You know him as the man who announces the teams before the games at Upton Park, and the man who does the pre-match and half time interviews at West Ham United on match day. Jeremy Nicholas has been working at Upton Park since the late 90’s, but has been in the entertainment business for 20 years, having experience in radio, motivational speaking and work as an after dinner speaker. Jeremy has also written his own book, and more importantly, is a West Ham fan. He kindly took the time to answer some quick questions about his background, and his work at West Ham United.
Are you on Facebook? Excellent, so are we http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ForeverWestHamcom/200938616608282
How long have you been supporting West Ham United, and how did it come about?
(I HAVE BEEN SUPPORTING WEST HAM) SINCE I WAS SIX YEARS OLD. THEY WERE THE LOCAL TEAM.
Did you ever play as a youngster? If so, were you any good?
I PLAYED FOR MY SCHOOL AS A LEFT BACK. I TRIED HARD, BUT I WASN’T ONE OF THE STARS.
Who is you favourite all time West Ham player?
BILLY BONDS
Your role as match day announcer must be a dream job, apart from actually playing of course….
YES IT IS
How did the role come about for you?
I USED TO TALK ABOUT WEST HAM A LOT WHEN I PRESENTED THE BREAKFAST SHOW ON G.L.R. (NOW BBC LONDON) AND THE CLUB RANG AND ASKED ME TO BE THE ANNOUNCER BACK IN 1998
Do you have banter with the players and do they make you feel part of the set up?
YES, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ONES WHO’VE COME UP THROUGH THE ACADEMY
Who is your favourite West Ham manager to talk to/interview?
HARRY REDKNAPP AND ALAN CURBISHLEY WERE BRILLIANT. ALAN PARDEW WAS GREAT TO START WITH, BUT THEN HE STARTED BELIEVING HIS OWN PUBLICITY
I understand you were doing radio commentary on the day of the Hillsborough disaster, how important do you think the all seating stadiums are nowadays?
ALL SEATER STADIUMS ARE OBVIOUSLY A LOT SAFER.
In 2011, you brought out a book called ‘Mr Moon Has Left The Stadium’ – how has it gone down?
IT’S SOLD WELL. I HAD A LOVELY PHONE CALL FROM JOHN MOTSON TO SAY HOW MUCH HE ENJOYED READING IT.
Finally, what other projects have you got ongoing at the moment?
I’M WRITING A BOOK ABOUT PROFESSIONAL SPEAKING.
I’VE BEEN INVITED TO COMPERE THIS YEARS INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION OF THE PROFESSIONAL SPEAKING ASSOCIATION.
I’M RUNNING A SERIES OF WORKSHOPS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SPEAKING SKILLS THROUGH MY COMPANY, TALKING TOOLBOX.
I’M OFF TO SOUTH AFRICA SHORTLY TO DO SOME AFTER-DINNER TALKS.
I’M CURRENTLY WORKING ON A VIDEO SERIES CALLED ‘EVERY DAY IN FEBRUARY’ WHICH I’M FILMING AND EDITING WITH JIMMY CHEW. YOU CAN WATCH ALL THE VIDEOS AT: WWW.JEREMYNICHOLAS.CO.UK
I want to thank Jeremy for taking the time to answer some questions. His website is listed above, and you can also follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Nicholas
You can purchase a signed copy of Jeremy’s book on his website, priced at £9.99.
By ChelmoHammer
Follow me on Twitter: @ChelmoHammer
