Swapping pints for tapas and the telly for the balcony

Champions League / Tommy Mooney / 26 September 2008 / 1 Comments

Marbella's favourite import Tommy Mooney on late night Spanish TV, pre-match rituals and backing Robbie Keane to start scoring when it most matters.

Since we've been out here, we've not watched too much in the way of Spanish TV as a family. I suppose in that way we've retained a bit of England in us by still seeking out English language programmes - but I'm sure time will change that.

The few times I have had a chance to sit down and glance through what's on it's been fairly late at night, and at this point I have to admit I've ended up where most blokes end up when they're flicking through the channels. If you thought 'late night entertainment' was purely an English phenomenon, you'd be wrong!

I did catch the Sevilla match in the week and, to be fair, one of the main channels out here - the equivalent of an ITV2, perhaps - carries the La Liga football and a round-up of the other results.

Folk here spend far more time away from the television and I'm more likely to be out on the balcony reading a newspaper than inside glued to the box.

One factor that probably helps with that non-TV attitude is the fact the children are finished school by 2pm. The other day, for example, we shot off down the beach. I then went training at about 6 o'clock while the others went back to the house and had a swim in the pool.

The whole lifestyle here is different, away from football, but I've found - on matchdays - some of my old habits creeping back in a bit.

I used to be terrible for pre-match rituals. This really would start the week before and in particular if I'd scored the previous match. I always wear the same shoes if arriving in a suit to the game and, continuing the footwear theme, the same boots as well if those were the ones I'd last scored in - regardless of the weather, by the way.

The day before the match, as well, I'd be sticking to the same breakfast, evening meal and pre-match meal on the day of the game if I'd scored the weekend before.

Trouble is, having only played my first game out here last Saturday (we won by the way!), I'm still waiting to invoke a lot of these ridiculous behaviours because, quite frankly, I can't remember what I was doing before my last Walsall goal!

After the game last week, I went out with a few of the other players, all Spaniards of course. But rather than chucking as many pints down our neck as possible, like you would in England, we went off for some tapas and the drinking was done at a much more sensible rate.

Of course, just like England, put a group of players together and they'll talk about the game and what the manager should be doing better. But it was nice atmosphere, again a totally different environment.

It got me thinking who I still keep in touch with back in England, player-wise, and there's only three lads who I say I'd speak to with any regularity.

Rhys Weston, who's at Walsall where I was last year; Rob Lee, the former Newcastle midfielder who I played alongside at Wycombe and Derby; and Nicky Eaden, who I was in the Birmingham City side with. He's now assistant manager at Kettering in the Blue Square Premier.

Like I say, I speak to a lot of former team-mates, but it's nothing like an everyday thing by any means. A lot of my best friends are fathers of my childrens' friends and the conversation only ever very briefly strays onto football.

After success last week with the Chelsea-Man United suggestion, I'm looking to follow up with the Merseyside derby.

Unusually for them, Everton have been shipping goals this season. Add to that Robbie Keane hasn't opened his Liverpool account yet and I think it points to an away win.

If he scores the winner on Saturday, Reds' fans will forget his little goal drought - and, as a striker, that's the sort of glass-half-full way I'd be looking at it going into the game.

So back Keane as First Goalscorer at odds of roughly [9.0] and also an away win for Rafa's boys at around [2.15].

Comments (1)

1. David Manderson | 24 October 2008

   Hope you're enjoying the sun Tom, it's blowing a gale in Glasgow and four in the afternoon looks like four in the morning! Keep up the good, em work?