SECTION?

There are nine European qualifying groups and the eight best runners-up will go into the playoffs, two legs played on a home-and-away basis, to determine the four remaining European slots for the final tournament. As one of the qualifying groups has only five teams and the others all have six, the results against teams ranked sixth will not be taken into account when determining who are the best runners-up. It will be decided by points, then goal difference, goals scored, goals scored away from home and, if necessary, on disciplinary ranking.

HOW WILL THE PLAYOFF SEEDINGS WORK?

The eight teams will be seeded in two pots with the four highest-ranked teams placed in one pot. The ranking will be based on the FIFA world ranking published on October

FWA Q&A: Norman Giller

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Have you ever worked in a profession other than football?
(my profession was never football … it was journalism).
I tunnelled my way out of the Daily Express while chief football reporter in December 1973 to follow a career as a TV scriptwriter and author (pretentious, moi?), but always kept my hand in as a freelance journalist. My first month as a freelance coincided with the three-day working week and no electricity for much of each day. I was 33, had a wife, two kids and a mortgage. No redundancy, just jumped ship. Clever or what? When I joined the Express from the Daily Herald in 1964 it was selling 4.2m copies a day. By the time I left it was down to 2.2m, and the slide has continued ever since. Perhaps I am responsible. Moral of the story: never quit without a redundancy package.

Most memorable match?
Sorry, but it has to be the cliché 1966 World Cup final. I was the only football reporter to get into the England dressing-room afterwards. I tied myself to Wembley PR Len Went, who talked me past all the Jobsworths. I managed to hug my mate Bobby Moore and touch the Jules Rimet trophy before being x-rayed out by Alf Ramsey’s famous stare. Even in that moment of Everest-high euphoria, he insisted on the dressing-room being hallowed ground for players only.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Jimmy Greaves going past six defenders on his way to an eighth minute goal against Leicester City at White Hart Lane in 1968. There were no TV cameras to record what most eyewitnesses described as the greatest goal they had ever seen. Because of a minor car accident I arrived literally seconds after the ball went into the net. My Monday morning report was headlined: “The Greatest Goal I Never Saw.”

Best stadium?
It has to be Aztec Stadium in Mexico City where I reported the 1970 World Cup finals opening match [Mexico 0, Soviet Union 0] to the greatest football tournament ever. All the spectators were asked to wear clothes that matched the colour of their ticket, and there was a spectacular splash of red white and green in perfect symmetry. People who say this was where the Mexican Wave started are wrong. They started it two years earlier during the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

…and the worst?
Kennilworth Road, Luton, back in the days when we used to have to go through the urinal to get to the press box. The directors thought it was funny.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Circa 1984, I wiped clean my Apple ‘floppy’ (pre-discs) containing half a book I had written. From then on I have been paranoid about back-ups. In those days you had only enough memory on an Apple Plus to run one program at a time. It would drive you mad today, but it was new and revolutionary.

Biggest mistake?
Tunnelling my way out of the Express without a pay-off. It would have given me a cushion for the bad times that hit every freelance. Stupid boy.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
I was like the spitting image twin of a Chelsea winger called Bert Murray, to the point where then manager Tommy Docherty shouted across the Stamford Bridge forecourt to me, “Bert, why aren’t you training?”  When he realised his mistake, the Doc said: “The only way to tell you two apart is that Bert writes better than you do …”

Most media friendly manager?
Toss up between Tommy Doc and Brian Clough, both of whom knew you needed a headline and went out of their way to provide one. Trouble with Cloughie was sometimes he was too friendly and would try to get you as boozed as he was. The old school (Ramsey, Busby and Bill Nicholson) were much more cautious. Big Mal Allison was the most flamboyant but was mostly interested in projecting himself.

