Author, broadcaster, journalist...
no.5- grahame lloyd
He’s one of
Wales’ best-known sports journalists and he spells his Christian name in a very
unusual way. Red Passion says a big ‘Hello!’ to Grahame Lloyd…
Background: Grahame Lloyd is
a freelance broadcaster and journalist based in Cardiff. He has worked for the news and
current affairs department of BBC Wales for the last 20 years and currently covers
football for HTV. He writes for a variety of newspapers and magazines – and also
covers Welsh football for Rothmans Football Yearbook. He has published one book – on
Glamorgan’s County Championship triumph in 1997 and his two others in the pipeline:
on Jan Molby and on Cardiff City. Grahame also runs his own television company and has
produced documentaries on Hugh Morris, the former Glamorgan captain, Ieuan Evans, the
former Welsh rugby captain, and Llansantffraid FC’s European Cup Winners’ Cup
debut three years ago. He adores football. He loves cricket too – but not as much as
football (his son is currently netting with the Wales Unde-14 squad). He was also one of
the first Welsh journalists to take an interest in Red Passion. He helped produce a short
HTV feature on the magazine after the publication of RP Issue 2 (it was broadcast on the
highlights programme, Soccer Sunday). So we asked Grahame if he’d do an interview
with us and he said YES. We were very pleased.
Setting: It’s 1.30pm.
We’re at the Moss Rose: Macclesfield v Wrexham. It’s wet – very wet –
and we hear, on the grapevine, that the match is in doubt. We’re sitting in the MTFC
bar-cum-lounge. It’s VERY basic, but they do coffee out of a big urn thing. We sit
down to talk, but Grahame is interrupted on several occasions; he’s got to locate his
cameraman and he’s got to keep checking if the match is actually on. In between
interruptions, Red Passion asks him some key questions…
BACKGROUND
Can
you tell us a bit about your early career?
‘My journalistic
life began in 1972 as a cub reporter. I was the first-ever trainee journalist on the
Western Mail as a school-leaver. I spent a six-month period training with the Thomson
organisation. I then spent three years with the Western Mail. I did everything news-wise,
but no sport. I did some feature-writing, some subbing, and I also took my NCTJ exams. In
1975 I went to university in Sheffield to study Engliah and Politics. Even in my holidays
I was subbing at the Western Mail to earn some money. I also worked as a freelance in
London for six months. Then, in the autumn of ’78, BBC Radio Wales was born and I got
a job as a sub-editor on news there. I got into producing and writing bulletins. In 1981 I
went freelance. I had a strong general love of sport, and going freelance meant I could
make use of that interest.’
What did
going freelance involve?
‘It
was very scary! You just live on your wits and hope that people want to employ you. In
1981 I was 28; I wasn’t married and I didn’t have any kids so I was in a
position where I thought I could afford to take a risk – I was prepared to chance my
arm.’
Who did you work for?
‘Anyone and
everyone but mainly for BBC Wales. I also worked for Radio 4 on various programmes. I
remember working very hard on the miners’ strike in 1984 when I did an interview with
Mick McGahey, the Vice-President of the NUM – Scargill’s deputy. He came to
Cardiff for a strike meeting and the whole interview was about the miners’ tactics. I
really got my teeth into that story – I didn’t give up. I asked him some key
questions about the strike and about whether he condoned violence. The interview was done
at quite a crucial time in the strike and in ’85 I won a Welsh reporter of the year
award – in tandem with Hugh Turnbull from Swansea Sound. That was obviously very
pleasing – and I’ve still got the trophy at home.’
WORK
What have you
done since 1981?
‘I’ve been
based in the sports department at Radio Wales. I’ve covered a lot: the three Welsh
league clubs and the birth of the League of Wales in 1992. I did the Saturday teatime slot
and covered the League of Wales for three or four years – I really enjoyed that.
I’ve also done stuff for Radio 5. My big break came when I did Match of the Day. It
was in 1990 and I suppose I was just in the right place at the right time. The game was
Swansea-Peterborough. The matches that John Motson and Barry Davies were covering had been
rained off, so the programme decided to take the Swansea pictures from BBC Wales and I did
the commentary. A year or two later I made Match of the Day again. Gerald Sinstadt and
Barry Davies were at the Winter Olympics at Albertville and I had four matches to do, all
in the FA Cup: Ipswich 0 Liverpool 0, Nottingham Forest 5 Bristol City 1, Aston Villa
against Derby in a high-scoring midweek match. I’ve also done commentaries on
Satellite TV – for Screensport and Eurosport. They were club games and I was employed
for some Euro-2000 qualifying ties. With Eurosport though, it gets quite tricky because
different people are doing commentaries, simultaneously, in six different languages.
