Trevor Brooking

Speaker 10:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.

Speaker 10:05

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in 1982, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:31

This week our castaway is the footballer, Trevor Brooking.

Presenter0:35

Trevor, are you fond of music?

Trevor Brooking0:36

Yes, I do like music. Um quite often at home in the evenings, uh we listen to music uh with a family and uh I'm more into popular music as opposed to classical.

Presenter0:47

Uh do you play an instrument yourself?

Trevor Brooking0:48

No, as a youngster uh my mum and dad could get me out to piano lessons, but I never fulfilled any ambition. So no, quite. I don't know whether it was the tutor or myself. Do you sing? Only in the car and the bath, not to uh public audiences. Do you have a lot of discs? Do you collect?

Presenter0:55

We did.

Presenter1:06

Uh

Trevor Brooking1:07

Yes. Naturally when you I was younger I used to collect singles, but now it's it's more uh cassettes uh to for the car and

Presenter1:14

Um

Trevor Brooking1:14

And L P s to listen to.

Presenter1:15

Uh

Presenter1:16

You're used to a very commonal life. You're with the other players six days a week. Could you endure loneliness? Could you cut right away from all that? And the family too.

Trevor Brooking1:24

It would be very, very difficult, I think, because you know, fortunately with football and whatever, I lead a quite busy life and as naturally I'm mixing and meeting a lot of different people. Uh you know we have a good close family life and a lot of friends and uh suddenly to cut yourself away from that would be very difficult.

Trevor Brooking1:46

What's the first one? Well, going back to my younger days, I used to enjoy Tamlamo Town music, and uh one of my favorite groups was uh Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, and my favorite song that uh they sang in those days was Tracks of My Tears.

Presenter2:14

Do you think that's the only thing that's going to

Speaker 32:21

People say I'm the life of the party cause I tell a joke or two.

Presenter2:29

The Tracks of My Tears by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, recorded in nineteen sixty five.

Presenter2:36

Now, Trevor, your club is West Ham. Are you a Londoner by birth?

Trevor Brooking2:39

Yes, I was born in Barking, which then was Essex, but is now in London, really qualifies East London. About ten minutes it is from Upton Park where West Ham play their home matches, so I've always had a strong West Ham influence in the family.

Presenter2:53

I believe West Ham is

Trevor Brooking2:54

Is

Presenter2:54

Dorm

Trevor Brooking2:55

Almost unique in the number of local lads who make up the team, is that true? Yes, we had a strong tradition of always bringing on our younger players and um certainly I think any at Barking, Newham, Dagnum, that type of East London area, if the lads who did have a good reputation of c bringing forward schoolboys, um I think a lot of them do go to West Ham and come through.

Presenter2:58

Uh

Trevor Brooking3:15

Yeah.

Presenter3:15

Your father was a policeman. Did he play football?

Trevor Brooking3:18

Yes, funnily enough my dad had a reputation of being a very hard aggressive centre half, which is a little bit different to what my own game is, so uh we've had a few laughs over the years with that.

Presenter3:28

I gather he set you on the right lines very early by teaching you to be a two footed player.

Trevor Brooking3:33

That's right. I think to do that you've got to do it when you are very young, sort of six, seven, eight, nine even, when you're first kicking the ball and and certainly my right foot is my natural foot, but uh oh in those younger days you made me kick some days only using my bad foot, which was my left, so that now uh whichever foot it comes to I use that one.

Presenter3:37

New

Presenter3:51

You are recorded as having played in your school trials at the age of eight.

Trevor Brooking3:55

Yes, it was strange. I was kicking a tennis ball around like you do in the playground in those days, and the football teacher at my school saw me kicking the ball and said he had some soccer trials, the school trials, the next day. Could I bring my boots along? And so I I went along and fortunately got in the team at my primary school then.

Presenter4:14

Who was your football hero when you were that small?

