大象传媒

What's your role at Euro 2008?
I'll be editing the 大象传媒 Sport website's Euro 2008 blog - and maybe making the odd contribution myself. With highly-readable and distinctive contributions from our team of reporters, commentators, analysts and producers, I'm sure we'll be able to give everyone a taste of the fare being served up in the twin footballing hotbeds of Austria and Switzerland during June.

Favourite team?
Aston Villa. By rights I should have been a Wolves fan, but my uncle fuelled my love for the Claret and Blue by providing me with what seemed like an endless supply of black and white photos of and in their pomp. My uncle, who is a Wolves fan, always says my grandfather would turn in his grave if he knew my leanings. But, unc, it was your fault. Had you not raided the photographic department of the Express & Star for those pics of Gray, Little et al, I'm sure I'd have been one of growing number of long-suffering supporters trekking to and from Molineux every fortnight.

Favourite player?
Well, messrs Gray and Little, that goes without saying. Then it was Gary Shaw, Gordon Cowans and Tony Morley. The also appealed. Well, c'mon, they sounded cool and played cool. Didn't every young boy growing up in the 70s want to be them in the school playground? No? Now my favourite is Zinedine Zidane. He had magic in his feet.

Ideal sporting dinner guest?
I'd want to sit down with someone who had a tale to tell, who could shed some light on a moment in history that still puzzles today. maybe. Was he really knocked into next week by that so-called phantom punch from Muhammad Ali? Or perhaps . What caused his fatal crash at the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix? is someone I admire, but I get the feeling a meal with him would be just too intense.

Best bit of advice received?
In this day and age when it seems to pay dividends to be bolshy and crass, I like this bit of advice, though I regularly fail to heed it: "'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt." The words of , I believe.

Tell us something the public might not know about you...
I used to play and was crowned English schools champion at both Under-14 and Under-16 level. Okay, okay, so it was a game played by very few people at public school. Doesn't mean I didn't (yep, I know, a double negative) possess the reactions of spitting cobra or the athleticism of a leaping salmon. I'm considering a comeback, but my back, knees and hands have already started grumbling at the prospect.

Disappointed the Home Nations didn't make it?
Not really. Expectation levels always reach unrealistic heights whenever England play in a major tournament. This is a chance to focus on the football and appreciate the skills on show.

Will there be another surprise winner?
I hope so. For me, there was nothing more thrilling than seeing the , when they only made it into the tournament at the last minute following Yugoslavia's expulsion but shocked both Holland and Germany en route to success.

Which player will take the tournament by storm?
This is the point I'd like to astound you by picking a player who is not yet a household name and then sit back while he sets the world alight. Sorry, not going to happen, I'm just not that clever. How about ? Heard of him?

Finally, how many goals will be scored in Euro 2008?
68.