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The Graham Courtney Q&A Interview
Exclusive to talkSPORT1089.co.uk

Graham Courtney is talkSPORT's North East Football Correspondent reporting
on Premiership matches involving Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and
Scotland's World Cup Qualifiers throughout the course of the season.

He is also a former News and Sports Editor with Independent Radio in North
East England and was a presenter and football commentator with Metro Radio
in Newcastle and TFM in Middlesbrough in the 1980s and 1990s. Following his
work in broadcasting, he then joined Newcastle United as their Press Officer
and Team Administrator in the mid and late 1990's under Kevin Keegan.

In 2000, he joined the Eye Group, a sports media company and was instrumental
in staging the World Squash Championship at the NEC in Birmingham. He was
also a Motoring and Travel Editor and is a freelance motoring journalist

Graham was also an Account Director with Black and White PR In Newcastle. At the company he looked after a variety of clients such as car dealerships, hotels, local authorities and book publishers. Along with providing this service, he currently offers voiceovers, video production, script writing and is compere at various events. He is currently Chief Officer for the Independent Football Commission which is an organisation that monitors the Football Association, FA Premier League and The Football League.

You have been talkSPORT's North East and Scottish Football Correspondent for the last few seasons. When did you start working for talkSPORT and how did you get your role with the station?
I started working for talkSPORT around 2 years ago after I was in contact with Jim Brown who I used to work with at Metro Radio. The man has loads of contacts and is someone I have been in regular contact with for quite a while. I started off freelancing for talkSPORT but obviously became their North East Football Correspondent. It's something I love doing and am very proud of doing.

You regularly cover matches involving Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Scotland. Which team has been the most entertaining to watch over the last couple of seasons for talkSPORT?
Newcastle have been the most entertaining to watch simply because there is always something going on at the club and there is never a dull moment. Sunderland are always up against it, especially this season as they don't have enough quality in the squad. As for Middlesbrough they just don't seem to be able to deliver. They have some great players and have UEFA Cup football which seems to keep them ticking over but they can beat Manchester United one week and lose to Sunderland the next. Having said that Newcastle are still the most entertaining and exiciting to report on for talkSPORT.

As a reporter for talkSPORT you are likely to have witnessed some action packed and incidental matches. Looking back at your time on talkSPORT, which match sticks out in your mind the most?
That is a tough question but the recent match in the Carling Cup has been the most shocking match I have seen in a long time. Doncaster had beaten Manchester City in a previous round and welcomed Aston Villa to their ground. They beat them 3-0 which was well deserved and went onto play Arsenal in the Quarter Final.

talkSPORT have arguably the best team of sports reporters on the radio. How did it feel to be asked to be part of this team when you joined the station?
I am very proud to be part of the talkSPORT reporting team. It's a radio station is going places and still in an early part of its life and in the early stages of development. I know people that listen to talkSPORT all of the time and people that have become new listeners to the station. It's definately one that is moving forward.

Would you like to have a greater involvement in talkSPORT's football coverage as commentator for any of their live Premiership, Champions League coverage or perhaps at the World Cup in Germany. Or perhaps presentation on a programme such as Evening Kick-Off of The Final Whistle?
Having a full time job would make this extremely diffifult to do. At the moment I can juggle my role as a reporter for talkSPORT. I enjoy going to the games and being part of the action at the grounds. I did presentation at Metro Radio but having, as previously mentioned, a full time job would make it difficult for me to be part of something more involved at talkSPORT. I was part of the Euro 2004 reporting team which I was proud to do.

Before joining talkSPORT you worked at Metro Radio and TFM in the North East. Describe what you have done in radio prior to you joining talkSPORT. Where did you work and what were your roles?
I joined Metro Radio in Newcastle in 1980 when I left Durham University where I worked part-time doing the discos. I started out at Metro as a trainee sports reporter before working my way through to become the News and Sports Editor at the station. In 1995 I started working for TFM in Middlesbrough as their News and Sports Editor but still did some work for Metro doing player interviews and reports for them.

In 1996, I left TFM and became the Press Officer at Newcastle United FC. I worked for Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Ruud Gullit whilst at the club. I spent four years at the club. I have also been editor of a holiday magazine and a motoring magazine in addition to my road testing duties. I have also worked for Sky Sports on a number of ocassions in the early days. I also do voiceovers and offer my services as a scriptwriter.

I did 2 years of freelancing on leaving Newcastle United and worked for Black and White PR as their Account Director until November 2005. Now I am Chief Officer at the The Independent Football Commission based in Stockton on Tees. The Comission raises issues in the game such as ticketing, scheduling and racism.

Whilst working for Metro and TFM you must have worked alongside some former players in the commentary box. Who did you work alongside and how did it feel to be working with legends of the game?
The main guy that sticks out is Mick Martin. Incidentally, I was the guy that recommended him and David Roberts to talkSPORT a few years ago. They co-hosted the Sunday Sports Breakfast for a few months together. It was great to have current players in the commentary box for the matches. They would usually do it when injured or suspended and didn't have any hesitation in doing it.

I even had Alan Shearer alongside me which was a pleasure. I noticed that in the early days players would listen to local radio for commentaries of the away games if they weren't part of the squad or injured. I also has Nial Quinn with me on various ocassions and it was gratifying to have these big names working with you.