Trevor Brooking4:17

Well, I think uh the first one that really springs to mind was Bobby Cholton. He was in those days what you'd call an old fashioned inside force, the type of position that I played. He was two footed, a great pass of the ball and uh he had a terrific shot and uh I always enjoyed watching

Presenter4:31

Can you play? Yes, I suppose you were playing most Saturdays. It wasn't possible for you to go too often to West Ham.

Trevor Brooking4:37

That's right. I used to get along on midweek games, but I must say if the opportunity was there to play, I'd always preferred to have gone to play games. In fact, I used to play Saturday mornings, Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings really.

Trevor Brooking4:49

You played for Ilford Schools, then

Presenter4:50

and London and Essex School.

Presenter4:52

Whereabouts in the field did you play then?

Trevor Brooking4:55

Well uh in my early under thirteen, under fourteen days uh in fact they used to put me back w to what we called a wing half because I was a big lad and uh you used to associate a bigger lad with a defender but naturally uh as I got older my attacking instincts came out and then I've developed into an inside forward which has now really become uh what we determine an attacking midfield player.

Trevor Brooking5:17

Now you played for English schools against West German schools. How old were you? Uh that was in the under fifteen age group.

Presenter5:23

International already.

Trevor Brooking5:25

Yeah, it was a very exciting time. Uh I only got the one cat but I remember my mum and dad travelled by coach through the night to see me playing so it was a a special cat that has.

Presenter5:34

Travel to the night where?

Trevor Brooking5:35

Right up to Middlesbrough it was and uh so in fact they've kept that cap. They always have that on their television.

Presenter5:40

A professional football is only for the few and it's a bit dicey anyway. What else had you in mind as an occupation?

Trevor Brooking5:47

Uh

Trevor Brooking5:48

I think at that particular time I was beginning to drift towards accountancy. I'd always enjoyed figures and maths and obviously it was a a five year course to go into. So I think probably accountancy was the one I'd stump for. Of course professional football was a to a certain extent a little bit frowned upon being at a grammar school.

Presenter5:58

Yeah.

Presenter6:07

You trained with Chelsea and with Spurs.

Trevor Brooking6:10

Yes, Spurs were the first club that came round and uh then in fact Chelsea had uh Tommy Docker here as manager and uh he was very impressive and uh I liked the setup there. And in fact West Ham I was hanging on. Eventually they were the last club to come round and of course being my local team uh it didn't take me long to decide to go there.

Presenter6:30

Yeah.

Trevor Brooking6:30

Yeah.

Presenter6:30

And West Ham had the very intelligent idea of suggesting that you stayed at school another year.

Trevor Brooking6:36

Well, yes, you know, I think it is important because of the large failure rate. You know, probably seventy-five percent of youngsters who do join clubs unfortunately don't go on to make the club's first team. So it is important to continue your studies. So really I've got m mum and dad to thank for that because I think when you're a young lad you you tend to think professional football and don't think of anything else, but they always said to me, Look, things might not work out and so uh I just really followed their guideline and continued my studies and used to have a day release from training.

Speaker 16:55

And

Presenter7:07

In fact, we'll left school with 11 O levels, which is very impressive. And what, one A level? Two A levels. Two A levels.

Trevor Brooking7:12

Two A levels as well. Yeah. So I did a business studies course which involved accounts and economics and uh my tutor at the time suggested you might as well take the A levels as you're studying for the business studies as well and and managed to scrape both of them.

Trevor Brooking7:26

Let's have another record. The next one is a game in a similar mold to Smoky Rummers and this one by Jackie Wilson. It's one of my favorite dance records. It's a good Beatty number and uh it's certainly one of my favourites.

Presenter7:54

You're there! Uh

Speaker 37:55

Two bit higher.

Speaker 37:58

Than I've ever been on a ditch before.

Speaker 38:03

So keeping it up

Speaker 38:06

My desire.

Presenter8:08

Jackie Wilson, higher and higher.

Presenter8:11

So you signed on at West Ham, Trevor. The West Ham manager, of course, in those days was someone you see a lot of still.

