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Bill Turnbull leaving breakfast

Looks like he'll be at Adams Park on one morning. Nice bit of publicity for the club.

http://tv.bt.com/tv/tv-news/bbc-breakfast-when-is-bill-turnbull-leaving-11364038825709

Comments

  • Was going to add. I've heard he's planning to live in Suffok but still hopes to get to soe games. Really decent bloke and wish him the best for his semi-retirement.

  • He's doing Player today with @bluntphil

  • Would be great to see more of him.

  • maybe he ordered too much..

  • Really enjoying having him back on the commentary with Phil.

  • Just before smbu got into bed with Steve Hayes and let him switch the lights out they did an interview with Bill.

    We love getting up at the crack of sparrows and watching The Bill Turnbull Breakfast Show. His laid-back, shoes-off style should be an inspiration to us all as we run about looking for a pair of clean pants first thing in the morning. SMBU catches up with the Woodland's regular...

    So first things first, how, when, and maybe even why, did you become a Wycombe fan?
    We're gloryhangers. My two boys and I jumped on the bandwagon after the third round of that cup run, and been unable to get off ever since. We've been season ticket holders since that year, and sit in the (nearly) silent Woodlands. Why? It's our local club, and so much more rewarding to follow than some big Premiership conglomerate.

    What has been your most memorable Wycombe game?
    Apart from the hallowed semi-final? At home to Brentford two seasons ago, when we thrashed them 4-0. They'd beaten us in the Cup, so this was revenge. My editor is a Bees fan and I called him at home after every goal.

    And similarly, what's the one game you wish you had been to?
    We couldn't get to the Wimbledon replay as we were staying in the Yorkshire Dales at the time. So we huddled round the radio as the signal came and went, and joined hands for the penalties. I still wish I'd been there, though.

    Do you have any other fond memories of following Wycombe?
    Jocky's volley off Ruby's chip last season. Beating Stoke at home and Colchester away. Brownie's sublime passes - and penalties. Taylor's fantastic flying saves.

    Tony has bought in a lot of new players this season. Have any of them particularly stood out for you so far?
    For me, Clint Easton is showing a lot of promise - a bit like Currie only he can tackle and move a lot faster. If his confidence grows he could be pivotal this season. Gary Silk, so long as he's in the right position (at the back). I really want Stonebridge to do well, but for me he has yet to convince.

    Is there anything that really gets your goat about Wycombe, or football in general for that matter?
    The beer's too expensive.

    If you could interview Ivor Beeks what would you ask him?
    How about lunch?

    How early do you have to get up? And have you ever smashed up an alarm clock in pure rage?
    I get up at 4 a.m., happy in the knowledge that I no longer have to rise at 3 like I used to. I'm too groggy at that hour to feel anything. Smashing the alarm would not be in my best interests as it would wake my wife....

    Do your work commitments hinder you from attending many matches?
    I can get to pretty much all the home matches, even at night. As I work mostly at weekends, it's a bit trickier for away matches - so you won't see me up north this year. But I hope to get to a couple of closer fixtures.

    There have been some massive changes to the club over the last six months both on and off the field. How do you foresee the short-term and long-term success of the club?

    Short-term: promotion this season.
    Long-term: Premiership. A man can dream, can't he?

    What was your biggest TV cock up?
    How long have you got? I've said a number of things I shouldn't have when the mic was live, but fortunately never anything too serious. I take my shoes off sometimes which can lead to complications – Carol Kirkwood picked one of them up once on air and complained that they ponged. There have probably been other more awful memories which I've simply suppressed.

    If you could have been in any TV show past or present, which one would it have been?
    I'd like to be on World Cup Match of the Day 2006 please.

    Adrian Chiles has managed to wangle himself his own football show just by supporting West Brom. I'd love to see you presenting a lower league Match of the Day programme. Have you ever thought about something like that?
    Adrian - who's a great bloke by the way - knows a great deal more about football than I do. If I had the choice, I'd rather commentate. I've started doing a bit of it at Adams Park and I find I get a lot more out of the game when I have to monitor every move.

    What do you think of the local media coverage of the Wanderers?
    S'alright I suppose.