Best ever player?
On the world stage, Pelé just ahead of Maradona, with Di Stefano the most elegant, a Nureyev on grass. European: Cruyff and Beckenbauer, with George Best as the best of British. My all-time favourite, Jimmy Greaves. We are seeing an action replay of Greavsie with Messi. Could he have done it with Bites-Yer-Legs Hunter assaulting him from behind?

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Pele’s 1970 Brazilians, just ahead of the 1950s Puskas-propelled Hungarians. Tottenham’s 1960-61 Double team, made even better by the arrival of Greavsie the following season. Man Utd of the Best-Charlton-Law days.

Best pre-match grub?
Cheese and tomato rolls and a cuppa at the Cassateri café by the West Ham ground where I served my football writing apprenticeship in the 1950s. All the West Ham players, past and present, used to congregate there.

Best meal had on your travels?
Pie and Mash at Cooks in Stratford after West Ham matches. Reported sport in 33 countries, but nothing in all the hotels and restaurants could touch that taste. I’ve gone and got hungry thinking of it.

…and the worst?
Still waiting for it to be served at a restaurant in Budapest. We waited two hours on a 1960s England Under-23 trip and finally gave up. Ken Montgomery, Sunday Mirror, craftily wrote his order on the back of a cigarette pack and handed it to a waiter, then sat back smugly waiting to beat the log jam. Twenty minutes later his waiter returned with a new pack of cigarettes.

Best hotel stayed in?
The Camino Real in Mexico City. I was there for a month during the 1970 World Cup. It had 1000 rooms, all on the ground floor, with a small garden at the back of every room. Used to have to get a buggy to and from reception. The ‘fire brigade’ reporters, chasing follow-ups to the trumped-up  Bobby Moore jewel theft story, invited themselves into my room and all charged their meals to me. That took some explaining to the powers that be back home.

…and the worst?
A hotel in Sofia during the 1967 England Under-23 tour. Because of overbooking five of us had to share a two-bed room. There was quite a commotion when one of our brigade decide to wash his feet in the one hand basin.

Do you have a hobby?
Apart from trying (and failing) to play jazz piano, regular theatre visits, going to the House for PM Questions (political junkie), listening to the classics and reading, my only hobby is writing.

Favourite football writer?
It has to be McIlvanney, who always makes me feel as if I am writing by numbers.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Sadly both gone, Peter Jones and Brian Moore (who was my best mate in the media world and for whom I had the privilege of sharing obituary duties with Bob Wilson).

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
I am off the circuit now, but looking in from the outside I feel too much of what I read is spoon fed from conferences and agents. Whatever happened to the good old head to head interviews? I wonder how many of you have the home telephone numbers of all the major managers and players? I’ve got a feeling those days have gone.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
The Masters at the beautiful Augusta course.

Favourite non-football sportsman/sports woman?
Andy Murray, the best British tennis player of my life time (Fred Perry had taken out US citizenship by the time I arrived on this mortal coil). Muhammad Ali, with whom I spent a memorable three weeks in Munich in my boxing PR days when I was Richard Dunn’s mouthpiece. I was heavily outpointed by Ali.

Last book read?
I revisited What Makes Sammy Run by Budd Schulberg. Highly recommended for those who, like me, had copyboy experience.

Favourite current TV programme?
Sunday Supplement. I like to see what today’s football writers are thinking and saying. Neil Ashton is admirably filling those big shoes left behind by the much-mourned Brian Woolnough.

TV show you always switch off?
Any Soap or Big Brother-style reality show. I have better things to do with my life.

If you could bring one TV series back which would it be?
Saint and Greavsie. Football is so much up its own exhaust pipe that it has forgotten how to laugh at itself.

Favourite comedian?
Woody Allen in his 60s stand-up mode. Comedy delivered with the bite and accuracy of a Di Stefano pass. And I must mention Eric Morecambe, with whom I wrote newspaper and magazine columns for several years. He was a comic genius. Namedropping: Eric and I went to the Nou Camp to report the 1975 Barcelona-Leeds European Cup semi-final. Eric asked me to get a ticket for his good mate who was living in Barcelona, a chap called James Hunt. He turned up in bare feet! What a character. The following year he won the F1 world title.

