Catalans 2012 - It was a RIOT !

When the RFL published the fixtures the 1st game I looked for was Catalans away, A break, A nice relaxing break in the sun with a game thrown in. How wrong was I ?? Reality was it was a nightmare from start to finish, A really good nightmare that I will never forget and cant wait to do it all again next year. I dont want to bore you with my "Holiday snaps and tales" but I think our trip from start to finish is really something to write (read blog) about. Me and Grandad Nip booked on with the infamous Murphy Tours and if anyone deserved a medal for going above and beyond their call of duty, Murph does, Booked 9 men on 3 different flights in the end, 3 different hotels and numerous frog buses. We ended up flying into Girona and spending a night in Barcelona. Realizing closer to the date that there was a general strike in Barcelona we had further doubts of being able to land, No biggy as sports photography from the air is something Id like to try. Anyway, We took off and more importantly landed fine, No issues at all and even the Barcelona buses were running. After a slight incident of skips and tyres creating a road block on the way into Barca we didnt really think too much off it. We dumped our bags and headed out into the City center. 1st impressions of Barcelona wasnt great, Rubbish everywhere but soon understood that the general strike clearly had a part to play. Upon wandering down "La Ramblas" we soon found ourselves to be the attention of the local "heavys", Obviously spotting the pale skinned, poor short wearing tourists with pockets full of Euros it seemed they fancied some rich pickings. Anyway, Doing what English lads do the best we stayed in the beer garden for few pints whilst they sat watching (Probably who held the beer kitty, Needless to say none of us were keen to be banker) but they soon got bored and obviously wandered off to find other suspect tourists. With out wits about us we headed down to the marina and its a different world entirely from just 100 yards back. Fantastic place with plenty of cafe bars, restaurants and street acts, My impressions of Barca changed again, Back to it being a decent city afterall....

After a wander around the beach for few hours watching the entertainment we headed back, Plan was a quick shower and back out for the nightlife. We managed to squeeze on the underground, More of a "chaaaaaarge" to be honest but we WAS getting on it. It was heaving with the locals finishing work and the limited schedule due to the strikes. When we got off a few stops down we found ourselves in the middle of a protest, All very peaceful and in parts quite good fun to be part of. Although the heavy police presence we was sure that was more of a precaution. We casually wandered with them for few hundred yards, All on route to our hotel.

Just after the main square in Barcelona, probably 100 yards from our hotel we walked around the corner quite literally into the start of the protest turned riot, Young people with half covered faces waving lump hammers, were slowly being rounded up by the police with rubber bullets galore. The deafening sounds of smashing glass, loud cheers and jeers and police sirens with gun fire was, shall I say, A little scary. It was amazing to see (I'm not saying good) but scary to know we shouldn't have been there, We were in the middle of something we knew nothing about, We didn't really know what the strikes were about. All we did know is we had to stick together, Look out for each other and try to keep safe. Now by stroke of luck you may say we found an Irish bar where we took temporary cover until the riots moved down out of our way so we could tag on behind them and go our hotel. God knows what happened to the crowds and rioters as it seemed to back track on us and kick off less than 50 yards away. The landlord locked us in his pub behind shutters for our own safety and there was no way out, Even if we wanted too, He wouldn't let us. In the pub was maybe another 10 people, All not phased one bit, Group playing darts, 1 man reading his book. So what can you do when your abroad locked in an Irish bar? Thats right, Drink bottles at 1 euro a go and have Poulet curry. In between drinks we had a nosey at the shutters, Rioters arrested and even shot right outside. The Starbucks just 50 yards away burnt out entirely and front page news next day shown just how close to the action we was.....

After performing terribly at darts I noticed more people coming into the pub for the karaoke night. We soon was told doors were open and all outside seemed quiet, So after 21 hours since leaving the house, Few of us (Older ones) headed back to the hotel, The place was like a war zone, Still plenty of police and mess and debris everywhere, Smell of burnt out buildings and shop windows smashed and looted guess what, My impressions of Barca changed again, The place was a dump!

Below is one of the remains of a rubber bullet, From what I've read these are covered with rubber coating and fired but "must" be bounced and not shot directly, Personally in that situation I wouldn't trust the marksmans aim. All I do know is I wouldn't want one fired at me!

