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The Andy Clarke Q&A Interview
Exclusive to talkSPORT1089.co.uk

Andy Clarke is one of talkSPORT's main football reporters on Football First and Evening
Kick-Off at Premiership matches in the South of England with Arsenal's Highbury and
Chelsea's Stamford Bridge being his regular haunts.

As well being a reporter for talkSPORT, Andy takes part on one of the UK's biggest growing
sports, amateur boxing and recently was the touchline reporter for talkSPORT's Big Match
between The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast and The Game with Rodney Marsh.

You have been working for talkSPORT for a number of years in various different roles, but
did you have much broadcasting experience before joining the station in 2000?
I had absolutely none. I had only been out of University a year and hadn’t really worked
out what I wanted to do. I saw that Talk Radio has just relaunched as talkSPORT and
thought I’d give it a go as sports journalism was something I’d always thought would
be an ideal job. It really was a case of right place, right time. Looking back I was
incredibly lucky to get in on the ground floor at a national station like talkSPORT with no
experience at all and I'm sure it wouldn't happen now. The lads in charge get a lot of CVs
sent in and I don't think mine would have got me far if I would have sent it in now.

I got in touch with Mike Parry who was Programme Controller at the time and went in to see him for what I thought would just be a general chat and half an hour later left punch drunk after my first encounter with Mike (something I won't forget in a hurry. I'd certainly never met anyone like Mr. Parry and don't think I ever will again!) having just been asked if I could quit my temporary job immediately and start on Monday which I did. I was only on expenses really to start with and was pretty much a general dogs body but you got a chance to do things very quickly which was brilliant and it all went from there.

You are part of talkSPORT’s team of reporters on Football First and Evening Kick-Off. How does it feel to be one of the most senior reporters on, arguably, the UK’s most accomplished team of reporters?
It's great. I think it's pretty easy to get blasé about a job if you're not careful. I've certainly been pretty surprised at times to hear people who do what I do complaining about going to a game in the same way you might talk about some forthcoming route canal work (none of them from talkSPORT of course!). I've probably been guilty of it myself from time to time if it's been a disappointing game but have never lost sight of the fact that I get paid to watch a game whereas the fans have to hand over good money with no guarantee that it'll turn out the way they want it to. You still get a real buzz especially in the minutes coming up to kick off when the ground's full and the atmosphere's really building. I've been lucky enough to see a lot of Arsenal in the last 4 years so have seen Thierry Henry arguably at his peak and it doesn't get a lot better than that. At the moment there's nothing else I'd rather do that realistically I could do. We'd all like to actually be playing of course but with the May 15th World Cup squad deadline fast approaching I think Sven's probably going to overlook me yet again. I don't really blame him though as I play at centre back and we're particularly strong in that area.

You regularly report on Premiership matches in the London area with Highbury and Stamford Bridge being your regular haunt. Without taking into account the fact that Chelsea are likely to win the Premiership, who has been the most entertaining to watch for talkSPORT in the last couple of seasons?
The team that I've reported on the most who have been the best to watch by a country mile are Arsenal. I've seen them annihilate sides at times and in Thierry Henry have possibly the best player in the world. I know most people say Ronaldhino and that he's won world player of the year in the last couple of years but I do think that's partly due to the fact that he plays for Barcelona who are a more glamorous club than Arsenal and that he's from Brazil who are by far everybody's second team. Obviously he's a fantastic player but I really don't think there's that much difference between him and Henry. I've seen Arsenal beat Everton and Middlesbrough 7-0 in the last couple of seasons and seen them score 5 a couple of times as well and they seem to rack up those scorelines more than anyone else.

They can be guilty of showboating at times which can be unnecessary and possibly a touch disrespectful to fellow pros who are already none too pleased about being on the wrong end of a good hiding but I'd rather go and watch a side that's capable of doing that than one that's not. They got absolutely hammered for the Pires and Henry penalty fiasco against Manchester City earlier in the season especially as they were only 1-0 up at the time but I'm all for that kind of thing. People said that they were taking the piss out of City and that the fact it backfired would teach them not to try and do it again but I’m not so sure. I think they would do it again. I shouldn't have thought City minded too much seeing as they missed. They did end up looking stupid but it's a chance they took. Having said all of this I'm not actually an Arsenal fan.

