The Herald on Sunday

Ian Crocker

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“I WORKED out recently that the last one Old Firm game was the 50th I had commentate­d on, so it’s a fixture I know well. They stick out as special and I get a real buzz in the build-up to each one, and then at the match itself.

I spend Friday working on all my notes although this is the one match where you don’t always get a chance to use them as it tends to be played at 100 mph and there’s barely time to draw breath.

On the day of the game I always wake up early, about half six. For a lunchtime kick-off like today I’ll get to the ground around 9am as I like to sit and look around the empty stadium for five minutes, knowing it’s going to be mental a few hours later. I’ll then hover around the tunnel hoping to pick up team news. Some managers give it to you early, some don’t. Some will give it to you on the phone – Walter Smith was good for that when he was at Rangers – but normally you get the steer an hour or so before kick-off.

I’ll then get settled in my seat on the commentary gantry about 45 minutes before and make some lastminute adjustment­s to my notes. I then like to do nothing for the last 30 minutes before kick-off, just taking in the atmosphere while listening to the build-up in our studio.

In advance, you have a few lines in your head you would like to use in commentary but more often than not a goal doesn’t happen as you think it might or a player might not do as you expected. More often than not it’s just adlibbing, especially in this game where you usually have no idea what is coming next. I always say I’m one of the few neutrals on these occasions as I genuinely like covering both teams. Coming from Dorset on the south coast of England, following my local team Weymouth and then West Ham when I moved to London, I’ve never had a Scottish team. As I’ve been commentati­ng on Scottish football for nearly 20 years now, people always think you favour one side or other but I’m genuinely happy sitting on the fence.

I’ve done a few crackers over the years. The one in 1999 when it all kicked off was memorable even though it oversteppe­d the mark. I remember looking at co-commentato­r Davie Provan when we came off air and we were both staring at each other open-mouthed. My favourite two were the 6-2 game back in 2000 when Celtic were three up after 11 minutes, and then the Scottish Cup final in 2002 when Peter Lovenkrand­s scored in the last minute to give Rangers the win.

I remember saying as Neil McCann’s cross came in, ‘is there going to be a twist in the tale?’. So it’s always nice when a line like that comes off. You’re trying to capture the moment as best you can and it’s humbling when folk come up to you later and say they enjoyed your commentary. You definitely feel tired afterwards, especially when it’s as frantic as the Old Firm game. I don’t like re-watching old commentari­es as I don’t like the sound of my own voice but I’ll sometimes go back over a few incidents and make sure I called it right at the time. With social media, people aren’t slow to tell you if you haven’t!”

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