Trevor Brooking8:17

Uh

Presenter8:17

Uh

Trevor Brooking8:17

That's right, I've been very fortunate. Ron Greenwood was the manager at the time and and strangely enough when I first joined the club the youth team manager who had just become the youth team manager was John Lyell. He was just starting out on his coaching exploits. He had to give up the game at twenty five with knee ligament trouble. He then went up into the office to work on the wages and then got the opportunity to start youth team coaching and and then really went from there.

Presenter8:39

As an apprentice, did they work you hard? I mean apart from training, did you have jobs to do about the ground and that sort of thing?

Trevor Brooking8:44

Yes, uh it's all part of your learning. Um you have to go back and you clean the boots and you get all the training kit ready for the professionals the next day and and then on Fridays before match days you have to go back to the main ground and clean out the dressing rooms, the toilets and polish up the brass so everything's spic and span for the next day.

Presenter9:01

Just like the theatre, you can't walk a stage until you sweat one. That's right. You've got to learn your trade.

Presenter9:07

When did you make your first appearance with the first team?

Trevor Brooking9:10

Well in a league game it was B round about now 1967 against Burnley. It was away which I think is always a little bit better because I think if you're a young lad and you make your debut at home people perhaps are looking to see what this youngster does and there's a lot of pressure on you. And so away from home you feel a little bit more relaxed and unfortunately we got a three all draw which was like a win for me really. As long as we didn't get beat I was happy. That must have been a proud moment. 1967. Yes, that's right.

Presenter9:15

Any more we

Trevor Brooking9:40

Record number

Presenter9:40

Number three.

Trevor Brooking9:42

Well, one of my favourite artists is Elton John, and uh I mean I could have chosen a lot of his numbers, but the one I've gone for is uh a slow ballad number called Don't Let the Slow Go Down.

Speaker 39:53

Can't find.

Speaker 39:57

Uh

Speaker 19:57

Or the right romantic line

Trevor Brooking10:06

But see me once

Trevor Brooking10:11

And see the way I feel

Presenter10:22

Elton John, don't let the sun go down on me.

Presenter10:25

Now, a young player can't expect to get in the first team and stay there every week, can he?

Trevor Brooking10:30

No, it's an important decision for the club to make really what time to bring a player into the first team. If you bring him in too early and things go wrong, it can set him back for a couple of seasons. I think you get in as perhaps 18, 19, 20 is the age that you're hoping to make your debut and then naturally it's just a case of when you have a good run of form in the team as to how long you can become established. Myself, I was a little bit later and didn't really establish myself until 22. So it's one of those things at professional level, it's very unpredictable whether it be injuries or loss of form or whatever. You can never plan too far ahead.

Speaker 110:44

Yeah

Speaker 110:53

My sister.

Presenter11:06

At one time you even went on the transfer list, didn't you?

Trevor Brooking11:09

That's right, that was at uh the age of twenty one, twenty two. I'd been in and out the side one or two occasions and and felt perhaps then uh a change of club might be the answer because I was out for about the last five months of one season. And then uh as fate happens, at the start of the following season they lost the first couple of games, I got back in and we went uh I think about sixteen matches with one defeat and and that was the sort of confidence boost I suppose McPlay needed and uh stayed in from then on. As a youngster, how tough was the training?

Trevor Brooking11:40

Well it's always been tough for me because I wouldn't class myself as a natural athlete. We we do running sessions which i are probably as beneficial for me as anyone because I have to train to stay fit. Um we have other lads who are at the club. I mean Billy Bond's our skipper who really is a natural athlete. He could be injured for two or three weeks, comes back and will still win the cross country. He's is one of those lads that it comes easy to him.

Presenter12:04

Pre-season

Trevor Brooking12:05

Trick

Presenter12:05

Uh

Trevor Brooking12:05

Yeah.

Presenter12:05

It's pretty rough, isn't it?

Trevor Brooking12:06

That's right, if I can get through that first five or six weeks, I'm very pleased. It really is the hardest part of the whole season. It's really a mixture of cross country runs, circuit training, that type of work. Generally to get rid of any excess weight that you've put on during the closed season and of course also to build up your stamina ready for the matches when they begin.

