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FWA Q&A: Paul Lennon

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Paul Lennon of the Irish Daily Star on a smelly Stafa…taking the Pierce…and why Jack is all right

Have you ever worked in a profession other than football?
In weekly newspapers, The Drogheda Local News and Meath Weekender in Navan, I covered news, features, music and many sports. While football featured prominently, so too did gaelic football and, to a lesser extent, hurling. When I began to work in Dublin, I initially combined football with the two gaelic codes.

Most memorable match?
That’s a tough one. For sheer drama on the big occasion, it’s hard to surpass Manchester United’s 2-1 Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich in 1999. Considering that Alex Ferguson selected a lob-sided midfield, was without the suspended Roy Keane and Paul Scholes and that United were outplayed for lengthy spells, the last gasp double was truly extraordinary.

From an Irish perspective, I was amongst the Green Army behind Peter Shilton’s goal in the Neckarstadion in Stuttgart in June, 1988 when my Irish Daily Star columnist colleague Ray Houghton headed the ball into the English net. Ireland’s first ever appearance at a major tournament celebrated by a win over the auld enemy in the opening game.  ‘Razor’ repeated the feat against Italy in Ireland’s opening match of the 1994 World Cup finals in Giants Stadium. By now, I was amongst the press corps so a degree of decorum was called for – but not too much – when the final whistle sounded.

As in politics, all football is local so when my home town club Drogheda United won its first ever FAI Cup crown in 2005 and then a first league championship two years later, being present each time  meant everything to me.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Should it be Diego Maradona’s wonderful solo goal against England (no, not that one) in the 1986 World Cup finals? Maybe Marco van Basten’s volleyed goal for the Netherlands in the Euro 88 final? Or Don Givens’ hat-trick for Ireland against the USSR at a heaving Dalymount Park in a Euro ‘76 qualifier in 1974 (I know, that’s three but they had an inspirational effect on an 11-year-old listening to the late Philip Greene’s commentary on RTE Radio)?

Best stadium?
Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion lives up to its awesome reputation with its four towering stands – that creep almost up to the side of the pitch – rising into the heavens and must make the vast arena really intimidating to any visiting player of a nervous disposition.  PSV’s industrial sized electric heaters on the underside of the roof make the Phillips Stadium the finest on the globe on a freezing Dutch night.

…and the worst?
Tirana’s Qemal Stafa stands out for its filthy and smelly state but it’s only right to point out that in 1993 Albania was just emerging from its laugh-a-minute decades of life under Enver Hoxha’s particularly punishing brand of Communism. Cleanliness of sports’ arenas probably wasn’t too high on anybody’s agenda.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
The advent of WIFI and broadband have improved our lot on the road and relieved the pressure to a large degree. But when these two modes of connection and your fall back GPS system decide to collectively mount an imaginary picket on your laptop then you’re in trouble as happened in November, 2011 when Ireland had beaten Estonia 4-0 in Tallinn in their first leg of the Euro 2012 play-off.

With a tight deadline and Giovanni Trapattoni’s post-match press conference running late, the perfect storm was starting to rage. But as always happens on such occasions, a colleague rides to the rescue with Neil O’Riordan of The Irish Sun the knight in shining armour with a working WIFI link.

Biggest mistake?
In my early days, sitting on a story to secure complete proof it was true instead of trusting my instinct and running with it. It happened a few times.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
Robert Redford, Pierce Brosnan………Actually, snooker wizard Steve Davis.

Most media friendly manager?
Jack Charlton could have his spats with hacks covering the Ireland team, could be coy enough on the record about team and injury news but he was amazingly frank and open with journalists off the record over a pint or cup of tea.  Big Jack trusted you not to break his confidence when he revealed key information on players and tactics and you respected that when you wrote about the team.

Best ever player?
Lionel Messi gets the vote because his consistency of performance despite the defensive strategies in today’s game, the fitness levels of opponents and his refusal to be cowed by thuggish treatment at the hands of some players. And that’s before we consider his goals, passing, dribbling, work-rate…

Best ever teams (club and international)?
The current Spain team whose three consecutive tournament wins between 2008 and 2012 will probably never be equalled. Brazil (1970, 1982 and 2002), Netherlands (1974), France (1982, 1986 and 1998-2000) and Argentina (1978) weren’t bad either. Barcelona of recent seasons are hard to beat but Liverpool of the late seventies and early eighties, Ajax of the early 1970’s, Celtic in 1967 and Juventus of the seventies go close.

Best pre-match grub?
Ireland sponsors 3 serve up a very tasty and welcome meal at Dublin’s Dylan Hotel prior to home international games at the Aviva Stadium.

Best meal had on your travels?
During France 98, colleagues Peter Byrne, George Hamilton and Billy George directed Philip Quinn and I to a fine restaurant Le Petit Canard in Paris that lived up to their Irish patrons’ recommendations.

…and the worst?
The long suffering citizens of the states behind the Iron Curtain had, not surprisingly, little interest or the financial ability to serve up top nosh n the early 1990’s following independence from the USSR so Mars bars and bottles of Coke featured highly on more than a few journos’ menus during those days.

Best hotel stayed in?
Due to a mix-up by a travel agent – who had failed to book the hotel designated – I had to be upgraded on arrival at Euro 2008 in Zurich to the Alden Hotel. For a few days, football never felt so good.