What really, really annoys you?
Cheating footballers … cheats in any sport.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
My 1966 World Cup press pass.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Don’t! Seriously, look beyond the print world. I am convinced my youngest grandson (6) will never ever buy a printed newspaper. Hurt your brain to conquer the internet. Don’t just take what’s there. Add to it.

NORMAN GILLER, born in the East End 1940. London Evening News copyboy (“best possible education”), staff journalist with the Stratford Express,  Boxing News, London Evening Standard, Daily Herald, Daily Express, freelance columnist The Sun, Sunday Express, London Evening News, Sunday Telegraph … 14 years a scriptwriting member of the This Is Your Life team, co-producer more than 50 sports videos/DVDs… just writing his 95th book, Bill Nicholson Revisited. Twenty books in harness with Jimmy Greaves.

IAN STAFFORD of the Mail on Sunday on dousing a flaming laptop at Highbury…eating an elephant’s backside…and playing alongside Romario

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Have you ever worked in a profession other than football? :
Well I guess the true answer is I work in pretty much all sports and that’s how it’s always been apart from student days when, like everyone else, I did a million jobs.

Most memorable match?
One I’ve covered? Probably the 1990 World Cup semi when England lost on pens to (who else?) the Germans, Gazza cried and Waddle’s shot is still rising 23 years on.

 
The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
It’s already on: Man City’s dramatic stoppage time win v QPR to take the title and leave Man Utd stunned at Sunderland. Incredible last three minutes at both the Etihad and Stadium of Light. I’d also like a DVD entitled Unsung Stars of the 70’s and show all the skills of Bowles, Hudson, George, Worthington, Currie et al – brilliant players and the kind of personalities we miss today who should have each won 50 caps but didn’t get close.

Best stadium?
Allianz, Munich; Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.


…and the worst?
Plough Lane, Wimbledon – remember the press box?

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Not had too many personally, but I remember a distinguished member of the football press saw his laptop literally catch fire in the heat spot at the old Highbury press box. I sat behind him and helped put the fire out.

 
Biggest mistake?
I fell out with Martin O’Neill, of all people, many years ago. He took offence to a headline and wrote about it in his match day programme. I felt he went way over the top. It wasn’t really a mistake, but you never want to fall out with managers, do you? I remember arriving at Oxford United at half-time once when they were in the top flight after train and taxi problems. I’d missed the whole of the first half, when all three goals were scored and there had been a red card. Nothing happened in the second half and my report came from second hand information. That Sunday I received an email from my sports editor of the time saying it was the best match report I’d done for him.

 
Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Many times, but nobody famous, although I argue I resemble a young Robert Redford.

 
Most media friendly manager?
Personally it’s been Walter Smith who let me play for his Everton team once again v Manchester City. Mind you, he did say as he looked at me in the Everton strip about to play: “Forty years in football and I think I’ve just made my biggest mistake.” And obviously Harry.

 
Best ever player?
Since I’ve been watching football Pele, Maradona and Best, with Cruyff just behind. Messi and Ronaldo are pretty special, though. I liked Le Tissier, too. He mainly scored spectacular goals, didn’t he?

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Brazil 1970, Barcelona (take your pick), Ajax of the mid-70’s, Milan in the early 90’s, Liverpool in the late 70’s.

Best pre-match grub?
In the old days it used to be, of all places, Luton Town. Now hard to beat Chelsea.

Best meal had on your travels?
So many top meals with, er, “football contacts.” Can’t single one out although the Court of Ian Woodlridge was always special.

…and the worst?
Elephant backside in South Africa. It was, er, tough. When I asked if elephants were allowed to be cooked the waiter told me: “If it’s died from disease.”

