When the U's play Histon on Boxing Day, for the first of three encounters between the clubs in the next two and a half weeks, there will be quite a few men making a welcome return to the Abbey Stadium.
Former U's centre-back Steve Fallon, the current manager of the Stutes, is one of those men, not to mention his assistant and the most successful manager in the history of Cambridge United, John Beck. 'Becky' led the U's to within a hair's breath of the Premier League 15 years ago and returned for a brief second spell to save the U's from relegation in 2001.
One man though, making his first return to the Abbey Stadium three years after he departed the club, is set to receive an especially warm welcome from the supporters he grew so close to during his eight years in employment with Cambridge United.
He was the pioneer of many still-established links between the U's and our local community, who enabled the iconic "On the Spot" interviews with the (then unofficial) website "U's Net", and breathed passion and enthusiasm into everything he did. With an infectious character so rarely seen in the game nowadays, and still missed by many, on Boxing Day Cambridge United will welcome back the living legend that is former PR Manager Graham Eales.
Having 'retired' from active media duty four years ago, former "U's Net" contributor Will Jones couldn't resist the temptation to dust off the Dictaphone and catch up with his former mentor as the U's and Stutes prepare to do battle in a trilogy of encounters over the coming weeks.
We talk over his time at the club, some special memories, and Graham breaks his silence and speaks for the first time about his controversial departure from the U's. So we turn back the clock, and dust off the old format as Will Jones puts Graham Eales... "On the Spot".
Q. Graham, firstly a massive thank you for your time - it's great to see you again. How did you first become involved in football?
I am a keen Chesterfield fan, born in Chesterfield and have always supported them. I went away to college to become a PE teacher, but wherever I was I would always look for their result first and still follow their progress, as well as Newmarket, the U's, and lately West Brom!
I played quite a bit of football myself when I was younger. When I came to Cambridge I started playing on Saturdays for Burwell Swifts and Sunday morning for the Queens Arms. I loved playing the game, not to any high level but I was a grafter and had passion but lacked a little bit on the skill... but you need all sorts to make a team!
Then my son Darren, at a very young age, started to show a keen interest in football and I eased out of playing as I transported him all over East Anglia. I got a lot of fun and satisfaction in watching him play and progress. I got involved with things at his Colts club Cheveley Road, behind the scenes, helping them promote the team.
The I got involved with Newmarket Town, doing a similar sort of thing, and when Darren went over to the USA to do his degree course, they (Newmarket Town) asked me to get involved in the commercial side so I did that for a few years. I really enjoyed it and some of the perimeter banners my daughter Michelle helped me produce Blue Peter style are still there!
My main job was as a Community Education Training Officer, then Inspector. When I turned 50 I took early retirement - as the Ofsted inspectors came in the front door, I left through the back! I had a message on my answerphone the next day from Gary Johnson, asking about me getting involved with Cambridge United.
I had a chat with Gary, who was the Manager at the time, and agreed to do a role to promote the Youth Development Scheme and raise the profile.
I did that on a part-time basis until shortly after Steve Greenall left the club to join Norwich City. The board appointed Pinch (Andrew Pincher) as Secretary and they called me in and asked if I'd go full time on a wide PR remit, to supplement and compliment Pinch's role. That was how I got involved in Cambridge United.
Q. You were here for eight years all told - you must have some very fond memories you look back on, both on and off the pitch?
We were a struggling club and it was a difficult job in many ways, but I loved the challenge. The memories, the early mornings and late nights... I could talk to you for hours about all the good things and positive memories I have!
Did you hear about the Sporting Dinner where there wasn't enough food to go around? There had been some kind of mix up between the commercial and catering departments. We had 100 people in the Harris Suite, waiting for their first course, but we didn't have enough meat - "only 37 short" I remember whispering to Chairman Reg Smart!
The chef was doing a great impression of Manuel from Faulty Towers, locking himself in the kitchen, and we ended up serving almost half the people Pukka Pies and sausage rolls. We turned the crisis into a feature and it's still one of the most well remembered and talked of Sporting Dinners we held!
So many fond memories of Carol Looker and the Away Travel Club loom large for me, too - so much fervour, friendship and no mean fund-raising at our famous race nights.
Q. You always did have a flare for the unexpected, turning a negative into a positive. I seem to remember some quite bizarre half-time shows, including a paper aeroplane throwing competition at one match?
There was always a method to the madness! With the paper aeroplanes, we had a new sponsor of the club - Lufthansa Airlines - who were based at Stansted. We'd done it at the pre-match hospitality tables beforehand, each table making a paper aeroplane and seeing who could make it fly the furthest, and we'd had a bit of a laugh.
Lufthansa thought here is a club trying to do something a bit different. On the pitch at half-time, the kids had to throw the planes nearest the penalty spot. The first one went two yards and the second one backwards! You have to laugh at yourself when things like that happen. Was it a disaster? Not in the eyes of the new sponsors, no.
It really was about linking in the things happening around the club. Although my role was PR, I was there to pave the way to help and support the commercial department.