…and the worst?
The one in Skopje, Macedonia in 1997 when Mick McCarthy’s 3-5-2 formation made its last ever appearance, Jason McAteer was sent-off for his Bruce Lee kung-fu kick and Ireland lost 3-2 in a World Cup qualifier. The aging kip brought minimalism to extreme, not bothering with curtains in the room and serving coffee and bread but nothing else for breakfast. When I started travelling to cover international and club matches in the early 1990’s eastern Europe was still emerging from the yoke of Communism so the food in various establishments in Bucharest, Sofia and Vilnius was fairly hideous. But as with Skopje, we were probably getting superior grub than most of the locals could afford.

Favourite football writer?
Love the rhythm of the words of Hugh McIlvanney, Patrick Collins, Peter Byrne, James Lawton and the late Con Houlihan.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
The depth of verbal and online abuse of TV and radio commentators from some fans never ceases to amaze me. It’s a tough job when it’s done correctly and that’s the case in the overwhelming majority of cases in Ireland and Britain. George Hamilton, Martin Tyler, John Motson, Alan Green, Gabriel Egan and Greg Allen are all top class. There are very few who are not.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Relations between Irish clubs and the media are quite good.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
NBA play-off final.

Last book read?
‘Boomerang’ by Michael Lewis.

Favourite current TV programme?
‘Match of the Day’ must be the all-timer while ‘Father Ted’ and ‘Fawlty Towers’ almost deliver even if I know every line at this stage.

Your most prized football memorabilia?
The match tickets and programmes from various World Cup finals I have covered are the physical treasures but it’s the memories of goals, games, players and colleagues’ company that are cherished most.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Work hard, listen to older colleagues’ advice, never refuse a marking and never be afraid to ask a question no matter how hard it may be with some managers and players taking great delight in trying to belittle a new kid on the block.

THEY’RE IN BUT ROCKY FUTURE FOR GIBRALTAR UNLESS FACILITIES ARE UPGRADED

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By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

IT REMAINS to be seen how the Gibraltar Football Association handle a potential Euro 2016 qualifying tie against England at the Victoria Stadium (capacity 5,000) which is being upgraded. Yet there can be little doubt English-based football writers would love to add a new destination to their cv’s even if the GFA’s acceptance into the UEFA family caused a collective shaking of heads.

Their population of 30,000 puts them below San Marino though Gibraltar are, apparently, unbeaten in their last four internationals but it should be pointed out their opponents on the Rock were the Faroe Islands (then managed by former Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr), England C (a semi-pro team), the Isle of Man and Jersey.

Gibraltar owe their elevation to the Court of Arbitration for Sport plus their persistence to fight what they saw a political injustice. The GFA, founded in 1895, saw their original application for becoming a member of FIFA posted by their president Andrew Perera in 1997 turned down.

Two years later, there was better news for the GFA as FIFA forwarded the their application to the appropriate continental confederation, UEFA, since according to FIFA statutes, it is the responsibility of confederations to grant membership status to applicants. In 2000, a joint-delegation of UEFA and FIFA conducted an inspection of the GFA’s facilities and infrastructure.

In 2001, UEFA changed their statutes so that only associations in a country “recognised by the United Nations as an independent State” could become members. On such grounds, UEFA denied the GFA’s application.

Yet current FIFA and UEFA members include several federations which cannot be said to represent independent nations, such as the UK Home Nations (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), the Faroe Islands, Puerto Rico, Chinese Taipei, Tahiti and New Caledonia. French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint Martin each have national teams which, despite not being FIFA members, are allowed to compete at the CONCACAF confederation level.

The GFA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport which, in 2003, ruled that their application should be handled according to the old statute, pre-2001. However, UEFA continued to refuse accepting the GFA as members. In August 2006, the CAS ruled again that Gibraltar had to be allowed in as a full UEFA and FIFA member, and on December 8, 2006 it was announced that Gibraltar had become a provisional member of UEFA.

FIFA had announced two days earlier that their executive committee had “ruled that Gibraltar does not meet the statutory requirements to become a FIFA member,” despite the fact that the Court of Arbitration for Sport had already ruled to the contrary. On January 26, 2007 at the UEFA Congress in Düsseldorf, Gibraltar’s application to become a full member of UEFA was rejected, with 45 votes against, three in favour (England, Scotland and Wales) and four undecided.

The issue was again referred back to the CAS for a ruling. On March 21, 2012 the request for membership by Gibraltar was discussed and a road map which included financial and educational support from UEFA was agreed. Legally, there was no real basis for rejecting Gibraltar as UEFA’s 54th member.

Gareth Latin, president of the GFA, said: “This is a momentous occasion for football in Gibraltar. UEFA membership means that we can begin the next chapter of Gibraltarian football. At last we’ll be able to show the whole of Europe that we can match the best with football of a high standard and entertaining style. It will open up a whole new world of opportunities for our highly skilled young footballers.

“This is one of our greatest ever sporting moments and, of course, we’d like to thank everyone who helped with our bid and all those who voted for us. We couldn’t have made it without you.”

