You ask me another question like that and I'll take you outside and punch you!
Not the best way for an interview to progress but somehow I got through it and obviously I can’t reveal the perpetrator and who he was playing for at the time. Needless to say he’d had a bad day at the office (Don’t we all on occasions). Perhaps it was my question?
Thankfully I haven’t had to encounter many ‘difficult’ interviewees which is amazing considering the pressure our hero’s are put under by us as spectators with our expectations so high of 100% every time they leave the dressing room. As I say – we all have bad days at the office, I mention that one incident to illustrate that it’s not always an easy job but it is one that I wouldn’t swap for anything.
99 per cent of personalities are a joy to interview but just occasionally there is a stand out- a legend – somebody who has an aura about them – someone who is special and leaves you and an audience with a lasting impression.
Sir Bobby Robson, Football – Passionate about his beloved sport and a man who made anyone he spoke to feel special. When I look at that iconic picture of Terry Butcher covered in blood after the Sweden v England World Cup qualifier I think of Sir Bobby- I think you would do that for him. He just made you feel ten feet tall.
Geoff Miller OBE, Cricket– To list this man's achievements in the cricketing world would take a very long time. All I can say is, after spending a couple of days accompanying Geoff at the Ageas Bowl for an England Test in the hospitality suites it was a privilege to see how he treated guests with his stories and anecdotes. I also learned more about the game of Cricket in those two days than I had ever known in a lifetime before.
Dee Caffari MBE is a British sailor - In 2006 she became the first woman to sail single-handedly and non-stop around the world "the wrong way"; westward against the prevailing winds and currents. The occasion was a cancer charity pre-match event at Southampton F.C. and Dee spoke so passionately about her achievements. When asked about the sheer bravery of her lone sailing ventures she brushed aside the compliments and when asked to put the loneliness in perspective she said ‘ Well – I try not to think about it too much – but when I’m in the Southern Oceans the nearest human being is probably a Russian Cosmonaut 180 miles above me!’ That put it into perspective.