I don’t get nervous. I would for a Champions League final. What you do get is that little bit more keyed up. This is the competition that throws up the big nights, memorable games, a lot of drama. You always walk in and know to expect the unexpected. There is that little tingle, because these are the ones everyone talks about.
I am quite fortunate because a lot of the drama is conveyed by the atmosphere, the game and the supporters. What you try to do is accompany that, rather than make it about what you are going to do. You have to get that balance right, rather than trying to take over what’s happening. I find these games enjoyable because I get sucked into it as well – I feel like a fan.
When I am ready; when I feel it is right. I don’t like to sit up there too long, otherwise the edge is taken off. When I sit down we are ready, we are working; we are not messing about for half an hour. We have something to look at, the teams are warming up; I might need to identify somebody, see what they look like, if they are looking confident or not. Then, bang: we are ready. Some people like to be up there hours before – that’s not for me.
Three bags of sweets and tea – that keeps me going.
I don’t get nervous. I would for a Champions League final. What you do get is that little bit more keyed up. This is the competition that throws up the big nights, memorable games, a lot of drama. You always walk in and know to expect the unexpected. There is that little tingle, because these are the ones everyone talks about.
I am quite fortunate because a lot of the drama is conveyed by the atmosphere, the game and the supporters. What you try to do is accompany that, rather than make it about what you are going to do. You have to get that balance right, rather than trying to take over what’s happening. I find these games enjoyable because I get sucked into it as well – I feel like a fan.
When I am ready; when I feel it is right. I don’t like to sit up there too long, otherwise the edge is taken off. When I sit down we are ready, we are working; we are not messing about for half an hour. We have something to look at, the teams are warming up; I might need to identify somebody, see what they look like, if they are looking confident or not. Then, bang: we are ready. Some people like to be up there hours before – that’s not for me.
Three bags of sweets and tea – that keeps me going.
Me and Macca have done millions of games together, so I know what he is going to say and when he is going to say it. I can tell from his body language that he is going to come in, so I step out. I know when he should be speaking and he knows when I should be speaking. I’m not going to make out that it’s complicated, because it’s not.
The back-to-back semi-finals in 2019. I doubt they will ever be topped, though the Madrid second leg against Manchester City last season pushed them damned close. I didn’t see that coming and nor did anybody else. Macca, for example, has seen everything – he has scored in a Champions League final – so trying to get him excited… he looks at me as if to say, “What are you going on about?” But even he shouted, “What are we seeing here?” It was absolutely mad. I have been in the Bernabéu a lot and it is my favourite stadium to commentate from; it is like being in a cathedral. And I’d never heard it like that – they’d always won or lost in a relatively straightforward manner. But that night, that place went up.
I flew to Amsterdam the morning of the game. I was in the hotel when my wife phoned and said, “What a great night, what about tonight?” I said, “It’s not going to be like last night, Ajax are probably going to win.” At 2-0, you think it’s over. At half-time I am looking around the stadium, seeing Patrick Kluivert, Edwin van der Sar and the great and good of Ajax, and they are all singing away. I turned to [co-commentator] Jermaine Jenas and said, “I think they might have gone a bit early, there is a lot of football to play here. If Tottenham get the next goal…” And Spurs scored.
That was almost like a little click – it started to turn. They got the next one, then Hugo Lloris made two or three world-class saves. And the goal Tottenham got at the end: they could try that 100 times and you’d be able to count on one hand the number of times that move would be completed. Every pass was a stretch, a difficult touch – you’re thinking, “How has that got to him?” So many things happened where ordinarily it would have broken down somewhere. But it went in and the world stopped. I looked to my left and my co-commentator was in tears. I was thinking, “I’m on my own here.”
You do get tired. It is the concentration. Like anybody else’s work, there are times you have to fully focus. But when you have been involved in a big night, a big game, you get that sense of euphoria that you have been part of something. It is a very privileged position to be in to be associated with that sort of night, even in a small way. I actually find the travelling more tiring than the game; going up and down the motorways. But I wouldn’t swap it for anything.
I don’t get nervous. I would for a Champions League final. What you do get is that little bit more keyed up. This is the competition that throws up the big nights, memorable games, a lot of drama. You always walk in and know to expect the unexpected. There is that little tingle, because these are the ones everyone talks about.
I am quite fortunate because a lot of the drama is conveyed by the atmosphere, the game and the supporters. What you try to do is accompany that, rather than make it about what you are going to do. You have to get that balance right, rather than trying to take over what’s happening. I find these games enjoyable because I get sucked into it as well – I feel like a fan.
When I am ready; when I feel it is right. I don’t like to sit up there too long, otherwise the edge is taken off. When I sit down we are ready, we are working; we are not messing about for half an hour. We have something to look at, the teams are warming up; I might need to identify somebody, see what they look like, if they are looking confident or not. Then, bang: we are ready. Some people like to be up there hours before – that’s not for me.
Three bags of sweets and tea – that keeps me going.
