User:Kezza1919

Introduction
Born in Wanstead, London on 2nd November 1968, to an English mother and Turkish-Cypriot father, Salih has one sister, Nemika, who is 13 years his junior, and a brother, Adem, younger still by almost 17 years. Salih's nearest and dearest have had to endure years of him being conspicuous by his absence as he admits that his big passion for both heavy metal music and almost all sports, have kept him away at more than 200 concerts and hundreds of sporting events. Salih has avidly followed the fortunes of many teams, of many sporting kinds, around the world and, although he ranks football as being his ultimate favourite sport, Salih has closely followed the fortunes of the Washington Redskins NFL franchise since 1982, the New York Mets MLB franchise since he took an interest in the sport back in 1984 and the NRL team the Brisbane Broncos since visiting their ANZ Stadium in 1993.

Formative Years
Leaving school at the age of 16, his first job was in an independent travel agency in Victoria, London and it was during his time there that his renowned passion for foreign travel was first ignited. Much later, Salih would marry and, for their honeymoon, Salih and his new wife travelled the world for a year with no accommodation having been booked in advance, yet taking in 13 countries in just over 12 months, including Egypt, India, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia and Mexico. Salih states that it was the time he spent at the travel agency which was the catalyst for embarking upon such a "risky" and extensive honeymoon and that it was a once in a life-time experience that he would never forget.

Best Known For?
By most people's standards Salih has led a varied and interesting life. Probably best known for his journalistic talents during the period he wrote for the Waltham Forest Guardian in the mid-1980's, Salih has more recently made several appearances as a social commentator on Nicky Campbell's BBC Radio Five Live breakfast show, where listeners were introduced to his incisive wit and easy-going nature. Salih met several celebrities during his time at Five Live, most notably boxing legend George Foreman and ex-King Crimson vocalist Gordon Haskell, famed also for sharing a flat with 60's guitar-icon Jimi Hendrix. Several TV appearances were to follow, including Channel 4's Big Breakfast with Keith Chegwin and Dannii Minogue and game shows such as 100% and One To Win.

What Now?
Soon to embark upon his first written work which is to be "I haven't decided yet but it will either be a comedy or fantasy novel..or horror..or sci-fi..or action..I'm really not sure at the moment..", Salih divides his time between his young family (which consists of his fiancee Paula and their two children Josh and Loren), work and his beloved football teams Leyton Orient (which Salih describes as his "first love") and Leeds United (which Salih describes as his "mistress").