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FWA Q&A: James Ducker

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JAMES DUCKER, Northern Football Correspondent of The Times, on Bruce Lee in the mixed zone…doing a chicken dance for Geri Halliwell…and drinking a £500 bottle of Disney wine

Your first ever job in journalism?
I did a week’s work experience on the Manchester Evening News sports desk about four months after starting at university in Sheffield. Someone must have been feeling charitable that week because they asked me back and gradually I started to do more and more to the point where I was working regularly in a freelance capacity on sport by the time I reached my third and final year at university. I remember having to ask the sports editor if he would write to one of my lecturers requesting more time to complete my dissertation as I’d worked almost non-stop one Christmas for the MEN and neglected my degree work in the process. Fortunately, the lecturer took pity on me. I can still vividly remember my relief. The MEN then sponsored me through a journalism diploma at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and when I finished there I started as a full time staff news reporter.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
No, I’m not sure any other profession would have me.

Most memorable match?
Difficult one that, I’ve been fortunate enough to cover some pretty great matches during my time on The Times. It’s a somewhat unoriginal choice but Manchester City’s dramatic 3-2 win against QPR on the final day of last season will probably stick with me forever, for numerous reasons. Manchester United’s 4-3 win over City at Old Trafford in September 2009 also left a mark on me, not because of the see-saw nature of the game and Michael Owen’s exquisite 96th minute winner in “Fergie time” but also because of Ferguson’s post-match press conference when he came out with all that stuff about “noisy neighbours”. Memorable match for the wrong reasons? England’s abject goalless draw against Algeria in Cape Town at the 2010 World Cup. God that was bad.

Best stadium?
Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion and the Bernabeu.

…and the worst?
Doncaster’s old Belle Vue ground. It wasn’t the worst stadium per se, but it felt like it in December 2005 – a few days before Christmas – when, with no power point and no internet, Arsenal were taken into extra-time and I had to file a big match report and back page splash via a copytaker in zero time. It should have been a great game to cover and the atmosphere in the ground was electric but I just remember it being complete misery. So my view of Belle Vue was forever (and probably unfairly) skewed after that.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
How long have you got? Things actually seem to have picked up technology wise over the past year or so but I will always remember being at the Nou Camp to cover the first leg of Manchester United’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in 2008 and Craig Tregurtha, my football editor at the time, coming on the phone an hour or so before kick-off and saying, ‘James Ducker, sure to be the busiest man at the Nou Camp tonight’. I didn’t mind that at all at the time. There was no wi-fi, or if there was I couldn’t access it, but my 3G was working fine so I was still pretty relaxed when the order came over: ratings of 80 words per man per team plus 30 words per substitute – in effect about 2,000 words – which needed to be filed about 20 minutes before the final whistle. And also a big technical breakdown in six separate 100 word chunks – so another 600 words. The first-half was fine. Then when I went to file some copy towards the end of half-time the 3G shutdown. The words “technical error” followed by a series of terrifying looking numbers and letters screamed at me. I faffed around in a state of nauseous shock for about 15 minutes – way too long, in hindsight – and then got on to copy. At those moments, you pray you get a copytaker who knows something about football. Inevitably, I didn’t. ‘How do you spell that again?’ was all I heard for the next 45 minutes or so. The conversation went something like this: Copytaker: “Can I just check, so that’s ‘Abigail’?”; Me: “No, it’s ‘A-BI-DAL’. A for alpha, B for bravo … You get my the idea. I got there in the end, just, but it was one of the longest nights of my life. At least Neil Custis and Ian Ladyman cheered me up later but attempting to recreate a scene from a Bruce Lee film in the mixed zone. I’ll never forget Laydo’s kung-fu pose. Priceless.

Most embarrassing moment in the job?
I was working at the MEN when the news editor suggested I should ‘audition’ for Pop Stars, one of the predecessors to X-Factor, and write a story on it for the next day’s paper. I’ve the worst voice imaginable so I was torn between trying to sing a notoriously tough ballad while giving the impression that I thought I was really good like a lot of lunatics on those shows do or just doing something silly. In the end I did a chicken dance while singing Jingle Bells in front of Pete Waterman and Geri Halliwell. She didn’t even laugh. She just looked at me with complete contempt. They later rang me up to request permisson to use the ‘footage’ on the highlights package but, regrettably or thankfully, I’m not sure which, my one shot at stardom never aired.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Err, I’m not sure I should admit this but I encountered a Liverpool supporter once who was convinced I was Dietmar Hamann. He – the supporter that is – must have been smoking something. My close mates thought this was hilarious as they were always taking the **** out of me for apparently looking like him (No James, you should not have admitted this – Ed).