    I was watching Breakfast TV one morning when you had the football poet on. I thought you completely out did him with your Wycombe poem. Can we hear it again?
    Gosh, I just happen to have it here with me:

    For too many months we pondered,
    Our chances on goal we squandered,
    In game after game we blundered,
    As our hopes like our name simply wandered.
    Our fate now is not ours to choose,
    We have nothing more to lose,
    But while our pride is sorely bruised, We are still the Mighty Blues

    You also had a Fulham fan on once just after they knocked us out of the FA cup. You were giving him a bit of stick for being bad losers, which was fully deserved if you ask me. Do you get much stick at work for supporting Wycombe?
    Yes. Last season was ugly. First they laughed, then they pitied me, which was much worse. This season's not so bad, fortunately.

    Does the BBC have a football team or do you ever go for a kickabout with the likes of Rob and Dermot? (By the way, apparently Rob Bonnett's wife taught one half of SMBU English at school!)
    We keep rather different hours, so it would be difficult to organise. Beside, Dermot's an Arsenal supporter.

    Have you ever been for a day out at Brill Hill, the highest point in Bucks?
    No.

    Do you get to meet any footballers at work?
    I met Brownie in a corridor at the BBC once. Kenny Sansom I've spoken to a couple of times on the sofa. Once - memorably - I asked him if he'd played for Spurs. Best moment was when Sir Bobby Charlton brought in the World Cup trophy. I got to interview an idol and cradle the Cup in my very own hands.

    Have you ever skived off work to attend a game?
    Who's playing at six o'clock in the morning?

    Do you ever walk into your house to find your family watching ITV and shout at them "turn that off, turn that filth off"?
    What, and miss Footballers' Wives?

    And on the same note, have you ever met Alan Parry?
    Cheeky. No.

    And finally, who is your favourite all-time Wycombe player?
    All-time in my case is rather short. If there had to be one, it would have to be Steve Brown - for the passion more than anything else.

  • Gary Silk

  • I like Bill, he's an affable bee keeper who supports Wycombe and if the world had a few more affable bee keepers who supported Wycombe and a few less Donald Trumps it would be a far better place.

  • Easton, a bit like Currie

  • @eric_plant As bizarre as a certain troll from Devon saying Martin Bullock was a better player than the overated Dave Carroll.

  • Two queries. Understood Bill was moving to Suffolk. So far as I know, the Peak District (cf the BT piece in the link supplied by @Watford_Blue above) is not in Suffolk.
    And call me thick but I haven't a clue what SMBU is.

  • @micra I believe I read that Bill has been living in the Peak District - no longer in Bucks - since the BBC moved to Salford, but is now considering retirement to Suffolk.

  • That Brill Hill question still makes me laugh for some reason!

  • Yeah, thanks @Uncle_T - just read in Radio Times that he rented in Peak District but the BT piece referred to him going to his NEW home in the Peak District next Wednesday. I've always had problems with BT!

    Thanks @M3G. That guy sure tells it like it is (or was). Being incurably nosey, I would like to know what SMBU stands for and/or who he is/does he post on Gasroom.

  • @micra SMBU stood for Stack My Beech Up, although it was changed for a while to Sandwiches My Bankrupt Us, after Hayes told people to stop bringing their own food to games at a Fans Forum.

  • Two queries. Understood Bill was moving to Suffolk. So far as I know, the Peak District (cf the BT piece in the link supplied by @Watford_Blue above) is not in Suffolk.
    And call me thick but I haven't a clue what SMBU is.

    Quote
    SMBU Stack My Beech Up

  • @micra BT will finally turn up to fit a phone line to Bill's "new" house in the Peak District around October 2017.

  • @marlowwanderer: I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask @drcongo to ban you for quoting me verbatim without quotation marks. Disgraceful.

  • Sorry, forgot to thank you and @floyd for inf re what SMBU stood for. I'm new (ish) on here and have clearly been missing out on some good stuff during the "troubled" years.

  • I don't know if it's still available online but there used to be a fantastic SMBU archive through Gasroom 1.0. Some of it is very funny indeed. Look for the blogs from Jerzy(?) the Polish Wanderer.

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