Although I absolutely love living in Spain and have no plans to return to England any time soon, I do miss going to Anfield to see Liverpool in action. However, as I’ve grown older, watching the Reds in person isn’t as important to me any more.

As a dad, I get more of a buzz in knowing that my son and daughter are regular match goers. Watching them provide running commentary during their trips to Anfield and sharing their photos with me on the way there and back and of course while at the game is great. It does it for me. I have a responsibility with the KopTalk website to be available during Liverpool games so it’s not like I can down tools every time there’s a match. But that’s fine with me.

I can’t imagine me ever missing a game back in my teens or even my twenties but as I’ve grown older, I’ve grown a bit disillusioned with the English game today compared to the English game that I followed as a youngster. I no longer worship footballers and in all honesty I have little time for them.

I do though watch every Liverpool game that is televised and having invested in a huge High Def projector and a multi-satellite system, I never miss a Liverpool game, including Saturday 3pm kick-offs. Thanks to my existing set-up I can watch any Liverpool game no matter whether they’re broadcast on Sky/ESPN or not. If I didn’t have such a set-up, I’d go insane. Instead of pissing my money up the wall every weekend like a lot of blokes do, I prefer to put my money into ensuring I can follow the Reds home and away. Ironically it’s easier watching English football outside England! Bizarre I know but I understand that they can’t broadcast Saturday 3pm games in the UK as the smaller clubs would suffer.

My nearest La Liga outfit is Rafa Benitez’s former side Valencia. It takes me probably an hour and 20 minutes to get to the Mestalla and it’s a lovely drive. There’s never any traffic on the motorways due to the tolls. The Spanish are quite happy to take the busier (free) roads. Me, well I like to get from A to B as quickly as possibly without stopping. There’s ample, secure parking near the stadium and plenty of places to grab a decent bite to eat or a drink. It just works for me.

Someone asked me yesterday how much season tickets are at Valencia as I mentioned snapping up a couple for next season. I have no idea what the prices will be but Valencia confirmed to me today that availability won’t be an issue.

I have attached below an image showing last year’s prices. You can see that the cheapest season ticket (without concessions) for all La Liga games is £259 and many of those will be situated quite high within the stadium. The most expensive season ticket is £1537 and these are located in the centre of the pitch like where the director’s box is at Anfield. For £313 you can get a season ticket located behind one of the North or South goals and not up in the heavens either – it’s cheaper if you’re willing to go in the upper tiers.

Valencia Season Ticket Prices 2012-13

I went to the recent Champions League game between Valencia and PSG and we were in the most expensive seats adjacent to David Beckham who was attending his first game with PSG since signing for them. That of course delighted my good lady. If we’d gone in the stand directly opposite though we would have paid much less, even though the tickets would have been at the same viewing level and position along the pitch. The only difference would be that you wouldn’t be seated behind the dugouts but it’s not like you can see much anyway. I want to see the game and not watch the back of the managers’s heads while they’re barking orders.

The only issue I have with attending Spanish football fixtures is the late 10pm/11pm local time kick-offs. I was going to go this weekend but a 10pm kick-off is just too late for me. I understand the problem of the heat in the summer but just now, it’s not a problem at all. Obviously they want to attract audiences around the globe but a game finishing the day after you actually started watching it messes with your head a bit. So for me, while I will consider buying some season tickets next season, it’s highly unlikely that I’ll start attending games that kick off so late at night.

As I’ve got older I’ve found myself watching more and more football from different countries. I enjoy La Liga and Serie A. I visited the San Siro last year and really enjoyed it. I’ve even started watching French football so I can see how Joey Barton and David Beckham are doing. The Bundesliga is something that I plan on watching more of, especially when Luis Suarez signs for Bayern Munich in the summer

When I travel I’ll always take in a game or two where possible, no matter who the teams are. I remember being on holiday in Malta as a teenager once and finding out that Glasgow Rangers were visiting to take on Valetta. I was chuffed to bits. While on a recent trip to New York I went to see the New York Red Bulls. While the stadium was superb and the pre-match entertainment outside the stadium was highly entertaining, the football wasn’t.

