work, rest and watch someone else play!

OMFG the weather here in Barcelona has me searching for two of every animal and a wikihow video on "how to build your own ark!" 

Gosh it does seem like ages since I have been able to post the latest "paella and bovril" with a Raith Rovers win behind it! However even from a far I know that support is what needed, from everyone! I hear that a solar related publication may have headed it's lines with something a tad upsetting for those reading and from whom it came! Just remember that a newspaper is now yesterdays news! With twitter, facebook, the whole world wide web to keep your news, today's! I suppose I am trying to say that teams like Raith need your support,today, tomorrow and for years down the line!

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TEAM AND IT'S MATCH DAY PROGRAMME!

The last few months have work have been a bit hectic to say the least and I have been working more hours than usual. A few weekends ago it was to be my first weekend “work free” and I was going to enjoy it! My beloved boyfriend was excited too, a weekend together, walking along the beach, going out for some tapas, generally just relaxing. Oh how wrong he was. For a start the weather was due to be rubbish, but more importantly there was going to be football on the tele, well the computer but you can plug that into the tele! Falkirk versus Raith Rovers!

The excitement started on Thursday when I could buy, for a reasonable 9-euros/8 pounds, my “pay as you go” pass from Falrkirk TV. Now I am an avid Internet shopper as I am the kind of women who hates the shopping part but loves the getting stuff part, and this was just like Internet shopping but for a football match! I was armed and ready with my user name, access code and a little bit of schoolgirl excitement about seeing my beloved rovers in the pink!

The last time I watched Raith via the internet I watched thru Dunfermline Athletic TV, one fixed camera and no commentary! Now if you have never watched a match using one of these links you may be in for a wee bit of a surprise. It is not like watching a match on “normal” tv. Over the past few years the watching experience of football has become overrun with multiple camera angles, High Definition and even 3D. But this cost a fortune and no club in their right mind would want to compete with the big boys and their toys! I know that I have watched Raith in the snow, wind, rain and sun with no 3D action replays reversed angles and loved it! I was expecting the same level of entry level technology from Falkirk TV as was available to Dunfermline TV, but I was presently surprised that even though it was only one camera I would be treated to a commentary from the match along with access to highlights after the match for up to 3 days with my match day pass!

Saturday was here and kick off was fast approaching. The usual build up was happening on the social networks, facebook reminding supporters about bus times, twitter mates arranging the pint before the match, in general people getting each other geared up for the match, and I felt a little bit more part of it as I was going to be at the match, if not in person, most definitely in spirit! I even tweeted to a few fellow tweeters I hoped to hear them singing (and I did)!

15.55 local time and I am ready, link is up and running, commentary team have given me the teams, Raith top on, scarf to hand and then the reality hits me! I am on my sofa, in my living room, in Barcelona, watching Raith Rovers from Kirkcaldy, play Falkirk in Falkirk I was even being asked to keep some supporters up to date of goings on at the match via twitter as they were stuck in traffic, could this get any more surreal!  But you know what I loved it, I was at the football.

The actual game, from a Raith point of view was nothing to be proud of, but as an i-fan experience it was taking the next step. Of course the commentary team was biased towards the home side and the picture was a little wobbly at times but worth every penny. As an expat fan you never really get to make up your own opinions about how teams are playing, what players are like, as you very rarely get to see them play, but after the match in Saturday I felt a little bit closer to home. I understood the frustrations of some and disagreed with the criticism of others, I was at the game!

However the following the week I was back to the usual listening for the score updates over the internet hoping someone will tweet from the match wishing that maybe, just maybe I could see Raith a wee bit more!