Incredible! In 1997 I also sought work with HTV and in January 1998 became their main
football commentator.’
Do you see
yourself primarily as a commentator then?
‘I’d
like to see myself as a communicator – whether through words or through broadcasting.
But commentating on live events is very exciting. I also enjoyed writing my book on
Glamorgan’s County Championship triumph in 1997. I’m very proud of that.’
What are your best memories?
‘Commentating
on Wales’ 1-0 victory over Germany at the Arms Park. It was brilliant -
particularly as Ian Rush scored the winner. That was with BBC Wales – there’s
nothing to beat commentating live.’
What about print journalism?
‘I
was influenced a lot by the late Carwyn James – particularly when I was a freelance
writer. He was my mentor, if you like – he took me under his wing and told people
that I could write. Over the years I’ve done stuff for the Guardian, Independent on
Sunday, Sunday Mirror, Daily Telegraph and Four Four Two Magazine. For Four Four Two I did
pieces on Jan Molby which led to the book, and also pieces on Terry Yorath in
Huddersfield, and a feature on long-serving managers with Messrs Flynn, Rudge and Gradi.
Writing is terrific fun, but also very hard work.’
A book on Jan Molby?
‘Yes,
I was going to write a football novel but a colleague encouraged me to turn the magazine
piece about Molby into a book. Molby’s a good talker and he’s got an interesting
story. It’s being published on 20 May by Victor Gollancz, who also brought us Fever
Pitch by Nick Hornby. It had to be delayed after his sacking from Swansea but his profile
is pretty strong in the media at present. He’s got a column in the Liverpool Echo, he
does a radio phone-in in the north-west and he also does stuff with Radio Five Live, BBC
Wales and the Danish media. I enjoyed writing the Molby book, as I did Daffodil Days
– the story of Glamorgan’s 1997 Championship title. I really felt that this
event needed chronicling. I also felt it needed a Welsh publisher – which, with
Gomer, I got. It was a case or re-living the key moments in Glamorgan’s amazing
season and weaving together interviews with the key people involved. I love writing –
it’s the best job in the world. Being a freelance is precarious but the variety of
work is fantastic.’
What are you working on at present?
‘I’m
still working freelance, which I really enjoy. It’s a case of juggling, and keeping
as many balls up in the air as possible. In addition to the writing and broadcasting
I’m now involved in media training and teaching presentational skills. I’ve also
got a company which makes radio programmes – we’re doing various radio and TV
documentaries on the Cardiff City Centenary celebrations. I’m also writing a book to
coincide with these celebrations. This book is mainly about people’s memories of
Cardiff City over the last 100 years – an oral history. I’ve gone right back to
1899 to a chap called Bartley Wilson, who was instrumental in the beginnings of City.
There’s not much on him at all though and I’ve had to dig deep in places like
the National Library in Aberystwyth and libraries in South Wales. I’ve also been
helped by his grandchildren.’
Are you a Cardiff fan then?
‘Well,
my father was in the RAF so we moved around a lot. We spent some time in Lincolnshire;
then we moved to Portsmouth and then Cardiff. It was the early ‘70s when I started
watching Cardiff. I watched them a lot between ’72 and ’75 and by around
’78 I was a regular. Cardiff have had a couple of promotions, some excellent cup
performances, and some good nights in Europe, but there is a theory that everything
started to fall apart after the sale of Toshack to Liverpool in 1970. I don’t think
they’ve ever done themselves justice. In the ‘80s there were successive
relegations under Durban and a real slide. It was very sad really because a quarter of a
million people live in the Cardiff not to mention the Valleys area, so there’s
obviously big potential. Obviously football and rugby are competing for fans, but even
this season there have been three or four crowds over the 10,000 mark. As a commentator
though, I’ve got to be careful – I can’t come out too overtly!’
WREXHAM
What are
your views about the management at Wrexham?
‘I understand why
some supporters have been giving the Wrexham management team some stick this season
because after three very good years, it's obviously disappointing to see their club
struggling against relegation. But Brian Flynn, Kevin Reeves and Joey Jones are
three of the most experienced coaches in the Second Division and I'm sure they know what
they're doing. Last season, they identified midfield as an area which needed strengthening
if their promotion challenge was to be maintained so they brought in Mark Wilson on loan
from Manchester United and it nearly paid off. He had a terrific couple of months,
scored some important goals and generally kept the team buzzing. This season, for some
reason, the players have lacked their usual zip - their collective confidence seems to
have gone AWOL and they've really had trouble in getting their games going. At
times, the uncertainty has spread right through the team and there have been some bad
defensive performances - like those at Reading and at home to Preston. Again, the
management team have identified the problem and brought in some fresh faces and the
results have picked up. Some might say they've acted too late in the season but you
can't argue with that very important first away win of the season at Colchester. I
think Jeff Whitley and especially Carl Griffiths will prove very effective loan signings.
