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After that court jester Tucker, Wales Online seemed to employ a decent reporter in Phil Smith, but now he's on the move.

New Sunderland Reporter For The Echo

Monday 5th December 2016

Following the Liam Kennedy debacle - when the city's newspaper employed a reporter to cover Sunderland AFC only for his social media history to reveal a colourful range of views on the club and its supporters - the Sunderland Echo are about to unveil their latest incumbent.

And this time they've played it safe, or so it seems, by employing an actual Sunderland supporter to the role of SAFC correspondent.

Phil Smith will commence in the role after Christmas and will graduate from covering Cardiff City to take the honour of reporting on his home town club.

Smith is a product of St Aidan's School in Sunderland and has been working in Wales since January 2016. The 24-year-old has cut his journalistic teeth at the former Western Mail and Echo, now branded as WalesOnline.

What can we expect?

Who knows. Smith has learnt his trade at a Trinity Mirror bedfellow of the Newcastle Evening Chronicle so we can certainly expect plenty of 'five things we learned' articles.

But, someone who should 'get' Sunderland can only be a good thing and reaction from Welsh fans appears to have been positive towards his Cardiff musings.

Chris Holmes wrote:After that court jester Tucker, Wales Online seemed to employ a decent reporter in Phil Smith, but now he's on the move.

New Sunderland Reporter For The Echo

Following the Liam Kennedy debacle - when the city's newspaper employed a reporter to cover Sunderland AFC only for his social media history to reveal a colourful range of views on the club and its supporters - the Sunderland Echo are about to unveil their latest incumbent.

And this time they've played it safe, or so it seems, by employing an actual Sunderland supporter to the role of SAFC correspondent.

Phil Smith will commence in the role after Christmas and will graduate from covering Cardiff City to take the honour of reporting on his home town club.

Smith is a product of St Aidan's School in Sunderland and has been working in Wales since January 2016. The 24-year-old has cut his journalistic teeth at the former Western Mail and Echo, now branded as WalesOnline.

What can we expect? Who knows. Smith has learnt his trade at a Trinity Mirror bedfellow of the Newcastle Evening Chronicle so we can certainly expect plenty of 'five things we learned' articles.

But, someone who should 'get' Sunderland can only be a good thing and reaction from Welsh fans appears to have been positive towards his Cardiff musings.

I've heard Media Wales pay very poor wages and thats why they don't last long nowadays.

Simon Gaskel left not so long ago.


You know the saying you pay peanuts and thats we've been getting for years.

That's a shame as he was pretty good. I hope that they are not going to line up Scott Nonsense as his replacement.

GrangeEndStar wrote:That's a shame as he was pretty good. I hope that they are not going to line up Scott Nonsense as his replacement.

He's free,they don't pay fans,thats whats happened at Echo,cheap way.

Forever Blue wrote:

GrangeEndStar wrote:That's a shame as he was pretty good. I hope that they are not going to line up Scott Nonsense as his replacement.

He's free,they don't pay fans,thats whats happened at Echo,cheap way.

I heard the same and its been like it for years. Shame about Phil Smith though.

Bring back Fucker Tucker

Tucker used to infuriate me most on Blakey's Bootroom. As a poster suggested previously he acted like a "court jester"; perhaps a "knob" more like it. An interesting topic of debate would arise and more often than not he would sabotage it by tangentially introducing some form of moronic banter and suddenly he'd taken all the zip out of it. By the time he and Blakey had stopped guffawing to themselves over some peurile in joke they had both forgotten where they had left off. I'd wager some 75% of the show's content followed the same routine.

Only started reading this guys articles of late and wondered who he was as quite decent. Best of luck.

The way Tucker used to suck up to Blakey used to make me cringe. The sweat stains on the armpits of his unironed shirt would often put me off eating for the day.

This is a shame (Phil Smith leaving for pastures new) as he was a fair and well balanced reporter of all things Cardiff City FC

He obviously realised what kind of organisation he was working for and made his escape with haste!

Good luck in whatever you do next, Phil Smith