Presenter12:26

When will you first cap?

Trevor Brooking12:27

Yeah. Yeah. Uh

Trevor Brooking12:29

Well, it was back in nineteen seventy four, in fact, away to Portugal under Sir Alf Ramsey, and strangely enough, that was his last England game. I hope there was no significance in that, but so that was my first cat.

Presenter12:40

How was it? How did you show in that game?

Trevor Brooking12:43

Not bad, it was uh a very strange period because we'd just failed to qualify uh about a few months beforehand, six months against the ill-fated Poland game at Wembley and there was a lot of talk that Elf was going to leave as England manager and and so it was a very makeshift team of older players and youngsters coming through and uh we drew nearly all, it poured a rain and I was quite pleased but naturally at that stage you couldn't really plan too long term because you didn't know who the new manager was going to be.

Speaker 112:52

Uh

Presenter13:12

How many times have you played for England now?

Trevor Brooking13:14

It'll be about forty-five times now, in fact the last game would have been the game back in November against Hungary.

Trevor Brooking13:21

Yeah.

Presenter13:21

And sixteen years playing league games and whatever for for West Ham, that's a lot of game.

Trevor Brooking13:27

Yes, I think uh at the start of each season they usually tally them up. I think it's probably getting on for six hundred matches in all.

Presenter13:34

Are you still nervous before a game?

Trevor Brooking13:36

I wouldn't call myself a really nervous person. I think anyone unless they're inhuman really has got to have a few nerves and I think it's good for you to do that. I think my probably the most nervous period is about the last half an hour, twenty minutes before you actually go out on the pitch. Then you're thinking of who you're playing against and what type of tactics they usually get up to and who your direct opponent is who might be marking you. But once in fact you get out onto the field of play, hopefully well I've found up to now their nerves evaporate a little bit and then you concentrate on the match and you look forward to the game really.

Presenter14:09

Are you superstitious, Trevor? I mean, do you have to wear special clothes or put your socks on and left one first or anything like that?

Trevor Brooking14:16

We get quite a few players, I mean if we with one particularly important game that you might wear the same jacket and tie for the next match until you lose and then that g tie goes out the window and you start with another one. Um myself, a superstition I've always had last quite quite a few seasons is to be the last one out of the dressing room. I'm always the twelfth man out. I follow the substitute as well. I like to be the last one out. Wonder why.

Presenter14:41

Right, record number four.

Trevor Brooking14:43

Well, the saxophone is my favourite instrument, and so for that I thought the best example was Junior Walker and The All Stars and the record is How Sweet It Is.

Presenter15:21

Junior Walker and the All Stars, How Sweet It Is.

Presenter15:25

So sixteen years in the West Ham Colours, Trevor. Let's have some more statistics. It's two cup finals, isn't it?

Presenter15:32

Yeah.

Trevor Brooking15:32

Yes, I mean the big one from a footballer's career really is the FA Cup final. That's the one big match of the whole season and one really that you would love in your career to to play in and I've had two, one in seventy five against Fulham and obviously the one I savour more is the one in nineteen eighty against Arsenal when that happened to score the winning goal and you know even more amazing was the fact it was with my head which I'm not renowned for. So those two do stand out. And it was the

Presenter15:36

Yeah.

Presenter15:57

And it was the only goal scored in the game.

Trevor Brooking15:59

That's right, and ironically enough, it was in the thirteenth minute, so having heard that over the loudspeaker, I didn't imagine it was going to be the only one in the game.

Trevor Brooking16:08

Although

Presenter16:08

Those were the highlights of your career, of course. Now, out of all those hundreds of well, I won't say routine games, but the league games, the friendlies and heaven knows what, which ones do you remember particularly for something that stood out because the game was silly or special or heroic or or something?

