Passion for the language of football!

As  the season draws to a close and we start to plan our excuses for not doing something on Saturdays in the 3pm - 4:45pm slot. I for one will be filling my time with triathlon training for the next TRI-ing4theRovers
Paella and Bovril this season has talked about changing the points system within the Scottish game in formulaic fun and debated whether we should subside buses to get the away fan back to the Scottish game. I hope you have enjoyed. I hope to keep it going thru the off season! If you are interested.

With the invasion of German football on the Spanish game I have been hearing a different side to our commentators here in Catalunya and Spain. The Barca commentators were unhappy until Dortmund put 4 past Madrid after they had been pretty openly miserable from the night before. 



This serving comes from Raith Rovers 0-0 draw with Falkirk in the final home game of the season.




Paella and Bovril




Spring is beginning to bounce around here in Barcelona. The wee bars have popped up on the beach, evenings can be spent with a glass of sangria on the balcony and windows won't be closed from now until October. I have packed away the winter scarfs and dusted off the beach towels ready for that scorching summer I am sure is coming my way. However with the summer comes annual "cold turkey" for my football addiction.

Maybe it is with the impending doom of a few months without football but I have been drawn to every football game it is possible to see and hear. A few weeks ago I was given the luxury of Raith playing the same night as Barcelona. The plan was to listen to the guys at Raith Rovers Abroad and watch Messi and co on the TV. Just add a few cold beers to the night and perfection was on its way to being achieved. The other half was working so I had the house to myself. I decided to plumb the RRA guys into the surround sound system. Thought the locals could do with a wee Fife lesson!

For years around this time of year as a result of the opened windows I am continually bombarded with the Catalan commentary during football matches. In the early years I would try and find English/Scottish  commentary to the games. The British guys were doing an ok job. Their pass by pass commentary, which at times is slow but gets the job done, is neutral in its delivery. We all know which teams some of our top pundits support. However it can make their commentary a bit colourless.
As my comprehension of Catalan has improved I have decided to dabble in some local-style commentary, and boy does it have some flavour to it! There is no denying what colours they are flying. Whether you listen to the radio team or the TV guys you get a Barca biased to the description of the games. "Meeeesssssiiiiiiiiii" and  "vvveeennnngggaaaa BBBBBBBaaaarrrrççççççaaaaa" and "GGGGGGOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL"   rings from the open windows all over Catalunya. Joaquim M. Puyal is just fantastic. He started his career commentating in Spanish and for years voiced games in that language. In 1976 he gave the first Catalan broadcast since before the Spanish civil war. He had to work with language specialists to create the catalan language needed to analyze football matches. After years of suppression by Franco, Joaquim believed that journalists could play a large role in the revival of the language. This man is passionate about his work. He sees his sport through Catalan tinted glasses. He and his team provide character and fantastic energy to the games. So much so their personas have been given the "highest" form of flattery, imitated frequently on the weekly sport satirical comedy Crackovia.

The added extra of knowing that the moment that Barcelona put that ball in the net your speakers will erupt in the red and blue "GGGGGGGGGOOOOOOLLLLLLLLL" of Joaquim for at least a few minutes makes listening to game all the more fun. Even the opposite effect, the silence that welcomes an opposition's goal has more life than some professional British broadcasters. We all want to feel part of the game and the commentators do not want to alienate us by supporting the wrong side of a city, but I do like to hear my matches through a wee tint of colour on those glasses.

This is the last Paella and Bovril for this season but do not fear. If you have liked what you have read follow the P n B blog over the summer, http://paellaandbovril.blogspot.com.es/


Crackovia presents commentators at their best!  


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Formulaic fun

Image
The festive season is creeping up on us and there feels like no escape. We can only hope that the weather is kind to the Scottish football grounds. A few weeks ago the topic came up "what would you change about the scottish game". This wee serving of Paella and Bovril gives you an idea of what I thought. What do you think? This was first seen in the Programme of the Scottish Cup tie with Deveronvale on Saturday 1st December. Raith went thru to the next round with a 2-1 win Paella and Bovril It seems that every 5 minutes somebody somewhere wants to sweeten the Scottish game it by changing it’s structure. Mix this division with that league, add a dash of grass roots, stir them about and voila! -the perfect cocktail of football. Well that is what they keep promising to serve up to us. What would give Scottish football the perfect flavour? Regional divisions or fewer teams, maybe bigger leagues; but what about the actual 90 minutes? On a recen...
Read more

The wheels on the bus go round and maybe more £s

Image
To quote a great Mr Simpson "see you in spring toes"! It is the festive "fat-up" here in Barcelona. I am in the middle making my THIRD Christmas dinner in less than a week! In 2013 I think I will be staying out the kitchen for a few days and running a wee bit! This serving of Paella and Bovril comes from the Fife Derby against Cowdenbeath on the 29th December. After a being 2 goals down at half time Raith came back to get a point. Enjoy. PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR MATCHDAY PROGRAMME. Paella and Bovril When I was a wee teenager I would regularly be found on a football terrace. Being a pupil at Balwearie High, just behind the railway stand here at Stark’s Park, meant that I could use my “study” periods to come watch one of the reserves games that used to be regularly played.   Of course you do not expect a large crowd at these matches, I am sure that at some of these games I was the only supporter there. But it was a reserves match ...
Read more

day out at the football!

Image
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 ...
Read more