After a decent nights sleep we only had few hours in the morning before we was out of Barcelona so decided to head up to the Olympic Stadium. Right on the top of Barcelona with it looking down over the city it was a fantastic place, My 1st real memories of the Olympics was the `92 series and to be there was awesome. A quick photo op and we were off, Tabbing with Sgt Eddie to make it back to collect our stuff and onto a 3 hour coach ride past the Pyrenees to Perpignan.

So after arriving in Southern France late on we went to be fed and quiet night watching the Saints v Wa... Warrr....No I cant say it! Our 1st night in Perpignan was such contrast to our previous nights adventures, More so the fact the 1 Euro bottle had finished and were now paying 6 !!! Joking aside Perpignan is a beautiful place and somewhere I could happily live as its so relaxed. I mean I couldn't imagine them protesting over anything, Just doesn't seem there thing.....Oh wait, Wrong, The next day we were again caught up in TWO demonstrations/Protests. The 1st one was an anti racism march through the little town, Very very pleasant walk with some really quirky songs (The NW Singing corner could learn from them). Once again, Nothing better to do when abroad than join in, So off we were again protesting.......

The 2nd protest of the day was fantastic, I believe it was to do with the Catalan region wanting to become independent and having their own language etc (?). They were very passionate and dramatic and such a fun thing to be part of. It was a true carnival atmosphere with plenty of sights. There was giant statues, Absailers of the Castillet, Fireworks and fancy dress. Add all that with the Catalans Dragons fans with their friendly banter and the Vikings invading their town in numbers and the 30oC weather the afternoon was awesome experience to be part of, I don't think the RFL could have given us a better weekend for it to fall on...

Having peeled ourselves away from the festivities to go the game, Up to Stade Gilbert Brutus we headed. The Rugby awaited, The thing we had all really come for awaited. Well after the weekend we just had the rugby had to be momentous to live upto everything else we went through. Momentous it was, Our biggest ever defeat in the history of the club, Just like the "I was there at Old Trafford" and "I was there at Canal St" this is another big event "I was there" for. Did it spoil my "relaxing" break? NO, Would I do it all again? YES. I just cant see any future trips topping this one though...Great weekend with some great people!

Again, As I always ask, Please leave your comments and please leave your name. You all cant be called anonymous in Widnes !  Merci !

Behind the scenes.....Matchday

An interesting feature for a future blog was to do a behind the scenes on a typical matchday at the Vikings. The timing of the blog had to be right, I didnt expect nor want to be behind the scenes when we play in Super League due to the pressure on the team and cause any distractions from a normal matchday routine for the players selected. Players have a set pattern to which they perform their pre-match ritual, A sequence of right sock then left sock, Shorts before shirt, Rub before strapping etc so to have the photographer wandering around the room taking images could have been a total failure. Thankfully Denis agreed to me doing this feature for the Swinton trial game away at the Leigh Sports Village on January 8th. I tried my best to just blend into the background, When lads were doing their certain routine I had to decide wether to comprimise the quality of the images by turning off the camera flash and when was suitable to use the flash. I think and hope I managed to get the quality images and not cause any distraction.

One of the images below does show a little bit of blood. Its nothing gross but some people don't like blood but your warning its the image AFTER the Denis Betts changing room image

1:10pm. Just under 2 hours before kick off and the players kit is already set out by kitman Paul Hansbury and his assistant Rob Samsonsen. Plenty of others muck in to help get things in exact order for the players with their drinks lined up (Notice nearly every players is different to the next) and their GPS sports systems and vests in place so the club can now trace their workrate etc, Im not fully upto speed on the workings of the GPS set up but the science involved now at top level sport is astonishing, Players weight taken pre-match and post match, Urine samples given and heart rate etc monitored throughout the game.

 























1:35pm. The players arrive by team coach. Now were not quite at the premiership footballer level where you see them waltzing in with just a £500 shower bag of smellies and everything provided for them.Our lads do actually unload and carry their own bag and boots

1:45pm. The players now get in their true routine of stretches, massages and getting strapped up before they go out to warm up on the field. The medical staff from doctors to masseurs are run off their feet in a task to give every player the attention they need and also making sure that all players get seen too to enable them to perform.

As this was taken at the Swinton trial game we did have a total of 23 players and about 10 staff (and 1 photographer) the changing rooms became a very cramped place, The kitmen have the duty of filing the official RFL teamsheet out which must be displayed on the changing room doors 1 hour prior to kick off so Paul and Rob take refuge on the team bench. Their job is practically done for now but need to be on hand for any player requests for kit or equipment.