Best hotel stayed in?
Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi

…and the worst?
The place I originally stayed in Sardinia for the 1990 World Cup. There were chickens running down the corridors and the hotel manager was Italy’s version of “Manuel” from Fawlty Towers.

Do you have a hobby?
If only I had the luxury of time. Play guitar a bit and climb the odd mountain.

Favourite football writer?
I was brought up on Brian Glanville and David Lacey. My much missed buddy Joe Melling wasn’t best known for his writing, but his ability to break stories was second to none. Nowadays Henry Winter’s very good, as are The Times’s Oliver Kay and Oliver Holt of the Daily Mirror, but our business is fortunate to have many, many fine football writers.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
In football? I used to like Coleman’s “1-0,” and Barry Davies’s musings. These days? Jonathan Pearce has really grown on me. He used to blast my ears off when commentating for Capital if I sat in front of him in a press box many moons ago, but now he is a fine and subtle commentator.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
I’d try and get a few more writers and players functions going. Maybe it’s naive to think we can all go back. The business of football has changed so much, but we all recall with fondness the days when we could have a drink with a player and share a few things. Players really should be taught a little about the media works, too. If they understood it more it would only help them.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
I’ve been very lucky and experienced just about everything. Inside football – I’m cheating – it’s England winning the World Cup. Outside? After England winning the rugby world cup and so many Ashes series,  the London Olympics, Wiggins winning the TDF and Murray winning Wimbledon there’s very little else to see.

Favourite non-football sportsman/sports woman?
Steve Redgrave. The most impressive will and spirit in sport. Overcame every obstacle thrown at him to become Britain’s greatest Olympian – yes, still! And Australian athlete Cathy Freeman. Amazing woman who told me I played guitar having met me for 5 seconds. I asked how she knew and she pointed out the hardness of skin on the tips of my fingers! Won 400m gold with the eyes of a nation on her and did so much for the indigenous people.

Last book read?
Into Thin Air – a gripping account of the 1996 Everest disaster. Brilliant and traumatic read.

Favourite current TV programme?
Mock the Week, Homeland.

TV show you always switch off?
Soaps. Jeremy Kyle.

If you could bring one TV series back which would it be?
The best leave you wanting more – I’d love a full on Superstars with all the top stars involved, but Kevin Keegan falling off his bike put paid to that.

Favourite comedian?
Really like MIlton Jones from today. In the past? The mush missed Eric Morecambe.

What really, really annoys you?
Headlines that do not reflect the story; young sports stars wanting money before they open their mouths; people walking slowly in front of you on a street with their head in a mobile phone; people shouting down their phones in a train’s “Quiet Zone;” TV blaming the press for stories they cover with just as much zeal. I could go on…

Your most prized football memorabilia?
My Flamengo shirt I wore in a training match in Rio de Janeiro where my striking (surely strike? – Ed) partner was Romario, and my Everton jersey I wore against Manchester City. I wouldn’t sell them for anything because memories are priceless.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
You need to be multi-media. And you must never see it as a job, but a passion.

WHY CAN TODAY’S STARS NOT PLAY AS MANY GAMES AS YESTERDAY’S HEROES?

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DID THEY breed them tougher in the old days? Are current footballers pampered? Have managers taken rotation to an unnecessary level?

Yes, the game is faster now, yes, players are stronger while there is a perception among managers that they must rotate for domestic cups and even European competitions to keep their top stars fresh for the Barclays Premier League, even though for most clubs the Capital One Cup and FA Cup represent their only realistic chance of silverware.

But why could players of yesteryear play week-in, week-out with managers choosing virtually the same starting XI for each game? Were they so tough they were immune to injury? Did Bobby Charlton and others never feel tired or stale and need a rest? Did they never lose form?