I was also the first person to give Gabby Yorath a chance in broadcasting. She used to come into the press box and then go pitchside and get interviews with the players and management of the clubs. Obviously you know where she has gone on to now and congratulations to her.

Metro Radio and Magic 1152 dropped their commentaries of Newcastle and Sunderland but then shortly after reinstated them due to demand from listeners. Do you feel saddened that local commercial radio stations such as Metro in Newcastle, Radio Aire in Leeds and Capital Gold in London and Birmingham seem to be in favour of dropping, or have dropped, live football commentaries?
To be quite honest I was staggered by the news when I heard it. In the North East of England sport and mainly football is the main talking point throughout the region and when I was at Metro it was the main driving force behind the station. It was always the feather in the hat in our output and I don't see how that has changed. Of course financial reasons are likely to be the reasons but now as an outsider looking in I thought the decision was nothing short of amazing. I know they reinstated the commentaries on Magic 1152 but the initial decision behind dropping the commentaries still staggers and amazes me to this day.

Last year you were involved in a bid from Prince FM for the new radio licence for Durham. What was your exact involvement in the bid and what would your role have been had you won the licence?
It was actually going to be called Durham Local Radio. But I would just like to lay down that I am a massive fan and am a firm believer in local radio. BBC Radio Durham was one of the first local radio stations in the UK and since it moved to Newcastle we have never had a proper local radio station for Durham since then. We have a thriving University population so I was delighted that OFCOM were going to give Durham a local station.

My role initially was to give my advice and support to Durham Local Radio but it was difficult to devote much time since I had a full time job in addition to my role at talkSPORT. But despite us not winning the licence, I am still delighted that Durham finally has its own local radio station.

The Local Radio Company's bid of Durham FM with their "music fun life" format won the Durham licence last year. What do you think the reasons were for Prince FM not winning the licence to broadcast?
I think first and foremost it was simply down to financial backing and resources. Durham FM are part of The Local Radio Company who have radio stations in Darlington and Sunderland already so it is easier for them to pool their resources and Durham FM would plug that gap in the area of the country. We were a standalone station and it was always going to be difficult to compete with a bid from a large group like we did.

Who do you actually support and how do you think they will finish the season?
I'm a supporter of Cambridge United who I am sad to say got relegated from League 2 last season and are currently mid table in the Conference. They have struggled financially a great deal recently but I remember that we were a couple of games away from the Premiership in the early 1990s. We played and lost to Leicester in the Division One Play Off Semi Finals and it all seemed to go wrong since that happened.

As talkSPORT's North East Football Correspondent, how do you think the other local teams you cover will do in their respective divisions this season?
It goes without saying that Sunderland are already gone. I think they will go down with less points than they did last time but I think they will do well to get promoted again next season. Newcastle flatter to deceive so many times and the injuries do not help. On their day they can be up their with the best of them but then it is totally different the next week. I think Souness will stay until the end of the season then then his position will be reviewed. As for Middlesbrough, they have some good players but again are very inconsistant. They have spent a lot of money and the fans will demand a good season as well as more UEFA Cup football.

Do you think England stand a chance of winning the 2006 World Cup in Germany, and are you a fan of a Sven Goran Eriksson or would you like to have seen another man in the job to take us to the World Cup?
England will definately reach the semi-finals and beat Brazil in either the semi-final or the final itself. I'm looking forward to the tournament and think we can do very well. It's just that if we have all of our key players injury free then I think this could be the tournament for us.

As a sports reporter, commentator and general sports fanatic for most of your life, what is the best sporting moment of your life and why?
Newcastle's 5-0 victory against Manchester United at St. James Park is the match that sticks out the most as one of the best sporting moments. The other matches that I remember very well are the ones at Anfield in 1996 and 1997 when Newcastle lost both matches 4-3 in two gripping and exciting encounters. I won't forget either of those matches and they were a priviledge to be at.

Who were your idols as a child?
When I was younger I was very much into my motor racing so Graham Hill was one of my idols. He was an amazing driver. I also followed cricket and I would say Fred Trueman could also be included. And in football it has to be Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish. These are people that I have the priviledge to work with later on in my life at Metro and at Newcastle United so it was an amazing feeling to do that.

Who's the most famous person you have in your mobile phone/address book?
How about Alan Shearer and Kenny Dalglish?

What was the last CD you bought, and which CD's are in your car?
The last one I bought was the latest Now album. Not sure what number we are up to now. But in the car I have the Beatles Number One Collection to listen to. It's the ultimate Beatles album for me.

What was the last film you saw at the cinema - and what did you think of it? Have you seen any other films you would like to recommend to listeners?
My all time favourite film is The Third Man. But the last film I went to see at the cinema is the latest Harry Potter film. I have been following them since the first one as they filmed some of the scences in Durham and some of my sons friends were extras in it.

What books are you currently reading, and are there any that you have recently read that you would like to recommend to listeners?
I have just finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. It's a wonderfully touching story. As for a book that I'd strongly recommend, how about the latest Viz Annual or, for a bit of a contrast, Snow Falling On Cedars by David Guterson.

Thanks to Graham Courney for the chance to interview him. You can hear Graham 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 Graham Courtney Q&A Interview
North East Football Correspondent
January 2006