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?
Definitely the 5-1 win against Germany in Munich in September 2001. The old Olympic Stadium in Munich was superb and the game was something else especially after going 1-0 down. It was the first England game I'd gone to with talkSPORT and starts don't get much better than that. I was in the interview area after the game which was really interesting. The England players were all pretty wide-eyed and stopped to talk to everyone whereas the Germans understandably were trying to sneak past as quick as possible. I actually saw Carsten Jancker climb over a railing and make a quick getaway. One of my colleagues cheekily asked Oliver Kahn if he fancied a quick chat for English radio and if looks could kill. He had no sense of humour at all.

Whilst at talkSPORT you have been able to travel to a number of big sporting events including Euro 2004 in Portugal and the FA Cup Final. What has been your favourite sporting moment whilst working for them?
For me though Euro 2004 has been the highlight so far. I know it's not just one moment but the whole experience was amazing. The feel of a big tournament is incredible and Portugal's a lovely place with really nice people. I was based in Lisbon mainly and quite a few of the teams stayed in our hotel when they had a game at Benfica or Sporting Lisbon. France stayed there for the England game and it was pretty surreal to get back from the game, walk into the hotel bar and immediately be confronted by half the French squad just sitting around chatting to fans. It was disappointing from an England point of view but to see Wayne Rooney explode onto the international scene was great. As for a single moment I'd say it would have to be David Beckham's last minute free kick against Greece at Old Trafford to get us to the World Cup.

Do you wish to have greater involvement in talkSPORT’s football coverage as a commentator or, perhaps, presentation on shows such as Evening Kick-Off or The Final Whistle when regulars are absent?
I'd love to get into commentary as I think I'd be pretty good at it so we'll have to see what happens there. I'm not sure presenting is really my bag to be honest as I would much rather be out of the studio than in it so the roving reporter role suits me well.

It is understood that you are involved in amateur boxing which has been mentioned on talkSPORT. What exactly can you tell us about your involvement with this growing sport?
I took it up 3 years ago and although I've done a far bit of sparring I haven't actually had a fight. The dedication required is absolutely immense. I try and get down to the gym once a week at least but a good thing about it is that a lot of training can be done without any great amount of equipment so if I can't make it there's still a lot you can do. I've played a lot of sport but nothing touches boxing for the sheer physical effort required in all areas and discipline away from the gym in terms of diet.

I've got the utmost respect for anyone who's prepared to get into the ring and find their levels of determination and mental toughness astonishing. I love the atmosphere of the gym because although I was a bit intimidated the first few times I went down boxers are generally good guys and there's a real togetherness about it which surprised me for what is the most individual of sports. People are always prepared to help you out if they can, if you need someone to do the pads for you or lace your gloves or whatever. I think what people don't realise is how technically difficult it is, it really is a science.

The atmosphere around a big fight's brilliant as well (I've seen Lennox Lewis, Ricky Hatton and Prince Nasseem at ringside). I've never been to a big fight in America though which is something I definitely will do and probably put Madison Square Garden above Vegas as my number one venue because of the history. I love boxing history and have quite a few books on it. It's definitely a sport I'd like to get into work wise so who knows what might happen. I can't think of many things better than covering a big fight.

Are you a follower of professional boxers such as of Amir Kahn, Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton? Who do you like to follow and pay to see their bouts on the TV?
The three you've mentioned are the pick of the bunch as far as the UK's concerned. Calzaghe's win over Lacy was superb, though I do like Scott Harrison as well. Howard Eastman's one I've always liked too although I think his chance went when he got that dodgy decision against Joppy a few years back. I actually used to go to the same gym as him (it was where all Hennessy's fighters train) and saw him quite a bit. He breeds parrots and using to bring them into the changing room with him where he'd sit and talk to them while he got changed which was interesting. He also asked me to change the music one day when he was in the ring training. I panicked and decided to stick on Rocky which I thought was a safe bet. He just stopped and turned round and looked at me much to everyone else's amusement so now really under the spotlight I stuck on some reggae and I was off the hook. Carl Froch is looking good too and he used to use that gym as well.

I don't claim to know any of these guys but it was amazing to be able to watch them train. I always really admired Michael Brody as well because he's just so incredibly tough and despite some rough decisions always came back. Away from the UK the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Antonio Tarver, Manny Pecquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera and Winky Wright are all great. They're the obvious ones I guess but I've also always liked James "Lights Out" Toney. He's let himself down at times but his natural ability's second to none. Roy Jones is on the wane now but will obviously go down as an all time great.