2:10pm. Less than a hour before kick-off and preparation continues before the players go out to warm up and test the pitch. Ben Davies uses the strapping bench for final stretches and Ben Kavanagh relaxes to his music.

2:50pm. And players are now ready, Final words and instructions are given by coach and newly appointed captain Jon Clarke. There is no big speeches, The players know what is expected of them and know how to perform to get the result. This is it......GAME TIME

4:35pm. The smiles tell you the result of the game, A win. This was the teams 2nd trial game ahead of Super League but it was also the 1st game together for many of the players. Yes it was against a lower league opposition who were certainly no pushovers and a team that will be very competitive in the Championship this year.

4:45pm. The team return to the changing room and have de-brief off Denis, Plenty of words of encouragement and very positive atmosphere, A total opposite from pre-match. Earlier there was not much, If any talking, Each individual engrossed in their iPods and set routine. Here we are now chatting, shouting and nearly singing. The new lads have yet to learn the song.

One player missing from the team talk was Danny Craven, Danny and "Mul" collided during the game and to be fair, There was only ever going to be one winner. Danny ended the game coming off early to be stitched up

4:55pm. As the lads get showered and changed and go for post match food Denis has one more job to do, A press conference with various media in a lounge upstairs at the LSV. He does a group question and answer session where a few journos throw questions at Denis and he answers for them to use in their match report. After that he will then do a few one to ones for various radio stations

Well, there we are again, Hope you found it interesting. Hope there isn't too many mistakes in my grammar but I type it as Id say it, I'm not a writer. Please leave comments below and please put a name to them.  ;0)

End of Season...Rest time (Yeh right)

Well, Its that time of year again where everyone says how bad they have had it or they post there best 12 images of the year, Well I`m going against the grain and saying last year was pretty good and sad to see it go and this blog is by no means my best images of the year, More a blog on what I`ve been upto. I normally get asked "What do you do when the season finishes?", It is never ending. As Pro rugby finishes the kids rugby still going. Same with the football, When the handsomely paid gymnasts stopped playing the kids continue into a Summer league off the back of a winter league. I started 2011 with a major final in the sport of Basketball at the NIA Birmingham between the Mersey Tigers and the Sheffield Sharks. I had been covering Mersey Tigers officially for their treble winning season and the 1st final they played in they had actually lost, Well beaten by Sheffield but the Tigers continued to win the 3 remaining cups available. I was new to Basketball and even now havent a clue whats happening or the rules but what a great sport it is. Very skilled, very athletic and with Tony Garbeletto in charge very emotional. The Tigers coach is a photographers dream, So much to photograph during a game with him in full flow..........

During the BBL Cup Final at Birmingham, The crowd were treated to a Basketball skills troupe called the All Star Dunkers from France, These guys are amazing!

Summer time comes and another event I`ve covered the last few years is the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament at Calderstones Park, Liverpool. This is another great event and is attracting some big names in the world of Tennis, Caroline Wozniacki (World female No1) is a recent winner at Liverpool. I didnt think they would top last years event with John McEnroe playing but this year they did, In style. They had 5 former stars of the game with 12 Wimbledon titles between them. Greg Rusedski, Richard Krajieck, Martina Hingis, Virgina Wade and with 9 of them 12 Wimbledons titles on her own....Martina Navratilova

So onto Football, Be it kids Winter and Summer league or Professional football up to Premier League level these are both so much enjoyable yet so different its untrue. Shooting a  top flight game at the Etihad or Goodison etc must be the best workplace you could be at. Being so close to the action and seeing the nations favorite game unfold through your lens is sometimes spine tingling. To "hopefully" have images published in the National papers and be paid for doing it is a fantastic feeling. Now covering football is so frustrating at top level as there are so many freelancers/agencies covering the games it seems every angle and every moment is captured. To break into that and get images published is totally out of your hands if you have done all you can, You get the action be it a goal, sending off, crunch tackle etc and get it "wired" to the papers, If it is used on the Sunday is yet to be seen until the usual jaunt to the local supermarket to check all the papers coverage of that game. Its easy to think that it will be easier covering a lower league team such as Bury, Tranmere etc but bear in mind that the coverage in the papers of the lower league is no where near the extent it is for Premiership coverage. It really is catch 22

Now as I say the differences in the make up of the professional game and the kids game is so opposite it makes grown men scratch their head in amazement. How highly paid professionals can act the way they do during a football game is beyond believe sometimes. To roll around wounded because someone touched your (padded) shin or heaven forbid, elbowed your arm is unforgivable when you see as much kids football as I do. The image below shows 2 juniors playing a hard fought game of football, for the love of it, for the hope in being the next Rooney. This wasn't even given as a foul (Clearly wrong), the player never went down, Never cried, never moaned and even carried on chasing the ball. I can only imagine the carnage if this happened at Stamford Bridge!