Most media friendly manager?
Wigan’s Roberto Martinez, by some distance. Very good manager, even better person.

Best ever player?
The best player I’ve seen live on a regular basis over a decent period of time is Cristiano Ronaldo.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
The current Barcelona and Spain teams in my lifetime. It’s hard to argue otherwise.

Best pre-match grub?
No contest. Manchester City all day and everyday. Even I could get fat dining there.

Best meal had on your travels?
It was actually not while away covering football but on a press trip to LA courtesy of Disney. I just remember eating like a king for a week at LA’s best restaurants and washing the stuff down with £500 bottles of Chianti with a group of equally disbelieving newspaper reporters.

…and the worst?
I had a sort of stew once in Riga, Latvia after which I was evacuating at both ends for the next 24 hours.

Best hotel stayed in?
I’m sure I’ve stayed in some nice ones but they all tend to blur into one in the end. Does that sound ungrateful?

…and the worst?
My last actually – an apartment in Kiev while covering the Euros that cost £360 a night but which I decided would make a perfect location for a low-rent slasher film.

Favourite football writer?
I can’t believe I’m bringing myself to write this but Danny Taylor on the Guardian writes a terrific feature. I accept cheques, Daniel, but no cash in the post please. For all round capability, my Times colleague Matt Dickinson takes some beating.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
TV pundit would have to be Gary Neville. He’s injected some much needed quality and incisive analysis into TV punditry. I like Ian Dennis and John Murray on 5 Live.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
In some respects, I think we’re past the point of no return. Players and journalists are never going to have the relationship they once did for a whole raft of reasons and football clubs want more and more control over communications now as the sport becomes an ever bigger business. But I think it’s important there is a relationship between journalists and the hierarchies at all clubs. Of course, that relationship won’t last or work if there is not mutual trust and respect and that has to be built up over time but it would help to cut out some of the spurious rumours and duff information that routinely circulate.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
I’m not sure I can pick just one. A title fight between two great boxers in Las Vegas would be pretty special to watch as would the Wimbledon final or the 100m final at London 2012. I’m not a fan of American Football as such but attending the Super Bowl would be some experience.

Last book read?
I’m reading two at the moment – Stuart Maconie’s brilliant Pies and Prejudice and the last in the Millennium triology, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest.

Favourite current TV programme?
I’ve just finished Series 5 of Mad Men, which was probably the best yet. I’m two episodes in on Hit & Miss, which is very good.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
I used to love that kind of thing as a kid but I have no interest in it now.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
I’d look at new opportunities opening up via social media and things like that rather than just focusing solely on trying to get into the media via traditional routes such as newspapers, radio or TV. The industry is facing some tough changes and challenges and it’s imperative you weigh up all of these things very carefully before deciding what avenue to pursue.

FWA Q&A: Dominic Fifield

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Guardian football writer Dominic Fifield on ruining people’s holidays in France…Ashley Cole putting the boot in on lap-tops…and curry for breakfast

Your first ever job in journalism?
I had work experience on papers from the Yorkshire Post to the Croydon Advertiser, but the first proper job I was offered was a traineeship at the Guardian. Unless you count working for periods as a press officer at Crystal Palace Football Club, which was far more about dealing with journalists than actually being one.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
I worked for a company called Europ Assistance, offering British motorists abroad roadside assistance when their cars broke down on holiday. Usually in France. It was telephone work mainly spent reassuring people whose head gasket had just blown that their holiday had not, in fact, been ruined. And then talking to the mechanic we’d called out who would invariably confirm that there was no repairing said “joint de culasse” and that their holiday was therefore, indeed, ruined. It did not always end well.