For reasons which come under the “should-get-out-more” category, I discovered that Manchester United’s participation in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup of 1964/65 was remarkable for the fact that in their 11 ties, they used only 12 players. In their 11 European games between September and mid-June – yes June – Matt Busby used the same starting XI in 10 of their 11 ties: Pat Dunne, Shay Brennan, Bill Foulkes, Nobby Stiles, Tony Dunne, John Connelly, Pat Crerand, Bobby Charlton, David Herd, Denis Law and George Best. The exception was for their first match against Djurgardens IF in Stockholm when Maurice Setters played instead of Law. After that, in the modern parlance, it was cut and paste.

In these days of rotation, not to mention suspensions and injuries, such consistency of selection would be unthinkable. Three consecutive unchanged starting XI’s is a rarity at the highest level in 2013. In fact, at most levels.

United played 60 games in all competitions that season with Tony Dunne, Brennan, Foulkes and Connelly ever-presents; Best, Charlton and Stiles each missed one game; Crerand (57), Pat Dunne (55), Herd (55) and Law (52) completed the 50-plus brigade. It meant Matt Busby chose virtually the same team for every Football League game (there were 42), every FA Cup tie and every European tie. And remember, there were no substitutes so players used to play the full 90 minutes, unless significantly injured. David Meek would have been correct with 99 per cent of his predictions for United’s team in the Manchester Evening News.

Their first game was against West Bromwich Albion on August 22, their last was an Inter Cities Fair Cup semi-finals playoff against  Ferencváros in Budapest on June 16. United had won the first-leg 3-2, losing the away tie in Hungary 1-0; 3-3 on aggregate, but there was no away-goals ruling them so a third game to determine the winner was needed – 10 days after the second leg in Budapest as the Reds lost the toss for home advantage.  Ferencváros won 1-0.

While in no way understating Busby’s qualities as a manager, he did not have the selection dilemmas his successors do. These days, to formulate his side (plus substitutes) a manager will use his experience and knowledge having seen the opponents regularly on television, consult with his coaches and study statistics of just about every aspect of the opposition before deciding on his team and tactics.

For Busby, there were no CD’s to watch, there was no live league football on TV or a database of stats to plough through, just a hand-written scouting report. It was a case of: this is my team – try to beat it. Which proved very difficult – in 1964/65 United won the old Football League first division title and reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the Inter Cities Fairs Cup, the forerunner to what is now the Europa League

Back then, tiredness did not appear to be in football’s vocabulary, despite European travel that meant changing flights, long train journeys and occasionally not returning to England until the Friday, perhaps even less than 24 hours before a league game. The days of charter flights were still in their infancy. A trip to the old Soviet Union could mean flying to Moscow and then, after the obligatory delay at immigration, enduring an eight-hour train journey where other the passengers could include chickens or goats. Maybe both.

Yet players went out, played in every game, managed to avoid injury and remained fresh throughout the 10-month season. No moaning about the fixture list or playing on successive days over Christmas. And medical care was in its infancy compared to today. The physio was a guy with a dreaded cold sponge (and how it seemed to work). Treatment for many injuries was little more than a massage, perhaps with a heated lamp.

Jimmy Greaves tells the story of needing a muscle strain treated and was asked to come back later as the physio was “busy with someone else.” It transpired the physio was treating his greyhound who was running the following day. The dog was on the physio table receiving the same treatment as Greaves was to undergo.

Last season, no United player started all 38 games in the Barclays Premier League. Robin van Persie was selected for the most matches – 35, with Patrice Evra and Michael Carrick joint-second with 34. In all competitions Carrick and Evra chalked up the most starts – 42 out of a possible 54.

On a most-games-started basis, United’s team was (club/internationals): De Gea (41*/46) – Rafael/27*/27), Ferdinand (31/31), Evans (28/33), Evra (42/46) – Valencia (29/36), Carrick (42/47), Cleverley (28*/35), Kagawa (22/25) – van Persie (40/45), Rooney (31*/38) *includes one appearance in the League Cup which Busby’s team did not play in.

