Man Who Made A Career On Newcastle's Misery!
By Nu Mad
Updated Sunday, 29th June 2008
John Motson will commentate on his last live international final for BBC TV on Sunday. The man got his first big break when Newcastle lost to Hereford in the FA Cup!
Motson said on BBC TV: "My first big break was that FA Cup tie at Hereford.
"I was little known at the time, then suddenly the biggest upset in Newcastle's history propelled me to stardom.
"Hereford were non-league at the time and Newcastle boasted Tony Green and Malcolm Macdonald, and the result was a sensation.
"It made Ronnie Radford a household name and my career took off".
The Euro 2008 showdown between Germany and Spain in Vienna is expected to be his last major television showpiece.
Having first appeared on Match of the Day in 1971, the 62-year-old has covered nine European Championships, nine World Cups and 29 FA Cup finals.
He told BBC Sport: "I am coming to the end of my career, I know that.
"I'd been thinking about it at the start of the season, but now I've decided I don't want to be tearing around South Africa for the 2010 World Cup at the age of 65. It's physically and mentally challenging."
The son of a Methodist minister, he joined the BBC in 1968, having worked as a reporter on the
Barnet Press and Sheffield Morning Telegraph.
He has covered 1,800 matches including more than 200 England games, plus six World Cup finals.
He has also been known for some of his more poorly-thought-out comments, such as "For those of you watching in black and white, Spurs are in the all-yellow strip", and "It's
Arsenal 0,
Everton 1, and the longer it stays like that the more you've got to fancy Everton".
