小學生喜遇大師

在馬田泰拿面前，我真的是個小學生﹗（攝影：邢安邦）

「只要你做一個好人，做任何事就會好。」不愧為大師﹗這句話畢生受用，也成為我的座右銘。大師是誰？如果你喜歡原汁原味去欣賞英超聯的直播，或者玩過FIFA11的電視遊戲，必定聽過他的鏗鏘之聲。他是馬田泰拿，MARTIN TYLER﹗

多得前輩黃興桂的穿針引線，加上英超賽會特准「放行」，我與各位香港足球評述員協會的朋友，得以與馬田泰拿共晉午宴，更可聽他分享37年評述的經驗及心得。得知活動成事之後，我已萬分期待，於是特別向公司請一日假去出席，更早已準備以一個小學生的心情，參與這次彌足珍貴的課堂。


馬田泰拿：「北京國安嘭門。」（蝦蛋圖片）

我們要做「三眼小子」？

我與不少朋友一樣，特別穿得莊重斯文，以示對馬田泰拿的尊重。大家也識趣站立起來，歡迎這位評述界的大師進場。他真的沒有架子，一進來，即來個很悅耳的招呼，配以燦爛的笑容及熱情的「展翅式」揮手。協會主席李德能來個簡單致詞之後，黃興桂特別寫了一份中英文的短稿，簡短介紹馬田泰拿，好認真呀﹗

到了戲肉，馬田泰拿真的有備而來，分享了做好評述工作的基本三步。既不需要講稿，演繹時莊諧並重，配以實用的舉例，他真是令我們聽得如痴如醉，不得不連忙摘寫筆記，又會拿起相機留住這一刻。他以英國紳士式的幽默，告訴我們要有「三隻眼」﹗嘩﹗莫非要做三眼小子？原來不是「Three eyes」，是「Three ‘I’s」：「Identification」識認、「Information」資訊及「Interpretation」闡釋。

北京國安之嘭門

識認，就是最基本的球員資料：名字、號碼及樣貌不容有錯，而且不能去猜，一定要問。所以，當見到馬田泰拿親自與傑志教練甘巴爾交談，索取球員資料時，不會覺得奇怪。不過，他在2009年評述英超亞洲錦標賽季軍戰時，北京國安幾乎令他陷入凶險的境地﹗

自以為是確是中國人的性格，北京國安為了留力應付中超賽事，竟然不依照只准註冊23人上陣的規定，放走所有主力球員，而且忽然由中乙球隊借用5位球員。馬田泰拿一見不對勁，以為去到北京的更衣室問過究竟，卻遭到「嘭門」的對待，迫使他在國安球員出場熱身時，大聲喝叫「誰懂得英語？」，然後逐個球員去辨識，免得全場只識講「拜仁」一人﹗沒有自恃經驗豐富，依然孜孜不倦去問，馬田泰拿的專業精神，佩服﹗


馬田泰拿對小獎座愛不釋手。（蝦蛋圖片）

戰術數據不重要

資訊，當然與賽事有關的基本資訊，甚至是親自搜尋得來的小道消息。馬田泰拿真好，用回今屆英超亞洲錦標賽為例子。車路士是2003年冠軍，當時在陣的泰利及林柏特，今次是第二次參加。當屆決賽，代表紐卡素上陣的門將基雲，也是第二次參加，卻改為代表阿士東維拉。還是在決賽聽他的評述最精彩：費蘭度托利斯四年前代表利物浦，冇入球而飲恨，今次決賽有入球，個人首次贏得冠軍。懂得抽取適當的資訊去說之餘，那時去說也很重要。馬田泰拿笑言，有些資料可以保存起來，日後總有機會去說。

馬田泰拿還糾正了大家的一個通病，原來所謂的排陣及戰術，根本不重要。在他眼中，4-4-2、4-3-3等數字是毫無意義，一來球賽千變萬化，球隊的陣法是時刻都在變，加上由教練及球員去分析更好，我們還需要在陣式上鑽牛角尖嗎？

最直接就是最好

闡釋，在馬田泰拿心目中是很簡單，就是說你所見到的﹗他更說了一句「Talk little, say a lot﹗」從字面去解釋，即是少廢話，多說球賽的過程。世界各地的評述員，風格百花齊放，馬田泰拿覺得沒有大問題，而且風格不需要特意去學﹗他認為即時的自然反應，以及直接的演繹是最好。所以，1999年曼聯在足總盃準決賽擊敗阿仙奴，傑斯的超級金球，他只不斷大喊「Giggs」﹗。2008/09球季，曼聯主場擊敗阿士東維拉，射成3:2的一刻，他簡單高呼「Macheda」﹗

