Telegraph's football correspondent speaks

By UKJournalism

He knows most of the countryís famous footballers. Heís had stormy relationships with a number of England managers. Heís mates with David Beckham. Heís Henry Winter from the Daily Telegraph.

Henry came to talk to students from the Departments of Journalism and Tourism and Leisure Management about his life as a football correspondent. And what a life it is.

He has covered three World Cups and all the biggest club matches for a decade and appears frequently on television and radio programmes devoted to football.

And since he began writing about footballer as a teenager, Henry has spoken to many of the countryís most famous footballing figures.

"Iíve fallen out with most England coaches, but not Sven yet," he said. "Sven is a very good tactical manager but his interviews are so bland.

Catherine Wheel

"My favourite England coach in recent years has got to be Kevin Keegan. He is so good to interview because heís like a Catherine Wheel that has been lit but everybodyís forgotten to stand back from it. We only need to prod him and he goes off.

"I remember during one of Keeganís press conferences, the Sun reporter was really ill, and when he coughed, Keegan thought he was making fun out of him and went mad shouting, "What was that cough all about?" Heís an interviewers dream."

Henry has good relations with a host of top footballers, the most high-profile being David Beckham. When Beckham wanted to tell the world why he had deliberately got booked for England in October 2004 he spoke to Henry.

Henry said: "Deep down Beckham really is just a down-to-earth guy. I think his main problem is that heís not as bright as he thinks he is. His wife is totally different than most people expect her to be in real life too. She has a really good sense of humour."

Tricks of the trade

He also spoke about the tricks of the trade that have often landed him some famous scoops: "We (the press) have a number of ways of getting extra information about a certain team, or the way they are going to play in a certain match.

"The most fun for us is when the England team are training in a stadium, and we hang around after being told to leave by the stewards and hide in the stands spying, trying to guess the starting line-up for the next dayís match.

"I share small things like line-ups and possible formations with other reporters, but big news I keep to myself. With the Beckham booking I told nobody."

When asked if female reporters are treated as equal as their male counterparts, Henry said: "In this industry nobody cares if youíre male or female, what university you went to or how clever you are. Youíre judged on a daily basis by the stories you write. So the door is open to anybody."

More info:
BA (Hons) Sports Journalism >

Related stories from UKJournalism:
Telegraph's football correspondent to visit >Sports expert signs-on to teach on new course >
Richard plays dream role in Euro 2004 >
Student reporters to tackle soccer scourge >

See also:
Henry's column on the Daily Telegraph website >

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