Me and you Will launched the Town Crier article ten years ago, and it's still there going strong. The weekly Media Call introduced, still going strong, question and answer sessions with the manager, fans supplying their questions with you asking them to Roy, it was all about getting the fans involved in their football club.
Q. I was listening to the radio the other week and the reporter was recounting a tale of a group of "bouncing" stilt men who had been leaping around all over the Histon pitch at half time - you don't change do you!
They're called "Fly Divers". They'd been on Radio Cambridgeshire trying to promote their product. I got them to come to Histon, to help give them a platform and to introduce them to football and perhaps pave the way for them to do something for the "boing, boing" Baggies of West Brom. My U's shareholder son Darren is now involved at the Hawthorns, and he's married to Faith, who many will remember helped me at United whilst she was a student in Cambridge.
I've got so many good memories of the half times at United: Marvin the Moose on an out-of-control mobility scooter, Mark B and Blade almost breaking the microphone - and the Main Stand roof. Marvin changing from the 'old' Marvin to the 'new' Marvin by entering the Andrew McCulloch washing machine, and turning into the new 'spruced' Moose after a spin cycle!
We had that washing machine challenge because the year before Roy and the team won the 'Fair Play' award for being the cleanest team in the league. So we wanted to run a competition which reflected that and involved lots of kids, and the winners won a brand new washing machine at the end of the season. All those things, it was always about making it a bit different and exciting and about getting people involved.
You have to keep things fun. "Days that make us happy, make us wise," as John Masefield and my first boss, another John, drilled into me.
Q. You drew people into the club, getting them involves in schemes and initiatives. You don't get that at the Manchester United's of the world, but at clubs like Cambridge that's exactly what we need.
The less recourse you have, and the fewer staff you've got, the more you need people who can turn their hand to a range of skills. I came from an education background so helping people along and getting them involved in the process came fairly naturally to me.
The young lad Oli who was involved in 'Amber and Black' TV, a very gifted Cambridge University graduate who aspired to become a journalist, he hung in there thanks to Red TV and did a great job with the show, and he's now working very high up in the media.
Q. During your time you worked with a lot of different people, a lot of different managers - what characters did you enjoy working with the most?
Everyone has their own ways of doing things, but all all the managers were a pleasure to work with and I had the greatest respect for them.
Gary Johnson was great to work with. He had great people skills to go with his coaching qualities and it's no surprise to me he has progressed so well in the game.
Roy (McFarland) was an unbelievable gentlemen and a great believer in PR. I got involved with driving his car a lot - as he lived in Derby he would very often go to games on the team coach then go home in his car, so I'd drive his car up then come back on the coach.
I remember one match, David Preece - how sad his recent passing away - had broken his foot so Roy asked me if I'd take him up to a Liverpool game in the morning, before going to a Bury match in the afternoon on a scouting mission. Preecey wanted me to be involved not just as a chauffeur, so he tasked me with seeing who I thought was any good. I marked out the number 10, and when I asked some fans who he was they laughed... it was Michael Owen making a comeback from injury!
With John Beck, he was attention to detail, very much involved with everything, thorough and professional, knew what he wanted and finger on the pulse. It's terrific to be working with him again now he's complementing Steve so well at Histon..
John Taylor, salt of the earth and a great guy. I was proud to handle the Nationwide Survey when he was proclaimed 'King of the Abbey' in a Fans Poll. Dion Dublin came a close second and Steve Fallon was well up there.
The Friday before my departure John, Lucy and I were at the 6am Breakfast Seminar socking it to the business world with JT's Karaoke rendition of 'My Way', trying to raise funds for the club. What a pity it didn't work out with him as manager, the timing was so wrong but he still loves the club.
Q. All those positive, happy memories, but the way it ended at United wasn't great though, when the fans heard that news on the Radio on the Monday morning.
Yes, my wife heard about it on the radio, too! Clearly lots of people knew before her and me!
I loved every minute of my time at Cambridge United but I thought the way I left was handled very poorly. For my wife to be asked by people what she thought about me leaving United before I'd had the chance to even tell her - that wasn't pleasant. It was the club's decision that I didn't go back into the club, so there was never a chance to say thank you and goodbye.
I was stunned really. Everyone knew the club was coming up to its darkest hour and I really did want to roll up my sleeves and get involved alongside everyone else and do my bit for the cause, but I was denied this opportunity and it did hurt.
I thought the decision was short-sighted and ironically it was made by people whose tenure at United was to be so short-lived. Anyway, that's all water under the bridge, or Bridge Road, now. These things happen, and I now look back and view the episode as a real blessing in disguise. I would have found it increasingly torturous to have to try and defend the indefensible and excuse the inexcusable.
Lastly, although it ended in a sorry saga, during my time I worked with some great people. I really appreciated Andy Pincher's comments in the Programme after my departure.
I had been shoulder to shoulder with Pinch through some difficult times and I had great respect for his judgement, integrity, loyalty, professionalism and friendship. I was so pleased that he was able to move onto bigger and better things at Blackburn Rovers. What a deserving candidate.
