day out at the football!

The calm before the excitement

Monday morning has never been my favourite period of the week. This Monday, I have to admit I feel a little tender.  I decided that cause Raith were having a big day at Stark's Park, I would have a "big" day in Barcelona.

But I did not think that this was going to happen. Scottish football ain't a big crowd pleaser in Catalunya so trying to find a host for my day out was tougher than I thought.

This serving from Paella and Bovril comes from the Scottish cup game against Celtic at Stark's Park.
Raith played well and the 3-0 defeat does not reflect the performance. 

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TEAM

Paella and Bovril

Unthinkable to believe that Stark's Park has never played host to the miles of cables and the numerous cameras that come with live games. The ground's previous live TV outing was seen in Iceland when we played host to Akranes.  How exciting today the stadium will be on the "big" tele and if you are a little bit further afield then you get even more excited. If you can find it!

Living in Barcelona has been good over the years and, of course the past few season FC Barcelona have been a team to watch with awe and amazement. The Barca fans have loved it, what fans wouldn't. But as we have all been told by our grannies "pride comes before a fall" and boy do those Catalans fall hard! After their 2012 jaunt to Glasgow they were even more disgruntled than if they had lost in Madrid and Cristiano had bagged a hat-trick in a double-figured gubbing. Normally the love the Catalans have for Scotland and the Scottish football fans is never in question, but after that night a few brownie points were lost.

However the love of all things "scotch" be it Ballantynes whisky, a big brand in Spain, or oh yes, the scotch egg, a great conversation starter, that and the macaroni pie, quickly came back.

With the Italians traveling to Glasgow to try and do what the Catalans couldn't, plenty of interest is building up here with next round of the Champions League just round the corner. Bars and restaurants from the Sagrada Familia to la Ramblas are trying to entice the fans in for the big games. With Barcelona being a more than regular fixture on the TVs all over the world, the local fans do not understand the joy that an expat Raith fan is feeling about today, but again that is dependent on a place being found to catch the game. To go to a regular watering hole to partake in a wee lemonade or two is not an important thing to the football fan here in Barcelona so all the bars want you through their doors. The Scottish, English and Irish bars try to get your bum on their seats with wall-to-wall live games, from the SPL to the Bundesliga, on multiple massive screens. With a list of possible candidates in hand the search for the Raith game begins.

Barcelona is a beautiful city to wander around, being small in size and sunny, you don't need any excuse not to stretch those legs. With a planned route the hunt was on! As the chalk boards outside only showing the details of the game on that day, I would simply have to go in and ask "are you showing the Raith v Celtic game in Feb?" Not a difficult question in any language, but sometimes you can be so wrong.

 "Of course we will, we show all the champions league matches" Now the last time I checked Messi hadn't shown off his fancy footwork to the Stark's park faithful. "No the Raith game". The bar staff gave the oh she is confused look and said "don't you mean the Juventus match" Something things can be lost in translation but pretty sure Raith is not Spanish or Catalan for Juventus. A few more "no Raith, Raith Rovers" “Juventus?” “no R.A.I.T.H R.O.V.E.R.S”, and I was still no further forward in my search.  Panic was not setting in, yet, but I only (at time of writing) had a week to find the game.

As you read this I WILL be collecting some Barcelona fans wanting to seek a wee bit of  “revenge” for a cold night in October 2012. Teach them all about the best bits of Scottish football banter banter, and getting them to sing “Jeeeoooorrddiiii moooonrrroooowwww” at the top of their Catalan voices and maybe buy them an Irn Bru. Raith will not be confused with Juventus after a wee bit of Fife comes to the Costa de Barcelona.