The essence of that is true but a trip to Carrow Road on Sunday was a reminder of how different the two match day experiences actually are.
The international break meant that my services were not required this weekend. So what did I do without a match to commentate on? I went to the football. It must be how Delia herself feels when she goes out for a meal on a night off from being in the kitchen.
Norwich City’s Women took a centre stage on a boiling hot afternoon. Battling out a 1-1 draw with Cambridge United in sweltering conditions. It provided an opportunity to do something I can’t do very often. Go to the match with my son.
Football commentary is a dream job. I really wouldn’t change it for the world. Well, at least not unless someone was able to give me the skills of Emi Buendia or Wes Hoolahan. I’d even take the no-nonsense ability of Ashley Barnes or Shane Duffy but it was clear from an early age that I had been at the back of whichever queue it is that leads to useful footballing talents.
Being paid to go to games is an immense privilege. It’s not without its sacrifices in that weekends, Christmas time and many Bank Holidays have to be either missed altogether or arranged around trips to places like Bolton, Swansea or Middlesbrough. It also means leaving behind the bond that comes with attending matches with one’s parents, grandparents or children. Everything in life comes with some degree of compromise.
It’s often best summed up when the annual Strictly Come Dancing conversations start. There are only so many ways to say “I missed it because I spent my Saturday night eating fried chicken at a motorway service station with Rob Butler”.
It was probably felt keenest of all at Wembley in 2015. On one hand that was the massive high of commentating on Norwich City winning a play-off final. When Nathan Redmond expertly slotted home to make it 2-0 to City it is the only time I’ve experienced an actual headrush while on air. The commentary box was the perfect place from which to witness the thousands of Canaries fans, the bright yellow army, in full party mood. There was though a hint of envy about not being in amongst them. My dad and my brother were and so their memories of that fine day are very different to mine.
Sunday may not have been a Carrow Road sell-out but there were thousands in attendance. It meant a chance to experience that wonderful sense of anticipation and excitement that uniquely exists outside football grounds on matchdays. It’s what you’d get if Santa didn’t conduct his logistics overnight and instead carried out his deliveries at 3pm on Christmas Day.
That’s where the real action is in the hour or so before kick-off. Most of us broadcasters base ourselves inside the ground with nothing but a gentle pre-match warm-up to watch.
The conversation around us during the game was fascinating too. With so many people tightly packed in together it’s impossible not to catch snippets of other’s lives. Stories from the school playground, the office and what the best food is from the kiosk at half-time provide an irresistible background to the match. Team selections, tactics and formations are very rarely mentioned. Even the polite bustle towards the exit at full-time was enjoyable. Fans are trusted to monitor their own queues towards the gates. It’s like the parents’ race on school sports day but with slightly fewer elbows.
I’ll be back on the Carrow Road gantry at the weekend and delighted to be so. The plan, at this stage at least, is to carry on commentating for as long as it’s allowed.
It’s a professional life that I am very fortunate to live. However, it is good for the soul to sit in the stands from time to time and remember what being a football enthusiast is really all about.
Hoorah for Sara…
Norfolk people like to do things differently.
Hundreds of players have taken to the pitch during the first month or so of the Championship season. The best one during the whole of August was Canaries midfielder Gabriel Sara. The Brazilian was officially named as the division’s Player of the Month by the EFL.
However, according to the Carrow Road faithful, Sara wasn’t even Norwich City’s best performer during the early skirmishes. They gave their award for last month to Jonathan Rowe for his goalscoring explosion onto the yellow and green scene.
Sara has been superb too but unlike Rowe his performances are no longer above expectations. At least not in Norfolk.
He is certainly not taken for granted. It is worth reflecting on quite how much he’s improved since arriving a year ago. I recall his performance at Luton on Boxing Day in what turned out to be Dean Smith’s final game in charge.
Sara was taken off at half-time after 45 minutes of willingly galloping around Kenilworth Road but without having any impact on the game. He had the air of a player in a computer game being controlled by someone enthusiastically picking up a Playstation for the first time.
Perhaps Smith’s departure and David Wagner’s arrival has been the making of him. It could also be more to do with the time it takes for new arrivals to get to grips with the demands of Norwich City in the Championship. It took Mario Vrancic and Marco Stiepermann until their second seasons to become true Carrow Road heroes.
Choosing City’s best Player for August has been a nice problem. There have certainly been months when picking a winner has been difficult for very different reasons.
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