21st December, 2012
Q – Please can you start by introducing yourself
A – My name is John Wilkinson. I’m 33, and a professional footballer.
Q – How did you get the job as ESPN/Star Sports summariser/co-commentator for the AFF Cup?
A –I have known various people at ESPN for a number of years -- Paul ‘fat Sampras’ Masefield, Dez Corkhill, Dave Roberts, to name a few. I have been doing some TV work sporadically the last few years when I was based in Singapore.
Q – Are you enjoying the role?
A –It’s enjoyable talking about something I love, and I believe I have good knowledge of.
Q – Do you think that the fact you are still playing helps you in your commentaries/summaries?
A –I think it helps when commenting on a team or player that I have played against or with, as I can give more of a personal insight. It can also be difficult to stay neutral at times.
Q – How much preparation do you do before the games?
A –I really should do more, I usually have a cup of tea and process some of the information I’ve got infront of me, a lot of the more experienced guys do hours in the build up to a game and have huge pads of notes. I mostly steal their first few pages...I'm only kidding!
Q – What does this preparation involve?
A –Trawling through the internet, looking for players’ habits, team patterns and styles, geeky info that might compliment the match, and being a footballer myself helps.
Q – Dez Corkhill is a very knowledgeable, well liked and respected expert on football in the region, what is he like to work with?
A –Well, it’s never easy working with “Scousers” as you really have to be mindful of your personal belongings when stuck in a room with them. Haha, jokes aside.Dez is extremely good at what he does and has been great in guiding and showing me the ropes, if you will…absolute gent.
Q – What sort of feedback have you had to your commentaries?
A –The feedback has been really encouraging so far. I think a lot of the viewers appreciate my passion for the game and the fact that I don’t try to water down my views.
Q – To people sitting at home, commentating seems to be an easy job, is this true?
A –Yeah I always felt the same way and still shout abuses at the TV if Paul Masefield or PJ Roberts are on. It is in fact easy to do but to enhance a game and to do it well is very difficult.
Q – What has been the funniest thing that has happened to you during a commentary?
A –All I can say is that if there’s a lull in commentary that usually means that we have just heard something hilarious from the producer and we are breaking ourselves laughing…happens every 15 minutes or so. It’s always funnier when you’re not supposed to laugh, isn’t it? Like at school.
Q – Will you be commentating on the second leg?
A –I will, and I’ll be nervous like I was for all the Singapore matches.
Q – Would you like a career in the media when you retire from playing?
A –I really don’t know. I’ve been guilty in the past of having my head turned by other things and losing focus on my first love…I’d also like to be better at it before considering it as a viable career option.
Q – How are you enjoying the AFF Cup tournament?
A –I’m enjoying it this year as Singapore have gone so deep into it. Still sad to see empty seats at certain matches though. I still think more could be done to put bums on them.
Q – What have been your highlights of the tournament?
A –Amri’sfreekick was a cracker.Raddy used to try to tell him what part of the foot to strike the ball with.Haha, always makes me chuckle. I’ve really been impressed by Myanmar’s striker Kyi Lin, he initially went into the tournament as a midfielder but got moved upfront and was a revelation - very direct and exciting.
Q – Do you think that Thailand and Singapore are worthy finalists?
A –Their styles are so different that I think it makes the final so interesting.It’s fun to watch Thailand try to pick apart Singapore and equally it’s enjoyable to try to guess how Singapore are going to nullify Thailand’s dangerous midfield. Singapore are such a good team without the ball, similar to South Korea or the Scandinavian sides.They’ve also been more productive with the ball in this tournament. Thailand on the other hand are all about possession in midfield and have shown more imagination and flair than any other side in this competition.
Q – What were your impressions of the first leg?
A –I was nervous.The pitch is a big advantage but I thought the Thais would cope better than what they did, especially in the first half. Singapore did exactly what they had to do, which was to start at a frantic pace and not let the Elephants settle. This meant that Datsakorn had to move deeper to receive the ball in any kind of space. Having him with the ball in deep areas near his own defenders was comfortable for Singapore.
Q – Do you think that Thailand can overcome the deficit?
A – Thailand are more than capable of overcoming the deficit.It will be a completely different match. I’m sure Thailand will keep the ball better and will open the pitch better. It will be an exhausting game to watch and play in for Singapore. But I still think they will come through.
Q – You have played with or against a lot of the players who are featuring in the final, who do you rate most highly and why?
A – I’ve played with or against nearly all the players playing in the final but for me the player that stands out is Adul. I’ve played against him many times and I’m a big fan of his economical style and controlled aggression. He’s a very complete midfielder, probably the most complete in the tournament. He can shoot, pass long or short, has good vision, understands the game really well, loves a tackle….above all that, always comes across as a nice chap.
Q – What are you expecting from the second leg?
A –Blood, guts and glory!
Q – What would a win for Singapore do for the country’s domestic game?
A – I don’t think a win in this competition would change much at all on the domestic front. It might paper over a few cracks for a while and a few fellows in suits might pat each other on the back but there will still be lots to do after this tournament is put to bed.
Q – Finally, how did you enjoy your time in Thailand and are you looking forward to your new challenge in India?
A – It was enjoyable for the first couple of months but it soon became apparent that the powers that be at the club weren’t really interested in getting better and were struggling to come to terms with the newly available money. I really can’t wait to get started over in India as the team really needs a win. I go there with my eyes open after my time spent in Thailand and am going to enjoying every minute of it.
Q – Anything else you like to add?
A –I love and miss my midfield partner Therdsak terribly -- the only player with longer teeth than legs. Please pass on my regards.
Q – Good luck and thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.
A – You’re welcome….Cheers
No comments:
Post a Comment