No Boundaries (22 page)

I
grew up in a household where racing was a regular part of the TV diet and the sport had always excited me. I had favourite horses like Oh So Sharp and Commanche Run but probably top of the list was Dancing Brave. I can still clearly recall the thrill when watching the 1986 Arc and hearing the commentator say, ‘And here comes Dancing Brave!' It was just awesome watching Pat Eddery bring him on a devastating late run to triumph by over a length in record time, leaving the rest of the field trailing, including Shahrastani who had beaten him in the Derby.

So you can imagine how much I enjoy the fact that on
Sports Breakfast
I regularly get to talk to top trainers and Channel 4's legendary race presenter Derek Thompson, one of my heroes. It has also allowed me to get to some of the great race meetings like Cheltenham and Ascot, though our trip to Ascot became a bit hairy when Lorraine flushed the car keys down the loo and we had to race for a train! Mind you, just as working with Al makes you keep an eye on your alcohol intake, I have to make sure I don't get led astray in
my regular chats to Thommo and Simon Clare and Dave Stevens of Coral, and turn an occasional flutter into a betting habit.

Joining talkSPORT has allowed me to indulge my passion in a wide number of sports and also to get to grips with the medium. I love speech radio. I believe it has an enormous future simply because it connects directly with listeners wherever they are and it gives them the chance to be heard. I wanted to be part of it so, when I landed the job as Alan Brazil's sidekick, I decided that once again I needed to invest in my own future. I worked with Liam Fisher and Mark Smith at talkSPORT on the basic techniques and then signed up with a company called Alfi Media, run by two former 5 live staffers who offered media training. Alison Rusted had produced a whole string of big shows, including 5 live's Olympic and rugby World Cup coverage, and royal weddings and funerals. Fiona Cotterill had worked on things as varied as parliamentary reporting and the Simon Mayo show. They'd worked with other ex-pros like Gary Lineker and Ally McCoist and I couldn't have asked for better coaches.

They really knew what they were talking about and taught me some of the tricks of the trade, helping me to come across as more relaxed and natural, while still handling the technical stuff behind the scenes. It was bloody hard work and at times a bit bruising to the ego. Several times a week, I would go straight from the talkSPORT studio to see them and they would analyse that morning's broadcast and suggest ways I could improve. They didn't pull any punches but I knew that, if I wanted to get better, I had to take it on the chin and put what they told me into practice. They worked on my interview technique and jumped on one of my early bad habits – cutting across Al when he was in full flow. ‘Less is
more,' Ali said. ‘When he's on a roll like that, just sit back and let him go, otherwise you get car-crash radio.'

Thanks to their help and the support of the
Sports Breakfast
team, I gradually became more confident and relaxed doing the show. I like to get in early, around a quarter to five, and go through all the papers to see what's happening. I'm still surprised at the incredible energy levels there are in the studio at that time of the morning, especially as there's not so much as a slice of toast to keep us going! We have a great team – young, bright and ambitious and most of all dedicated to doing the best show they can. Warren Haughton and Gilo Carruthers line up some of the interviews and send me an email so I have a chance to think about the things I want to talk about. There's always a million ideas flying about from people like Josh Milligan, Dave Richards, Owen Jones, Kate Wood and Richard Boullemier, who do so much of the work behind the scenes. Faye Carruthers delivers precise news, ‘The Moose' Ian Abrahams is a classic sports enthusiast who loves arguing and getting pelted, and Eddie Salim (DJ Ed) is a legend. They are a lively bunch and take their cue from Liam Fisher and the boss Moz Dee. Scott Taunton is the managing director who combines being an astute businessman with his enthusiasm for the medium. His only weakness is an over-optimistic view of how good the Australian cricket team is.

