Voices of Football: Tony Gubba - Fanfare for the Commentator Man

It's fine to be the back-up guy. Better than most of us will ever achieve.

In spite of the obvious contradiction in making such a statement, there is much to said in praise of the stalwart. The stalwart is our representative of the unchosen many. They are the bread and butter of the game. The silent majority. The background cast as its celebrities swan around in front of the flashing lights.

Yet we need them to add context and depth to what we see before our very own eyes. For all the column inches lavished upon the likes of Kylian Mbappe or Lionel Messi, these rare talents would count for little were it not for a supporting cast of others who position them in a frame and allow us, to a degree, to quantify the differing forms of their genius. The journeyman professional is somebody that we need more, perhaps, than we realise.