Re-building a team is always going to be a difficult job. How do you decide
when the time is right? Are wholesale changes to a side that has finished 8th, 8th
and 7th really the answer? Is a player's loss of form temporary or is it time he was
moved out to bring in someone better permanently? These are the sort of problems
which the management team are paid to solve and I think they should be left to get on with
it.’
Any more
thoughts?
‘As a commentator,
I am more than happy to pass judgement on performances I see on the field - I wouldn't be
doing my job properly if I didn't - and Brian, Kevin and Joey are honest enough to admit
when the team hasn't played well. When it comes to club policy - tactics, selection,
etc - I take a slightly more detached point of view. That's not to say I'm not
critical. For example, at the end of last season, I voiced the concerns of some
supporters about Wrexham's alleged lack of ambition in one or two interviews and that's
something I think the press and media must do. I'm not an apologist for Brian and co
- they can argue their own corners very well - but I do feel that, with their track
records, they will sort things out at the Racecourse. Remember, football is a
cyclical sport - you have good spells - like a fantastic FA Cup run - and then bad spells.
You have to take the rough with the smooth. At the same time, I realise that
supporters pay their money and they take their choice - to slag off the manager or not
to.’
What about this
season?
‘It has been
frustrating for everyone after last season's near-miss in the play-offs but Wrexham are
gradually emerging from a
What are your most memorable Wrexham matches?
‘Three things
stand out. A Welsh Cup Final win in the mid-90s at Cardiff Arms Park when Gary Bennett
grabbed both goals. What a great striker he was in his first spell with the club.
Obviously also, the FA Cup run in 1996-97 - in particular the two matches I commentated on
against Scunthorpe for BBC Radio Wales. Very exciting - especially the second one at
the Glanford Stadium with Dixie McNeil as analyst. I enjoyed the football Wrexham
were playing that season so much that I went, with a Robins fanatic at HTV, Carys
Westphal, to the quarter-final at Chesterfield. The team froze on the day - we just
stood on the terraces in silence. It was such a disappointing way to end what had
been a wonderful run. Carys and I also drove up to the Racecourse from Cardiff last season
for the 3-2 defeat by Wimbledon in January. Another great night with Wrexham, as
usual, playing above themselves and almost producing another upset. It wasn't the
most cheerful of journeys back to Cardiff that night!’
WELSH FOOTBALL
What’s your view about the League of
Wales?
‘I think it’s
essentially a good thing and gives Welsh football a structure. I personally think it would
be a good idea though for Wrexham, Cardiff and Swansea to enter a reserve side into the
LOW. There would obviously be some problems with this, but I think it would be a very
healthy thing. Also, I take my hat off to the BBC for their big-money sponsorship of the
Welsh Premier Cup, but I feel the money might have been better spent on the LOW.’
Do you rate
Barry Town?
‘I think
they’re a class above the other LOW teams because they’re the only full-time
team. I think they’d probably cope OK in the English Third Division and hold their
own.’
What’s
your view of Bobby Gould?
‘First, I think it
was very unnecessary to sack Brian Flynn and Joey from the Under-21 set-up. It wasn’t
good PR and I think that in Brian there is a lot of talent going to waste. Gould has a lot
of critics but he’s a survivor and I think it might have turned for him at the moment
after the Denmark and Belarus performances. If he can turn it round long-term, and if he
can get the players to want to play for him, all power to him.’
And finally, how do you respond to the criticism, often to be heard in North Wales, that HTV is biased against Wrexham?
‘This isn’t
true. Early in the season, we try to follow the three Welsh teams in rotation so we can
see as much of all three as we can. When the season starts to unfold, we basically follow
the team that’s doing well – whoever it is. We are led by news values. Cardiff
are doing well at present and, even though they’re in the division below Wrexham,
that’s definitely the big story at the moment – as Wrexham’s promotion push
last season was. In March and April last year, we followed Wrexham everywhere because they
were on the verge of the play-offs. However, if say Wrexham or Swansea, ended up in a
relegation dogfight – and that would be a big story – it would be a difficult
decision for us. We certainly haven’t got any bias against Wrexham because
they’re a northern club. We follow all the Welsh teams. As I say, we try to give all
the Welsh teams a fair crack of the whip. Look, where are we talking today? Macclesfield!
I’ve travelled all the way here to watch Wrexham. Let me say again: there’s no
bias at all.’
Cheers Grahame – thanks a lot for
your time