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The Tony Incenzo Q&A Interview
Exclusive to talkSPORT1089.co.uk

Tony Incenzo is one of talkSPORT's reporters on Football First & Evening
Kick-Off reporting on matches involving Championship sides in London
and the South East every Saturday between 12:00pm-5:00pm with Adrian
Durham, Alvin Martin and Gary Stevens on talkSPORT.

Before talkSPORT, Tony had a similar role with Capital Gold Sportstime as
one of their reporters alongside the likes of Jonathan Pearce, Bill Leslie,
Tony Gale and Rob Wotton. He is a massive Queens Park Rangers and
non-league football fan and has been to over a thousand football grounds
around the country and the world in his role as reporter on radio.

Tony has also worked as a reporter for The Football Association website
and The Non-League Football Newspaper reporting on non-league football
matters and is a regular contributor to Soccer Saturday with Jeff Stelling.

You worked for Capital Gold in London as part of their football commentary team until they dropped their coverage in 2003. What were your roles to create one of the UK's most respected broadcasters?
I was one of the team of football reporters. I mainly covered QPR home and away, but I also reported on other matches and that included being sent to the World Cup Finals for Capital. I often supplied audio and can vividly remember interviewing Peter Shilton in the tunnel at Wembley Stadium after he had made his 100th appearance for England. For many years, I presented a Non-League round-up slot for Capital on Fridays.

During your time at Capital Gold you were part of a team that included Jonathan Pearce, Rob Wotton, Bill Leslie, Steve Wilson, Dave Clarke and Tony Gale. Did you feel at the time that each of them would eventually progress onto greater things in the future?
Yes, Jonathan, Rob, Bill, Steve, Dave and Tony are all top operators and they have worked hard to progress to the high levels of broadcasting with them working for the BBC and Sky Sports.

At Capital Gold you covered many matches involving sides in London. Out of the hundreds of matches you coverged, what were your highlights and favourite moments whilst at the station?
One of the highlights was covering Italy versus the Republic of Ireland in the World Cup Finals. I am half-Italian and half-Irish so I was the only man in the 70,000 crowd who couldn't lose! Also, my last ever game for Capital was the day QPR clinched promotion from the Second Division courtesy of a 3-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday in 2004. It was nice to be report on one of the great days in the club's history.

In 2004, the majority of the Capital Gold Network dropped their live commentaries due to the cost of broadcast rights and ultimately meant that your job with the station no longer existed. What were your feelings when you heard the news and would you like to see the return of live football in the future?
Personally, I was devastated. No one expected it to happen. I just got a call one day from the producer with the news. I thought he was winding me up but I soon realised that he was in tears on the other end of the line. I had been Capital Gold's longest serving football reporter and I covered nearly 1,000 live games for the station. I am not sure if a major football content will return to Capital in the future, but it is great that talkSPORT can provide London commentaries and output as there is a huge market.

Following the demise of live football at Capital Gold London you joined talkSPORT reporting on Championship matches in London and the South East of England. How did you get your role with the station and how does it feel to be part of the best team of reporters on national radio?
I just applied in the normal way and Capital's head of sport Andy Kay sent a reference letter with audio samples of my work. I feel very humbled to be part of the talkSPORT team as every reporter is very strong and Adrian Durham on Football First and Evening Kick-Off is a fantastic presenter.

What have been your favourite moments and highlights whilst reporting for talkSPORT in the last couple of years since you joined the radio station?
Just being part of the talkSPORT team is a highlight really. After I worked in local radio with Capital, joining talkSPORT felt like the equivalent of a Championship player signing for a big Premiership club to me. I have also enjoyed the camaraderie at the station. My reporter friend and colleague Nigel Pearson has helped me a great deal with advice since I joined talkSPORT and I have also had great encouragement from the backroom boys such as Steve Hodge and Jamie Edwards.

You also work as a reporter for Sky Sports on Soccer Saturday. How does it feel to be part of this excellent programme that keeps supporters in touch with all the games of the day?
Again, it is a great honour to be involved. Jeff Stelling is a magnificent anchorman. Personally, I find that it is a different type of work to radio. Last week, for example, I was at the Arsenal versus Cardiff tie in the FA Cup for Sky. I had to interview Cardiff boss Dave Jones live on TV before the game, then compile vox pop sound bites with fans outside in the street regarding Thierry Henry's future, followed by interviews with players and both managers after the game. That was a diverse day and equally as exciting as working for talkSPORT. Tina Deeks recently took over in the production office at Sky and is doing a good job.

