Punter V Pundit - Max Rushden exclusive!
Max Rushden, the Soccer AM presenter, Cambridge United fan and all round good egg, was our celebrity pundit in last weekend's Punter V Pundit competition. Max was beaten as punter Mike Edge correctly predicted that England would beat Wales 2-0, scooping our £250 prize.
But as Max's original decision was 2-0 - we gave the punter precedent - Betfair also donated £250 to his nominated charity, Shelter From The Storm. We caught up with Max to discuss his narrow defeat, his thoughts on England and his charity work (which he doesn't like to talk about)....
What was the thinking behind your prediction?
Well, I thought we'd win 2-0, so i predicted a 2-0 win. Then when I was forced to change my prediction because apparently the punter is "more important than me", I decided Wales might score. I think Gareth Bale was still fit when I made my prediction.
What did you think about the game?
I was playing on Saturday - terrible ref, we drew 1-1, got a real kicking from their centre back - so by the time I limped to the pub there was about 25 minutes left.
I watched it kind of hoping that Wales would score to make it 2-1, because at the time I didn't realise Betfair would be so generous and give me my charity money for my first prediction. Nothing really happened in the part of the game I saw, but I was very pleased to see Scott Parker (pictured) and Jack Wilshere playing, and I think Michael Dawson deserves a run in the side.
Like all England fans, I don't care about qualification; I just arrogantly presume we'll qualify. Then I pay no attention to how good the other countries are in the major tournaments, build myself into a frenzy, and then get disappointed when we don't win. I look forward to doing that in 2012.
We're giving you £250 to your chosen charity Shelter From The Storm. Why did you choose them?
Thank you. I really appreciate it. It's an emergency homeless shelter - the only one in London which is open all year round and gets no Government support. It's run by volunteers in the local area - and I go there once a week to help cook dinner.
I basically spend a few hours chopping onions and washing up. Sometimes I drain the pasta. It sounds like a cliché but the people who stay there are from all walks of life, and it's pretty eye-opening to talk to them. Having said all that, I don't like to talk about my charity work.
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Published: 30 Mar 2011
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