Most memorable match?
Probably the 2005 European Cup final in Istanbul, which still feels vaguely ridiculous even seven years on. One of my senior colleagues chose to write about Harry Kewell’s surprise inclusion against Milan just before kick-off and I was therefore switched to do a piece on Steven Gerrard instead. As it turned out, Kewell hobbled off after 23 minutes and Gerrard inspired Liverpool’s ludicrous comeback and ended up as man of the match. Luckily enough.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
“David Hopkin, looking to curl one.” Wembley stadium, 90th minute, 26 May 1997. [Crystal Palace v Sheffield United play-off final]

Best stadium?
Cowboys stadium in Dallas with Chelsea was one of the more spectacular modern ones, but I like the Westfalenstadion in Dortmund. An arena more interesting than the town.

…and the worst?
The Central Stadium, Almaty for Kazakhstan v England in the summer of 2009. The press box was quickly crammed so the FA put out seats pitch-side next to the dug-outs. We sat there with laptops perched on our knees and Ashley Cole attempting to boot every clearance into touch right at us.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Once lost a 2,000 word transcript of an interview with Salif Diao when my computer froze. Some people might, of course, consider that a blessing.

Biggest mistake?
Probably misjudging deadline timings when covering my first Merseyside derby, a late afternoon kick-off on Easter Monday in April 2001. Liverpool went down to 10 but ended up winning 3-2 with a long-range goal from Gary McAllister in stoppage time. I took it all in, listened to the managers’ post-match press conferences and started writing it up before noticing there were four missed calls on my mobile phone. The last one was the chief sub saying: “Dom, where are you? We need your copy. We’re reaching meltdown here.” I’d just assumed I had an hour after the final whistle. They took in PA for first edition…

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Someone over here in Poland has accused me of looking like Phil Jones. Which, considering he’s virtually half my age, I’m taking as a massive compliment even if it is a reflection more of him than me.

Most media friendly manager?
Carlo Ancelotti.

Best ever player?
Zinedine Zidane. Just edges out Vince Hilaire.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
The best I’ve seen were probably Barcelona and Spain of the modern era. Though I’ve rarely witnessed either actually win in the flesh…

Best pre-match grub?
Chelsea are directly responsible for me putting on at least a stone over the last season.

Best meal had on your travels?

Fresh seafood cooked dockside at dawn in Busan, South Korea after a few of us had stayed out all night following England’s victory over Argentina at the 2002 World Cup. God knows why we ended up at the docks – I’m blaming the bloke from the Daily Mail for that – but the boats were coming in and their catches were being kept in buckets of sea water on the quayside. There were octopuses clambering out of one trough and into another, seeking the sea. We were invited to have a beer and a stir-fry, cooked outside, by some of the locals. Never tasted better.

…and the worst?
Andouillettes in Troyes with Leeds back in 2001. Can still taste intestine now.

Best hotel stayed in?
The Busan Lotte was special, but the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur served curry for breakfast. This is all becoming slightly foodie…

…and the worst?
Can’t remember the name but it was a chain hotel in Eindhoven, and it appeared to have its own micro-climate. I stayed in a freezing February and had my face bitten to pieces overnight by mosquitoes in my room.

Favourite football writer?
Paul Hayward.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
John Murray.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Try and instigate a greater level of trust between the clubs and the journalists covering them.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
An England Test match victory at the SCG or MCG to win the Ashes.

Last book read?
Dark Matter, by Michelle Paver.

Favourite current TV programme?
My obsession has switched from The Wire to Scandinavian cop dramas… so The Killing, The Bridge or Wallander.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
I’m not a big collector, but I have an Everton programme signed by Sylvester Stallone. And a Palace shirt signed by Andrew Johnson. Only one of them is mounted on the office wall.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Contrary to the cliché, it’s not all about opinion. You need to do put in the news scuffling to be able to offer up an insight.

FWA Q&A: Shaun Custis

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Shaun Custis (Chief Football Writer, The Sun) on being a theatre critic and a double-glazing salesman…being told by Fergie to work in Glasgow…and dog day afternoon in South Korea

Your first ever job in journalism?
I did a week’s work experience on The Hexham Courant where my first byline read Theatre: By Shaun Custis which will have some of my colleagues spitting out their sparkling water in disbelief. On my last day one of the reporters left a note for his mate warning him not to touch my typewriter because he had wired it up to 10,000 volts.

