Bob Roberts – Tabloid Legend!

I was rather taken aback this week when the Sunday Sport invited me to be their new angling columnist. Let’s be honest, it’s not every day you get an offer like this. Now one or two friends think I’ve lost my marbles for saying yes to the opportunity but angling doesn’t get a fair crack in the national press so writers like myself arguably have a duty to take any opportunity to promote the sport wherever we can.

Some clearly have a prejudiced view of the paper but I wonder how much of that is based on ignorance? Do they actually read it, I ask?

Sport Interview

Any reservations I might have harboured were settled last night watching the TV programme Intern in which  Hillary Devay of Dragons Den tries to get unemployed youngsters a start in their dream career. Last night the three contestants were vying for a job at the very same Sunday Sport newspaper so we actually got to see the inner workings of the newsroom.

What I found really refreshing was the Sport doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t. In the words of deputy news editor Neil Goodwin (in an email to me), he wrote, “Glad you enjoyed it. And yep, you’ve hit the nail on the head. We’re like a real-life version of Viz – nothing more, nothing less. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but it really is one of the funniest offices you could ever work in.”

I bet it is!

Of course the acid test would always be how they portrayed angling in the paper and today’s issue carries the interview that Neil did with me this week. Well, read it for yourself and make up your own mind. Click the link below and it will open the whole article in PDF format

Sunday Sport Interview

Personally I’m chuffed to bits, and why shouldn’t I be? Okay there’s a bit of OTT razamataz and glorification but surely that’s the nature of the red tops. I can live with that even if some will be wittering on the angling forums that I’m now a big headed t**t!!!

Well bring it on! Witter away folks. At least it’ll give someone else a rest.

6 thoughts on “Bob Roberts – Tabloid Legend!

  1. This is a bit of a surprise seeing an angling page in the sunday sport..

    I am glad to see it to be honest, it is great publicity for the sport and im sure that bob will use his writing expertise to let all the non angling faternity out there just what an enjoyable sport we have..

    Tight lines

    And well done bob roberts.

  2. Not a bad introduction Bob, never ever read the Sport so I’m not able to comment on it’s contents. Good luck hope it goes well.

  3. Hi Bob,

    Fair play to you, I thought it was just an interview you were doing. To be offered a weekly column on a national is a difficult one to turn down but I still think you should have.

    Why? Because you are surely better than this. You are probably the best journalistic angling writer about today, the Sunday Sport is pure garbage and I stand by what I said on Facebook, only read by certain types which I doubt would understand the niceties of our chosen hobby/sport.
    I have seen the paper and unless it has changed it was as close to porn as you are likely to see in a tabloid.

    Lets put it this way, I would certainly not leave it on the coffee table for my kids or good friends to see, its mucky and pointless.

    I well remember you taking me to task when I said I was writing for a new fishing magazine that was aimed at a particular audience, but that one off publication was completely tame in comparison!
    I thought that magazine was going to be far better produced than it was and would happily write for something similar again if asked as long as it was upmarket and not spoiled by tacky innuendo.

    At least with the Sunday Sport you know what you are getting – utter rubbish.

    Anyway, good luck, I won’t be reading it but very well done to you and Stu on what appears to be a brilliant DVD production, as I said you are far too good to be seen in something as down market as the Sunday Sport.

    This may well be a decision you will later regret, luckily the smart anglers don’t look at the paper so they won’t know, I would keep it a bit quiet if I were you!!

    I’ll be back from Oz just in time for the Show, looking forward to seeing both you and Stu, I expect we’ll have a good laugh about this!

  4. Well Done Bob, as long as you say the right things, any publicity is “Good Publicity”.
    Although we can see Steve`s point, that it may attract some “Wrong Un`s”.
    Just tread carefully, and try not to get mis-quoted!!
    All the Best with it,
    Shaun.

  5. Bob, are you aware that the PDF shows you adjacent to an advert for Miss Amanda and her Mistresses, its not that I am a prude but I wouldn’t like to see the Sunday Sport suffer from dildo overload. All the best with your new adventure.

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