Webchat with Clive Tyldesley: Tuesday 20 May, Midday - 1pm

[RachelMumsnet]

We're gearing up for World Cup 2014 at Mumsnet HQ - we've got ourselves a table football in the office, Georgemumsnet is getting ready to sort out the office sweep-stake and next week we've got 2014 Fifa World cup commentator Clive Tyldesley joining us for a webchat before he heads off to Brazil.

Clive took over as ITV's principle commentator when the late Brian Moore retired after the 1998 World Cup finals. After stepping into the hot seat he won the industry's most prestigious award, 'The Royal Television Society Sports Commentator of the Year' an unprecedented four times in the space of seven years.

If any of your dcs are Fifa fanatics, you will be familiar with Clive's voice. (I often think he's actually living somewhere upstairs in our house) so we're very much looking forward meeting the man himself. Come and chat to Clive on Tuesday at midday or if you can't join in with the live chat, post up your question to him on this thread ahead of the webchat.

[LottieJenkins]

Hi Clive. I was in hospital with pre eclampsia when England were in the Euro 96 tournament. My blood pressure had settled down so the nurses let me watch the now infamous penalty shoot-out which of course Gareth Southgate fluffed. I got back into bed and the nurse took my blood pressure before i went to sleep and it had sky rocketed! The nurse put an arrow beside by blood pressure reading and put in capital letters....... EURO 96 PENALTY SHOOTOUT!!!
If you could pick an England Dream Team of players since 1966 who would be in your side?

[CecyHall]

When I saw the thread title I wanted to ask about FIFA games (although it's my DH not the DC's who are obsessed!)

How do you record all the different sayings etc do you just sit there with a big list of things to say? Does it take ages? Do they carry some over so you have less and less to do each year? The commentary has always fascinated me on the game (but I'm not very technical so it might be a silly question!)

[GozerTheGozerian]

Hi Clive. We all know what an emotional roller coaster it is watching England; sometimes I can hardly bear to watch. It feels like more of an ordeal than enjoyment!!

How do you manage to stay professional when commentating on games where you really care about the result? Do you have to stop yourself shouting at the referee or players when they do something daft?

I'd be an absolute nightmare - complete incoherent rambling - so you do a marvellous job staying focussed!

[amothersplaceisinthewrong]

What does FIFA stand for (as in the letters not its principles and philosophy!)

[ReallyFuckingFedUp]

Fédération Internationale de Football Association amothersplace


With the Richard Scudamore scandal in the news, what are your views on sexism in football? Were you surprised by his comments or is sexism and racism endemic in football?

[Crumblemum]

Please say something about Richard Scudamore. Of course anyone's free to have sexist views or tell really naff jokes, but I really don't think they should be free to continue, completely unsanctioned in their job, when their job involves promoting equality.

Millions of women watch football every week, the women's game is going from strength to strength and we're meant to be bidding for the women's world cup. Please say something in support of all the women football fans who were really pi**ed off by the original comments and the completely archaic way the Premier League responded.

[UnsureOfOutcome]

Hi Clive -

OK, be honest. Does your heart go out of it when England are inevitably knocked out?

[basgetti]

Hi Clive. What is the most memorable or exciting game you have commentated on?

[eggsandham]

Hi Clive. Thanks for coming on here. I'm a Manchester United fan so of course remember your commentary from the 1999 Cup Final so well. I've always wanted to ask you - what on earth possessed you to say "Name on the trophy" after we'd equalised? Do you have ESP?

[BananaHammock23]

Hi Clive. Who's the best commentator in your view? (obviously apart from yourself...)

[noidles]

Can you give us your prediction for who's going to win the World Cup? (If it isn't England, of course...)

[Choccheesecake]

I've been a football fan my whole life - but increasingly seem to care about club over country more and more. (It's not that I'm not patriotic generally) Not sure if it's down to the Sven factor (my love of England took a bit of a hit then and probably never recovered) or the fact that we seem to become more average by the year and that spark and passion doesn't seem to be there in the way it was in the 90s and before. Less of an issue in a major tournament but on a general basis more and more people I know seem to be feeling the same. Is this something you have come across, why do you think it's happening - and what can we do to reignite the passion we feel at club level?

[CariGransnet]

Leaping over from Gransnet to ask about 1999 CL final too. I was there. I think my heart stopped and no one could quite believe what they were seeing. How amazing was it to commentate on and did you truly believe when they pulled a goal back that they could go on and do it? (have gone all goosebumpy just remembering)

[CliveTyldesley]

Hi, I'm here at MNHQ!

