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Meet the Pundits

RACHEL WRIGHT
Rachel Wright - The New Football Pools Pundit and Writer

She makes up half of our inhouse pundits and she's here to help Charlie do it for the girls! Meet the youngest member of the Football Pools Pundit League, Rachel Wright.

See Rachel's predictions for this week>>

What are your memories of the Football Pools?

Like most people, we had our regular Pools collector - it was a lady my grandad used to play bowls with. My dad played every week and every week would let me choose a fixture or two. I always went by the names I liked the most - kind of like choosing a horse to back solely on the colour of the jockey's jersey. I'm hoping I've got a bit knowledge about the game now but when in doubt...!

I've also got vivid memories of Saturday teatimes watching the vidiprinter with my dad trying to guess the scores before the ticker revealed them. It looks like some things don't change.

Being a Liverpool fan, how does it feel going up against the Reds legends, Alan Hansen and John Barnes

If I'm being completely honest, it's pretty daunting but at the same time, it's so exciting. I mean imagine if I actually beat them, now that'll be a "Dear Diary" moment!

Who is your favourite player past or present?

Kenny Dalglish

What's your favourite terrace chant:

Walk On - cheesy and completely unoriginal I know but it never fails to give me goosebumps

What Type of Supporter are you?

Rather vocal! My mother would be horrified to hear the obscenities that come out of my mouth during a Liverpool game!

Tell us about your best football memory.

Again, people are going to curse at my lack of creativity but it has to be the 2005 Champions League Final - no game will ever match it. At half time a friend casually threw into the conversation he'd run down Penny Lane naked if Liverpool turned this around. Credit to him, he did it!

What was your first live football experience:

Croatia v Portugal in Euro 96 at Nottingham Forest's ground at the tender age of 13. Portugal won 3-0 which didn't particularly please Goran Ivanisevic who was sitting behind me!

What are your credentials for being apart of the Football Pools Pundit's League?

Apart from making up the numbers?! Well I started writing about football when I was just 16, producing match reports for the under 17 Sheffield Wednesday academy side. That's right, while my friends were having Saturday lie ins, watching SMTV with Ant and Dec before doing the usual girlie shopping spree, I was up at the break of day travelling as far a field as Watford to write the reports. I remember once in was absolutely lashing it down and I was frantically trying to scribble down some notes - unfortunately I didn't have a dictaphone - but writing on soggy paper isn't exactly the easiest thing. One of the lad's dad saw I was struggling and came and stood behind me with his massive golf brolly to provide some shelter!

I've been part of the Football Pools team now for two years but have been down the pub, watching and arguing about football now ever since I could get in! And my final saving grace is that I did top our Euro 2008 Pundit's League and was the only one who tipped Spain for the title! I guess that'll all go out the window though if I fail to keep step with the boys!

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