In my early teens I would watch Scarborough play and if I didn’t have enough dinner money from school to save up during the week to get me to Liverpool, I’d go and see Leeds play. I watched loads of Leeds games during the 1989-90 season when they won promotion from the old 2nd Division after just beating Sheffield United to be crowned champions. They had some great players. One of the best games of football I have ever been to for atmosphere and excitement was Leeds United 4 Hull City 3 which was played on 10th February 1990. Vinnie Jones scored a great volley and Gordon Strachan scored an injury time winner. It was fantastic!

When I lived in the North East, I bought 2 season tickets for Newcastle so that my kids could go to the odd game. In fairness the tickets were hardly used. I think they were used around half a dozen times. My next door neighbour ended up tapping them off me each weekend. My kids would only really go and see the big clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal when they were visiting. I obviously nabbed them when Liverpool were in town. My haters made a big deal out of this at the time even though it was myself that made such a ‘revelation’. Me, I never understood what the big deal was, but then again I’m a grown up. I’m a football fan so I’ll go and watch any football that’s nearby. I’ve only ever supported Liverpool in my life and I only ever went to see the Reds play. I guess they might say I’m a Valencia fan now … although they can’t make their minds up if I’m even a Liverpool fan LOL!

I love football and even though it’s not as important to me as it was, I’ll always be a follower. The only thing that comes close to football is PDC darts, which has been growing in support due to so many old skool football fans being priced out of following their teams due to the highly-inflated ticket prices.

What’s important to me is atmosphere. I can’t stand a game with no atmosphere. It does nothing for me. It has to be loud. I like crunching tackles, bust-ups, controversy and grudges (history). This is why I am not a fan of youth football at any level. I honestly can’t watch it. I’ll watch them when they break through. If I have to watch a youth game for ‘work’ purposes, I’m not a happy bunny.

I will always support Liverpool but I’ll never blindly follow anyone or anything. As for football in general, I’ll continue to watch as many games as I can but I do fear for the English game because the ticket prices in the Premier League can’t continue increasing as they are.

If you’ve never considered watching a foreign league as side interest, give it a go. I would never have imagined that I’d have an interest in other leagues. When a La Liga game is on Sky TV, I even watch it on my Spanish satellite system so I get the full Spanish commentary opposed to English. Thats coz I’m hardcore init

I’d be interested in hearing from you if you watch other leagues and if so, what made you start watching further afield.

@DuncanOldham

Following Chelsea’s FA Cup win over Middlesbrough last night, Rafa Benitez handed out a few facts to the Chelsea supporters that have been hounding him ever since taking the job. I’ve posted the complete BBC Sport transcript below of his so called ‘rant’.

I watched and listened to 3 different interviews of his post-match interview and each one was almost identical so it was clearly premeditated and well thought out. I’d never remember all of that speech and keep it almost identical in each interview I gave. I have no doubt that he completely rehearsed it. Yes it was clearly brewing but I have this image of Rafa pacing his house all week practising what he was going to say! Chelsea didn’t even lose LOL.

We all knew that it would never work out. As much as I love Rafa, he must have been completely deluded to think that it would work even for just a few months.

While Chelsea ‘fans’ have the right to express their disgust at the appointment, they should be behind the team on match-days. It does nobody any good slaughtering the manager. The chants and bad feeling certainly rubs off on the players.

What made me laugh was Rafa’s words about Chelsea fans making flags… that’d be a first! At least Rafa inspired them to start making some, although the ‘Fat Spanish Waiter’ flag that was on display last night is taking it too far. Liverpool fans had no time for Roy Hodgson and while they voiced concerns in their own circles, you would never have seen disturbing banners like that displayed on the Kop. Even Hodgson’s biggest critics back then would tear down such nonsense because it’s just wrong.

I’d hazard a guess that Rafa already has a new job lined up from the summer. As for Chelsea, they should never have let Roberto Di Matteo go in the first place.

RAFA TRANSCRIPT

BBC Radio 5 live reporter Alastair Yeomans: “What was a difficult first half for you in the end turned out OK?”

