Duncan Oldham is an online entrepreneur, a football writer, a football news analyst and commentator, a video blogger, proud father and grandad. Duncan is best known as the founder and controversial editor of the Liverpool FC fans’ website KopTalk® which has been online for almost 2 decades. Although KopTalk® is a registered business now operating from Spain, Duncan continues to treat KopTalk® as a labour of love.
Despite having a huge global following, because of Duncan’s no-nonsense approach he also attracts negative attention from those who have been turned away from the website, those who want to rival the website and those who believe that nobody from outside Liverpool has a right to support Liverpool Football Club. A smear campaign was launched against Duncan back in the 2000s and although it wasn’t very pleasant for himself and his family, the anonymous people behind the scurrilous claims that Duncan’s website was a con motivated him to build on his initial success and he describes it as the best thing anyone could have done. He puts down a lot of his success to his haters.
To this day, thousands of Liverpool fans continue to subscribe to the KopTalk® members’ website which is a testament to what Duncan has built-up, especially when you consider the free alternatives that are out there. As well as offering a paid-for membership to KopTalk®, Duncan also provides a subscription video content platform called DKB.TV (Dunk Knows Best TV). The revenue generated from both platforms enables Duncan to provide his free KopTalk® website and KopTalk.TV (his free YouTube channel) to hundreds of thousands of Liverpool supporters across the world.
Away from KopTalk®, Duncan works on several other online businesses which focus on sports media, travel and football club share dealing. Duncan is himself a former Liverpool FC shareholder up until the forced sale as a result of George Gillett and Tom Hicks takeover of the club back in 2007. Duncan has a small number of shares in a number of European football clubs including Juventus, AS Roma and Celtic. Duncan enjoys attending the occasional Valencia fixture but remains a Liverpool FC season ticket holder and has been for the last 20 years. In 1998, during the same year that Gerard Houllier and Roy Evans became joint-manager of Liverpool Football Club, Duncan married childhood sweetheart Maria at Anfield. Sadly, just like Houllier and Evans, they also endured a divorce and parted company. Sad face.
Today, Duncan continues to work on the KopTalk® website and is involved in a number of other online businesses. He is writing his infamous book about his online experiences which he’s been threatening to publish for more than a decade. A lack of time has prevented that from materialising but Duncan insists it will come! Whether that will be in this decade we shall have to wait and see.
Duncan has two children and a young grandson. That trio is what continues to motivate him and why he continues to work despite wanting to describe himself as ‘self-unemployed’ which basically means he prefers laying by a swimming pool or propping up a bar in neighbouring Benidorm while drinking an ice cold Magners than working the 16 hours a day that he used to, every day of the week. Although Duncan has eased off on the amount of hours he now works, he hasn’t eased off on the Magners or pies although he insists he’s on a ‘lifestyle change’.
Away from his online interests, one of Duncan’s best friends is the award-winning comedy writer Derren Litten. Because of that Duncan has made several cameo appearances in ITVs ‘Benidorm’. He is a huge (literally!) fan of the show and whenever a ‘large man’ is needed, the call comes through! New York state-based Smoove is Duncan’s other best friend. KopTalk® podcast followers will have heard Smoove crop up in the opening intro to every episode.
Although a controversial character when it comes to KopTalk® and despite being called The Big Man, anyone who knows Duncan will describe him as a Big Softie who would do anything for anyone. Duncan has raised thousands of pounds for various charities through JustGiving campaigns thanks to the support of his followers on KopTalk® and his YouTube subscribers.