FROM a media man’s point of view, punctuality has never been the strongest of suits of footballers and football managers.

Press conferences frequently kick off late – not necessarily by design but probably because media duties are not high on their list of priorities.

So the production team of a prominent overseas TV channel should not have been too surprised when the former Premier League striker (I won’t name him to save his embarrassment) they had booked to co-commentate, not only missed the pre-match scene setter but also missed the kick off.

In fact, when he finally settled into his seat, the match was 31 minutes old.

If he’d been as tardy in his playing days, he would never have established himself as a top goal scorer – the very reason he is now in a position to earn a crust in the media business.