It Started With a Kick Episode 79 : John Murray
As BBC5Live’s football correspondent John Murray is a voice you will all know very well from the myriad of matches that he has commentated on, from Premier League to FA Cup to Euros to World Cups. He’s no stranger to podcasts and is one of the Holy Trinity of ABB, a former guest on here, Ian Dennis and his good self on the excellent Commentators’ View.
He also commentates on major golf tournaments such as The Open and the Ryder Cup and was there a little over a week ago for the Battering at Bethpage.
John has been responsible for my favourite bit of commentary ever –
“The whistle goes! Crystal Palace have just won the FA Cup. They’ve beaten Manchester City. What a turn up this is. What a moment for all of South London and beyond wherever you wear red and blue, the scenes in the stands here, the flags, the celebrations, I swear you can hear half of Wembley shaking right now.” Although I haven’t gone as far as fellow Palace fan Lewis Carey who had all 124 words of John’s post-match commentary, tattooed on his left calf, as revealed by BBC website.
John’s first match in 1979 was on a school trip from his native Northumberland to Wembley for a Home International against Wales which ended goalless. He relates how and his cousin waited outside the Dell for several hours to get to see Kevin Keegan play for Southampton against Watford in a midweek League Cup tie. His obsession with football at an early age led to his mother’s rebuke that this was ‘the road to no place’. He also talks about the privilege of covering World Cups and the unfailing decency of Gareth Southgate.
Find out much more here –
Part 1 – https://bit.ly/4nnlKnn
Part 2 – https://bit.ly/477Rx5p
The Football Mine 