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Mercia News Blog
Get a little closer to the people bringing you Coventry and Warwickshire's news each day.
3rd November 2009 - Nick Harris
Well it's been a very long time since the
I'm the new boy Nick, here with the news on Andy Goulding's breakfast show every weekday morning from 6am - and after just two days on the job, there have already been some big stories to bring you - the massive drugs raid in Nuneaton and Bedworth this morning, a row over just how healthy Coventry is, and, of course, the ongoing Jedward saga on the X-Factor. Is it a fix? You decide.
Anyway, it's fantastic to be back in Coventry - I was a student at Warwick Uni a few years ago, and have moved all over the country since then, working for various different radio stations - but there's nowhere like this neck of the woods - Warwickshire's diverse, interesting and always throws up the unexpected.
While I get used to the
Bye for now.
3rd November 2009 - Jo Hornby
Hello, I’m Jo and I’m here with the latest for
If you're maybe thinking of journalism as a career, let me give you an insight into how things turn out sometimes - when I was asked to report on
I snapped up the chance to do it because I’ve supported the Sky Blues since I was 11 and have always been intrigued as to what happens behind the scenes. I’m guessing some of you might be wondering too, so here’s my attempt to fill you in…
I arrived, a bit nervous, collected my pass and went through several gates of security before I got down to the very impressive media centre, which is just over the corridor from the players dressing rooms. The media are quite spoilt, it seems, the area is huge, full of everything you need, internet access, food and drink, sky sports latest scores, chairs (I know, fairly obvious that one). There’s also an ‘auditorium’, which looks like a mini theatre, where Chris Coleman will sit on the stage and ‘hold court’ after the game when he meets the media.
Well by now it was 15 minutes to kick off, so we were ushered into the press box, which was very spacious. I decided to busy myself by people watching and trying to figure out who all these people worked for. I tried to do that during the match too, rather than adopt my usual behaviour of shouting at the ref, pointing at unruly players, fist pumping and generally getting annoyed when things weren’t going Coventry’s way. I was restrained - for most of the match!
Luckily the result was the right one for us true Sky Blues and I followed my fellow reporters into the auditorium, microphone in hand, to meet the big man himself. And ‘big’ is quite an accurate description as it turns out, but not in any overweight sense! Coleman was quite imposing, very much the man in charge in a sharp suit and businessman like manner. That’s not to say he wasn’t warm and friendly, in fact I would go so far as to say he was very approachable, and refreshingly honest, which is something you can’t usually say about football managers. One of the first points he made was how his team were not very good on the day and that their penalty wasn’t one in his eyes, whereas Norwich’s penalty shout, which was turned down, was one! Interesting. Coleman ended his conference and then came to the side of the stage where I and another radio reporter could get our questions asked.
Next up were the players. We were shown to a spot just outside the home changing room, where Leon McKenzie and Keiren Westwood were already suited and booted and talking to the press. It was lovely to see Leon with his two giggling children by his side, after coming back from a nasty injury and scoring his 100th career goal. He was very happy to have a chat to us, and then we waited for the other Sky Blue goal scorer, Elliott Ward. Well, I’m not sure how long exactly we were waiting, but let’s just say that it felt like quite a while! What that man was doing, who knows, but his team mates had all long gone by the time he strolled out, immaculately preened.
He was in demand it seems, we had just a few minutes before he had to go to the post-match reception and receive his man-of-the-match award. He’s quite a character, with his one word answers and his habit of looking around at anything other than the person who is talking to him, all of which was done with a hint of a cheeky grin.
So then we were done, 4 hours later, and after an exciting victory…it was time to go back to the office!