Onto Rugby League, The sport I prefer to watch and cover be it a Sunday morning junior game officially for the NW Counties Junior league or at professional level. As many know I cover Widnes Vikings in official capacity but also do cover other games at club and international level for other media outlets. To get to cover the touring teams over here in 2011 was a real honor, Now I don't get starstruck normally but when met with Thurston, Slater, Inglis and King Lockyer I found it hard to keep my head and do the job I was there to do.It was such an privilege to talk about how cold it was with Thurston and Thaiday at training. It was equally exciting to cover the Kiwi Haka, being stood just 10m away from the fearsome players performing there routine was frightening to say the least. After seeing the emotion and passion in there eyes during it I wouldn't take that 1st drive in for all the money in the world !!  (Well, Maybe)

Oh well, There you go. Another blog done. Purposely no Widnes Vikings as there will be plenty of WV based blogs from me coming up with the forthcoming Super League season. Hopefully by end of January I will have full behind the scenes blog of the Vikings on a matchday, Stay tuned (and leave comments)

Vikings studio shoot

Well, I've been meaning for a while to get into the "blogging" mullarky in the VERY slim chance anyone is slightly interested. I suppose if I don many more of these obviously comes down to whether or not they are being read, Comments more than welcome. My 1st attempt shares the highly secretive photoshoot of the Widnes Vikings new kit launch for their Super League campaign in 2012. After securing my own Vikings future just weeks before, The 1st job in hand was to prepare the new kit photos for a launch night where the shirt would be unveiled to 300 Vikings Stronghold members eagerly awaiting the 1st viewing of the kit.
I had a good friend that is setting up a studio so spent the weekend with him helping to put up backdrop supports, lighting stands and taking numerous test shots to put my own mind at ease that I could "nail" the shot when the players finally come to the shoot. To say i was nervous is a massive understatement. I don't do studio work and not the most comfortable using flash but to be honest with myself I am my own worse critic and am vastly too harsh on myself most of the time. Everything was in place and there was not much more I could have done to get things right.

D-day arrived and on a cold Tuesday night in deepest, darkest Runcorn I sat in a cold unit waiting to meet the 4 new Vikings players for the 1st time. Willie Isa, Ben Cross, Rhys Hanbury and Patty Ah Van arrived with Vikings Marketing manager and man seemingly in charge of the kit ideas and designs, Brian O Connor. Now, Even the new players, myself nor most of the the club had seen anything of the new kit in either design or in person so 1st impressions when the players stepped into the famous black and white shirt were very good, I liked the kit alot, Loving the black "V" and with little touches like the Q reader barcode, Club watermarked sticky bits and of course the all important 1989 World Club Champions Star.

As the lads worked the camera like model pros I think they may have done this more often than I had as they seemed at lot more at ease than I did. As we had some props (Not as in position sense) I suggested they threw some passes towards the camera, just above my head. These looked extremely close to me looking through the lens and I'm pretty sure they were in competition who could skim my head without hitting it. Gladly they are pretty good as throwing the ball about and none hit the bonce! It did however lighten the mood of the shoot as everyone all of a sudden seemed alot more relaxed.

Plenty of "action" and posed shots later from individuals and as groups the players could finally go home, Bare in mind now that these guys are full time and had been in all day training and we were now knocking on to 9pm. As they say in the trade (or at least in movies) that's a wrap! We had plenty of shots in a variety of poses to create memorabilia and promotional material. All that was left was the picture edits and more importantly keeping images under wraps until the scheduled launch night. I must confess I had one scary moment on twitter (Shameless follow plug, kt8photography) where my kids had had the iPad and tweeted an image of themselves thankfully. I know this confession alone will send shivers down Brian's spine but assure you mate, Steps have since been taken to rule out that mistake, Yep, The kids can no longer use their iPad. ha

Well, 1st ever blog done. Was it long enough? detailed enough? boring? interesting? Please leave comments below, If I get enough kind comments I may just blog on our recent TWO new signings!  (joke!)