Trevor Brooking16:24

Well I suppose one or two spring to mine. One right going back to my early days was 1968 and it was the 6th of April I can remember it because I scored a hat-trick in my one and only of my professional career. I used to play up front as a striker in those days and it's a habit that if you do score a hat trick you get the match ball and I've got all the West Ham players who played that day signed and I must admit it's fading fast and my wife tells me it's about time I got another one but I think she's had to wait for a while. That was one and the second one during a game a throwing was taken and I happened to turn around quickly and didn't know the referee was behind me and he knocked against my shoulder and fell down unconscious. He obviously caught a nasty point and Bobby Moore who was captain at that stage promptly rang up while play was continuing and picked up his whistle and stopped play. And so eventually our physiotherapist came on and gave him attention and he was able to carry on after a couple of minutes. But he was unconscious for a minute or two. Send us another referee. Let's have your fifth record.

Speaker 116:41

Yeah.

Speaker 117:18

Uh

Presenter17:18

Avenger

Trevor Brooking17:29

The Beatles in my younger days, their music dominated the pop scene and uh again I've gone for a slower record. Uh one of my favorites, uh Paul McCartney was singing this one and it's called Let It Be.

Presenter17:52

When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom.

Speaker 118:01

Let it be.

Speaker 118:05

And in my hour of darkness, cheers

Presenter18:09

The Beatles Let It Be

Presenter18:11

Now the world carty.

Presenter18:13

The setup seems very complicated with the different groups and whatever.

Trevor Brooking18:17

That's right. Well now everyone has got through uh there'll be twenty four countries there, which is an increase from the original sixteen that there have been in previous tournaments. So in fact we're now ended uh with six groups of four countries and the top two from each group will go into the final twelve and then there'll be another four groups, this time of three countries, and the top one of each of those groups will then be into the final four and it then it gets a bit tense and then it becomes a knockout basis in a normal cup competition. But it's certainly spread over four weeks now so certainly some of the ladies in the household I think will be a bit sick and tired of football at the end of the day.

Presenter18:56

Well, taking it step by step, very slowly, I'm sure I'll be able to follow it.

Trevor Brooking19:00

No.

Presenter19:00

I hope so, right. Now you saw off Hungary a few weeks ago. You you didn't see them out of the contest, but uh i you enabled us to stay in.

Trevor Brooking19:08

That's right. We were involved in a very topsy-turvy group really. We had about two or three occasions when we had defeats away from home and it looked as if we were going to be out of the competition and almost until the seventh game when we lost in Norway back in September and we thought we were out and then suddenly Switzerland emerged from somewhere and won in Romania and again the gates are open and in fact in the last match against Hungary we only had to get a draw and of course it was nice to know that really they'd already qualified so perhaps there wasn't that desperate need for them to get the result and so a few early tackles hopefully reminded them that they didn't have to get too involved on that evening. First thing you need is an outlist.

Presenter19:50

Yeah.

Trevor Brooking19:50

That's right, yes.

Presenter19:52

Trevor Football in general.

Presenter19:54

We got the behavior of some of the morons and the crowd. I mean, football in some circles is getting to be a dirty word. But unless you buy seats in the stands, you can't take the family nowadays. I mean, this is.

Trevor Brooking20:05

Well that's right, it has been a problem. Uh attendances have been dropping and uh certainly one of the biggest factors has been the terrorist problem where you get groups of supporters and scuffles and fights which as you say keep the younger lads away. I think you know naturally as I thought you sign a lot of autographs and I ask youngsters do you go to see matches and I find in recent seasons the saddest point is lads who you assume do go to see the game say to you well when I get a bit older my mum and dad'll let me go and yet years ago that would never have occurred. They'd have automatically been going to matches and that's something we've got to overcome and but I think apart from football it it is a problem in our general wi work.

Presenter20:45

What is done about?

Trevor Brooking20:47

What some clubs try to do, they section off the visiting supporters in a certain part of the ground so as there you've not got both sets mixed in, which certainly helps and then at the end of the match uh they'll let the home side disperse first and then they'll escort the the younger lads in the terraces towards the station and try to keep them apart. But uh I mean the ironical thing is half of the problems that you get at football matches take place away from the ground, on the way to stations. I mean shop windows are known to be broken or when because one side's won uh the other sets of supporters taunt them on the way back and that's when the scuffles start. It's silly really.