To avoid any sensitive political head-to-head UEFA president Michel Platini confirmed that Gibraltar would be kept apart from Spain in qualifying for Euro 2016. He said: “Gibraltar will not play qualifying matches with Spain – we also have this situation with Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

The national stadium certainly needs the promised upgrade. A recent blog on Football Gibraltar said: “Having first hand experience of playing on the Victoria Stadium pitch, I feel that whilst it was a good idea at the time, and certainly an improvement on the previous old astroturf laid down, the fact is that Gibraltar is in an area capable of growing grass, and therefore the stadium should take advantage of this.

“The stadium itself isn’t in great shape and would need a good facelift if UEFA accept Gibraltar as a member. First I feel that actual permanent seating should be installed, instead of the current slabs of concrete used. Although it allows for sitting down or standing up during a game, it isn’t acceptable for a national stadium, and the lick of paint given to it last year has done little to improve it.

“Also, the general facilities of the stadium could do with a slight increase, notably the dressing rooms which are very basic.  There is also no proper place for cameras to film any action.  Finally, there should be some more protection from the elements for fans.  Being situated next to a runway notorious for strong cross winds, fans are continuously exposed to such conditions, and the roofing does not cover the entirety of the main stand, whilst the opposite stand has no protection whatsoever.”

FWA Interview: Graham Hunter

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BARCELONA PLAYERS SEE SPEAKING TO THE PRESS AS PART OF THEIR DUTY says award-winning football writer Graham Hunter

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

IT WAS the proudest moment of Graham Hunter’s career as Glenn Moore, chairman of the Football Writers’ Association’s books committee, announced that his ‘Barca: The Making Of The Greatest Team In The World’ had been chosen as the football book of the year at the British Sports Book Awards 2013.

“I am shocked and delighted,” said Hunter whose book pipped Gullem Balague’s biography of Pep Guardiola for the prestigious prize. It is a sign of the times when two books about a Spanish club dominate the voting and Hunter said: “When Terry Venables went to Barcelona [in 1984] and led them to the European Cup final, losing to Steaua Bucharest on penalties, Spanish football was alien to British television.”

Sky Sports changed that perception with La Liga games shown each weekend along with the excellent Revista De La Liga magazine show where Hunter and Balague are regulars.

The awards night at Lord’s was somewhat different to Hunter’s introduction to the world of football writing in 1995 when the Daily Mail opened in Scotland. Hunter had applied for a job, but had heard nothing so decided to pay them a visit to ask why, which did not go down too well.

Hunter said: “I told them my cv was sent three weeks ago and couldn’t believe no one had answered my letter. I wanted to know what was going on.”

What was soon to be going on was the sports editor helping the young upstart to vacate the building.

“They were literally, and I mean literally, holding me by the back of the collar – well, it was sports editor Bryan Cooney – throwing me out of the door when someone came running in and shouted ‘There’s a press conference at Parkhead. It’s a new signing, we don’t know who it is.’”

It was a sliding doors moment because as luck would have it, the Mail were thin on available reporters. One had been sent to Pittodrie to doorstep Willie Miller who had been sacked by Aberdeen, others were elsewhere. In the pre-mobile phone era it was impossible to contact anyone so they stopped throwing Hunter out and instead told him to get along to Celtic.

“It was Pierre van Hooijdonk,” he said. “When I arrived at Parkhead there were two camps in the press room. A growling set of Scottish reporters who were asking ‘who’s this new kid?’ and some Dutch journalists.”

No prizes for guessing who Hunter decided to sit with. “I explained it was my first day and asked where van Hooijdonk was as he was late. They told me this was because he was playing cards with his NAC Breda team-mates until 3am to say goodbye. He had missed his flight and Celtic were pretending there was fog at Schipol Airport, which was why he had been delayed.”

Hunter thanked the Dutch contingent for the background which was not known to the growlers. One Dutch journalist asked him if he was Scottish and when Hunter confirmed yes, he was, he was asked if he could take them to a kilt shop – they wanted van Hooijdonk to wear a kilt for a photo. In return the Dutch pack gave the Scottish rookie chapter and verse on the late van Hooijdonk and to Hunter’s delight at the press conference no Scottish reporter asked why the striker was three hours late. Result.

Returning to the Mail offices with a scoop, Hunter was given a warmer reception than his initial arrival. The editor decided it was the back page lead and those who had tried to throw Hunter out were delighted with his exclusive.

So delighted that he was offered a job – as a rugby reporter. “I did this for about nine months before going over to football,” said Hunter who eventually moved down to London when Cooney became sports editor. Cooney’s approach to the job was effective if not popular with everyone and Hunter’s appointment as football correspondent raised eyebrows to new levels.

Hunter has never shirked a challenge and immersed himself into his new post. “I loved reporting on England, Manchester United, Arsenal and the top clubs…the press pack, in the majority, became people who inspired me.”

He was particularly grateful for the help of Brian Woolnough, who died last year, Steven Howard, and Nigel Clarke “who either saw someone who was young and lost or someone they liked….they took me under their wing.” Football writers never forget those who have helped them and when Hunter was injured on a trip to Luxembourg he remembers how Oliver Holt, Lee Clayton and Paul McCarthy “were brilliant.”

He said: “Our industry is full of remarkable, interesting people and I found working in London a deeply enriching part of my life. I miss the English press scene and adored what I was doing.”

