Posts Tagged ‘football’

I was asked my opinion on the John Terry affair by the Independent a few days ago, alongside Phil Hall, who has been drafted in to look after Terry. We found ourselves in agreement on the way footballers deal with problems and the people they surround themselves with. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

“The publicist Mark Borkowski, a Chelsea supporter, said the Terry case would send a ’shiver’ through football. He said he would have advised Terry to hand the armband back before being stripped of it and said advisers should have been aware of the dubious PR value of the footballer accepting a ‘Dad of the Year’ award from Daddies Sauce last summer. Read the rest of this entry »

I watched some of the Super Bowl yesterday, still reflecting on the difference between British and American footballers in the wake of John Terry’s spectacular PR meltdown last week.

I think I’ve now spotted the one major difference between the two breeds of footballer on either side of the Atlantic: the British footballer, at the height of his game and money-earning potential, tends to be a rock-em-sock-em hedonist, in it only for the lifestyle, the thrill, the women, the ability to be so rich they can get away with it. American footballers, on the other hand, tend to be do-gooders. Most importantly, they are encouraged to be so. Read the rest of this entry »

What a depressing week for lovers of football. What a sorry, sad, insane mess played out by fools and halfwits. Ordinarily, the focus would have been on the big game, Arsenal v. Chelsea. Instead, this weekend, our interest in the game will be for all the wrong reasons. So, instead, I have decided to focus on the American version of football, which reaches its colossal climax on Sunday. I hanker after the hype, showmanship and ballyhoo of the Super Bowl.

US and UK sport have always been different – from the amount of body armour the Americans wear to play what amounts to rugby to the way the world views the different sports on each side of the Atlantic. Whatever your view of American sport, however, there is no doubt they are well ahead of the game when it comes to using social media in cahoots with big sports events. Read the rest of this entry »

The question of whether or not John Terry should be stripped of the England captaincy after recent revelations is irrelevant. There are bigger issues at stake in the world of football. If we’re to learn one thing from the wretched saga surrounding Terry it’s that it is not his career and reputation that faces a meltdown – the reputation of football is on a fast track to the sewer and is in need of urgent PR.

Money is the acne on the face of football and with teenage afflictions comes teenage behaviour. Young men with that much loose power stuffed in their wallets are prone to go a little crazy and Terry is no exception. Money and hormones repress morals – every time, without exception.

Top-flight footballers are a breed apart thanks to the astonishing amounts of money they take home; the offspring of a bestial union between money and sport. They should not be held up as exemplars of any sort of moral code. And don’t forget that great footballers make great targets for super-agents who want to make their percentage, for wannabe WAGS with eyes on the dream ticket these players represent, for clubs who require their pound of flesh. Football is as much about milking the cash cows as it is about sport. If not more. Read the rest of this entry »

The Independent on Sunday published an article of mine yesterday, looking at what could have happened to Thierry Henry had he confessed to handling the ball in the France v Republic of Ireland match last week. The What If? is a classic sci-fi and fantasy conceit borrowing the idea of a multiverse from quantum physics, seeing which way a life might have gone if one small choice had been different. There was, I’ll admit, a certain amount of pleasure to be had applying quantum metaphysics to the lives of footballers and the PR potentials of the changes. Here’s an extract…

“If quantum physics is to be believed, there is quite possibly an alternate Thierry Henry in a parallel universe who has just become a sporting god thanks to ‘fessing up to handling the ball. Heralded as one of the greatest publicity stunts of all time, it would nonetheless change the life of the footballer into that of the fairplay god, the one who rewrote the sporting commandments. Fifa would be shamed into rewarding honesty, not the reverse.”

To read the full article, click here.

I have asked my old mate Roger Edwards, who used to be marketing director of Wembley Stadium, to provide me with his own reminiscences on the Michael Jackson circus from the time he worked at Wembley. It is still surprising to consider that fifty nights at the O2 would have translated as five nights at Wembley in Roger’s day – something a little more manageable for Jackson, though not necessarily, given how very frail he turned out to be.

Wembley Stadium is now owned and run by the FA so its priority is football. The FA have always been an organisation that has had its issues. A strong vision might get them back up to speed, competing for gigs with the O2.