Andrea was also a joy to work with, illustrating that you can have a finger on the pulse, work closely and communicate easily with someone who is based many miles away.
Q. What reasoning was given for you being asked to leave the club? The fans were given a very brief statement saying you'd been made redundant for cost-cutting reasons but you've maintained a silence on the whole affair, a very dignified silence I might add.
I was called into a meeting with the then Chairman and the then CEO. I was absolutely gobsmacked to learn that the subject of the meeting was my departure. No discussion, no alternatives considered, I was finished. Go directly to home! It was so quick and so final. Any visit to the club would need to be "escorted".
It was emphasised it was redundancy and not sacking and there was something said about other clubs at our level not having a PR Manager, which I found strange as my job remit was very wide ranging, as we've touched on above. PR for me meant proactive, profile, process, promotions... much more than Public Relations. It seemed to me to be based on a whim? I just don't know. I couldn't fathom it out and still can't to this day.
I guess I worked hard during my time at the club to make sure those who came into the club felt welcome, and those who did leave were able to do so with dignity and a fond farewell. So yes, that was hard for me to take but I don't raise the issue with people, though many raise it with me. I'm not bitter, it's water under the bridge and I've moved on.
I was heartened and lifted by the reaction of the fans - they were magnificent. There were a lot of letters I received, messages on the Internet, and still to this day I get people coming up to me to say hello and shake my hand. The fans of Cambridge United continue to be a very special group of people to me.
Q. Moving on to your time after leaving United, you've been involved with Histon for the last three years and it's fair to say it's been quite a successful few years!
It's quite routine and boring really, isn't it? All we've had in the last three years is two Championships, a play-off final and a good FA Cup run!
I'm loving it and work on the same principles. I've not changed - I've still got the enthusiasm and the passion. I'm a great believer in the process by which you achieve success at a football club.
I was encouraged from the warm welcome I got from Histon. I tried to compliment what they already had going for them, and that was a lot! The "team is all" approach is fundamental, that's the philosophy which is preached and more importantly practiced! It's totally in tune with my personal beliefs. You can relish the hard work when everyone shares the same values and you're not having to duck and dive and look over your shoulder.
At bigger clubs there are so many different departments, different staff, but at clubs like Histon with everyone working and singing from the same sheet you can accept the responsibility, take the initiative and get on with the job knowing it'll fit in and be backed. A good idea is a good idea - you don't have to put it in writing, weeks in advance, and run it past four interdepartmental meetings, you simply go ahead and do it.
Just like at United when we often found our strength in adversity, at Histon it's often an inspiration that we're 'little old Histon', it's what we love, we're a village team and part of the local community. As the BBC website wrote earlier in the season, "In the past people only really came across Histon when they looked on the back of a Jam Jar" - not any more! There is a real buzz, we're not just playing sides like York City and Oxford, we're matching them.
Q. The U's and the Stutes are due to meet three times over the coming weeks in a much-talked about local trilogy - what are your thoughts as the games approach?
Who would have thought when I left United, that three seasons later we'd be sat here talking about Histon playing Halifax Town, Exeter City and local neighbours Cambridge United three times in three weeks, in competitive fixtures. And this after opening the Red Gate Stand above Cambridgeshire FA Headquarters at the last home game. It really is a football fairytale and equally it's so good for the local football scene, it's exciting. Everybody is looking forward to it, either team can lose but local football's the winner.
Q. In terms of the support Histon are getting, are you disappointed that more people aren't coming along this season?
We've got a very small fan base but it's all relative. It wasn't long ago we were getting 90 people at home matches, yet last week we had more than that at a fans forum. Gates have increased consistently in recent years and the average is now above 1,000.
I sat next to a fan the other week who used to have a season ticket at Manchester United, but he doesn't go there any more - he's got a young lad who enjoys coming down the road to watch a game, he enjoys the closeness of the stands to the pitch and he also enjoys the closeness between the players and the fans.
Q. What a fantastic season Histon are having so far - what do you put it down to?
Gareth (Baldwin) says in his programme notes, "team is all" and it's not just words, we preach that and practice it, from the top from the Chairman and Lisa. There is very loyal support from the board of directors, great sponsors and the growing number of volunteers and last but not least the fans.
On the pitch, local hero Steve Fallon aided by John Beck and a great bunch of players giving their best week in, week out.
There is good housekeeping allied to a tremendous spirit. I don't think it's luck, the club have been careful not to overreach. In the time Gareth has been at the helm, progress has been made one step at a time. The firmer the foundation, the higher you can build.
It really does come together as a team ethic and it does make a difference when everyone is kicking in the same direction.
Q. Any split loyalties?
When I was at United and we were playing Chesterfield I was asked that question and I thought to myself 'I won't know until the ball hits the net, will I think "we've scored" or "they've scored"?'
I really do hope football's the winner and all the games are played in a great spirit and together we put on a show which reflects well on the Blue Square Premier in particular and non-league in general. If one team does better, or the spoils are shared, so be it!
Will Jones was talking to Graham Eales
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