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Journalists sent on 800 mile car journey to cover European football final

A trio of sports journalists live-blogged an 800 mile ‘road trip’ as they prepare to cover a European football final featuring a team from their patch.

The Liverpool Echo sent Liverpool FC editor Andy Kelly, photographer Gavin Trafford and video editor Micheal McKenna on a 16-hour car journey to Basle prior to tonight’s UEFA Europa League final.

The triumvirate spent the whole of Monday making the journey to Switzerland, via France, giving video updates on their journey as they went.

Echo editor Alastair Machray suggested tongue-in-cheek that it made “absolute sense” for his journalists to travel to the match in such a “cost effective manner”.

Andy, left, Gavin, centre, and Micheal on their arrival in Basle

Andy, left, Gavin, centre, and Micheal on their arrival in Basle

He told HTFP: “We explored the hitch-hiking option but abandoned it on health and safety grounds. Reluctantly, I signed off the petrol costs, and we stuck them in a car and let them drive.

“And it made no sense for them to spend 17 hours in a car doing nothing but sleeping and breaking wind so we asked them to blog about the journey to minimise on downtime.

“Seriously, the blog works on a brand engagement level and we’ve had some lovely comments. We wanted to travel like many of the fans so we could share the experience with the hundreds of thousand of Liverpool supporters who can’t be in Basle.

“James Corden’s ‘Carpool’ seemed to work so why not? And as for the guys quitting to pursue careers in film, or male modelling, I remain, shall we say, relaxed.”

10 comments

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  • May 18, 2016 at 9:27 am
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    Superb. Andy is a top bloke and a top red. Enjoy fellas.

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  • May 18, 2016 at 10:41 am
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    Why? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to fly from a time management point of view?

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  • May 18, 2016 at 11:47 am
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    Doncha just love it when a blog works on a brand engagement level?

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  • May 18, 2016 at 3:13 pm
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    I am just astonished that three journalists from the same paper were sent 800 miles to cover anything, whether they used a plane, car, or walked.
    Getting out of the office to go just EIGHT miles for a job these days requires the skills of a United Nations negotiator.
    Fair play to Alistair Machray…

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  • May 18, 2016 at 3:22 pm
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    Looks hard work that.
    Boys and their toys!

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  • May 18, 2016 at 3:29 pm
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    A TRIO of…. that’ll be three then.
    Why use one word when you can use a trio of…?

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