DOMINIK Diamond has courted his last football phone-in controversy on Radio Five Live by ''retiring'' on air during his show at the ripe old age of 29.
The Scots presenter, who replaced the controversial Danny Baker only to make the headlines by calling Liverpool star Stan Collymore a ''scumbag'', said yesterday the football phone-in was dead.
The morning after the night before, Diamond, who left Strathallan school in Forgandenny in Perthshire to pursue a degree in drama at Bristol University, said it was no longer possible to be ''dangerous and opinionated on air in today's football phone-in culture''.
He said his show tried to replicate what ''it's like sitting in the pub talking, because that's what sport's all about''. However, this was no longer possible because managers and bureaucrats were likely to become upset.
He said: ''I can't do the kind of thing I would like to do and I'm sick of getting into trouble. Some people are playing it safe but I can't.''
However, unlike his predecessor Danny Baker, who had the whistle blown on him by BBC executives for his on-air outbursts about referees, Diamond said he was not being kicked into touch.
''The BBC are not stopping me. It's not their fault. I'm still doing Sportscall on Saturday. I'm tired of all the hassle. I thought it would be cool to retire from something at 29.''
As a drama student, Diamond made a Kilroy-style film about the shortcomings of the course. He said he ''realised presenting was a job where you could get paid lots of money for no talent or skill whatsoever''.
He was so successful as the warm-up act for Have I Got News For You that the producers considered putting him on the panel.
However, Diamond's career really began to sparkle on Gamesmaster, the TV show that showcased computer games. He also launched himself as a newspaper columnist with his weekly slot in the Evening Times.
But it was the phone-in that made his name 24-carat.
However, he was only on the park a short time before being shown the yellow card for a comment about Bruce Grobbelaar's trial and was carpeted for remarks about John Barnes's private life.
A Celtic supporter, he was also banned from using the word Hun, which was the ''nice polite way Celtic fans refer to Rangers fans. Too many Rangers fans complained and unfortunately a lot are high up in the Masonic order''.
True to form he ''retired'' on a controversial note - Sports Minister Tony Banks's renewed call for one national team.
Diamond said yesterday: ''Banks said Scotland were like West Ham. They could only progress to a certain stage. To say that on Wednesday, the day they were playing Germany, was crass. If I had been in the pub, I would have said he needs a smack in the mouth. I can't help being controversial. I cause my boss nothing but heart attacks. You can say I'm taking the bullet for the team.''
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