I am a commentator but I am a parent of a 19 year old boy and a 21 year old girl and that is a far more important role for me, more important than anything I have attempted or achieved inside a football stadium.

And in answer to the question, which team do you support: my honest answer.... Is the team in which my son plays.

[Yiska]

Extremely high brow question here Clive... (hello btw)

Top snacks while watching football on telly?

[CliveTyldesley]

@LottieJenkins

Hi Clive. I was in hospital with pre eclampsia when England were in the Euro 96 tournament. My blood pressure had settled down so the nurses let me watch the now infamous penalty shoot-out which of course Gareth Southgate fluffed. I got back into bed and the nurse took my blood pressure before i went to sleep and it had sky rocketed! The nurse put an arrow beside by blood pressure reading and put in capital letters....... EURO 96 PENALTY SHOOTOUT!!!
If you could pick an England Dream Team of players since 1966 who would be in your side?

First of all, I'm about to insult some people that I know personally, and so I apologise to them in advance. All things being equal, a major England international attracts more viewers than any club game, like with children we moan about and to them more than anybody else but just let an outsider try to criticise them and we will be on their case. The nation still loves its football team, so having given myself some thinking time, here goes...

Shilton, Neville, Adams, Butcher (sorry, John Terry), Cole, got to be Beckham, Robson, Gascoigne, Hoddle or Scholes - I'm going Glenn. Then, John Barnes, Alan Sheerer and just to show I'm not biased against the BBC, Gary Lineker too. Well... That's Wayne Rooney not talking to me.

[cm22v077]

Hi Clive,

Which players are the 'ones to watch' at the moment? Who should we look out for at the World Cup?

Thanks!!

[Yiska]

Oooh helloooo!
I have more questions (sorry I know that's not allowed!).

Did/does your daughter play football? How have you encouraged her and has that been different to your experience with your son?

[brandnewinformation]

Hi Clive

My question is, do you ever foresee a time when women's football gets the coverage that the men's game does?

Enjoy Brazil!

[kittykitty]

Very excited to have you here. What my daughter (and her friends) want to know is do you play Fifa yourself - and are you any good?

[CliveTyldesley]

@CecyHall

When I saw the thread title I wanted to ask about FIFA games (although it's my DH not the DC's who are obsessed!)

How do you record all the different sayings etc do you just sit there with a big list of things to say? Does it take ages? Do they carry some over so you have less and less to do each year? The commentary has always fascinated me on the game (but I'm not very technical so it might be a silly question!)

Recording Fifa is as hard as I work. It usually takes around 4 days and I write the scripts over the previous 3 to 4 weeks. It's hard because it's like being part of a dysfunctional marriage –you do a lot of shouting. And if the men in white coats happen to walk into the studio when Andy Townsend and I are recording it, they would take us to the nearest padded cell. To answer your question, it is like a family tree - you start with a corner, then it branches out into a good one and a bad one, then a good long one, and a good short one, and so on. The magicians of Fifa are the programmers who somehow stitch all our raving together to work in conjunction with the action which the players create.

[CliveTyldesley]

@kittykitty

Very excited to have you here. What my daughter (and her friends) want to know is do you play Fifa yourself - and are you any good?

I am an ex-Fifa player, as I explained, I have a 19 year old son and he simply does not want to play me anymore. I remind him he once did, but he doubts it.

[EdwinDrood]

Hi Clive,

Thanks for coming in and talking to us!

Who are you backing for the Champions League final?

[BurgenSnurgen]

'Ooh Teddy Teddy, went to manchester united, and he might just win the lot yet...' - was that you? (more 1999 Man U memories)

Do you think the FA Cup has lost some of its shine? I didn't even realise it was the final on Saturday until about 4pm; when I was younger it felt like the whole country was aware of it, whether you actually followed football or not

[CliveTyldesley]

@CliveTyldesley

[quote kittykitty]
Very excited to have you here. What my daughter (and her friends) want to know is do you play Fifa yourself - and are you any good?

I am an ex-Fifa player, as I explained, I have a 19 year old son and he simply does not want to play me anymore. I remind him he once did, but he doubts it.[/quote]

Seriously, I don't subscribe to the view that gaming is inherently bad for youngsters today. Obviously, young people need exercise, nearly as much as old people! But there is a mental dexterity involved with playing games like Fifa which I seriously believe brightens rather than dulls minds and there is a social aspect to gaming which is often under rated. As with most things, too much is dangerous but if games had been around when I had been a teenager - I would have played too much.