Winning formation
We caught up with Joe Graham, the reclusive winner of the coveted bronze medal in the 1979 Glasgow School of Art Table Football Competition. Joe, who retired from competitive table football in 1980 when the College wouldn’t let him take the table home with him after graduation, doesn’t like to talk about the old days too much.
He slumped wearily in his chair when asked how it felt back then. ‘Table football is in the past. I prefer to talk about my current career as Creative Director of an exciting design and print company’ he sighed. I tried to explain that this was a sports report and that I was only a sports reporter and, as such, knew nothing much about anything. His whole demeanour changed however and it was difficult to hold him back. ‘Winning in business is just like table football’, he enthused. I nodded in agreement, the way you do when someone says something you don’t understand but you don’t want to look stupid. ‘I can see you know what I mean’. I didn’t! ‘It’s all about sticking to a good formation, keep everyone pointing the same way, keep your eye on the ball and most important NO spinning. Nobody likes a spinner. Are you a spinner?’ He stared at me with disapproving eyes. ‘Never!’ I said. I have to admit to still being clueless about what he was on about. Didn’t stop him though. He’s on his feet by now, arms at his side, kicking an imaginary plastic ping pong ball.
‘We take a job into the design studio..Maybe it’s been passed to us by sales...If so we gather it carefully. We hold onto it passing it to the right designer to caress it with silky creative skills, then we lob it confidently to production who use the magic of pre-press to pass it straight to print. Our print forwards spring into action at pace, sliding majestically on greased rollers and before you know it, we’re finishing it beautifully....Goal!..Gooooaaal!....Gooooaaaal!!! All under one roof!...Goooaaaa1!!’
We finished the interview with Joe’s jumper stuck over his head to reveal the numbers 01 993 772 197 tattooed on his chest, which I assumed to be some vital career stats. You couldn’t deny Joe’s enthusiasm for his current career but I was left with the ‘slight’ impression that he found it hard to let go of the past.