In addition to your roles you have worked for the FA and Non-League Paper reporting on matters Non-League. How did you get your roles with these organisations and are you still working for them now?
Yes, I am still working for both. I edit the official FA Competitions Newsline and supply grassroots articles for the official FA website. I also write news and features for the Non-League Paper. And I edit the Ryman League Clubcall. I acquired these roles as I have a very keen interest in Non-League and used to produce my own magazine: Pyramid Football. There is huge following for the game at semi-pro level and I believe the Non-League Paper has sales figures of around 70,000 a week. The paper has top quality journalists involved like David Emery, David Watters and Stuart Hammonds, so it is a pleasure to work with them. They have recently launched the League Paper, which I also write for. My input with the FA is also very enjoyable and there are hard-working people at Soho Square such as Daniel Freedman and Steve Clark who are very good to liaise with. I like written journalistic work as I trained on a local newspaper, the Hendon Times, whilst at University.

You are a massive QPR supporter and are able to see them most weeks as talkSPORT�s and Sky Sports reporter at Loftus Road. How does it feel to be able to be paid to watch and report on your football club?
Firstly, I have to say that I always aim to be neutral when I report on QPR. In fact, I was talking to Adrian Durham at the talkSPORT Christmas party and he asked me whether I am a supporter of the club or not. I was very pleased that he felt my reports were totally unbiased. Adrian was very surprised when I told him that I have attended 900 consecutive QPR home games in league, cup, testimonials and friendlies. It was always my dream as a child to be a supporter-reporter at Loftus Road and I have a great working relationship with the club.

Ian Holloway has been coming in for some criticism in recent weeks as heard on talkSPORT. Do you feel it is warranted and where you feel that you should be in the Championship table currently?
No it is not warranted at all. People should remember that when Ian Holloway first took over as manager of QPR five years ago, the club went into administration shortly afterwards and most of the highly paid 'stars' left. At the first day of pre-season training, Ian only had six players to work with. So he had to build a side by recruiting free transfers, cast-offs and Non-League men. From there, Rangers reached the Second Division Play-Off Final and then got promoted the following season. Now, they are established in the Championship and are within touching distance of the Play-Off zone. That is a fair reflection of the season so far. In fact, a few wins on the bounce could take the R�s into contention. Ian Holloway has achieved all this with very little money to spend. So I think the criticism of �Olly� is totally unjustified. And I also have to say he is genuinely one of the nicest people I have met in football. It was my mum's 70th birthday recently and Ian invited her into his office before the game for a glass of wine with his wife. That really was a terrific gesture and one that made my mum's big day really special.

What has been your proudest moment as a Queens Park Rangers supporter to date?
Helping to raise more than �1 million for the club when I was editor of QPR Clubcall. Over the years, I have also been a contributor to the QPR match programme, edited the club newspaper, provided commentary and voiceovers on the end of season videos and been MC at the Player of the Year Dinners. Again, it is a great honour to be involved and I have never ever charged QPR a penny for my services. What I love most about going to Loftus Road is the family atmosphere. Everyone knows each other and it is so friendly. And there are great people working behind the scenes like Sheila Marson, Terry Springett, Brian Rowe and Brian Melzack who all have the very best interests of the club at heart.

In addition to being a fan of Queens Park Rangers, you have an interest in Non League Football. What is it about this level of football that interests you greatly and do you follow a team in non-league?
I enjoy Non-League because it is the real grassroots of football. Every team is an asset to their local community and they are run by an army of unpaid club officials who are dedicated to their duties. Non-League football is great value for money and can be very entertaining. I grew up in North-West London and I used to support Hendon as a kid. So I can guarantee that a warm welcome awaits any football fan who pops down to watch the local Non-League club on a Saturday.

To date, you have been to 1,589 football grounds in your life. When did you begin your journey and what has been your favourite and least favourite stadium to visit? Do you have any stories from your visits?
I have been a groundhopper for many years and it is something that sits alongside my reporting work. I try to average 50 new grounds a season, although I have already been to 37 in the current campaign. It started off in the mid-1970's when I was at school. I used to go to every QPR home game and on the alternate Saturdays I would watch a local Non-League club such as Hendon, Finchley or Barnet. Then I started going to a few Hendon away games and after that I decided to visit every Non-League club in London. From there, I visited all the 92 League grounds, all the Scottish League grounds and I have continued on to chalk up visits to more than 1,200 Non-League grounds plus stadia in 31 different foreign countries. My favourites are:

1. Loftus Road: for obvious reasons. 2. The Giants Stadium in New York: a massive, cathedral-like venue that I visited for a World Cup tie. 3. Stanley United FC in County Durham: a unique ground that is perched on the top of a hill. It has a small house right next to the pitch on the halfway line with the dressing rooms downstairs in the lounge area and the tea bar in the first floor bedroom.

