Inside OT: TV Gantry

MUTV commentator Stewart Gardner discusses his lofty vantage point at matches and working with Reds legend Paddy Crerand...


It’s a precarious trip up to the television gantry, where matches are filmed and commentated on at Old Trafford. Talk us through it, Stewart…
There’s a big iron door in South Stand with a code that you tap in to get through. Once you’re through that you go up this very steep ladder and then you effectively walk over the roof of South Stand and down at the other side to get to the TV gantry. Paddy Crerand [club legend and MUTV co-commentator] doesn’t like confined spaces and doesn’t even like getting in a lift, so he tends to get up the ladder quite quickly!

How do the facilities at Old Trafford compare to other grounds?
We’re in a privileged position working for MUTV in that we can get on the gantries at other grounds because there are so many commentary teams at matches these days. It’s a fantastic gantry at Old Trafford, it’s an old-style gantry in many ways. Everton have a really precarious position at Goodison Park. Their top gantry is up a step-ladder and along the roof… that’s an experience getting up there! Fratton Park was another one. The older grounds tend to be like that.

How many people are up there on an average matchday?
There are maybe three or four commentary teams and cameramen, from BBC's Match of the Day, Sky, ESPN and ourselves, MUTV.

Is it the best seat in the house?
You get an amazing view, it’s a completely unobstructed view of the action and you get a brilliant tactical overview of what's going on in the match. It’s totally different if, at other matches, you’re commentating from the press seats, where you’re much lower down. It’s totally different up there in the TV gantry and you see so much more of what's going on. That’s why Paddy reckons he is the best player every game. You can see everything that’s happening, you see the perfect pass and you never make a mistake. It’s a great place to watch the game.

What’s it like if United score - do you feel the stadium shake?
If we score in one of the big games, against Liverpool or Manchester City, then it may not actually be rocking up there but you can certainly feel it. Nobody is jumping up and down up there, but you look around and see everyone going mad in the stands and you really get a sense of the atmosphere, especially in the big games. It’s amazing really.

Which is your favourite United game that you’ve covered?
I remember when we scored eight against Arsenal and I remember thinking that I couldn’t quite compute what was going on. It’s one of those results that you think, ‘Wow, this is going to be remembered for a long time’. But I think the game that sums United up this season is the 4-3 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day. We went behind three times and ended up coming back to win the game right at the end. It was typical United and a joy to commentate on.

In the press box and commentary positions, the etiquette is to behave in an impartial way. How do you make sure you adhere to that?
Well, it’s not easy when you’re working with Paddy Crerand, is it? The only thing I can do is give it a slightly more impartial air compared to Paddy because it’s like commentating beside Fred the Red! Paddy is passionate about everything when it comes to United and he views every decision and every moment through the eyes of the most ardent fan, which is why he’s great. Ultimately, we do work for MUTV and you have to commentate from that perspective so you want to get that passion across too.

What’s it like to work with Paddy Crerand?
Hilariously funny. If only you could see his team-sheets – which are phonetically written – especially for Champions League matches where the names are naturally more complicated for him to pronounce. I tell him the names and he writes it down phonetically. It’s absolutely brilliant. It’s good fun working with him. Everyone knows him and United fans seem genuinely fond of him. Whenever I speak to anyone, they ask: “Where’s Paddy?” That’s all anyone ever says to me, “Where’s Paddy?” That’s what my career has come to! I’m just the guy that’s with Paddy Crerand.