In 2002 Hunter decided to realise an ambition that had started 20 years previously at the 1982 World Cup. “I promised myself I’d go back to Spain,” he said. “The moment I crossed the border from France to Spain I knew it was for me. I’d grown up adoring Spanish football even though finding out information or seeing clips in those days was difficult.

“The idea of going to the city of the club where Steve Archibald [who played for Aberdeen where Hunter was born] played and where Terry Venables had managed made me choose Barcelona.”

The bad news was that Hunter had no job to go to and couldn’t speak a word of Spanish while Louis van Gaal, not the most media friendly of coaches, had just been reappointed. In 2002/03 Barca ended the season sixth, their lowest finish in La Liga in 15 years. For the benefit of anoraks, the starting XI was: Bonano – Gabri, de Boer, Puyol, Sorin – Mendieta, Xavi, Cocu, Riquelme – Saviola, Kluivert.

Hunter said: “In the summer of 2003 Barcelona were close to not even being able to pay anyone’s wages. They were in the midst of a six-year run without a trophy.”

The appointments of Frank Rijkaard and a new president, Joan Laporta, saw a gradual change in Barca’s fortunes. The Dutch coach phased out the old guard and led the Catalan club to the title in 2005 and 2006. By then the team was: Valdes – Oleguer, Puyol, Marquez, van Bronckhorst – Edmilson, van Bommel, Deco – Larsson, Eto’o, Ronaldinho.

In 2008 Pep Guardiola succeeded Rijkaard, the remarkable Messi-inspired Barca side winning 14 trophies in four years, making him the most successful coach in the club’s history.

BY THEN Graham Hunter was fluent in Spanish while the rise and rise of what many observers call the best club team they have ever seen ensured plenty of work for the reporter whose career had started by almost being thrown out of the door.

Sir Winston Churchill said that if you have a job you love you will never do a day’s work in your life and Hunter is one of many football writers who fit that category, the bonus living in a city where the climate is superb while following a club where the working conditions for the media and the attitude towards the press are a million miles from those experienced in Britain.

Clubs here keep the media at arm’s length, dishing out bans for headlines that are not to their liking. Hunter believes the press should have been collectively stronger, standing up to such over-zealous authority that at times has bordered on bullying.

“It should make us embarrassed,” said Hunter. “For some reason, and it’s the fault of our profession, we aren’t unionised enough, we don’t complain enough. In Spain players are generally more eager to speak to the press, more accepting of their duties and see it as an integral part of their job.

“Occasionally they will be p****d off with us, occasionally they will say ‘no’, but generally they view us as people to be judged as we act, not as journalists who therefore must automatically be shunned. They don’t bring a Mastercard machine and say ‘that will be 20,000 euro.’ In my 11 years in Spain no one has ever asked me for money for an interview.

“They see it as part of their duties, it’s part of their culture because they have been educated that way. The clubs tell players they are selling their season tickets…they are promoting their sponsors…and because they have grown up speaking to the press the vast majority of players enjoy it. They respect us, even asking us our point of view.”

Up until the Eighties English-based football writers enjoyed a similar rapport with leading players and managers, but dealings with the press are far more sanitised now.

Two players gain an honourable mention from Hunter – Iker Casillas and Xavi. “Both are high achievers with an enormous amount to say. They are decent people, intelligent, interesting and funny.”

The appreciation of Hunter by his adopted home was shown by an invitation to join the players in the dressing-room after Spain won the 2010 World Cup and again following their Euro 2012 triumph – a scenario unthinkable from an English perspective.

“Their attitude was ‘you’ve put in the miles, you’ve slogged up and down the roads – come in.’ It is exactly the same as I did with England and it says everything about Spain, not me.”

THE IDEA for the book came from the publishers, BackPage Press who “twisted my arm almost to breaking point,” said Hunter. “The co-operation I was given was astonishing. Nobody said ‘no’ and nobody asked for copy approval.

“It was a pleasure to deal with the players and I thoroughly enjoyed telling the story.”

*Barca: The Making Of The Greatest Team In The World by Graham Hunter (BackPage Press, £12.99).

FWA Q&A: RAPHAEL HONIGSTEIN

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RAPHAEL HONIGSTEIN on being tipped by old ladies…problems with the Gents in Munich…and a cell in Istanbul

Have you ever worked in a profession other than football?
I used to write about music and fashion before. I met and interviewed a few cool people, but the overriding memory from those days is a 10-hour wait in a New York recording studio while Timbaland was having his hair cut. At school, I used to pack bags at Munich’s premier delicatessen store – Käfer. It was very badly paid, about 5DM an hour, but old ladies would sometimes tip nicely.

Most memorable match?
Tough one. 1999 in Barcelona and 2005 in Istanbul are hard to beat.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?
Patrik Andersson’s last-minute goal [for Bayern] against Hamburger SV in 2001. I’d happily watch it again and again for 90 minutes.

Best stadium?
I love San Siro. I went to see the Milan derby in 1996 in the stands and it was just an incredible experience.

…and the worst?
The old Olympic stadium in Munich was probably the worst venue for football, starting with the Gents.