Trevor Brooking21:26

Yeah.

Presenter21:26

It's the financial side of football that always amazes me. You get a million pound transfer from a club that surely doesn't take a million pounds in a whole season.

Trevor Brooking21:35

Well, that's right. Uh it's beyond me. The transfer market I think is, apart from hooliganism, the biggest problem because if you do spend that type of money, as you say, the the receipts you can't get back and what happens if that you lose that player with a broken leg or so two weeks later you've committed yourself.

Presenter21:50

So two weeks.

Presenter21:52

Oh family.

Trevor Brooking21:53

You haven't

Presenter21:53

Only got to spend a million pounds, you've got to spend another vast sum on insuring him.

Trevor Brooking21:57

That's right.

Presenter21:57

And it's just like

Trevor Brooking21:58

Well also of course a lot of the transfer fees these days are done over HP payments almost. They spread payments over eighteen months. You see I think if if clubs had to pay the actual money over the day they signed the player then transfer fees would automatically come down because no club really has got that ready cash available. So they spread payments over as I say eighteen months or two years.

Trevor Brooking22:20

Well back to music. Where do we go next? Well as possibly might be a newcomer to some people. I've listened to his music over the last six months to twelve months. A singer called Christopher Cross who made a very successful LP, he's very big in America. And he also made the theme music for Dudley Moore's new film called Arthur and that's the record I've selected.

Speaker 122:57

Once in your life

Presenter22:59

Uh Find her.

Speaker 323:00

Yeah.

Presenter23:01

Someone who turns your heart around and next thing you know, you're close.

Presenter23:08

Done. Down

Presenter23:13

Arthur's Theme by Christopher Cross.

Presenter23:16

You're thirty three now, Trevor. When you retire I know it seems silly to talk about retirement at thirty three, but in football it has to be spoken about. When you retire, do you plan to stay in the game in another capacity?

Trevor Brooking23:28

Well at uh the moment uh I don't foresee it. Certainly as you say I think round about thirty-five is the age limit when most footballers I think into have to give up. I have a contract until the summer of nineteen eighty three and uh then I have two or three businesses which fortunately are going along quite well at the moment and it seems a little bit risky uh to jeopardise those to go into football management which is even more precarious than the playing side quite honestly.

Presenter23:57

Mixed up in some

Presenter23:59

Property deals in Florida. Are we going to lose you? Do you think you'll go under an American?

Trevor Brooking24:02

Uh

Trevor Brooking24:03

No, I I mean I think my roots have got to be here because I've got all friends and family and I think um also from a children's point of view I don't think you can beat English education so I've had that in mind. It might certainly necessitate me spending a few months at a time out there, but uh naturally it's a case of seeing how it develops. How old are your children?

Trevor Brooking24:24

Well, little girl Colette is seven and my little boy is three and a half now, and uh two different characters altogether. The little girl's very quiet and studious and the little boy is a little bit of a terror, and uh we're a bit worried about how he's going to get on to at school when he goes.

Speaker 124:29

Uh

Presenter24:40

And Mrs. Brooking, of course, is Finnish, which must lead to a little conflict of loyalties when you play Finland in this national match.

Trevor Brooking24:46

Hilke always said when people say oh my wife is finished he said I'm finished but not finished and certainly we've played Finland on a couple of occasions and ironically enough we drew the the club side from Finland in a European competition so I visited there in about three occasions in twelve months and it was very expensive time and I said I hope we don't draw Finland for another couple of years I've got to save up to go there again.

Trevor Brooking25:12

You've written an autobiography. Are you ready to write another book?

