FOR THE AMERICAN HATTER IN YOU
How old were you when you started supporting Luton and what was it about the club that attracted you?
I started supporting Luton in the early 1980's. It is through my Dad that I follow the Hatters and am very grateful that as he lived in Hertfordshire as a child he didn't favour a certain other team! The fortunes of Luton over the past 30 years has certainly provided far more memories and experiences, good and bad, than most other Clubs, and certainly far more good than them down the road have seen!
Good early dig at the "neighbours" lol. What was it like growing up a Luton fan? Were there many other Hatters around or were you out on your own?
Living in Suffolk I wasn't aware of many other fans at a young age, but with the emergence of the internet and my involvement with the Club I've got to know that we're everywhere! Anybody that has known me over the years, whether at school, university or through work will certainly know about my passion for LTFC! This has led to the usual banter and comments, but I've always been proud to be a Hatter. Victories over Ipswich and Norwich have certainly been enjoyed that little bit more! It does also confuse people when they ask why I support Luton given that I was born in Dorset, live in Suffolk, and went to University in Loughborough!
I know how that feels, I grew up in Dublin, Ireland and was convinced I was the only Hatter in the country but since the emergence of Twitter I've actually found there are quite a few more. Now living in America it's funny the looks I get when I say I support Luton. Who was your favourite player growing up?
As a child I remember getting really upset when Paul Walsh was sold to Liverpool as he was my favourite at the time, but for many years it was then Brian Stein.
Was there a reason behind Brian Stein being your favourite player? Secret desire to be a striker maybe?
Haha, yeah as I child playing for my Club side I progressed through the positions from goalkeeper to striker, and certainly enjoyed scoring goals, which thankfully I was doing quite regularly! At the same time Stein was hitting the headlines in the best ever League season in 1986/87.
What are your earliest memories of Luton or Football in General?
My earliest Luton memory is Raddy Antic's decisive goal at Maine Road in May 1983. As a young child I can remember hearing about it on the radio and my Dad explaining to me what it meant. My first game at Kenilworth Road was on Sunday 18th December 1983, and I saw the Hatters beat West Brom 2-0. Brian Horton scored a penalty and Trevor Aylott also netted. I also notice from my records that it took me 17 months to see my first three games at Kenilworth Road, a feat I achieved in 6 days recently!
Tell me to mind my own business if you want, how old were you when Raddy Antic scored that goal? Were you old enough to really grasp what it meant?
I was six at the time so perhaps didn't have the emotions to really celebrate like I would a goal like that now! It was later that year that I went to my first game and I can remember being really excited at being able to go, so I obviously had some feelings and understanding for what football, and particularly Luton meant to me.
You mentioned records above. Do you keep records of all the games you have been too?
I sure do (yes I am a spreadsheet geek!) 722 games, 142 different grounds, 314 victories, 194 draws, 214 defeats, 2 abandoned, 1153 goals scored, 895 conceded.
Wow that must be some spreadsheet. Moving on how did you break into radio? was it something you always wanted to do?
I started my radio "career" at University where I spent three years on student radio, presenting, yup you've guessed it the Sports show! I also had 5 years on a hospital radio station presenting a normal show, and then an opportunity arose to commentate for Luton to partially sighted fans, a voluntary role that started in January 1998. I started commentating for the TV coverage of home matches that was broadcast around the ground, to the Executive boxes, hospitality rooms etc etc. In the summer of 2009 I was invited to be the commentator for Diverse FM, a Community station who were to became the official broadcast partners for the Football Club. This was a fantastic opportunity for me and I still remember the "trial" broadcast, a pre-season match against Swindon Town. We hadn't told the fans it was happening, but soon after kick off news started to spread on the internet that there was commentary available. It was quite an incredible experience for me personally to suddenly have messages of support come in from fans around the world, and as more became aware of this new commentary option, so the Diverse FM listening figures increased.
And how did BBC Three Counties get involved?
That came about in the summer of 2010, when the BBC approached Diverse FM to ask if there was any potential of the Luton commentary to be broadcast on both stations. This was the start of an unfortunately very short period of time with myself and the late Ian Pearce working together.
What was it like working with the late Ian Pearce? Any memorable stories?
