TS Goodison Aintree enough
Fridays always wildly busy as we're essentially putting Friday AND Saturday's papers together in one day. Seems like a never-ending stream of decisions to make. Took a break to have lunch with Tony Storey from the Mersey Partnership. Tony is an ex-Echo deputy editor and a wonderful journalist. Always instructive to listen to his views on Liverpool. He has an enviable grasp of issues and clarity of thinking.
The afternoon and evening was spent wrestling with some sensitive stories and some irritated and influential people who were unhappy with our treatment of them. The story that Paul Gregg was selling his Everton shares broke quite late and we didn't have time to do as much digging as we needed to. Left office at 7.30, exhausted.
Saturday morning and the Telegraph have stuffed everyone, ourselves included, on the Everton story. One of their financial staff has picked up that the company who bought Paul Gregg's shares is just a holding company for Robert Earl, the Planet Hollywood owner.
Am with sports editor John Thompson on way to Goodison and he's sick at not getting the story ahead of the Telegraph.
As the day wears on though, it looks like the Telegraph has got wildly carried away. Earl is the investor but the Telegraph's vision of huge pots of money for the Blues to buy stars is wide of the mark. Looks like it's simply a way for Bill Kenwright to gain a stronger grip by moving Gregg aside.
Lunch at Goodison with Simon O'Brien, the impressive new breakfast show presenter on Radoio Merseyside, Graham Beecroft from TalkSport and Head of News and Sport at Radio City, Steve Hothersal. The Echo's Dave Prentice joins us too and its terrific football chat and a a good win for Everton.
Definitely too much wine. Becoming too frequent, this. Long chat with Lynne on Sunday morning. Cannot keep doing it with my heart condition. Time to call a halt.
Smashing Sunday at the Echo Family Fun Day at Aintree races. Judi Knight and our marketing team have worked so hard on this one and it was wonderful to see so many people having a great time.
All kinds of attractions for the kids and some good quality racing, too.
I got to present the Echo novice hurdle trophy to the great AP McCoy (with Morgan dressed as a leopard tugging at my jacket). McCoy is a legend - one of the greatest jump jockeys of all time. As I handed him the trophy I said: ''You're much more used to this than I am.'' ''You can never get too used to it,' he replied. It summed up the attitude that has kept him at the very top for so long.
Fell asleep during Prime Suspect.
One day without a drink!