Your personal new-tech disaster?
I’ve always been lucky to file somehow, but I had a few very close shaves. I recall running into a newsagent outside Upton Park and asking whether I could plug my laptop into their phone socket – the press room didn’t have one. And I once spent three hours at Moscow airport without an internet connection, begging the ladies at reception in vain to let me into one of the lounges. In the end, I was saved by an English-speaking sales assistant from a mobile shop who sold me a local sim card and set up tethering for me.

Biggest mistake?
Probably taking a bus full of  well-lubricated England fans from Geneva station to the stadium for a friendly against Argentina. They were singing the German bomber songs and similar ditties and I felt as if everyone was staring at me. One lad tried to start a conversation with. Desperate to keep my cover, I put on the strongest English accent I could muster – a weird Cockney-by way of-Mersey  concoction. He looked really confused and left me alone after that.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?
I often get confused with Guillem Balague. I guess it’s the [occasional] beard.

Most media friendly manager?
I have to say Wenger. Always professional. Never dodges a question.

Best ever player?
Probably Messi. But when I grew up, watching Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in his pomp was an awe-inspiring experience.

Best ever teams (club and international)?
Sacchi’s Milan and 1972’s West Germany.

Best pre-match grub?
Chelsea is always a delight, Arsenal used to brilliant before they phased out fish & chips (a crime in my book).

Best meal had on your travels?
Spatenhaus in Munich, San Carlo in Manchester,  Butchery and Wine in Warsaw, Txistu in Madrid and Reina in Istanbul  are all great, but best ever was Da Bolognese in Rome.

…and the worst?
A toss-up between something from a Portuguese service station at 4am and Sushi in Warsaw – food poisoning for three days.

Best hotel stayed in?
The Semiramis in Athens was pretty spectacular, even though “my stay” was a night on the floor of Gabriele Marcotti’s room.

…and the worst?
No idea of the name, but I once booked a room in Istanbul via expedia that turned out to be a windowless cell in a garage. They gave me the money back.

Favourite football writer?
Henry Winter, Sid Lowe, Barney Ronay and Paul Hayward are all brilliant in different ways. I also enjoy Daniel Taylor and Martin Samuel.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?
Martin Tyler. He’s also one of the nicest, most genuine people in the business.

If you could introduce one change to improve PR between football clubs and football writers what would it be?
Too many press officers in the PL are not aware that the players work for the clubs, not the other way round.

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?
Honestly? Nothing else compares.

Last book read?
Absolute Beginners, Colin MacInnes.

Favourite current TV programme?
Mad Men. Best thing I’ve ever seen on television, apart from Captain Future (80s Japanese cartoon series)

Your most prized football memorabilia?
I have a mid-80s shirt worn by “cult hero” Reinhold Mathy in a European Cup game for Bayern.

Advice to anyone coming into the football media world?
Only do it if you really like football. Because the hours are long and the money’s not that great.

*Raphael Honigstein, a native of Bavaria, can re read in The Guardian and is a regular contributor to talkSPORT.

FOOTBALL BOOKS OF THE YEAR – THE FINAL SIX

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Each year the Football Writers’ Association selects the winner of the football category in the British Sports Book Awards. This year’s award – for 2012 – will be revealed at a dinner at Lord’s on Tuesday, May 21. Glenn Moore, chairman of the FWA’s books sub-committee, runs through the short-list (in alphabetical order).

Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World by Graham Hunter (Back Page Press, £9.99)
An illuminating, comprehensive, behind-the-scenes account of the creation of the all-conquering team. The management, the players, and key matches along the way are each studied and placed into context.

Be Careful What You Wish For by Simon Jordan (Random House, £18.99)
This could be sub-titled ‘how to make a fortune in business and lose it in football’ and sent to every prospective club owner. Jordan, as ever, pulls no punches as he describes how he built up his mobile telephone company, then plunged  into the more complicated world of football as Crystal Palace owner-chairman.

Does Your Rabbi Know You’re Here? The Story of English Football’s Forgotten Tribe by Anthony Clavane (Quercus, £17.99)
Jewish children were once discouraged from becoming involved in football, more by their own community as by attitudes within the game. Plenty took no notice however and British Jewry has made a significant contribution to football in England, as Clavane uncovers.

Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning by Guillem Balague (Orion, £20)
Richly detailed access-all-areas breakdown of how Guardiola came to take over Barcelona, develop the best team in the world, then walk away from it. The man and his methods are fully explored.

Richer Than God: Manchester City, Modern Football and Growing Up by David Conn (Quercus, £16.99)
Part coming-of-age memoir, part dissection of the economics realities of the modern game, all told through the prism of Manchester City’s transformation from badly-run but much-loved laughing stock to the world’s richest club.

The Outsider: A History of the Goalkeeper by Jonathan Wilson (Orion, £20)
Thoroughly researched account of the singular man between the sticks, from the time when he could run with the ball to the halfway line, to sweeper-keepers and the modern giants. Told via analysis of keepers such as Lev Yashin and Peter Shilton, Fatty Foulke and Rene Higueta.

FWA Interview: Geoff Shreeves

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‘My job is to ask questions – nobody is interested in my opinions’ – Geoff Shreeves

By CHRISTOPHER DAVIES

SIR ALEX FERGUSON may not have allowed Geoff Shreeves the last word on his final game at Old Trafford, but the Sky Sports interviewer always has the first word.