My first full-time job was on the Coalville Times in Leicestershire and my first interview was with the very pleasing on the eye gymnast Suzanne Dando who was opening a local leisure centre. She thanked me for my time and I floated out of the front door thinking ‘is every day like this when you’re a journalist?’ I soon discovered that it wasn’t.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
I did a week training to be a double-glazing salesman. Strangely it actually helped me when I went into newspapers because it taught me a lot about how to soften people up and get them to trust you.

Most memorable match?
As a youngster nothing beats Blyth Spartans 1 Wrexham 2 in an FA Cup fifth round replay at St James’s Park in 1978.

In my work life it’s level-pegging between Germany 1 England 5 in Munich and Liverpool coming back from three down in the Champions League final against AC Milan in Istanbul. Mind you Manchester City’s win over QPR to take the Barclays Premier League title runs them close.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Malcolm Macdonald’s hat-trick against Liverpool on his home debut for Newcastle in 1971. Supermac was born.

Best stadium?
Durban’s newly built ground for the 2010 World Cup – fantastic atmosphere and great working facilities.

…and the worst?
The Tofik Bakhramov Stadium in Aerbaijan. We were squashed together on rickety benches without shelter in the cold and rain and no-one could not get a signal. I eventually filed some copy from the showers in the stadium which also doubled up as a toilet for the fans. Number ones and number twos were much in evidence and I’m not talking about the chief football reporters and their deputies.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Knocking my computer off the desk at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and watching it bounce off three steps of concrete. I tried to switch it on and it wouldn’t work meaning I had to file 1,000 words on copy. When I flicked it on the next morning it sprang back to life.

Biggest mistake?
Excitedly telling Alex Ferguson that I was a new football reporter on The People and looked forward to working with him. He replied that he hated the paper and everybody on it and that he would get me a job in Glasgow where his mate was the sports editor. He said if I didn’t take the job he would have nothing more to do with me and he’s pretty much stuck to his word.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Whenever I went to The Open in the late 80s I was often mistaken for the Australian golf Ian Baker-Finch. After he won the title in 1993 it got even sillier and I was once pursued through the car park by a Japanese TV crew who refused to accept that I wasn’t him.

Most media friendly manager?
Arsene Wenger – whether life is good or bad he never ducks an issue, however annoyed he might be with the line of questioning.

Best ever player?
My personal favourite was Malcolm Macdonald but growing up watching the game on television I realised Johan Cruyff was pure genius.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Arsenal invincibles of 2004, Holland in the 70s, Newcastle Journal Wednesday League Cup winners 1987.

Best pre-match grub?
Chelsea – great variety and very nice cakes which you know you must resist but can’t

Best meal had on your travels?
A plate of elk in Estonia very late in the evening. The meal also sticks in the memory because Steve Howard got very excited about the fact there were ashtrays at the table and he could smoke indoors. Suddenly a waitress came round, took his ashtray, and told Steve not to light up. The smoking ban in Estonia had started at midnight and it was now 12.05am.

…and the worst?
Dog in South Korea on the basis you have to try everything once – once was more than enough.

Best hotel stayed in?
It was in Crete when a few of us were lucky enough to be sent to a game between Greece and Albania because we were checking out the Greeks before their match against England in 2001. We stayed for four days in a hotel with a gorgeous pool, wonderful rooms and a sensational view and there were beach bars down a little flight of steps which stayed open till four in the morning. The office asked for ten pars!

Worst hotel stayed in?
A flea pit in Donetsk when Arsenal played there in 2000. We slept in our clothes because of the bed bugs, there were gun guards on each floor and I queued for an hour at the supermarket next door to make a sandwich of mouldy cheese slices in a bread roll which I swear cracked the pavement when I dropped it.

Favourite football writer?
John Gibson of the Newcastle Evening Chronicle who made following the black and whites seem magical. He is the reason I wanted to go into football reporting as a kid.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
The ones from your childhood seem the most special, Peter Jones on Radio Two and Brian Moore on ITV. Brian introduced himself to me when I was working on a local paper and I couldn’t believe how he took such an interest in someone so far down the ladder.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Make players available every day – that way the occasional interview we do get would not seem like such a big deal fraught with danger.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
The Masters – I’m determined to get there one day.

Last book read?
Chris Evans – Memoirs of a Fruitcake. He is a self-confessed idiot who finally worked out what was important in life but had a hell of a good time getting there.