As I like to collect a match programme from every game I attend (three bedrooms of my own house are stuffed full of football memorabilia), I would have to say my least favourite grounds are those where I have turned up for a Non-League game and a programme has not been issued.

Perhaps the most memorable occasion was on March 20 2004 when myself and 250 other groundhoppers created a world record by attending five matches in one day at five different grounds around Nottingham and Derby in the Central Midlands League - 11:00am at Greenwood Meadows FC, 1:00pm at Pelican FC, 3:00pm at Dunkirk FC, 5:30pm at Sandiacre Town FC and 8:00pm at Graham Street Prims FC. This is listed in the Guinness Book of Records and we received certificates confirming the world record at the end of the fifth game. I remember having a huge row with my girlfriend of that time because she wanted to go back to the hotel at the end of the second game. But I told her there were three further matches to go and we had to complete the world record. Strangely enough, that day was the last time I ever saw her.

Do you think England stand a chance of winning the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and is Sven-G�ran Eriksson the right man to guide them to the tournament?
I believe England have the nucleus of a very good squad with several world class players. It will be up to Sven to mould a winning unit for the tournament. I anticipate a very interesting World Cup with so many Premiership-based players lining up for the other countries.

What's the best sporting moment you have been at and why?
The 1982 FA Cup Semi-Final at Highbury when QPR from Division Two faced First Division West Bromwich Albion. Rangers had a huge support of nearly 30,000 at the game, filling the imposing North Bank terrace. Everyone was fearful of Cyrille Regis, who was on fire for West Brom. But he was marked out of the game by Bob Hazell. And the place erupted when Clive Allen scored the winning goal late on to send the R's into the FA Cup Final for the only time in their history.

Who were your idols as a child?
The 1975/6 QPR side that missed out on being League champions by one point to Liverpool: Phil Parkes, Dave Clement, Ian Gillard, John Hollins, Frank McLintock, David Webb, Dave Thomas, Gerry Francis, Don Masson, Stan Bowles and Don Givens. Subsequently in my work as a reporter, I have managed to interview most of those guys and I know a few of them on good friendly terms. If I ever have a son, I will name him after the eleven members of that team.

Who's the most famous person you have in your mobile phone or address book?
I'd have to say Gerry Francis, the former QPR and England captain. Gerry was very co-operative with me when he was QPR manager in two spells and even invited myself and my then girlfriend to dinner at his house.

What was the last CD you bought, and which CD's are in your car?
The Greatest Hits of Imagination. I am basically an 80's man and I have a host of retro CD's in the car, although they don't get played much as I am usually listening to talkSPORT .

What was the last film you saw at the cinema and what did you think of it?
Match Point. Although directed by Woody Allen, this is a quintessentially English film. It focuses on a man who marries into a rich family but then has an affair with a pretty American girl. He is torn between maintaining his comfortable lifestyle and his desire for his mistress. The result is a powerful concoction of love, lust and pathos. It is highly recommended.

Have you seen any other films you would like to recommend to listeners?
My favourite film of all time is Sleepers from 1996. Robert de Niro plays a Catholic priest who is torn between his devout honesty and his moral obligations. His inner turmoil comes to the fore as he blatantly lies to protect a group of young lads who have been sexually abused in a detention centre.

What books are you currently reading, and are there any that you have recently read that you would like to recommend to listeners?
The classic reading for football fans is Fever Pitch. I would loved to have written something like that. But Nick Hornby beat me to it. A great book. He was the first person to articulate what it really feel like to be a supporter at a match. But it has dawned on me that I could write the 'Fever Pitch' equivalent for nightclubbing, dating, love and romance. Subjects that I have observed and participated in for many years. I have made a start on the book and I am up to 35,000 words. I hope it will become the male equivalent of Bridget Jones� Diary.

Finally, where do you see yourself in 10 years time in your career and as a QPR supporter?
I hope I am still involved in the same line of work. I also anticipate that I will be watching QPR in the Premiership and the Champions League. And my other wish is that my book on nightclubbing will be of interest to the population.

Thanks to Tony Incenzo for the chance to interview him. You can hear Tony on Football First every Saturday with Adrian Durham, Alvin Martin and Gary Stevens between 12:00pm-5:00pm and on Evening Kick-Off with Adrian Durham each weeknight between 7:00pm-10:00pm on talkSPORT.

The Tony Incenzo Q&A Interview
London & South East Football Reporter
January 2006