Of all the great boxers in the history of the sport, including the likes of Lennox Lewis, Steve Collins, Ali, and Mike Tyson, who is your favourite all time boxer?
I always really like Steve Collins because his nickname "the Celtic Warrior" just said it all really. He may not have been the most naturally talented boxer but he made the bold decision to go the states to learn his trade and was just a really hard man. The man he beat twice, Chris Eubank, was another one I liked. He talked the talk but when it mattered in those wars against Benn and tragically also Michael Watson (another man I really admire for the way he's handled what happened to him) he showed he could walk the walk as well.

I'm going to shy away from Muhammed Ali because everybody says him! The golden era of Leonard, Hagler and Hearns produced some never to be forgotten fights but I think I'd always have to go for Tyson just for the fact that for better or for worse (and mainly for worse) his story more than maybe anyone's sums up the highs and lows of the fight game. It's classic really. The meteoric rise from a terrible background, fame, fortune and then the road to ruin through terrible self-destruction and ruthless exploitation of him by other people. I'm not saying I admire him as person or any of the things he's done away from his glory days in the ring but one day someone will make a film of his life and if they get it right and show everything warts and all then it will be one of the best stories of all time. I do wonder what will happen to him now. He came into talkSPORT a few months ago promoting a tour which took in Doncaster amongst other towns. I'm not knocking the place but Iron Mike and Doncaster are not words you'd ever have thought you'd find in the same sentence. Sadly he's a freak show these days and claims to have found peace you can't really see him growing old gracefully.

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?
I think England stand a very good chance. The fact that it's in Europe obviously helps and I think the fact that the season's ending earlier is a credit to Eriksson and gives the players the opportunity to recuperate after a long campaign. Too often we've heard how our players were at a disadvantage because we play so many games. The likes of Owen, Campbell and Cole are coming back from injury and should be fully fit in time and very fresh so as long as the rest of the players stay healthy we'll have everyone available and it's not often you can say that going into a major tournament. They'll need a bit of luck obviously but everyone needs that. Personally so long as we do everything we can and don't leave the tournament with the usual should haves, could haves, what ifs and hard luck stories then I won't complain. When you look at the history of the World Cup it is not often that the best team or one of the equal best if you like don't win.

As regards Eriksson, I think it would have been pointless to get rid of him before the World Cup. The players seem to like and trust him despite the Fake Sheik fiasco even if some of the press and supporters don't. Everybody keeps saying how this is the best squad we've had for 40 years and he's been in charge of them for 5 years. A lot of them have never played international football for anyone else so to bin him at this late stage would have stupid I think.

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?
Another difficult one but I think it's probably winning the Rugby World Cup. A bit obvious I know but the atmosphere it generated around the country was amazing. I watched it at home with a couple of mates and predictably we decided to celebrate by going to the Walkabout of all places. I covered the victory parade in Trafalgar Square for talkSPORT and I've never seen anything like it. It did however give you some idea of what the celebrations would be like if we won the football World Cup. It would be mind blowing. The Ashes win last summer was pretty good as well.

Who are your idols as a child?
I never really had any in particular. Sportsmen always figured highly. The likes of George Best, John McEnroe, Jimmy White and Ian Botham were all up there.

Who is the most famous person you have in your mobile phone or address book?
Probably Arsene Wenger.

What was the last CD you bought, and which CD’s are in your car?
The last one was Appetite for Destruction by Guns and Roses. I don't have car at the moment.

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?
The last one at the cinema was actually Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and I don't even have the excuse that I was taking a younger brother or sister or anything. It was good though. A really good film is Dead Man's Shoes. It never got a big write up when it was released but it's a British film by a guy called Shane Meadows. It's a bit dark but also very funny. Cinderella Man's good too. Boxing does seem to lend itself to the big screen but another good sports film I saw the other day for the first time was Slap Shot with Paul Newman. It's pretty old now but quality.

What books are you currently reading, and are there any that you have recently read that you would like to recommend to listeners?
I am reading In Search of the Trojan War by Michael Wood at the minute. A good one I read recently is called Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich. It's about a bunch of college students in the US who managed to rip off a load of Vegas casinos by card counting.

Finally, where do you see yourself in 10 years in your broadcasting career?
I've always fancied working abroad and definitely want to do that at some point so who knows.

Thanks to Andy Clarke for the chance to interview him. You can hear Andy on Football First with Adrian Durham, Alvin Martin & Gary Stevens on Saturday from 12:00pm and weekdays on Evening Kick-Off from 7:00pm on talkSPORT.

The Andy Clarke Q&A Interview
Football First & Evening Kick-Off
April 2006