Favourite current TV programme?
The Good Wife (Channel 4) – quality drama.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
Michael Owen’s signed boots from World Cup 2006 for winning a football skills competition. Michael did a press conference afterwards and was asked what was the biggest surprise he’d ever had in the game? He replied – “seeing Shaun win a football skills contest.”

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
If there’s a fact you need to know ask Martin Lipton, if you need a radio soundbite anytime of day or night ask Henry Winter or John Cross, and if you want to know the best restaurant ask Martin Samuel – but make sure you’ve remortgaged your house.

FWA Q&A: David Lacey

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The Guardian’s David Lacey on newly-wed mothers-to-be…a horsey steak in Albania…and English hacks protesting in Sofia

Your first ever job in journalism?
Cub reporter on the Brighton Evening Argus. First assignment: Paying the managing editor’s electricity bill.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Only national service in the RAF. Never saw a plane!

Most memorable match?
1970 World Cup semi-final. Italy 4,West Germany 3

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Maradona’s dribble through the England defence in the 1986 World Cup

Best stadium?
Aztec Stadium in Mexico City

…and the worst?
Dinamo Berlin’s stadium on a freezing night with no cover..

Your personal new-tech disaster?
No-go in Japan in 2002. Phoned everything

Biggest mistake?
As a young sub on the Brighton Gazette laying out the weekly page of wedding pics I picked up a an old batch by mistake and several mothers-to-be found themselves in the paper as only just married.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Someone mistook me for Murray Walker saying I looked just like him. At least I didn’t sound like him.

Most media friendly manager?
Ron Greenwood, depending on the media.

Best ever player?
British : George Best. World : Pele.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Club : The first great Real Madrid side. International : 1970 Brazil.

Best pre-match grub?
The Emirates.

Best meal had on your travels?
A lunch St Etienne threw for the media when Ipswich played there in the early 80s. I’ve still got the menu.

…and the worst?
Several contenders from Eastern Europe. Albania’s steak and chips had just finished last in the 3.30 in Tirana.

Best hotel stayed in?
Broadmoor Country Club,Colorado Springs,before the 1986 World Cup.

…and the worst?
Can’t remember the name but it was in Sofia. The hacks travelling with England staged a sit-down outside the dump until the Cook’s man agreed we could move to a better hotel after one night.

Favourite football writer?
Geoffrey Green.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Radio Mike Ingham. TV Martin Tyler.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Greater mutual trust.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
Ashes test.

Last book read?
John Keegan. The American Civil War

Favourite current TV programme?
I only watch old films.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
The autographed England shirt with Lacey No 10 on the back the FA gave me after I had covered my 10th and last World Cup.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Always listen to the pros. They’ve played the game and have a unique insight.

FWA Q&A: Colin Malam

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COLIN MALAM on earphones and lap-tops…missing the kick-off at Wembley…and a brilliant Killing

Your first ever job in journalism?
I was a graduate trainee on the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo for three years. Then they declined to renew my contract and advised me to look for another occupation. So not the most auspicious of starts, as you might say.

Have you worked in a profession other than journalism?
Sort of. I was PRO for Westward Television in Plymouth for a short time; then, for an even shorter time, GEC in Coventry.

Most memorable match?
It has to be Liverpool’s extraordinary victory over AC Milan in the 2005 final of the Champions League.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
It’s already there, I think. It was when Pele mesmerised an advancing goalkeeper in the finals of the 1970 World Cup by going one side of him and allowing a pass to go the other.

Best stadium?
Tempted to say the Azteca in Mexico City or the River Plate in Buenos Aires, but nothing beats Anfield on a European night.

… and the worst?
Derby’s Baseball Ground used to be pretty bad, but it has to be Wimbledon’s old weatherbeaten home, Plough Lane.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
Where to start? I’ll bet the younger members of the profession cannot believe that, when abroad, we used to have to connect our laptops to a telephone receiver with a set of earphones to send copy. Needless to say, it didn’t always work.

