THERE will be at least 20 million people watching on ITV on Wednesday night for the biggest broadcast of my career.
I was lucky to do the World Cup semi-final against Croatia three years ago but I wasn’t in Moscow.
I’ll be at Wembley though, and there’s a nice correlation for me because 25 years ago I was in the crowd there for England v Germany in the semi-finals of Euro 96.
Back then I was working at Wimbledon for radio, did the early shift and went with my soon-to-be wife.
I’ve been to matches across the world and that was the best atmosphere I have ever experienced — it was off-the-scale electric.
There might not be as many fans tonight but I’m sure it will match it.
On Monday I started working on the script with the editor.
For football on a normal Sunday afternoon, or for highlights on a Saturday night, we might have around 3½ million people watching.
So there will be a lot of people tonight who don’t watch football every week.
We’ll talk football analysis and minutiae when we need to but we also have to respect the wider church.
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Wednesday night is about the huge occasion, emotion, nerves, Sweet Caroline. Alongside me I’ll have Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Roy Keane, with Emma Hayes on the touchline.
There is no getting Roy into line or indulging him.
It’s the same with any of them, if I ask a stupid question then I’ll get a look.
And at Wembley I will call Ian the country’s barometer. Our reading of him will be our reading of the nation’s mood — and I think he’ll be in a state of near self-combustion with excitement.
We’ve already had several conversations about how we go off air if England win and how we go off if they lose.
I don’t really have any superstitions, I just like getting there in plenty of time to ensure there is no stress.
Our studio is outdoors and we’ll stand throughout, which I love because it gives you more energy and movement.
Otherwise we’re like everyone else when the game’s on, clapping, oohing and aahing.
We will be talking to the people in the analysis truck so if there’s a goal or a red card, Ian in particular will ask to look at it and then we’ll decide on what to zone in on at half-time.
We’ve already had several conversations about how we go off air if England win and how we go off if they lose.
Afterwards we will go back to a Winnebago and have a cup of tea, or maybe something a little stronger.
This will be one of, if not the biggest, audiences I have presented to. I can’t wait.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
