***FOF EXCLUSIVE*** A Virtual Audience with Tommy Guthrie

[Burt]

What have Roy Hogson and Tommy Guthrie got in common?

They both joined the club at the same time...

Whilst Roy went on to bigger but not necessarily better things with Liverpool and then on to manage the basket case that is the national team, Tommy has remained committed to the Fulham cause as the club's Supporter Relations Manager, and has won national recognition for his "above and beyond" commitment and contributions.

Tommy has kindly agreed to be the victim for our second Q&A. So you are cordially invited to take a seat, grab some popcorn and join us in the FOF Virtual Lounge. Today's lounge set is brought to you courtesy of Ikea, which explains why it is only half assembled.

Same format as our last Q&A with David Hamilton – I will post the questions and answers separately to make for a "less dense" read, and for ease of using "Quote" to capture any feedback to specific parts of the Q&A.

Thanks to all of you who posted or PM'd questions over to me. Tommy, bless him, has got around to answering every single one!

Hope you enjoy it.

Cheers

Burt

[Burt]

WHAT WAS YOUR ASSESSMENT OF THE 2012/2013 SEASON? THE POSITIVES, THE NEGATIVES, AND AN OVERALL "RATING" OUT OF 10...?

It was a bit of a rollercoaster – a great start, then a poor run, then a good run, then a poor run again. It was nice to finish on a high note, both with the 3-0 win at Swansea and the U18 Final. From season 08/09 onwards we enjoyed perhaps the best spell in the Club's history. There was always going to be some form of transition, but that's inevitable if you want to run the Club sensibly and I think we went through that a bit last season.

I'd give the campaign a 7 – taking into account the various successes at Academy level and all things considered a 12th place finish wasn't too bad. Overall I think we're in good shape and I really do believe our fans can have confidence in the way the Club is run and is building for the future.

[Burt]

WHO WAS YOUR FULHAM PLAYER OF THE SEASON?

I'd give it to Brede, but there's really not much to choose between perhaps 5 or 6 candidates. However, his contribution over the past few seasons has been absolutely immense so that tips it in his favouur for me.

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WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE EVER FULHAM MOMENT?

Probably the Juventus game. It was Roy of the Rovers stuff and such a fabulous atmosphere. I was out on Stevenage Road, lugging the giant centre circle banner back into storage when Juve scored. I'd also just belted my head off a railing and was wet through after stepping in front of a pitch sprinkler. I remember thinking it was going to be a bloody awful evening, but I couldn't have been more wrong.

I was in the Press Room when Bobby equalized, the Control Room when Zolly bagged the third and right down the front of the Hammy End, by the photographers, when Clint chipped in that winner. My favourite moment, however, was the 2nd goal. I happened to be heading along the Riverside walkway, en route to meeting a fan at half-time and had the perfect view of Gera sweeping the goal in and a brilliant perspective of the raw emotion of the crowd. It was some night.

[Burt]

WHO IS THE BEST FULHAM PLAYER YOU HAVE SEEN SINCE WE HAVE BEEN IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE, AND WHY?

I'd say Duffer is probably my favourite. He's a great player with a terrific attitude and he plays the position very shrewdly. My wife is Irish and I lived there for a spell, so I do feel a natural affinity for the boys in the green. I also enjoy his penchant for hunched shoulders and huffing and puffing. In that respect he's a similar player to me, but sadly that's where the comparison ends I'm afraid.

[Burt]

IF YOU HAD ONE SENTENCE TO DESCRIBE YOUR POSITION AT THE CLUB, WHAT WOULD THAT BE?

We're (my team) a liaison and point of first contact for our fans, representing their views and providing information and assistance.

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WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR POSITION?

Matchdays and getting out and about, meeting fans. As a football club we spend all week (or summer) building towards the next 90 minutes and it's great to be a part of that, especially when it's going well.

[Burt]

HOW HAS YOUR JOB CHANGED FROM WHEN YOU STARTED AT FULHAM?

The biggest change is that I now work matchdays. When I arrived it was more of a 9 – 5 job. Meeting people at games is a great way to build relationships, gather ideas, suggestions, or to help with problems, so for me it's been a positive process. 

Adapting to the changing nature of communications has been a big development. Even 5 or 6 years ago more people used to pick up a phone, whereas now we'll handle larger volumes of email and more recently social media interaction. As long as we adapt to best suit our fans and their own busy lifestyles, then there's no right or wrong way to keep in touch to people.

[Burt]

HOW MUCH OF AN HONOUR WAS IT TO RECEIVE YOUR WELL-DESERVED 'VISITFOOTBALL UNSUNG HERO AWARD' IN RECOGNITION OF YOUR WORK AT FULHAM WITH THE SUPPORTERS?

It was a surprise, more than anything else, but naturally I was delighted to receive it. I tend to view it more as a reflection of the Club than a personal achievement. Everything we do in here is very much a team effort and anything I've managed to do personally comes as a consequence of our values and the way the Club operates.

[Burt]

SO TOMORROW MORNING, THE CHAIRMAN STROLLS UP TO YOU AND SAYS "TOMMY MY FRIEND, I HAVE DECIDED THAT AS A REWARD FOR YOU BEING AN "UNSUNG HERO", WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER STATUE AT THE COTTAGE. YOU CHOOSE THE SUBJECT". WHO WOULD IT BE, AND WHY?

If anyone deserves a statue then it's our Chairman, so I'd probably suggest he commissions one of himself.

[Burt]

ARE THERE ANY UPCOMING CHANGES TO THE CLUB FOR THE NEW SEASON THAT YOU ARE OVERSEEING AND CAN MENTION TO US?