Pearcey was a great bloke to work alongside, and I am still saddened that our partnership was only together for such a short time. He was a well respected broadcaster with a wealth of experience and was always there to provide his knowledge and idea's for the show, but likewise was also very good to show his appreciation for my commentary. As two passionate fans it meant that we could really feel and understand the emotions of the match we were watching, whilst being able to share that with those fans listening that were also going through the same highs and lows. Pearcey had a great sense of humour and at times there was some fantastic quick comments during commentary, with various play on words sometimes regarding player names or Club nicknames. At the end of the previous season Ian had actually interviewed me at the Annual Supporters Club Presentation Evening, little did we know that a few months later we would joining forces at Woking to provide commentary for a pre-season friendly!
Since Ian's passing you've worked with Euan Duncan, Simon Oxley and Andy Burgess, that I know of, Do you prefer having someone to give you a breather or do you like working on your own?
For many years I commentated on my own, and it wasn't until the BBC asked to join forces with Diverse FM for the broadcasting of Luton matches that I had a co-commentator/summariser. As I've said working with Ian was great, as he was a fellow passionate fan (as is Andy Burgess and Andrew Barringer) but there are occasions now where I do miss not commentating on the whole game. I feel I can get more emotionally involved with the match if I'm in control of the commentary for the full 90 minutes. However there are also times when a second person is very useful i.e. drinks break, extra layer of clothing needed, coughing issues etc etc! A second pair of eyes has also proved useful at times, as someone else can sometimes have a better view of an incident, or have a different opinion of an incident.
Have you ever thought about trying out for Sky?
I'd be a liar if I said I hadn't thought of it (or people had suggested it to me!), but likewise I wouldn't/couldn't progress my development in commentary/sports presenting if it denied me being able to follow LTFC still, after all that is my real passion, the commentary aspect of it is really just a hobby!
Who gave you the Statto Nickname?
I believe it all started when I was at University, but co-incidentally fellow Luton fans started calling me by the same nickname when they got to know me too! I have always been known for coming out with a variety of statistics (and hopefully nothing to do with looking like Angus Loughran when he was "Statto" on the Fantasy Football TV series!)
Hahaha nah no resemblance there at all!! Probably your most famous piece of work is the Keith Keane goal against Oxford. What do you think of the people who have it as a ring tone etc.
I'm still amazed and overwhelmed by the response to that piece of commentary, both at the time and since. It's just over two years since that game, and yes as you say some people still have it on their phone as a ring or message tone, which I still find a little surreal (but also thoroughly enjoy!) knowing that my voice is being heard whenever they get a call or text! I still can't always believe that this isn't a dream I'm having as I never expected to have been given the opportunity that I have, or to have had the experience of so many Luton fans tuning in for my commentary each week.
Any harsh words sent your way by Oxford fans?
I guess there might be some as comments attached to the YouTube clip but to be honest I was too busy reading all the positive messages I was getting from Luton fans! I am very grateful for the messages and tweets I receive from fans as it is always good to hear that people enjoy my commentary, and I also try, where possible, to reply personally to those I receive to show my appreciation for their comments. Oh and yes I have personally thanked Keith Keane for scoring that goal, as it certainly made a significant difference to my last two years!
You worked on the Luton Town Football Club. A Full Record 1885-2010 book with Roger Wash. How much time and effort went into it?
To say it was several years in the making is true, as we believe we first started talking about it around 2005. Although it was a bit of a slow start the work and research was going on in the background, but once there was a focus on a particular publication date we spent many hours, and many nights checking and double checking team line ups, spellings, attendances etc etc. It was all certainly well worth the effort though and I am very proud to have been involved with such a book on the 125 year history of LTFC.
Was it always something you wanted to do?
Yes it was, but again I never really thought that particular dream would come true. It was an ideal partnership really as Roger had the required information and I had the spreadsheet know how to be able to put it all together. It was a fascinating time going through the records to get the statistics, and Roger's incredible knowledge gave me an extra insight into the history of the Club.
Any plans on updating it in the coming years?
I certainly hope so, especially given the amount of interest in the book first time round, and knowing that there were some fans disappointed not to have got a copy. I have kept all the season by season pages, and player statistics up to date since so it shouldn't be too difficult to update. Watch this space as they say!
You recently made your first steps into Hollywood. How did the FA Cup ad come about?
I've been very grateful for a variety of TV experiences and opportunities over the years, and knowing that I wasn't adverse to putting my face in front of a camera, Andrew Barringer (LTFC Media Officer) very kindly suggested me when a volunteer was needed to take part. I was filmed for several hours, and that short advert was the outcome! I'm not sure if it was ever used on ESPN but it was still a great feeling to get my hands on the FA Cup.