A familiar face of the station, Shreeves has been with Sky Sports since 1992, the first season of the Premier League. It can be a thankless task, a no-win job. Ask soft questions and you are accused of avoiding the main issue, ask about a manager’s future and it’s insensitive. Criticised for telling Branislav Ivanovic he was suspended for the 2012 Champions League final, it was hardly Shreeves’ fault the Chelsea defender was unaware of his number of yellow cards.

Shreeves would not have survived 21 years at Sky Sports without being very good at what he does and would-be football journalists and especially players moving into the media world could learn a lot from his interviewing technique and attitude. Some presenters, especially ex-professionals, offer their views and ask: “Do you agree?” Shreeves is old school and does not indulge viewers with his own thoughts. He said: “With all due respect, what do I know? I was schooled well in journalism by people I worked for in that my opinion is of no interest to anybody. I genuinely believe that. It’s my job to ask questions. I enjoyed being on the FWA Live panel and mixing it with an audience, but you will never hear my opinions on matters of football, skill or tactics [on television].”

Football writers appear regularly on television and radio yet none has made the move that Guillem Balague, featured regularly on Sky Sports’ La Liga coverage and the excellent Revista De La Liga show, has managed. Shreeves said: “We are in an interesting period in the media where the job is merging into one. We have Guillem Balague, I love his writing and he is so knowledgeable that he is an accepted pundit on Spanish TV stations. That would never happen in this country [with domestic football] which I find interesting.”

A trap some interviewers fall into is to stick too rigidly to their pre-prepared list of questions when in fact the best questions invariably follow on from an answer. And never make questions longer than the answer. Shreeves said: “If you talk to budding football writers and ask them the most important thing about a question they usually say ‘it should be clear and concise’ or ‘angled towards the person.’ No. It’s in the answer.

“My question could be: ‘So, Sir Alex, you have won Manchester United’s 20th title and seen off the financial challenge of Manchester City and Chelsea…could you encapsulate the importance of this victory and its wider meaning for football and the social world of this country?’ Or I could ask: ‘What does this mean?’”

When your job is also your hobby it can be difficult to switch off and Shreeves said: “Like everyone in our game, I do masses of research and in fact you are effectively researching every time you go to a game…you see someone, meet somebody…the football media is always working. We joke that we are awake 24/7 and sleep with one eye open, such is the pace of the media now.”

Shreeves has built up a close relationship with the leading managers and players in the Barclays Premier League, yet any friendship does not prevent him from asking a question about a red card or a manager’s future. “It doesn’t bother me remotely. There are times when someone who is a good friend is on the end of a question that is not going to do him or his employment any favours. However, I enjoy the challenge of phrasing those questions correctly.

“You have to look at what makes a good interview. The relationship is key. If there is mutual respect they will accept you have to ask certain questions or take a certain line and not hide behind ‘oh my producer told me to ask this.’

“They know you have a job to do, but you have to be respectful and don’t go hunting headlines. In the final reckoning, when a team, is relegated no one cares whether it’s Geoff Shreeves or whoever asking the questions, nor should they be. They are interested in the answers.”

Shreeves has no ambition to leave the after-match interview area and move inside to present a football chat show or a live broadcast. “It’s a different skill, one that I don’t have. I wouldn’t want to do it because I get a real buzz from talking to people as I do. I love nothing more than interviewing people, listening to them, asking them questions…”

Waving the FWA magic wand, if Shreeves could interview any football personality for 30 minutes with no editorial control…no question off-limits, every question answered, no public relations person ready to quash any controversy… who would it be?

“If they agreed to answer any question openly and honestly it would have to be Sir Alex, the most successful manager we’ve ever seen and the most important figure in my lifetime.”

CUNEYT MAY HAVE HIS CAKIR AND EAT IT AT WEMBLEY

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By Christopher Davies

CUNEYT Cakir, the Turkish referee who sent-off Nani in Manchester United’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid at Old Trafford, has emerged as favourite to take charge of the all-German final at Wembley between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

Cakir showed Nani the red card for a challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa in the 56th minute when United were winning 2-1 on aggregate. Two goals in 13 minutes saw Real advance to the semi-finals, Sir Alex Ferguson blaming United’s defeat on Cakir. Ferguson was so incensed he refused to attend a post-match press conference, incurring an £8,500 fine from UEFA.

The decision to dismiss Nani was widely criticised, but crucially the Turk was supported by Pierluigi Collina, the match officials’ assessor at Old Trafford and an influential voice on UEFA’s Referees Committee. Collina gave Cakir a mark of 8.2 for his display at Old Trafford, the Italian’s only criticism of the referee was that he should have also shown Rio Ferdinand the red card for appearing to sarcastically applaud him inches from his face as they left the pitch.

Cakir, 36, is highly rated by FIFA, too, as world football’s governing body appointed him to handle the potentially explosive 2014 World Cup qualifying tie between Croatia and Serbia in March which passed off without any controversial incident. He also refereed the 2012 Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Corinthians, which the Brazilians won 1-0. In the last minute Cakir sent-off Gary Cahill for a challenge on Emerson.

