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Craig Biddlestone

THE WORDS ‘LEGEND ’ AND ‘ICON ’ ARE USED TOO OFTEN IN FOOTBALL NOWADAYS .

YOU WILL ALL BY NOW HAVE THE SEEN THE SAD NEWS OF THE PASSING OF COMMENTATOR JOHN MOTSON , AND THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO DESCRIBE HIM AS BOTH A LEGEND AND AN ICON EACH GENERATION HAS THEIR OWN ICONIC COMMENTATOR , THE OLDER GENERATION WOULD PROBABLY POINT TO KENNETH WOLSTENHOLME (“THEY THINK IT ’S ALL OVER , IT IS NOW .”), HUGH JOHNS (THE ITV 66’ WORLD CUP FINAL

COMMENTATOR ), BRIAN MOORE (“IT ’S HEADED AWAY BY JOHN CLARK , USING HIS HEAD .”) OR DAVID COLEMAN (“BOTH OF THE VILLA SCORERS WERE BORN IN LIVERPOOL, AS WAS THE VILLA MANAGER , WHO WAS BORN IN BIRKENHEAD .”)

MY GENERATION WOULD LOOK TOWARDS “MOTTY” HIMSELF , WITH FAMOUS LINES SUCH AS “FOR THOSE OF YOU WATCHING IN BLACK AND WHITE , SPURS ARE IN THE ALLYELLOW STRIP”, “NORTHERN IRELAND ARE TEN MINUTES AWAY FROM THEIR FINEST VICTORY. THERE 'S 15 MINUTES TO GO HERE . ” AND ONE OF MY PARTICULAR FAVOURITES “PEARCE I’M SURE CAN SMELL THE CARROT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL” .

OTHERS OF MY GENERATION WOULD ALSO LOOK TOWARDS BARRY DAVIES (“THE DUTCH LOOK LIKE A HUGE JAR OF MARMALADE .”), TONY GUBBA (“THE BALL MUST BE AS SLIPPERY AS A WET BABY.”) AND GERALD SINSTADT (“CHRIS WADDLE IS OFF THE PITCH AT THE MOMENTEXACTLY THE POSITION HE IS AT HIS MOST MENACING .”), AND ALL OF THOSE 8 COMMENTATORS I’VE MENTIONED ABOVE ARE WHO INSPIRED SO MANY OF TODAY’S COMMENTATORS .

I GREW UP INSPIRED BY THE LIKES OF MARTIN FISHER , A DERBY FAN WHO SPENT THE LATE 80’S AND EARLY 90’S

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