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Exclusive interview with John McPartland
By ComeOnBoro.com
April 26 2005

John McPartland is a prominent Middlesbrough councillor. But just after The Riverside opened, he landed the dream job of stadium tour guide. John very kindly gave up some of his valuable time (there is an election on at the moment) and recalls his days 'on the inside'.

ComeOnBoro.com - How did you get the job of Riverside Stadium tour guide and how long did you do it for?

John McP - I retired from teaching in late 1995. Fairly soon after this I saw a job advert in the local press from Middlesbrough Football Club. They were recruiting four tour guides to front the soon to be introduced tours of the stadium.
I applied and was interviewed. I got through the first stage and was called back. I was delighted at this as I understood that 267 applicants had applied for one of the four positions.
I was lucky and was one of the four taken on. One of the interviewees was the delightful Diane O`Connell who still works for the club on the PR side. Diane would be a real asset to any club.
My boss was Dave Allen who is still in charge of communications at the club.
I worked as a part-time tour guide for approximately five years. When I became a Middlesbrough Councillor in 1999, I found that I had to turn down a lot of tours as council responsibilities came first. At about this time the tour guide set-up was reorganised and I was not part of the new scheme of things.

ComeOnBoro.com - Could you talk us through a typical Riverside stadium guided tour.

John McP - I found that there was no such thing as a typical tour. In my time there I showed people around from all over the world. However, the tours that I liked best were those that contained fans from other clubs, particularly Geordies or Mackems. The opportunity for jokes, mickey-taking and general repartee was tremendous. I would do all that but I was able to take it back, in return.
My first game at Ayresome Park was in October, 1953. I have a good knowledge of the Boro`s history and facts and figures relating to other clubs. This was an enormous benefit. People from other towns loved it when I was able to relate to their stories and talk about their heroes and club achievements.
I remember one small group from Preston, who were keen North End supporters. I asked them if they could name the Preston team that was beaten by West Brom in the 1954 cup final. They could not. The very first cup final that took my interest was that one and they were amazed and impressed at my being able to name both the West Brom team and all those who played for Preston.
For the record, Charlie Wayman, who moved to the Boro shortly after, was the Preston centre forward, and Tom Finney played on the right wing.
The most popular part of the tour was always the home changing room. When the tours first started I made it my business to find out where particular players sat before the game. They are creatures of habit and routine and using the same seats was important to them. Where Juninho and Ravanelli sat were particularly popular to the people on the tour.
People of all ages wanted their photos taken where the great men sat. Juninho was greatly loved.
I remember one Sunday morning checking the changing rooms before the tours started. Craig Hignett was in one of the baths, which enabled me to have a chat with him. Craig was very personable and always had time for people.
My tours were supposed to last one hour. I often took two. I enjoyed some of them immensely. I was very impressed with one of my colleagues, Barry Stewart. He was a former pro footballer in the lower divisions. Barry was very knowledgeable, humorous and had a terrific style and delivery. The club are very lucky to have him.

ComeOnBoro.com - What were the highlights of the time that you spent doing this job and are there are any real standout moments?

John McP - Comparisons are odious, particularly between footballers of different eras. So what! John Hickton was far superior to Mark Viduka in every respect.
He could play anywhere with great success. His goals tally for the Boro of 185 show his ability as a striker. He was dependable, a great example to his team mates, and passionate about the game. We rarely see the likes of Big John. He was a treasure.

ComeOnBoro.com - Where do you see Middlesbrough FC being in ten year's time?

John McP - I have no idea where we will be in ten years time. I hope we will have won the FA Cup. For me nothing compares to this, even winning the championship.
Fans never forget cup wins and we live off them for years, probably even a life-time. To win the Premiership would be fantastic but I believe beyond us, unless we cultivate a rich seam of young, home grown talent.
This talent would have to be more successful than the best the World can produce. Players who are not available to the big three with their wealth and ability to attract.

ComeOnBoro.com - Let's hope that this can indeed happen and thanks for taking the time to talk to us John.