Trevor Brooking25:15

No, I think as you get in towards your latter part of your career it's it's nice to do the autobiography and and touch woods it's been well received from people and and having everyone seemingly enjoyed it. I d I don't think it's the sort of thing that you go on to do other books for the sake of doing another book because the first one did well. I think it's nice to look back in the years to come and say you had the book and it went well. Record number seven. Well record number seven again still shows my Motown influence. Dinah Ross has always been one of my favourite singers, although this particular record is in a duet with Lionel Ritchie and it's called Endless Love.

Speaker 326:00

My love.

Speaker 326:04

There's only you in my life.

Speaker 326:09

The only thing that's pride

Speaker 126:15

My first love.

Speaker 126:19

Your every b

Presenter26:24

Endless Love, Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie.

Presenter26:27

Now, you're a fit man, Trevor. That'll help, but uh how well could you look after yourself on a desert island? Could you put up a shelter?

Presenter26:35

Uh

Trevor Brooking26:35

Well, I think it would be a case of having to. My my wife w wouldn't hold out much hope for me because around the house I must say um uh isn't my stronger point. Uh you have that trouble too. That's right. Hilke always reckons if I did it once then I'd have to do it again and so I don't show too much proud at first. But uh certainly I think if I was on the desert island and getting a bit chilly I think I'd have to uh do something. Have you done any fishing?

Presenter26:44

Duh.

Trevor Brooking27:00

No, my brother used to love going fishing and he used to tag me along and uh he knew all the types of fish and everything and I learnt one or two things from that but I didn't have much success myself. Can you cook?

Trevor Brooking27:12

Well again, limited. Uh I can have a a good fry up at home. I can do uh a few well naturally the simple things like omelets. I've done liver and bacon before, but certainly very basic stuff. Um

Presenter27:24

Pepper and bacon, that's pretty, pretty far out. It's very technical for me, I can assure you.

Trevor Brooking27:27

It's very technical.

Presenter27:31

No, you're not very good at the DIY. I'm worried about you escaping. Would you try to escape? Would you try to construct a raft of some sort?

Trevor Brooking27:38

Well naturally it depends on what the island was and what facilities it had available. Again I'd have to have every confidence that having made the raft that I thought it would do the job and get me to where I was going. So I would never leave the island unless I was 100% confidence in the raft that I'd managed to build. I think the West Ham Supporters Club would organise something. I'd hope so. I think I'd send out a few bottles first of all to see if they reached their destination. Your last record. The Bee Gee's have always been particular a favourite of mine and Barry Gibb from there made a an LP with Barbara Streison which I particularly liked and although one or two other tracks became big hits the track I've chosen is What Kind of Fool.

Presenter28:43

There was a time when we were down and down.

Presenter28:49

What Kind of Fool? sung by Barbara Streisand and Barry Gibb.

Presenter28:56

If you could take only one disc out of the Hube Blazrapper, which would it be?

Trevor Brooking28:59

I think it would have to be that last one, what kind of four?

Presenter29:02

And you're allowed one luxury item, any one thing that would give you pleasure to have around.

Trevor Brooking29:08

Naturally my two hobbies came to mind apart from football I enjoy sport, uh tennis and golf and and obviously I need somebody else for tennis, so I plump for golf golf clubs. If it was on a small desert island I probably need an extra sandiron for practice, but uh certainly I take a few golf balls as well. Right.

Presenter29:24

Uh

Trevor Brooking29:25

And one book, apart from the Bible and

Presenter29:26

Shakespeare, which are already provided.

Trevor Brooking29:28

Well uh I think uh I mean I enjoy reading fiction but I think once you've read it it's gone then if you're on a desert island. So I've gone for the largest volume of crosswords that I could find because I think whenever I sit down to do a crossword I never have time. There's always two or three that I don't know. So we were isolated in a desert island and probably in a couple of days later I'll go back and get those two or three that I never managed to finish.

Presenter29:51

It's a supply of crosswords, and you better have some pencils. And thank you, Trevor Brooking, for letting us hear your Desert Island discs. Thank you. Goodbye, everyone.

Speaker 130:07

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For more podcasts please visit bbc.co.uk slash radio four.