Biggest mistake?
Travelling to London from Birmingham with Peter Batt and Bob Driscoll on the day I had finally persuaded the Birmingham Post to let me, then their new football correspondent, cover an England match at Wembley. Unfortunately, Peter and Bob were not working that day for their respective papers, the People and the old Sun. So we all repaired to their London local, the Cross Keys, and proceeded to have a high old time. Well they did, while I fretted about getting to Wembley. To cut a very long story short, I missed the kick-off and ended up running the last mile to the twin towers. Fortunately, Dennis Shaw, my oppo on the Birmingham Evening Mail, brought me up to speed once I collapsed into the press box, which was built into the roof at that time.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
No, can’t say I have. But I do recall failing to persuade a foreign football writer during the 1978 World Cup finals in Argentina that my companion, Denis Law, really was the great Denis Law.

Most media-friendly manager?
Terry Venables. Could be because I also collaborated with him on a book, of course. But Alan Ashman (who won the FA Cup with West Brom in 1968), Noel Cantwell, Ron Atkinson, Ron Greenwood and Arsene Wenger deserve an honourable mention.

Best ever player?
Lionel Messi takes some beating. Pele and Maradona were the greatest I saw before little Leo came along to challenge them.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
My favourite club side remains Bill Shankly’s first at Liverpool. It read: Lawrence; Lawler, Yeats, Smith, Byrne; Callaghan, Milne, Stevenson, Thompson; St John, Hunt … and performed miracles in the 60s and beyond. Internationally, it’s no contest. Brazil in 1970.

Best pre-match grub?
Again, no contest. Arsenal at the Emirates.

Best meal had on your travels?
A mountainous steak at a Buenos Aires steak house in 1978.

… and the worst?
A totally disastrous repast in Beijing during England’s short Asian tour before the finals of Euro 96. The restaurant was called the Peking Duck and served nothing edible. Four of us made our excuses and got some fast food across the road.

Best hotel stayed in?
The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, where England stayed for altitude training before the finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, was truly breathtaking.

Favourite football writer?
Hugh McIlvanney. His penetrating writing inspired me to become a journalist.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Two talented men from yesteryear. Peter Jones on radio, and Brian Moore on TV.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers, what would it be?
Make players and managers more easily available for interview. There is nothing worse for a Sunday football writer than waiting all week to hear whether his or her request has been granted.

One sporting event outside football you would like to experience?
An England v Australia test match in an Ashes series.

Last book read?
Charles Dickens, A Life by Claire Tomalin

Favourite current TV programme?
The Killing (Scandinavian version), if that counts as current.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
The England shirt signed by Sven-Goran Eriksson that was presented to me by the FA on my retirement in 2003.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Stay away from newspapers. Go into radio or TV: they have a much better future.

Colin Malam covers football for the Sunday Mirror

FWA Q&A: David Walker

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David Walker (Sports Editor, Sunday Mirror) on Blackburn’s freezing punch-up…fun with low-litre on a flight…and Brian Moore v Charlie Sale

Your first ever job in journalism?
Working in Manchester for D.C. Thomson, the publishers of the Weekly News, Sunday Post – as well as Beano and Dandy.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?
Yes. I spent five years in football as a director at Leeds United and Barnsley.

Most memorable match?
Liverpool beating St Etienne in the European Cup quater-final in 1977 at Anfield. Dominique Bathenay scored a left-footed screamer into the top corner at the Kemlyn Road end. You can find it on Youtube. It’s worth a visit.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Can I have two? Mark Viduka scoring all four goals for Leeds in a fight-back and 4-3 win over Liverpool at Elland Road in 2000. When Vidukes put his mind to it he could be an unstoppable opponent. Elland Road was rocking. It was a great game. Secondly, the Sing for your Supper nights staged by sponsors Opel for the media covering the Republic of Ireland away games. On the eve of a major international manager Jack Charlton would be there singing Blaydon Races. I particularly remember a special version of There Ain’t Nothing like a Dame, rewritten by the FWA’s Chris Davies. The new lyrics referred to a minor house fire suffered by a well-known TV pundit who was also in attendance. The lyrics scanned perfectly, Rodgers and Hammerstein would have been proud to hear the English press corps sing: “Beglin’s house went up in flames.”

Best stadium?
San Siro.