I don’t get nervous. I would for a Champions League final. What you do get is that little bit more keyed up. This is the competition that throws up the big nights, memorable games, a lot of drama. You always walk in and know to expect the unexpected. There is that little tingle, because these are the ones everyone talks about.
I am quite fortunate because a lot of the drama is conveyed by the atmosphere, the game and the supporters. What you try to do is accompany that, rather than make it about what you are going to do. You have to get that balance right, rather than trying to take over what’s happening. I find these games enjoyable because I get sucked into it as well – I feel like a fan.
When I am ready; when I feel it is right. I don’t like to sit up there too long, otherwise the edge is taken off. When I sit down we are ready, we are working; we are not messing about for half an hour. We have something to look at, the teams are warming up; I might need to identify somebody, see what they look like, if they are looking confident or not. Then, bang: we are ready. Some people like to be up there hours before – that’s not for me.
Three bags of sweets and tea – that keeps me going.
I don’t get nervous. I would for a Champions League final. What you do get is that little bit more keyed up. This is the competition that throws up the big nights, memorable games, a lot of drama. You always walk in and know to expect the unexpected. There is that little tingle, because these are the ones everyone talks about.
I am quite fortunate because a lot of the drama is conveyed by the atmosphere, the game and the supporters. What you try to do is accompany that, rather than make it about what you are going to do. You have to get that balance right, rather than trying to take over what’s happening. I find these games enjoyable because I get sucked into it as well – I feel like a fan.
When I am ready; when I feel it is right. I don’t like to sit up there too long, otherwise the edge is taken off. When I sit down we are ready, we are working; we are not messing about for half an hour. We have something to look at, the teams are warming up; I might need to identify somebody, see what they look like, if they are looking confident or not. Then, bang: we are ready. Some people like to be up there hours before – that’s not for me.
Three bags of sweets and tea – that keeps me going.
Me and Macca have done millions of games together, so I know what he is going to say and when he is going to say it. I can tell from his body language that he is going to come in, so I step out. I know when he should be speaking and he knows when I should be speaking. I’m not going to make out that it’s complicated, because it’s not.
The back-to-back semi-finals in 2019. I doubt they will ever be topped, though the Madrid second leg against Manchester City last season pushed them damned close. I didn’t see that coming and nor did anybody else. Macca, for example, has seen everything – he has scored in a Champions League final – so trying to get him excited… he looks at me as if to say, “What are you going on about?” But even he shouted, “What are we seeing here?” It was absolutely mad. I have been in the Bernabéu a lot and it is my favourite stadium to commentate from; it is like being in a cathedral. And I’d never heard it like that – they’d always won or lost in a relatively straightforward manner. But that night, that place went up.
I flew to Amsterdam the morning of the game. I was in the hotel when my wife phoned and said, “What a great night, what about tonight?” I said, “It’s not going to be like last night, Ajax are probably going to win.” At 2-0, you think it’s over. At half-time I am looking around the stadium, seeing Patrick Kluivert, Edwin van der Sar and the great and good of Ajax, and they are all singing away. I turned to [co-commentator] Jermaine Jenas and said, “I think they might have gone a bit early, there is a lot of football to play here. If Tottenham get the next goal…” And Spurs scored.
That was almost like a little click – it started to turn. They got the next one, then Hugo Lloris made two or three world-class saves. And the goal Tottenham got at the end: they could try that 100 times and you’d be able to count on one hand the number of times that move would be completed. Every pass was a stretch, a difficult touch – you’re thinking, “How has that got to him?” So many things happened where ordinarily it would have broken down somewhere. But it went in and the world stopped. I looked to my left and my co-commentator was in tears. I was thinking, “I’m on my own here.”
You do get tired. It is the concentration. Like anybody else’s work, there are times you have to fully focus. But when you have been involved in a big night, a big game, you get that sense of euphoria that you have been part of something. It is a very privileged position to be in to be associated with that sort of night, even in a small way. I actually find the travelling more tiring than the game; going up and down the motorways. But I wouldn’t swap it for anything.
I don’t get nervous. I would for a Champions League final. What you do get is that little bit more keyed up. This is the competition that throws up the big nights, memorable games, a lot of drama. You always walk in and know to expect the unexpected. There is that little tingle, because these are the ones everyone talks about.
I am quite fortunate because a lot of the drama is conveyed by the atmosphere, the game and the supporters. What you try to do is accompany that, rather than make it about what you are going to do. You have to get that balance right, rather than trying to take over what’s happening. I find these games enjoyable because I get sucked into it as well – I feel like a fan.
When I am ready; when I feel it is right. I don’t like to sit up there too long, otherwise the edge is taken off. When I sit down we are ready, we are working; we are not messing about for half an hour. We have something to look at, the teams are warming up; I might need to identify somebody, see what they look like, if they are looking confident or not. Then, bang: we are ready. Some people like to be up there hours before – that’s not for me.
Three bags of sweets and tea – that keeps me going.