馬田泰拿的演講確是精彩而實用。聽完，大家開心入席吃一頓豐富午宴。馬田泰拿大讚中國茶很有益，更見他因前一晚完成了評述工作，令他可以開懷品嚐生炒排骨，還有精美的蝦餃及蛋白炒飯。相信他較喜愛燒賣及千層糕，只見他咀嚼時的表情很滿足，不懂用雙筷只是小事。悅耳之聲從何得來？大師自然有心得，就是多喝熱開水，少些開冷氣，工作前戒吃酸甜的食物，以及有充足的睡眠。原來就是如此簡單，大家都做得到﹗


黃興桂（右）：「馬田，中國菜好好味。吃多些吧﹗」（蝦蛋圖片）

切忌誤譯球員名字

世界各國的球員名字，有些讀音真的複雜，如何解決？馬田泰拿坦言很簡單，他都會閱讀意大利及西班牙的足球書籍，以及去請教別人。只是他都試過讀錯，後來由別人糾正，前美國女子網球名將莎莉絲，起初他都不知道要讀「Sha」音吧﹗

在香港擔任評述員，其中一個難題是要為球員找個正確的中文名字。我更向馬田泰拿提到，過去常將利用英文的拼音方法，去讀其他國家球員的名字，結果惹來「魯爾」、「拉爾拿」等笑話，只可惜所謂的約定俗成，改不了。大師的回應最精警，一個字「Don’t﹗」，以後不敢啦﹗除了談評述上的東西，馬田泰拿亦分享了一些家庭點滴，原來他是四個仔女的父親，其中一個兒子是阿仙奴球迷，更記得阿仙奴在2004年歐聯半準決賽，主場不敵車路士之後，多麼垂頭喪氣。

我們都是小粉絲

這頓午宴吃了三個小時，味道如何不重要，最重要是能夠與馬田泰拿交流心得，學習他的評述技巧、原則及精神。吃罷之後，協會送上了未經譯成英文版本的《寫給足球的情書》，以及一個小獎座，他對那個小獎座上的會徽很有興趣，看完又看，不知他覺得如何？壓軸就是「粉絲與偶像全接觸」時間，真的人人有份，永不落空﹗

我拿出了週三晚的英超亞洲錦標賽票根，給馬田泰拿簽名。他真好，問我的名字，我更對他說，我真的上了偉大的課，像小學生一樣去聽。我還為曼聯的球迷，問了馬田泰拿對紅魔鬼新球季的看法。他很欣賞新加盟的中堅菲爾鍾斯，認為是可造之材，而且覺得曼聯已有極佳的隊型，實力強，還叫我不用擔心﹗真的感謝他﹗

馬田泰拿更講到，無論政治或經濟的情況有幾差，足球運動都可以讓人起勁，令人去盡情投入，是令人快樂。他還覺得能夠成為英超的一部份，在這裡工作，確是很美的事。我則認為，有馬田泰拿，才令英超更美﹗


馬田泰拿在票根上簽名。（攝影：邢安邦）

P.S. 分享一個小點滴，午宴後的第二天，我去城門谷欣賞馬田泰拿，夥拍已轉任評述員的1997/98英超神射手杜布連，為黃興桂邀請賽上陣。馬田泰拿梅開二度，杜布連的技術仍在，當然開心。兩人因有事早走，忽然下雨，我立刻開傘為他們擋雨時，馬田泰拿說：「不用了﹗我都已經渾身濕透﹗下雨不拘。」英國紳士的幽默，大師勁﹗

‘UNFORGETTABLE LUNCHEON WITH MASTER MARTIN’ (03/08/2011)

‘You must to be a good person, then you will be good to do everything!’ I will remember the golden law forever. Who said it? Martin Tyler, the Legend of football broadcasting and the guru of commentators. I am too privileged to attend the luncheon with Master Martin. I asked for a holiday and prepared a shirt and a pair of trousers in blue.

Thank you for Peter Wong and the committees of Hong Kong Football Commentator Association to organize the luncheon. Also, the approval of Premier League was important that could let Martin to have a great lecture with us. I felt that I was a pupil who must listen with the highest concentration.

To be a three-eyed boy?

Martin said ‘Hello!’ to us with warm smiling and waving hands. He was well prepared. He had a joke for us in the beginning of the ‘lecture’. ‘We need three eyes!’ he said. All the smarty boys and girls need to be Hosuke Sharaku, the boy in Osamu Tezuka’s ‘The Three-Eyed One’? Not three eyes, but three ‘I’s: Identification, Information and Interpretation.