Alan Brazil and I hit it off straight away and the chemistry started to come across in the programmes. We talk to each other as though we were back in a dressing room, teasing and joking but also talking frankly about the issues. The listeners want a laugh and some banter at that time of the morning, but they also tune in to hear the perspective of a couple of blokes who know what it's like to be in the arena and who
know some of the people involved. I was always close to the fans as a player and quickly realised that it is a mistake to try to bullshit them. They know when someone isn't putting in the effort or a team isn't performing to its potential, and it's no good trying to kid them otherwise. I love taking the phone calls and chatting to listeners and quickly learned that there are plenty of times when the only thing you can say is: ‘I'm not sure I agree but you've made a good point.'

Different viewpoints are what makes speech radio interesting but of course you get the odd numpty who just wants to be abusive, such as the guy who phoned in to complain when I criticised Chelsea players' behaviour after they were knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona.

‘Hey, Irani. I'm sick of you criticising Chelsea.'

‘OK, pal. But my name is Ronnie.'

‘Look, Irani…' and he launched into a tirade.

I tried to persuade him to have a proper discussion but he wouldn't have it, so I faded him down and said, ‘Now, the listeners can't hear you. For the last time, my name is Ronnie. Are we going to discuss this like grown men who can disagree but be polite?' I faded him back up.

‘Irani, you've just…' The producer cut him off and we moved on.

The part of the job I like best is interviewing the guests. I love the fact that I can talk to some of the biggest names in sport, some of the stars I've admired for years. We are very fortunate because people who are usually wary of the media know we are as passionate about sport as they are and that we see our role as informing and entertaining, not trying to stuff them. Our job is to try to cover the questions the listeners would ask, but also to use our knowledge of being the guy facing the fast bowler or taking the penalty to draw
out some insights. There are times when you have to ask a hard question – throw in a bit of reverse swing rather than a gentle full toss – but Ali and Fiona taught me there are ways of doing that which are fair and give the other person the opportunity to make his or her case.

Just as a batsman expects the odd bouncer, most interviewees are ready with their answer to the tough questions. Many of them have also been to companies like Alfi to learn how to handle such situations. I presume former England manager Steve McClaren had received such media training because he was more like a politician than a football manager after the ‘wally with the brolly' international. No matter what I asked him, Steve answered a question he would have preferred to have been asked. I tried to put the question another way and he just smiled and talked about something else. In the end, I had to give up and move on or I'd have broken Jeremy Paxman's record of asking Michael Howard the same question 12 times.

In stark contrast to that was the interview with Dwain Chambers, who came into the studio to plug his book. I have no time for people who use drugs to cheat at sport, so I was expecting to dislike him. But he came across as a really nice guy, not at all cocky and genuinely contrite. He didn't try to blame anyone else or moan about the fact that he'd been caught when others had got away with it. He put his hands up, admitted he'd made mistakes and explained why he'd made them, while agreeing that reasons were not excuses. There was still a bit of an edge to the interview – he had disgraced himself but to my mind his biggest failing was that he had also robbed his three relay team-mates of a medal – but I ended up respecting him. I suppose, if you believe that everyone around you is
cheating with drugs, that might justify your joining them. I hate that side to athletics.

What with talkSPORT and regular after-dinner speaking, I was keeping busy. I was also pleased I'd followed another piece of good advice from John Bird, who said, ‘If you're getting up at 3.30 in the morning and going to dinners all over the country that finish late at night, you are going to need a driver. Otherwise you'll fall asleep at the wheel and kill yourself.'

He was right. I now have the pleasure of the company of Dave Callan and, judging by the number of times I fall asleep in the car, John's assessment was spot on. I wouldn't be able to function without a driver.

I usually get home from talkSPORT about midday, so for the first time in the girls' lives I'm around to pick them up from school and spend some time with them, which is a massive bonus. I thought that I would probably sleep in the afternoon, but I find it almost impossible and much of my time is spent working on products for my company. Many ex-sportsmen have their own businesses, most of them rather glamorous. Former Southampton striker Mick Channon is a racehorse trainer, Imran Khan became a politician, Eric Cantona a film star. I decided to go into insoles.

