Introducing ehfTV’s Mr. New Guy

Hello and a very warm welcome to me – Mr. New Guy. Well I am not new to handball but new to you. For those who don´t know me, here is a short resume:

I was born a long time ago in Dublin, Ireland. I was introduced to handball when I met my German wife in London and moved to Germany in 1987, where she played at an amateur level.

At that time there was only one handball for me and that was an Irish game which is like squash without a racket. I went to handball games and looked after our daughter while my wife played most weekends.

Becoming a ‘handball junkie’

I did other less aggressive sport like karate. We had more kids, as good Irish do, and they all played handball. I was then asked to coach a women’s handball team, which I did.

I was doing that for a number of years at various levels up to Germany’s third division, when I got in contact with an Irishman called Tom O’Brannagain. Together with Carsten Klavehn, we took over the Irish men’s national team and worked together for five years.

I did my coaching courses and watched every game I could at all levels in many arenas and on TV. I became a handball junkie.

Now here I am commentating handball - a natural transition. After a number of trial runs I was asked to go to Budapest to commentate and present at the Women’s EHF FINAL4 last May.

There I met all the top names in women’s handball and it was a great experience for me. I must say it was great to see fantastic games and have interviews with Görbicz, Bulatovic, Löke, Pineau and Lekic in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. I really look forward to going back again.

Match of the Week Xtra

This weekend I will be carrying you through the VELUX EHF Champions League match between Rhein-Neckar Löwen and HC Vardar.

This will be the first edition of ‘Match of the Week Xtra’ and Saturday’s game will precede the usual MOTW between Orlen Wisla Plock and SG Flensburg-Handewitt on Sunday, with commentary by Tom O’Brannagain – I know that name from somewhere.

Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs HC Vardar is a game of winner takes all in the race for second position in Group C.

The winner will take on a third placed team from Group A, B or D, while the loser will face a second placed team, which could mean Paris Saint-Germain or KIF Kolding Kobenhavn, and who wants that?

Löwen have a perfect record at home so far in this campaign and cruised past Veszprem in December, while Vardar have only won one game away from home to date.

Form suggests a win for the Germans, but who knows what will happen with so much at stake. Join me on Saturday and find out.

Match of the Week Xtra – Rhein-Neckar Löwen vs HC Vardar will be live on ehfTV.com on Saturday 21 February at 21:00 hrs local time.