Patrick Barclay: A Tribute
Patrick Barclay, a giant of the football writing world, has passed away at the age of 77.
He was the only football journalist to write for all the major English broadsheets: The Guardian, Independent, Times, Sunday Telegraph, Evening Standard, and The Observer.
He was born in London on the 15th of August 1947, before moving to Dundee with his family at the age of four.
Known as the ‘city of discovery’, Dundee, on the Firth of Tay, has a long tradition of scientific endeavour and sporting excellence. It boasts two topflight professional football teams, Dundee FC and Dundee United, situated on the same street.
As a boy, Patrick begged his grandfather, a Dundee FC supporter, to take him to their home ground, Dens Park. His first game was in 1956, the start of his lifelong love of the club and of football.
After school, Patrick went straight to work in journalism, breaking through as a reporter at the Dundee Evening Telegraph before moving to The Guardian where he became a subeditor and, eventually, a football writer.
Later, he was the Independent’s first football correspondent and became the chief football commentator at The Times and chairman of the Football Writers’ Association.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 18: Chelsea Midfielder N’Golo Kante is presented with the FWA Player of the Year Award by Football Writers Association Chairman Patrick Barclay, at The Landmark Hotel on May 18, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Neil P. Mockford/Getty Images)
A prolific author of football biographies, his works include: ‘Mourinho: Anatomy of A Winner’, ‘The Life and Times of Herbert Chapman: The Story of One of Football’s Most Influential Figures’, and a Sir Alex Ferguson biography titled ‘Football – Bloody Hell!’
Paddy’s career expanded into television, with appearances on Sky’s Hold The Back Page and TalkSport programmes.
He embraced new forms of journalism as a regular speaker on the Football Ruined My Life Podcast which he hosted with Jon Holmes, Colin Shindler and Paul Kobrak.
His podcast colleagues recalled his warm, charismatic personality, his humane outlook on life and his courage as a journalist.
Paddy was deeply insightful and fearless in speaking his mind. He was an old school journalist but was open to new ideas.
In his podcast, he gave his thoughts on the Nations League: “The Nations League is the best thing that has happened to international football in my lifetime.
“It is an absolutely brilliant idea. It has saved international football, the most precious part of the game, from dying.”
He believed it was easy to succumb to the temptation of criticising new decisions from football administrators.
As head of the Football Writers’ Association, he made bold decisions of his own.
Daragh Minogue, Sports Journalism Course Leader at St Mary’s University, recalls: “Paddy clearly had a passion for supporting new talent. As chair of the FWA between 2016-2019, he made it more diverse, opening it up particularly to women and young writers. In that role I thought he was absolutely brilliant.”
“He was part of the team who brought in student membership.”
Minogue spoke of Paddy’s empathy with the students: “My real memories of him are his visits to the students at St Mary’s and delivering fantastic Q&As.
“He was funny and supportive of the students. He would do a Q&A, then record a podcast, then he would come down the pub and buy a round of drinks for the students. They absolutely loved him!”
Patrick Barclay recording a podcast with St Mary’s graduates Simon Collings and Oliver Stein after his Q&A with the students in 2018. Photo Credit – Dr Daragh Minogue
Charisma, warmth and calmness were synonymous with Paddy’s character. His writing style had a magical, evocative quality, like that of his fellow Scot, the great sports journalist Hugh McIlvanney.
Both viewed football through a societal and historical lens. They had a calm authority and deep insight. When speaking about the game, Paddy was dignified and composed, never overly exuberant.
Paddy spoke about the humble mining origins of some of the great British managers in an interview on PLZ Soccer in 2017: “If you look at great football managers, you look at Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Herbert Chapman, they all came from mining communities, which taught interdependence.
“Interdependence could be quite literally a matter of life and death. Mining and old industrial communities forged that sense of having to look out for one another. I think that is still the basis of a healthy football club.”
Paddy saw these mining roots as part of the foundations of football in these islands, that should not be forgotten.
His writing was not limited to the British game, as he wrote beautifully about the great teams in football history, including the Brazil side of 1970.
He told World Soccer Talk: “You used to have to do some press work on the pitch, so you would walk out of the tunnel. Now I don’t know about my colleagues, but I fantasised. I did it once at the Maracanã. I walked out at the ground where Garrincha and Pele and all the greats have walked out, and I tried to imagine what it would be like to be a player.
“It’s all that stuff that goes with football. The theatricality of it.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 24: Marina Hyde (L), The Guardian receives the sports Columnist award from Patrick Barclay (R) during the SJA British Sports Journalism Awards 2019 at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel on February 24, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
I first came across Patrick Barclay in an ITV Jose Mourinho documentary. He was witty in describing the Portuguese football manager.
Mourinho has had various run-ins with Barcelona, from Chelsea complaining that opposition manager Frank Rijkaard had a secret meeting with a referee at half time, to Jose’s theory that UEFA showed favouritism to the Catalan club.
Barclay quipped: “If you subtract from Mourinho’s dark side, incidents involving Barcelona, he’s only grey at worst.”
As a Scottish football writer studying at St Mary’s, I am inspired and influenced by the legacy of this great man. The FWA membership is a great benefit for young sports journalists.
Paddy was one of the most prolific, joyful and brilliant football writers and above all, a humane, decent man. His books on Sir Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson are essential for understanding the influence of the great Scottish managers.
He reached the very top of his profession while warming people’s hearts with his humour and passion for the sport that he loved.