I'd been wearing insoles as shock absorbers in my cricket boots since I was 14 years old and knew the benefits. My view on how essential they are grew even stronger when I discovered podiatry in New Zealand, and then later in Germany Martin Trautmann added years to my career with the customised insoles he created for me. Martin explained to me that most injuries start from the ground up and his insoles would not only make my feet more comfortable, but they would also take a lot of pressure off my knees. I became
fascinated by the subject, and the more I went into it, the more I thought we should join forces in some kind of business. I wondered if it was possible to produce a
top-quality
insole that would benefit a lot of people without the high cost of one made to a specific prescription. To my delight, Martin said it was what he had always dreamed of doing, but didn't have sufficient time or contacts.

I got in touch with Aimee and Damian Donzis, two friends of mine in the States, who I knew were interested in the subject and had contacts with manufacturers in China. They sent over a sample of a new material called Poron that has great shock absorbency and Martin incorporated it into his design. We all felt we were on to a potential winner but it took more than three years to get the insole exactly how we wanted it. It was an expensive process – by now Aimee and Damian were working full-time in the company – but we refused to take shortcuts and went for quality. We made up some samples and gave them to Darren Gough, Alex Tudor and Jamie Redknapp to try out. All three were very positive and I was sure we had a product that had enormous potential. While insoles may not be glamorous, there is a huge market for them – one company in America sells more than a million a year – and their use is becoming more and more recognised by the medical profession as a way to deal with ailments from dodgy knees and hip problems to bad backs.

We took out the necessary patents and I decided it was time to try to test the market here. We appointed a couple of reps in the UK and Nic White got us into key outlets in the south like Harrods and chemists John Bell & Croyden, while Adam Hill, our guy in the north of England, arranged for me to visit DLT in Huddersfield, one of the top wholesalers serving podiatrists across the country.

As Dave drove me up the M1 towards Huddersfield, I was feeling a bit nervous. There was a lot riding on this meeting: many hours of work and no small sums of cash had gone into the development. I couldn't afford to screw it up. I was a bit concerned because I'm just an ex-cricketer with an enthusiasm for podiatry while the people I was about to talk to are real experts. I told myself that in the background I had the undoubted knowledge of Martin Trautmann so, if I didn't know the answers to their questions, I could always find out and get back to them. Nevertheless, I would have been happier facing the most hostile bowler in the world than walking into that office to meet Darren Sandy, senior executive and great-grandson of the founder.

I showed him the insole and he was clearly impressed. He called his partners in to take a look.

‘What's your involvement?' he asked. ‘Are you just endorsing them?'

‘No. I'm a partner in the company. For the last three years I've been investing my own money to get them to this stage. I really believe in these things and how they can help people from all walks of life.'

The meeting had been due to last an hour but it stretched on as they enthusiastically discussed the potential of our orthotic. I finally got away just after 7pm but by the time I got home I was too excited to snatch even a couple of hours' sleep and made my way to the studio knackered but happy. It is still early days but one thing is certain: if the company doesn't work, it won't be for the want of trying.

Meanwhile, I've just signed a new deal with talkSPORT and I'm really excited about the next few years. I feel comfortable behind the mike these days and now, just as I did with cricket, I want to keep working at it and get as good as
I possibly can. I'm very fortunate to be working alongside Al, who continues to be generous with his help and has become a true friend. Mind you, he has his shortcomings, one of which is a cavalier approach to organisation, as I discovered soon after I joined the
Sports Breakfast
team.

The trip to see Ricky Hatton fight Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas started with one of those taxi-driver moments that prevent people in the public eye from becoming big-time charlies. I had hailed a cab outside the office and said, ‘Heathrow, please.'

I could see the cabbie looking quizzically at me in his mirror as though he recognised the face but couldn't put a name to it. I smiled back at him. He kept looking and I started to reach into my briefcase for one of the photos I carry around in case I bump into an Essex fan who wants an autograph.