Martin shared his points of view with good examples. Identification means that you know who they are. ‘Don’t guess, but ask!’ So he met Josep Gombau, the coach of Kitchee for the preparation to broadcast the match against Chelsea in the Semi-Final of Barclays Asia Trophy. When we collect enough details of players and coaches, there will be no mistakes. He was surprised when Kitchee were in pink with blue printed names and numbers. It seemed like old times or dejavu all over again as it was quite difficult to present when Golden Select XI were the pink panthers to play against England in the friendly before Euro 1996.

Beijing Guoan too ridiculous!

Although Martin has worked for 37 years, Beijing Guoan brought him the worst experience in the summer of 2009. Only 23 registered players were allowed to play in Barclays Asia Trophy; however, Beijing left out most of the key players to prepare next match of League Division I and subsequently invited five players from the teams of Division II to play the 3rd place play-off match against West Ham. Martin could identify only one ‘Brian’ at the back of the shirt! It was just terrible. He approached the changing room of Beijing to ask but the officials were too rude to shut the door. He shouted, ‘Who can speak English?’ when Beijing Guoan’s players had a warm-up session on the ground before the match. Martin was professional enough to solve it!

No tactics and strategies

Information means the basic facts and backgrounds we should present. We should know what and when to say. Who was the goalkeeper of Newcastle United in Barclays Asia Trophy 2003? Shay Given. He played for Aston Villa this summer but he lost again. John Terry and Frank Lampard, the duo of Chelsea, played their second Asia Trophy as they were winners coached by Claudio Ranieri eight years ago. Fernando Torres played for Liverpool as a newcomer in 2007 and the Reds lost to Portsmouth in penalty shootouts, but he scored for Chelsea to defeat Aston Villa by 2:0 in Hong Kong this summer.

Martin advised us to keep some facts which can present for good moments in the future. Also, he said that we should not spend much time on the tactics and strategies of the teams. We always present the team formations: 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 or 4-5-1. It is meaningless as the team formation might be changed every second. Just presenting the facts is good enough.

React natural is the best

Interpretation is simply to say what you have seen. Martin taught us to talk little and say a lot. We need not copy role models we learn from masters as we must have one’s own style; therefore, Martin screamed ‘GIGGS! GIGGS! GIGGS! GIGGS!’ when the left winger scored 2:1 for Manchester United against Arsenal in extra time of FA Cup Semi-Final Replay 1999. How did Martin react to the winning goal of Macheda for United against Aston Villa at Old Trafford in April 2009? ‘MACHEDA!’ React naturally is the best interpretation.

The luncheon talk was a great Martin Tyler lesson. We had two gifts for him, a small souvenir with our badge of HKFCA and ‘To Football: Love Letters’, the Chinese book written by us, Hong Kong football commentators. It was a wonderful lunch. Martin ate Steamed Shrimp Dumpling, Shao-Mai and Fried Rice with Dried Scallops and Egg-white. His favourite food was Chinese Sweet Layer Cake.

Don’t translate the name of players wrong

Martin shared the secret of his loud and clear vocal. ‘Drink more hot water. Turn off air conditioner while you sleep. Eat less spicy food. Have a good sleep.’ It is too easy for us. We should be healthier. He recommended drinking more Chinese tea.

We also discussed the pronunciation and translation of the names of players. Martin advised us to pay attention to their background of family. He took Monica Seles, the former world No.1 in women tennis as an example. We should pronounce ‘SHA-LES’ because she was born in Serbia with Hungarian parents.

Also, I told Martin about the errors of translating the names of non-English players based on English pronunciation. He gave me one word only. ‘Don’t!’ No more cases like Raul, Pepe Reina and John Arne Riise will happen in the future.

We are the fans of Martin!

After Martin told us the story about his son who felt extremely disappointed after Arsenal lost to Chelsea 1:2 at Highbury in the 2nd Leg of UEFA Champions League Quarter Final 2004, we were so joyous and were keened to take photos with him plus asking for his autographs.

When he signed on my ticket of Barclays Asia Trophy, I asked Martin about Manchester United coming season. He appreciated Phil Jones and David De Gea. He thought that they would perform well for United as they have already had a good shape. ‘Don’t worry!’ he told me.

Martin said that football can make us happy regardless the political and financial situations are good or bad. Also, he said that he is very lucky to work for Premier League. To me, Martin’s achievements have made Premier League more exciting, wonderful and beautiful!

P.S.
I watched a friendly on Shing Mun Valley Park next day. Martin played for Peter Wong Select XI. Dion Dublin, the Golden Boot Winner of 1997/98 was his partner to score against Tsuen Wan Sports Club. Martin scored twice! Fantastic! When I took the umbrella for him, he said, ‘No! Thank you! I am too wet already. Let’s rains!’ What’s a funny reply! Master Martin.