Also among Cakir’s red card list are Steven Gerrard during England versus Ukraine last September when he also handed out nine yellow cards, Republic of Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews against Italy at Euro 2012, Chelsea’s John Terry against Barcelona in April 2012 and Mario Balotelli in Manchester City’s Europa League tie against Dynamo Kiev in March 2011.

But his no-nonsense approach has won him admirers at UEFA and he is set to return to England for the Champions League final at Wembley on May 25.

*THIS has been on Planet Twitter, but if you have missed it…it is an incredible choice of photograph for Johnny Giles’ Wikipedia page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Giles

FWA Q&A: DEAN JONES

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DEAN JONES of the Sunday People on an illegal approach by Dominos…the scoop he didn’t believe…and Spurs’ best signing since Gareth Bale

Your first ever newspaper?

The Sportsman, a sports news and betting paper that hit the streets in 2006. It sounded like a good idea … until it was launched. I jumped ship before everyone was made redundant, which was about six months after the first edition.

Have you ever worked in a profession other than journalism?

Pizza delivery boy. I started with Tops Pizza … but left after being tapped up by Dominos. The drop money was better, and I took home a Pepperoni Passion at the end of every shift.

What was your finest achievement playing football?

Played for Wimbledon and then Fulham as a teenager, and made a few outings in the Ryman League for the mighty Leatherhead … before hanging up my boots at the grand old age of 20.

Most memorable match covered?

My first one. I was only 16, but Gerry Cox of Hayters gave me the nod to cover an FA Cup match between Basingstoke and Bournemouth. My grandad had to take me to the game and pick me up afterwards. Mark Stein scored the winner after the keeper smashed a clearance against him.

The one moment in football you would put on a DVD?

Dave Kidd’s left footed strike in 5-a-side last year. ‘Swing and hope’ I think they call it. But the ball flew into the top corner, and Kiddo has not stopped talking about it since.

Best stadium?

Craven Cottage. An old-fashioned feel, for all the right reasons.

…and the worst?

Kenilworth Road. An old-fashioned feel, for all the wrong reasons.

Your best ever scoop?

Gerard Houllier to become Aston Villa boss. It seemed so unlikely, even I wasn’t convinced when I pressed send.

Your personal new-tech disaster?

Covered a game at Old Trafford – and realised when I got back to London that my laptop was still on the desk in the Press room. I still owe Steve Bates a pint for collecting it, actually [Steve said that with interest it’s now a barrel – Ed].

Biggest mistake?

Playing rugby. I’m not very well built for the sport, but just presumed I’d be able to run past everyone. It worked for about half hour, but then some huge kid tackled me, I went flying through the air and broke my arm. Never played again.

Have you ever been mistaken for anyone else?

A few people congratulated me when Dan Jones started writing a column in the Evening Standard.

Most media friendly manager?

Chris Coleman. When I started to report full-time Cookie was in charge of Fulham, and really helped me out at times. He came out with some great lines in interviews too. His presser when he stated Louis Saha would be leaving ‘over my dead body’ was a classic.

Best ever player?

Eric Cantona.

Best ever teams (club and international)?

Club… Manchester United 1999
International… France 2000.

Best pre-match grub?

Tottenham have raised their game this season with new caterers. Best signing since Gareth Bale.

Best meal had on your travels?

California Pizza Kitchen, LA. Not a big food lover so decent pizza always does the job.

…and the worst?

I did manage to find bad pizza once. It was in Bangkok.

Best hotel stayed in?

Vidago Palace in Portugal.

…and the worst?

I can’t remember what it was called but on my first ever foreign trip I was sent to Paris for Hayters to get an interview with Patrick Vieira. I stayed in a smelly, run down place near Gare du Nord, and it can not have cost more than 30 quid for the night. The walls were annoyingly thin, the bed sheets had holes in, and the fire alarm batteries needed changing so it beeped all night.

Favourite football writer?

Don’t have one, but I like story-getters. Neil Ashton, Neil Moxley and John Cross are very good.

Favourite radio/TV commentator?

Would have to be BBC Radio 5 Live’s Mike Ingham.

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

Access is getting worse and worse, so all I would ask is to let us speak to the players more often. How can we report properly on the game otherwise?

One sporting event outside football you would love to experience?

NBA Playoffs

Last book read?

A Long Way Down. It’s a novel by Nick Hornby, not a non-fiction title detailing the next four years of QPR’s history.

Favourite current TV programme?

New Girl for comedy. Chicago Fire for drama.

Your most prized football memorabilia?

The Dimitar Berbatov signed shirt that I’m sure Fulham’s press office will be sending me as soon as the season is over…

Advice to any would-be football writer?

Make as many contacts as you can, and then get in touch with me if you get any good stories.

 

*And the bonus ball today is a wonderful anecdote from Dave Allard about the late, great Ian Willard and a manager who made every football writer’s job so pleasant:

The dear old Duke. The pint, the pipe and stories galore.

Trips to the Midlands with Ipswich were enhanced by his presence.

He once said to Bobby Robson after he was late for a press gathering at Villa Park following a defeat: “Stop behaving like a twat Bob.”

Robbo said: “Ahh Ian, you’re probably right.”

Priceless.

