Journey from the Merseymart to The Times

As he settles into his new job at The Times, Tony Barrett can look back on turning an aspiring journalist's dream into reality, after graduating from the local free paper, the Merseymart, to one of the world's most respected newspapers.

His fairytale journey has taken him from reporting news for the Merseymart to becoming Liverpool FC reporter for the Liverpool Echo, and now covering North West football for The Times.

Born in Liverpool, Tony was always likely to be passionate about football but it was his other interest which became his career path. In a guest speaker lecture to Sports Journalism students at JMU, Tony said: “As a kid I wanted to be a footballer like everybody else but I wasn’t good enough. My other interest was writing and I grew up in a family where I was around people who were interested in writing, like Jimmy McGovern. They were a big inspiration for me because they came from a similar background and got to the very top of their profession.”

Unlike renowned dramatist McGovern, Tony’s interest was not in creative writing but in news and sports reporting. He said: “There were a number of journalists I looked up to, such as Hugh McIlvanney and David Lacey – people who wrote proper analytical, good stuff... not the stuff you see on the back of tabloids which one day is a splash and the next day isn’t even a story. That kind of thing didn’t interest me so I wanted to get into quality writing.”

Tony studied history at Liverpool University and went on to do a Masters degree but admits that he was stalling until an opportunity in journalism came along. “I wanted to be a journalist, nothing else," he revealed. "I was offered a couple of jobs and turned them down. I was board marking in Ladbrokes and was approached by senior management to ask if I would go to head office in Leeds – the money I was offered then is more than I am on now. I knocked that back because it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I knew what I wanted to do and that wasn’t it.”

That opportunity presented itself when Tony applied for a trainee position at a local paper, the Merseymart. Competition was tough with 260 applications for eight jobs but Tony was taken on and given his own area.... despite turning up for the interview with one his front teeth knocked out courtesy of an amateur boxing bout the night before. He said: “I had my own patch in West Derby and Tuebrook. I had to fill 14 to 24 pages of news by myself each week. It was my big chance and I did break a few stories.”

After 18 months at the Merseymart, Tony was offered a job as a news reporter at the Liverpool Echo. He also wrote features, which included some colour pieces about football, such as Liverpool's famous Champions League comeback victory against AC Milan in Istanbul. He said: “Istanbul 2005 was a dream for me. My job was just to go with the fans and see what they were doing – it was a carnival. That exposure to the football side of things whetted my appetite; I knew I wanted to be a football writer.”

When Liverpool FC reporter Chris Bascombe left the Echo to join the News of the World, Tony was given his dream job after coming through three rounds of interviews. He said: “When the sports editor told me, it was one of those moments when time stood still. My first week couldn’t have gone any better because everything exploded around Liverpool FC. My first match report was against Everton and it was one of the most controversial derbies.

“Then during the week [Liverpool owners Tom] Hicks and [George] Gillett tried to appoint Jurgen Klinsmann behind Rafa Benitez’s back. We would only run the story if we got it on the record - I managed to get in touch with Tom Hicks and he told me everything. It was dynamite and was one of the biggest-selling copies of the Echo and the story went worldwide. After that my contacts developed rapidly because everybody wanted to speak to me.”

After two seasons as Liverpool FC reporter, Tony was approached by The Times, who he believes wanted him for his insight into the club and his access to Liverpool. He is enjoying his new role so far but is still learning his trade. He said: “They don’t want speculation, they want analysis and fact. I feel intimidated every day – I was terrified when doing my first match report because The Times is a totally different style to the Echo. I try to mimic other writers on the paper who can stick to the style but still bring the piece to life. A lot of my stuff is going in without being changed, which is great.”

Tony now finds himself in a privileged position, where superstar players are happy to talk to him but he is sure that does not affect his impartiality. “I don’t feel compromised when criticising Liverpool players because I think the squad are fairly honest with themselves anyway," said Tony. "You have to be critical because you can’t cheat the fans and you have to write for the people who are actually buying the newspaper.”

Despite his considerable success, Tony remains grounded and is hopeful that he can still progress in his career. He said: “I think there is further for me to go – my options are completely open and if I do a good job for The Times maybe they will offer me a better job in the future. But I’m only just starting out as a national journalist and I have to prove myself all over again.”