Clive Tyldesley was the voice of ITV football for a whole generation. The successor to the great Brian Moore, has opened up his matchday notes to provide a unique memento of Boro's greatest day, the winning of the Carling Cup in 2004. Read his pen pics of both squads and you are all prepared to relive that great day in Cardiff all over again.
I asked Clive about his big match preparation and how he sets out his research in charts.
"I prepare a commentary chart similar to this for every match I work on. It is a time-honoured ritual and the composition of the charts has changed little during my career. For a major cup final of this kind, my research notes would probably spread over three or four sheets, so this is a condensed display version compiled and written out in the authentic style of the originals."
How did this idea come about of providing charts for sale as prints for different matches?
"During the first summer lockdown, I was using the time to clear out some of my old files from my office at home. I started setting a daily quiz on Instagram by covering up a name on an old chart and asking followers to work out the mystery player. One of my friends, Chris Stark, is a Watford fan and he asked me if he could have the prep notes from a Watford game to frame and hang in his 'man cave'. The idea took off from there."
What made Clive decide to turn to Boro v Bolton?
"At first, we confined ourselves to recreating charts for Champions League finals and the like that I had commentated on for ITV, but people started to ask me to mock up charts of their favourite matches even though I hadn't actually been at the game. We have had more and more such requests from Boro fans. There were quite a few votes for Basel and Steaua but nothing beats a trophy and the final topped the popularity poll. As it happens, I was at Highbury for the first semi-final so I was able to refer to my prep notes for that game."
Clive Tyldesley didn't cover the Carling Cup game but as he said he did see Boro's victory over Arsenal that paved the way for that momentous day in South Wales. It seems the long serving commentator has plenty of friends and acquaintances among Boro past and present. This helped with the process of putting the chart together.
"Guys like Gareth and Danny (Mills) are good friends so it was a pleasure putting the chart together. Eric Paylor always looked after me on my visits to Teesside and his cuttings from the Gazette were really useful too."
The charts provide so much information, it is like watching one of those old fashioned cup final tv previews. But this one is more personal, hand-written, a springboard and starting point for the event itself.
Clive is the commentator, so I will leave it to the man on the microphone to describe how these prints will take you back to leap year day 2004.
"It is a memento with a difference because it is a screenshot of kick-off. The chart tells you nothing of how the final turned out. You add your own recollections when you look at the line-ups and the backdrop to the match. Maybe you went to the game, perhaps you watched it at home or in the pub. Every Boro fan will have a different story to tell to the afternoon that ended the long wait and opened the door to Europe and those magical Maccarone nights down by the Riverside."
Go on this website below to
www.commentarycharts.com and click on Middlesbrough
Or search the official Boro site mfc.co.uk for Clive's Commentary Charts Carling Cup Glory
I asked Clive about his big match preparation and how he sets out his research in charts.
"I prepare a commentary chart similar to this for every match I work on. It is a time-honoured ritual and the composition of the charts has changed little during my career. For a major cup final of this kind, my research notes would probably spread over three or four sheets, so this is a condensed display version compiled and written out in the authentic style of the originals."
How did this idea come about of providing charts for sale as prints for different matches?
"During the first summer lockdown, I was using the time to clear out some of my old files from my office at home. I started setting a daily quiz on Instagram by covering up a name on an old chart and asking followers to work out the mystery player. One of my friends, Chris Stark, is a Watford fan and he asked me if he could have the prep notes from a Watford game to frame and hang in his 'man cave'. The idea took off from there."
What made Clive decide to turn to Boro v Bolton?
"At first, we confined ourselves to recreating charts for Champions League finals and the like that I had commentated on for ITV, but people started to ask me to mock up charts of their favourite matches even though I hadn't actually been at the game. We have had more and more such requests from Boro fans. There were quite a few votes for Basel and Steaua but nothing beats a trophy and the final topped the popularity poll. As it happens, I was at Highbury for the first semi-final so I was able to refer to my prep notes for that game."
Clive Tyldesley didn't cover the Carling Cup game but as he said he did see Boro's victory over Arsenal that paved the way for that momentous day in South Wales. It seems the long serving commentator has plenty of friends and acquaintances among Boro past and present. This helped with the process of putting the chart together.
"Guys like Gareth and Danny (Mills) are good friends so it was a pleasure putting the chart together. Eric Paylor always looked after me on my visits to Teesside and his cuttings from the Gazette were really useful too."
The charts provide so much information, it is like watching one of those old fashioned cup final tv previews. But this one is more personal, hand-written, a springboard and starting point for the event itself.
Clive is the commentator, so I will leave it to the man on the microphone to describe how these prints will take you back to leap year day 2004.
"It is a memento with a difference because it is a screenshot of kick-off. The chart tells you nothing of how the final turned out. You add your own recollections when you look at the line-ups and the backdrop to the match. Maybe you went to the game, perhaps you watched it at home or in the pub. Every Boro fan will have a different story to tell to the afternoon that ended the long wait and opened the door to Europe and those magical Maccarone nights down by the Riverside."
Go on this website below to
www.commentarycharts.com and click on Middlesbrough
Or search the official Boro site mfc.co.uk for Clive's Commentary Charts Carling Cup Glory