Compare that to Busby’s “Duracells”: P. Dunne (55/56), Brennan (60/60), Foulkes (60/60), Stiles (59/63), T. Dunne (60/62), Connelly (60/63), Crerand (57/57), Charlton (59/62), Herd (55/55), Law (52/58), Best (59/66).

The overall totals of Ferguson’s last United season were boosted by substitute appearances which were not possible in 1964/65. The most used sub was Valencia who came on 11 times for an average of 22 minutes.

True, there were fewer midweek games in 1964/65 with no League Cup, but against that Busby’s team played four more league matches than Sir Alex Ferguson’s side did last season. And 50 years ago the pitches were far more strength-sapping, some resembling ploughed fields and a far cry from the bowling greens today’s sides enjoy. Van Persie and company also have far more protection from referees than their predecessors. Having your name taken was unusual while a sending-off was even more of a rarity. In the Sixties defenders  had a license to kick, though they had to get close enough to Best in the first place.

Comparing different eras is always a tricky exercise, but it is difficult to escape the feeling that the stars of yesteryear were made of sterner stuff. Maybe it was the steak and chips before matches that did it.

FWA SPOTLIGHT: Qatar 2022

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SO WHAT FIRST ATTRACTED YOU TO THE INCREDIBLY OIL-RICH, POWERFUL QATAR IN THE FIRST PLACE?

AT THEIR two-day meeting in Zurich on October 3/4, FIFA’s executive committee will make the decision to change the timing of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from summer to winter. It is item 25 on the agenda: “2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar: period of the competition.”

FIFA were warned about the dangers of the searing summer heat in Qatar before votes were cast, but in December 2010 the exco still voted in favour of Qatar, who beat the United States 14-8 in the final round of voting. The 2022 World Cup will either be held in January of that year or in November/December. Whenever it is played, there will be widespread disruption to most European leagues with around 15 fixture postponements for Premier League clubs.

Christopher Davies spoke to Martyn Ziegler, chief sports reporter for the Press Association, about the exco meeting.

WHY DID THE FIFA EXCO VOTE FOR QATAR IN THE FIRST PLACE?
The majority of them voted for it with a combination of football political alliances and self interest. Spain’s FIFA member and the South Americans all voted for Qatar in a sort of quid pro quo with the Asians voting for Spain/Portugal for 2018. Nobody denied that was happening.  If you believe Michel Platini, he did it because he thinks the World Cup should go to the Middle East as it has never been staged there. Other people did it for, let’s say non-football reasons.

SO HOW DID QATAR WIN?
There is a famous line from Mrs Merton: “So what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?” For Qatar it could be: “So what first attracted you to the incredibly oil-rich, powerful Qatar in the first place?” For example, Qatar had picked up the bill totalling millions of dollars for hosting the African Confederation Congress in Angola. That was deemed to be fair play [in the bidding process].

SEPP BLATTER WANTS THE WORLD CUP MOVED FROM SUMMER TO WINTER. IS THERE ANY CHANCE HE WON’T GET HIS WAY?
No. All 54 national associations in UEFA agreed it could not be played during the summer. So it will either be switched to winter or it gets moved from Qatar and no one close to FIFA thinks for a second that will happen.

THE REASON FOR THE PENDING CHANGE – THE HIGH TEMPERATURES – WERE APPARENT AT THE TIME OF THE VOTE…
FIFA have got themselves into all sorts of difficulties about this. Blatter probably never envisaged Qatar was going to win.

ONLY AROUND HALF OF THE CURRENT EXCO WHO WILL VOTE ON THIS WERE PART OF THE ORIGINAL 2010 PANEL. SOME HAVE DEPARTED IN CONTROVERSIAL CIRCUMSTANCES…
I still think a lot who remain would still vote for Qatar, so if there was a re-vote they’d still win.