…and the worst?
Ali Sami Yen, home of Galatasaray until 2010 was the worst.  The coldest was the Lenin Stadium in Moscow for what we thought was a meaningless Champions League game between Spartak Moscow and Blackburn Rovers. The English champions had already gone out and were fulfilling the fixture. Some of the English press corps indulged in snow ball fights around the media cabins. After all, this was the game that wasn’t worth more than ten pars in our northern editions. Then David Batty and Graeme le Saux had their on-field fight and back page splashes and double page spreads were called for.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
I’m sure we’ve all endured that horrible moment when your computer screen slowly dies in front of you. It happened to me in Dublin in 1995 when the Republic of Ireland’s friendly with England had to be abandoned because of rioting England fans.  Thanks goodness the Daily Mail still had copy takers.

Biggest mistake?
There are probably too many but one was sitting between Tony Stenson and Peter Fitton on a late night trip from Izmir to Dublin. A litre of vodka had been purchased at duty free. That nice, friendly stewardess from Aer Lingus supplied the orange juice and all fluids were consumed by the correspondents on the flight. I was taking antibiotics and couldn’t touch alcohol. Let’s just say it made for an interesting three hours in the observer corps.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Yep, former Wales midfielder Peter Nicholas. I had more hair then. During the five-year ban on English clubs post-Heysel I covered a few Scottish teams and was in Aberdeen for a UEFA Cup tie. My old mate Ian Porterfield was their manager and we met up for a couple of beers on the eve of the game. The next day the Ian received complaints that Peter Nicholas had been spotted boozing in a local hotel and should be dropped. But the super grass hadn’t spotted the person “Nicko” was drinking with was the Dons manager. Ian put the complainant right.

Most media friendly manager?
Jack Charlton during his days as Ireland boss and here’s a surprise nomination: Alex Ferguson. In the days when we could get to him and Fergie gave us his home and mobile numbers,  we knew if we kept him talking long enough he always delivered a back page splash.

Best ever player?
Denis Law and Billy Bremner.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Johan Cruyff’s Holland, 1974-78. Didn’t win much but great to watch.

Best pre-match grub?
Steeles Restaurant (fish and chips), Cleethorpes.

Best meal had on your travels?
Botafumeiro, Barcelona. Recommended by Terry Venables. It was superb.

…and the worst?
The eve of match directors’ dinner in Ukraine when Leeds played Metallurg Zaporishny.

Best hotel stayed in?
Kempinski Palace, Istanbul.

…and the worst?
The brand new hotel in Tirana where the Republic of Ireland were billeted back in 1993. My room had cardboard window frames and cling film for glass.

Favourite football writer?
Ron Crowther (Daily Mail) for breaking stories. David Lacey (Guardian) for his analysis and match reports.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Clive Tyldesley (Radio City, Liverpool) Whatever happened to him?

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Make it mandatory that every club has media areas with working wi-fi and signals for mobile phone. The fact that journalists can’t do their jobs in media areas at several Barclays Premier League stadia is astonishing and unacceptable for “the best league in the world”. One sporting event outside football you would love to experience? Given Frank Warren is now promoting unlicensed fighters I’d like to see the Brian Moore – Charlie Sale showdown on the undercard to Haye v Chisora.

Last book read?
Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman

Favourite current TV programme?
Not a programme, a sports website called Firstrowsports – great for 24 hour coverage of live sports events from around the globe. Warning – it could end in divorce and is probably illegal!

Your most prized football memorabilia?
Leeds v Barcelona programme from 1975 European Cup semi-final, signed by Johan Cruyff.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Be honest and open in your work. And when you get a major rollicking from a famous manager make sure you keep pursuing stories with him. Never skulk away and let him think he’s beaten you. Funnily enough, there are plenty of old pros who’ll confirm some of their best, lifelong contacts and relationships started out as rows over copy or headlines.

FWA Q&A: Nigel Clarke

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

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

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

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

Best stadium?
The Olympic stadium in Rome.

…and the worst?
Crystal Palace.

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

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

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

Most media friendly manager?
Malcolm Allison. Different class.

Best ever player?
George Best.

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

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

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

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

Best hotel stayed in?
Plaza New York.

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

Favourite football writer?
Ian Ladyman.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Brian Moore.

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

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

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

Favourite current TV programme?
Countryfile.

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

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

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

FWA Q&A: James Mossop

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Favourite football writer?
Henry Winter.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Rob Hawthorne.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FWA Q&A: Neil Custis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FWA Q&A: Cathal Dervan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Favourite current TV programme?
The Big Bang Theory.

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

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