Tom English; an Irishman in Scotland

With the surname English it's fair to say most people would raise an eyebrow in surprise when learning one of Scotland's most respected sports commentators is in fact an Irishman. It seems a little enigmatic; English, the Irishman, working for the The Scotland on Sunday.

Tom English could well be an enigma, perhaps he aspires to be one but it's unlikely. Neither is he a punch-line. He didn't spend the last two decades forging a career in the dog-eat-dog world of journalism to be airy-fairy; the name, the nationality and the job simply are simply coincidence – nothing enigmatic going on here.

Twenty years in the game and English is sitting amongst the elite of his trade. Voted Scottish Sport's Feature Writer of the Year by the Scottish Press Association three years running, his hunger for the job has never abated. His chronology over those years is an impressive one; The Sunday Times, Sunday Express and now of course both Scotland on Sunday and The Scotsman.

From Limerick, a city rich and diverse in sporting heritage on the banks of the River Shannon, English was, back in 1991, your typical young twenty-something with no idea what the hell he wanted to do. He'd been to college but didn't have a degree yet harboured a desire to venture beyond the walls of his hometown. His brother Alan was at the time, a trainee reporter with the Limerick Leader and suggested the career path to his younger sibling. An advert for a non-graduate traineeship in the UK Press Gazette for the Sunday Times sprang from the page and English was quickly making that venture.

He found himself in Wapping, face-to-face with the then Managing Director of The Times, Duncan Adams. Thousands had applied for the position, English clearly had something - he'd made it that far. “I remember when we were at the end of the interview and I told him I wasn't sure if I'd ever be in the building again and asked if it would be ok to take a look around. He [Adams] looked a little surprised but then agreed to take around himself”. English's obvious hunger and desire got him in. “Twas” he quips “a miracle like”.

As a young trainee in Wapping he dabbled in all things news related but none of them had the allure of sport. The Sunday Times spotted his eagerness and green-lit his desired career path.

English maintains basic love for sport in general, it's given him a career, and boxing is his passion. “I'm a boxing nut, not so much boxing today but the era of Ali, Foreman and Frazier. I can't get enough of it. A long time in this job can make you a bit cynical, not every interview can get the pulse racing but two years ago I interviewed Joe Frazier [his best interview he confesses] while he was on a speaking tour of the UK and that had the pulse going alright you know”.

He bemoans the power of the modern PR machine that's rendered many global superstars impossible to reach and understand. In recent columns he has spoken of the bubble Tiger Woods was kept in from the real world and of the “bullshit” the 14-time Major winner was fed which no doubt contributed to his subsequent misdemeanours. His lament is for the old days when masters of the written word such as Hugh McIlvanney had easy but respectful access to legends of the day: ”You wouldn't get that today, the game has changed so much” he says with a quick toss of the eyes to heaven.

While his career has afforded him the pleasure of witnessing many wondrous personal and collective sporting achievements he does admit to revelling at times in sporting misery and controversy: “Journalistically there's a lot more fun in misery than there is in success you know. You're getting players slagging off coaches, players walking out, there's political intrigue, as a journalist it's thrilling. I was Irish rugby correspondent with the Sunday Times in the late 90s which was from a sporting point of view was miserable but for me it was brilliant.”

Scottish football may be in a similar state of misery at the moment but in this instance English is slow to jump up and down with glee. He has, on more than one occasion, voiced his concern over football's saturation of the Scottish sporting market. To him both the public and media are at fault for the national sport's stifling the growth of other sports:

“I lived in Scotland for four years before I moved back here is 2005 and I think that the obsession with the sport has grown bigger. I know that it is easier looking from the outside to see how much football dominates but I think it’s to the detriment of the country as a whole. Scotland is famous for its football, right, but if you look at the national team, they're mediocre. Celtic and Rangers? Mediocre. When there is a chance to try and build up another sport, the media here generally won't do it. I've had this argument with many a person down through the years”

His trade, which remains a fundamentally necessary one, has fallen on hard times however. With circulations falling and advertising revenues a fraction of what they once were, English is well aware of potential pit-falls that lie ahead. He's debated it with his brother (now editor of the Limerick Leader): “He always tells me that journalism will see him into retirement, but I'm fucked!” he states with a wry smile.

“I think personally there will always be newspapers but certain ones will fold. Which ones? I don't know. It's very hard to be a young sports writer today but there are some great interviews out there that are easy to get and newspapers are always going to be open to good stories. Maybe I'm wrong and one day I'll be operating off tomenglish.com but I hope not.”

Be it print or online who knows? But something tells you if wants Tom English an audience, he'll have no problem getting one.

The Grudge:Scotland vs.England,1990 by Tom English is available from Amazon.co.uk priced £9.90