FEW PEOPLE HAVE ANY PROBLEMS WITH RUSSIA WINNING THE VOTE FOR 2018…
Russia are the last big football country in Europe never to have staged the World Cup.  They also have a very powerful president [Vladimir Putin] who knows how to play the game. FIFA saw how much money they had committed to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and Putin will ensure the money is there is needed [for 2018].

DO YOU AGREE WITH THE CONCEPT OF ROTATING THE WORLD CUP BETWEEN THE CONTINENTS?
To an extent but when it went to South America in 2014 Brazil were the only candidates. No other country came forward so in this respect there is no competition. I don’t think it should be strict rotation, it should be Europe, where club football is focused, every third World Cup.

GOING BACK TO THE EXCO MEETING, WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE?
Blatter will tell the committee that their medical chief thinks the 2022 World Cup should be moved from summer because of the risk to fans. They won’t decide exactly when it will be – November or January – but the committee will be asked to vote in principle for a winter World Cup. Possibly the only dissenting voice will be Sunil Gulati of the USA who thinks it is too early to make such a decision even in principle. Gulati is in a difficult position as he was the leader of the Americans’ rival bid for 2022

WHILE BLATTER IS CORRECT TO SAY FOOTBALL DOESN’T EXIST JUST IN EUROPE, IT THE FINANCIAL POWER OF WORLD FOOTBALL AND A SWITCH TO WINTER WILL CAUSE CHAOS FOR MOST EUROPEAN LEAGUES…
It will cause problems in England especially. In countries where there is a winter break it will cause less disruption. That’s why there hasn’t been quite the same opposition as there has been from the Premier League.

GERMANY HAVE A WINTER BREAK STARTING AROUND THE SECOND WEEKEND IN DECEMBER, WITH A NOVEMBER WORLD CUP IT WOULD IN EFFECT MEANS A BREAK OF THREE MONTHS IN THE BUNDESLIGA…
Most of the Europeans want in to be in January. That would cause a problem with the Winter Olympics so FIFA would have to ensure the World Cup is over before the Games started.There is a view that the 2022 World Cup could be played in April/May but that would affect Cup finals, Champions League finals and so forth.

THERE MUST BE A TWO-WEEK BREAK FROM THE END OF DOMESTIC FOOTBALL AND THE START OF THE WORLD CUP. WHERE WOULD TEAMS PLAY WARM-UP GAMES FOR A JANUARY WORLD CUP?
That is one reason why FIFA won’t make a definite timescale decision yet, though they will want to get it sorted before the World Cup next year. Jerome Valcke, the FIFA general secretary, will get together with people such as Richard Scudamore and heads of national associations to discuss the best way round the switch.

THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE WILL NOT BE AFFECTED, BUT WHAT WILL PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS DO DURING WHAT WILL AMOUNTS TO A SIX- OR SEVEN-WEEK BREAK IN DOMESTIC FOOTBALL?
Good question. This is something else for the agenda.

FIFA WILL EVENTUALLY SAY THE 2022 WILL BE PLAYED FROM THIS DATE UNTIL THIS DATE. THEN NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS WILL SOMEHOW HAVE TO STRETCH OR CRAM IN THEIR DOMESTIC PROGRAMME AROUND THE WORLD CUP…
FIFA have influence over the international calendar so they can scrap dates for friendlies.  The FA may have to scrap FA Cup replays for a season, everyone will have to give something. Clubs will probably have to play from June through to July

WILL FIFA GIVE UP THEIR CLUB WORLD CUP WHICH IS HELD IN DECEMBER?
They may have to for one year.

BLATTER WANTS THE VOTING PROCESS FOR FUTURE WORLD CUPS TO BE CHANGED, THE DECISION BEING MADE BY THE 200-PLUS FIFA NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS RATHER THAN THE 24-MEMBER EXCO…
Will that be a good thing? I’m not convinced. In some ways it may be better, in others it may be more challenging. The whole bidding process…who votes, the rules, everything…needs looking at. What has happened with the 2018 and 2022 bids can never happen again.