IAN WILLARS OBITUARY

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THE DUKE – AN OLD SCHOOL REPORTER WHO MADE YOU SMILE A WARM SMILE

By COLIN TATTUM

IAN Willars, a former Birmingham Post & Mail journalist and chairman of the Football Writers’ Association (Midlands), has died aged 75.

Ian, or ‘The Duke’ as he was known, was a legendary character in Midlands football and cricketing circles, and beyond.

He was an old school reporter, a fine and concise writer, who got stories through his contacts and through trust. It wasn’t just what he produced in the newspaper, but the stories behind the stories, the scrapes, the fun. Ian was a bon viveur and charming, never sour, company. Whenever you met him and asked how he was, the answer was always the same: ‘In beautiful condition’. He had that effect on you – he made you smile a warm smile.

Ian was a major figure in my formative years at the Mail, he took me under his wing as a cub reporter when I first popped up in the Colmore Row offices on work experience. Along with the then sports editor Ian Johnson, he was a major influence. The two of them seemed to look upon me kindly and look after me, educating me in the ways of the sports hack’s world back then in the late 80s – and it was a different world.

No mobile phones, no Internet, no set-piece and sanitised press conferences that are the staple of Sky Sports.

The Mail had resources too, we had a big staff. We even had our own pub on site, the Printer’s Devil and – wait for it – a snooker room. They were great, fun-filled days, Ian would bestride the local scene, and I can never recall anyone having a bad word to say about him. He would always pass on little tips and advice, some of which, although they seemed so simple at the time, still matter.

Never more than 25 words in every paragraph in your story, he would say. Never forget who you are writing for.

And when managers would get uppity at criticism, he used to puff on his pipe, look over his reading glasses and remind anyone in earshot: ‘We see ’em come – we see ’em go’.

Those around Ian in his heyday and on the countless trips he made all over, covering our local sides in Europe or with England, plus Warwickshire and Worcestershire, will have many, many anecdotes and tales about The Duke which are better than mine. But I would nevertheless like to share a few, which always make me chuckle.

In 1988, he was covering the European Championship in West Germany and I took two weeks holiday, got a rail card (which was only £50) and travelled around watching as many matches as I could. Ian, already in situ, knew I was coming out and got a message back asking if I could get him an advance on his expenses, in petty cash.

‘Tell them it’s for hotel valeting – I need my trousers pressed’. That was code for beer money.

I would turn up at the various hotels he was booked into with the official touring party, crash out in his room to get some much needed sleep, and then the next day be introduced to the great and good of Fleet Street, and England’s players, who used to stay in the same accommodation as the press.

One evening I remember he called me down to the hotel bar in Dusseldorf and said: ‘Right, there’s this lovely young Fraulein I’d like you to meet’. I got chatting to her and thought my luck was in.

Next thing I know Everton’s Gary Stevens plonked himself down on the other bar stool next to her and, for some reason, she swivelled her chair and started fluttering her eyelashes at him. Can’t imagine why. Ian just laughed that mischievous laugh of his.

Also on duty covering England, at Italia 90, one of Ian’s briefs was to supply a regular diary chronicling the thoughts of a then relatively unknown David Platt. When Platt scored that volley against Belgium, putting England into the World Cup quarter-finals in the most dramatic of fashion, everyone wanted a piece of him. The interest went crazy. Platt was spirited away by England and Ian couldn’t get to him. No one, could, in fact. He was stuck, on deadline, and without a word from the new national hero for the next day’s newspaper.

Nevertheless, the Birmingham Evening Mail’s front page carried a Platt exclusive – ‘My dream goal’, screamed the headline. The Mail bigwigs were delighted.

And how had Ian pulled it off? ‘Well,’ he revealed later, drawing on his pipe, before smiling, ‘it’s what he would have said . . . ‘.

Ian also had a nifty trick to fool the bosses at the Mail base. He would bring two jackets to work; one to wear, one to sling on the back of his chair. The reason became clear – when you disappeared ‘over the road’ to the Queen’s Head pub in Steelhouse Lane, everyone assumed you were still around, just in a different part of the office.

Thus the ‘10.31 club’ was born – in the Queen’s a minute after it opened in the morning. And Ian would often say he was only there for some ‘intro juice’.

I doubt if we will ever see the like of Ian again. The new breed of football journalist is a different case, working in more cloying, less fun conditions. Ian, Ian Johnson and the reporters of that ilk used to joke that they were the ‘last of the BTJs’ – bar trained journalists.

What he would have made of social media, Twitter and the message board sages, I dread to think. I remember when we began using mobile phones, those huge housebrick things that you had to charge up for days.

Ian was in the press box at Bramall Lane shouting to make himself heard to the Sports Argus copytaker on the other end of the line, who was trying to type out his words of wisdom for his live ‘running’ report to go in that evening’s pink.

‘Duke’, someone noticed, ‘you’re holding the phone the wrong way round’.

I played for Ian’s Sunday football team, Boldmere Greens, when I first started out at the Mail. Everyone there found him engaging, a real gent and great company, just like those in his profession did.

I owe Ian a lot. Not only was he an excellent writer, very knowledgeable about football, cricket and extremely helpful to others, but he was a character who brought light into other people’s life, without ever being arrogant or superior.

Rest in peace, Duke.

This article is reprinted from Colin Tattum’s Birmingham City blog