Michael Jackson at Wembley

Jackson played an unprecedented seven sell out concerts at Wembley Stadium on the BAD tour summer 1988 putting him in the Guinness Book of World Records. Demand was such that there could have been another seven but Brent Council had capped the number of concert licenses for the Stadium at 8 and the Stadium was already committed to the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert (Mandela was still in prison in 88 and this multi artiste concert simulcast around the world was to foster awareness). Originally pencilled for up to three days, when the concerts went on sale further dates were rapidly added, as it was clear demand would exceed the agreed number of dates, Brent Council were approached to extend the agreed number of concert events but could not be budged. Originally the Wembley dates were intended to be the UK’s only Jackson appearance. With the cap on Wembley and demand still running at a record level further dates were added at Cardiff Arms PK Liverpool Aintree Racecourse, Milton Keynes Bowl and Leeds Roundhay Park.

Jackson was at his absolute performing peak, the shows were fabulous audience reaction what can only be described as ecstatic. The demand and volume giving rise to a number of other interesting aspects. Merchandise ran at an unprecedented level but not without its curiosities. The merchandise company Brockum anticipating pirate sales had engaged an investigation firm to monitor known unofficial producers; the week before the first run of Wembley dates they trailed two forty foot trucks of unofficial merchandise from the North to the M1 Scratchwood services where the police impounded both lorries and their contents. This action however failed to completely stop off site unofficial sales.

The ticket sale profits from a later date were donated to the Princes Trust and Princess Diana attended the concert. This involved an exercise in getting Michael Jackson from the Stadium backstage area to the Banquet Hall where together with others he could be presented to Diana. This was following explanation to his people that she would not come back stage, Michael had to the Banquet Hall, this at a time when the audience were crowding the outer concourse. He made this journey in an unmarked van being dropped off at the kitchen loading bay before progressing past the well used bins, up a back staircase, through the kitchen and into the banquet hall where he joined the presentation line-up. I recall his being placed at the start of the line-up as the first to be presented but there was to be a wait until Princess Diana’s arrival, after metaphorically clicking his heels for a few moments he proceeded down the line introducing himself to others to be presented to Diana before returning to his first position at the start of the line.

There had been some debate prior the concert as to whether “Dirty Diana” should be dropped from the set list in case the audience thought this was some reference to the Princess.

On a personal front my eldest, four and a half at the time, joined Michael on stage at one concert before the 75,000 audience. At each concert a group of small children were collected to crocodile around the stage while Michael sang Working Day and Night.

Having enjoyed a very long career in venue management this sequence of concerts was undoubtedly a high point. It was pre internet ticket sales so sales were principally over the phone so for Wembley required briefing British Telecom who would filter calls so as to reduce the load on the local exchange to prevent it crashing. Tickets were security printed with a multiplicity of control features as was the norm at Wembley to prevent or at least limit forgery. I had never experienced such demand before and certainly nothing anywhere near since; the BAD tour was very much a moment in time.

The Return 1992 – the Dangerous tour

Not the same, by 92 that moment had passed although a longer run of dates were pencilled only three went to contract with only one other UK date at Sheffield Don Valley being included in the tour. Still a spectacular production including courtesy of David Copperfield the master illusionists advice Michael being made to disappear on stage as a closing routine before re-emerging flying round the side of the stage courtesy of a personal “jet pack” before finishing the concert with The Man in the Mirror as in 1988.

There was one unusual experience in the 92 tour; Michael was taken ill late in the day resulting in the necessity to cancel the concert. The decision was made to let the audience into the Stadium before telling them as being the most effective means of delivering the same message to everyone. Fortunately due the extra dates that were not taken up the concert was restaged later.

Roger Edwards Sales and Events Director the Wembley Complex 1987 – 92

Here is the webcast of the head to head between Max Clifford and myself at the London College of Communications last Tuesday, in nine handy bite-sized chunks. Apologies to anyone who logged in to Ustream in the hope of seeing the debate streamed live – Ustream crashed and prevented us from going ahead.

Part One

Part Two: Andrew reveals his knowledge of football, and Max discusses the difference between ’stars’ and ‘celebrities’

Part Three: Mark begins with an attack on new agents, who lack in skill and who profit by peddling hope.

Part Four: Are reality shows good or bad?

Part Five: Any advice for Gordon Brown?

Part Six: Which begins with Max being asked how he has kept the identity of his bisexual Premiership footballing client out of the media…

Part Seven: Does Max feel guilty about profiting from Jade’s death, or Kerry Katona’s misfortune – or causing misery for other people?

Part Eight: LCC Year 3 PR student Cally Sheard questions Max on whether the public or the media determine the agenda, using the Barrymore story as an example.

Part Nine: Conclusion!