I'm looking at our Club Charter at the moment, in particular some developments for appeals processes and our away travel. We're also not far off resubmitting our Kick It Out Equality Standard bid and we should be ready to do that before the season starts.

We're keen to increase the number of post-match 'mini forums' next season at the Cottage. The idea is to meet informally with different types of fan, from senior citizens to first time Season Ticket Holders etc, and get their unique perspective and ideas. We're very much open to suggestions on this front and I'd encourage anyone to contact me directly if they have any thoughts, or would like to take part.

[Burt]

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE INTRODUCED TO MAKE THE CRAVEN COTTAGE EXPERIENCE BETTER FOR THE FANS?

That's a good question. My instinct is to be quite protective of our atmosphere, as we have a unique ground and a special environment, enjoyed by the vast majority of visitors. Where possible I think initiatives that drive atmosphere should be organic and guided by our fans. They tend to be the ones that work the best.

In terms of the overall experience, although we are a little constrained by space, we can continue to refine our concourses, particularly the toilets and looking at signage and other ways to maximise the best overall use of space.

Personally I'd love to see uplighting use to pick out the features on the front of the Haynes Stand facade, as is commonly done with other monuments and old buildings. That would make for a spectacular arrival down Stevenage Road, or the alphabet streets, for night games.

[Burt]

DO YOU HAVE ANY PRE-MATCH RITUALS?

None at all, I'm afraid. Beyond trying to be there on time!!

[Burt]

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME TO RELAX? GOLF?

Golf, the way I play it, is not a relaxing experience. I enjoy running and I've always found that a good way to clear your head and order your thoughts. I also enjoy cycling and dabble a bit in social dancing, although I'm about as good at that as I am at golf.

In terms of other sports, I enjoy watching tennis and baseball, although it's hard to find time to do the latter once the football season gets going. You'll find me at the theatre from time to time, and pretending to know a bit about art and music.

[Burt]

JUST HOW HARD DO YOU LOBBY EVERY YEAR FOR A PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY AGAINST DUNDEE UTD?! AND IF IT HAPPENED, WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO WIN...?

There was a vague chance we might have met in the Europa League a few season back, but the draw took Dundee United over to Russia. We actually have good relations with United, having sent a few players on loan up there in recent times.

If the teams were to meet then I'd definitely enjoy it. I'm often asked if I'm a Fulham fan, and I am in as much as I want the team to do well and win games. As staff we do need to recognize that there is a fundamental difference between our role and that of a paying fan. We are all pulling in the same direction but the emotions, by necessity sometimes, are a little different. I need to be able to do my job regardless of the outcome of the game, or any disappointment, so you do need to be able to stay a little more detached in that regard, if you can. 

Getting back to the question, I honestly wouldn't mind who won that game, as long as it was a good one.

[Burt]

GIVEN HOW CLOSE THE TWO CLUBS ARE, WHAT MADE YOU SUPPORT DUNDEE UTD RATHER THAN DUNDEE?

By the time I got round to finding a team to support I was living near Glasgow, so my choice wasn't really influenced by the local rivalry. At a young age I was taken to Hamilton Accies (the nearest stadium to my house) and they happened to be playing Dundee United. I think it was the colour of the kits that first appealed to me and after that I was hooked.

[Burt]

WHAT WOULD BE THE REACTION OF THE TWO SETS OF SUPPORTERS IF DUNDEE UTD AND DUNDEE ENDED UP SHARING A GROUND?

I imagine it would be fairly mixed, although personally I wouldn't have a problem with it. The grounds are so close that fans already share a lot of the same pubs and matchday rituals. It's a friendly rivalry and the supporter base for both teams is fairly even. I'm not sure if this hold true, but going back a few years it was statistically the safest derby match in the UK. Neither club is flush with cash, so financially a groundshare would appear to make sense as well. In my opinion the capacity of both stadiums is also too big and when occupancy levels are low it has a negative impact on the atmosphere.

[Burt]

DO YOU THINK JOHNNY RUSSELL AND GARY MACKAY-STEVEN COULD EVER BECOME CONSISTENT (ENGLISH) PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS? NOT FULHAM RELATED, I KNOW, BUT WITH BEING A DUNDEE UNITED FAN, IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.

Johnny Russell recently signed for Derby and I think that's probably the right move at the right time. If he gets a run in the side then I imagine he has the potential to develop further. GMS was on the books at Liverpool, so they obviously saw that potential in him at a young age. I really don't get to many United games these days, so I haven't seen all that much of either player first-hand. However, it's great to see Scottish players in the SPL so I hope that both can make it. I'm told by friends that Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Gauld are the next ones to look out for.

[Burt]

WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH BILLY MCKINLAY? DID YOU TALK MUCH ABOUT HIS TIME AT DUNDEE UTD?

I thought I'd try to be professional when I first joined, so I deliberately didn't tell Billy I was a fan. However, somebody else mentioned it to him and he was good enough to come into our office and share a few stories. I don't see all that much of Billy day-to-day but he keeps in touch with how United are doing, so we talk about their progress from time to time.

[Burt]

WHAT IS THE ODDEST REQUEST YOU HAVE HAD TO DEAL WITH FROM A FAN AT FULHAM?

Somebody once sent a rubber glove in and asked us to get the players to sign it. I never did get to the bottom of why. Players are so used to signing things that most didn't bat an eyelid. Angry letters from gamblers demanding compensation when our results go against them are always an amusing read. Much like the bookmakers, we don't pay out!