What are your memories of the 1988 League Cup Final?
I watched it on TV, having been to Wembley for the first time for the Simod Cup defeat to Reading. We weren't expected to gain any form of victory against Arsenal, but what a game it was, and once again a Luton side proved that even as underdogs they can still provide a significant upset! As I said earlier Brian Stein was my favourite player so to see him score twice, and win the game in the last few seconds was just incredible. I watched the highlights again just the other week and it still gets all the emotions going, even though I knew what was going to happen! Referred to as one of the best finals at the old Wembley it was a real roller-coaster, just like the last 29 years following the Hatters!
You've seen a lot. Phone in votes to pick managers, Administration, Relegation. What was the low point for you?
Wow what a question, and to be honest I'm not really sure one particular incident could be called the lowest point. There have been several low points over the years, both on and off the field, but for every one of those there has been at least one high point to more than balance it out. I always try and be grateful for the good times, and try and grow stronger from the bad ones. Having said that results on the field certainly make or break my weekend, and sometimes much longer. The play off defeat last season was particularly hard to accept and get over.
It was hard to accept. Going back to the League Cup win quickly, How do you think the Luton team of that day and age would have fared in Europe, if it hadn't been for the ban of English clubs after the Heysel Disaster?
I don't really remember much about European football in the late 1980's although I do know that any Luton team would have gone out and made their fans proud. Just being in Europe itself would have been a fantastic achievement for the Club, and would certainly have been deserved, particularly given the way that the Cup was won. It was a strong squad that we had, and had two good finishes in the league, however 1988/89, with the exception of another League Cup final, didn't live up to the expectations of the seasons before so perhaps a European adventure could have actually had a negative impact in the long run. It's one of those questions that we will never get an answer to, and at the same time will always be wondering, if only.
30 point deduction and the relegation that followed, did you ever hold hope that we might survive?
I honestly thought, and still do, that we had a strong enough squad to have recovered the points deficit, and to have finished safe of the relegation zone. I felt we had a squad that could, and should, have finished 30+ points clear of relegation without the punishment, but as it turned out perhaps the psychological impact of the deficit from day one was just too much to get over. Again another question that we will never know the answer to, and again will always be wondering, if only! But as friends will tell you I am ever the optimist!
Was the punishment excessive?
Now that's an easy one to answer, quite simply yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,
This is our third year in the BSP do you think it's getting harder to get out the longer we stay here?
The League is certainly getting stronger at the top end, with more ex-League Clubs coming down. Expectations were high in our first season that we would go straight back up, but it wasn't to be, and then last season we were a coat of paint from going up. Money at other Clubs has proved successful, with Crawley last season and as it stands Fleetwood this, whereas our version of "Money" didn't have the same success whilst in charge. Currently I believe we have the squad, the supporters and the Board to sustain a League place (as do potentially a few other sides in the division) but we just need the results in the BSP to get us there. I am not giving up on the title until it is mathematically impossible, but likewise I will still be more than happy if it takes a win at Wembley to secure our promotion.
And finally, Andrew Kingston brought up a point of you commentating on classic games when games are called off. Whats the chances of that happening, or is it something you're even considering?
Yes it was an idea muted on twitter at the weekend, a bit like the TV companies showing old highlights when a game is called off. There was some positive response to the suggestion but rather than commentate on the whole game there was some idea's for particular goals for me to re-live and celebrate in my own particular style! You never know something may yet come of it but with all these games hopefully coming up now, and particularly with long midweek journeys, I'm going to be keeping fairly busy anyway! Perhaps something to re-visit in the summer when I get my usual withdrawal symptoms from all things Luton!
Sounds good to me. Thanks Simon for your time and in finishing is there anything you'd like to say to other hatter fans or your listeners?
I am grateful to the LTFC Board for deciding on Diverse FM as their official broadcast partner back in 2009, and likewise I would like to make public my gratitude to Mick Foster, of Diverse FM, for his continued support and appreciation from that first broadcast against Swindon to present day. To all those volunteers that have given their time to support the "Luton Town Show" on Diverse FM over the past three seasons, thank you. I really appreciate the comments and feedback from fans around the world that enjoy my commentary, it is a pleasure and an honour for me to bring you the emotions of 90 minutes of football. To each and every Luton fan, whether you go to no games or every game, keep up your wonderful support through what ever means you're able. Let us all enjoy together the successes that will come our way over the future years, whilst helping each other to overcome the hurdles that may well be in our path as well. Keep the Faith!