Rafael Benitez: “Yes, it was difficult, normally in the FA Cup it’s always difficult but I thought our team was doing well, it was a professional performance, a lot of players doing well. I was really pleased with Nathan Ake [who made his full debut] and really pleased with Paulo Ferreira because they showed they are good players and fantastic professionals. So for me, a great performance of the team and I am really pleased with the result.”

AY: “What was your thinking about making eight changes for this game because we saw the other week when Arsenal maybe didn’t play their full team against Blackburn they lost – what was your thinking about that tonight?”

RB: “I had a lot of confidence in the players because I can see them training every day and they were doing really well, so I was really pleased, I could see in the training sessions and was really pleased, so to play them, no problem.”

AY: “And first half, the tempo, was that quick enough for you, was that good enough for you?”

RB: “I think that they were pushing so they were working hard so it was not easy but they were doing their job.”

AY: “How important is this FA Cup to you now? You go to Manchester United next so there are no givens.”

RB: “I think for us every game, every trophy is really important. I have been manager for 26 years, I have won the Fifa Club World Cup, the Champions League, FA Cup, a lot of trophies and I’m really a little bit disappointed with some fans, a group of fans singing and I think they are not making any favour to the team.

“They have to support the team instead of wasting time doing banners or singing songs. What they have to do is support the team and create a good atmosphere in Stamford Bridge. If we cannot achieve the target that we are looking for, to be in the Champions League… If they continue singing and talking and talking then I think they are not making any favours. They have to support the players, they have to support the team, I have experience as a manager, I will do my best until the last day.

“They gave me the title of interim manager, it’s a massive mistake. I am the manager and I will manage the team until the end, every single minute.

“If they want to carry on wasting time with these things because they have an agenda, they have to take responsibility if something is wrong. It’s not just ‘I will blame this one, I will blame the other one’, what they have to do is to support the team and then everyone has to stick together and we can achieve what we want to achieve – that is the Champions League. Simple.

“If not then next year they can carry on singing but we will be in the Europa League so they have to realise that they are not making any favour – to the rest of the fans and also to the players.”

AY: “When you made the comments that they are talking about, some of them, you were fighting for Liverpool. There was a big rivalry with Liverpool and Chelsea, you’d expect you to say those things, is that what you’re saying?”

RB: “I am a professional, I am doing my job and I will do my job. What I want to do is, I want to win every single game for Chelsea Football Club. But, if they don’t understand this, at the end of the season, because I am interim, I will leave. They don’t need to worry about me.

“What they have to do is to support the team, to support the players. And it’s a group of people and they have an agenda. They have to realise that the rest of the fans, they want to see the team the next year in the Champions League. It’s not ‘I am right or I am wrong’, you have to see the team in the Champions League and they have to support the team, that is the main thing.

“At the end of the season I will leave, they don’t need to be worrying about me.”

* My first 2 articles on my new blog have involved Chelsea. Sorry about that LOL. I’m only responding to current topics and obviously I’ve touched on Rafa because I’m a big fan of his so cut me some slack

I’m a Liverpool fan so I’m supposed to hate John Terry, but I’m afraid I don’t. I don’t follow a crowd, I make my own decisions in life and judge footballers on their ability. I’m not judging his character, I’m judging him as John Terry the footballer.

If I was a Chelsea supporter, Terry would be one of my favourite players. I’m sure that Chelsea fans see Terry and Frank Lampard like Liverpool fans see Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard.

Terry is a leader and a great footballer but away from football the media certainly portray him as a tool. Maybe he is. He’s certainly been caught up in a new incidents over the years which suggests he’s got some mouth on him.

He was outed for sleeping with Wayne Bridge’s former girlfriend and I could never quite get my head around that. While Bridge was no longer with Vanessa Perroncel, there’s no way I could do that to a mate. It’s just an unwritten rule between good men.

I don’t believe he’s a racist just because he ran his mouth against Anton Ferdinand, just like I don’t think Luis Suarez is a racist for clashing with Patrice Evra.

Footballers often get caught up in incidents in bars and clubs and charges against him after clashing with doormen back in 2002 were dropped. Steven Gerrard was charged and later found guilty of affray following a brawl in 2008. Terry didn’t go to court, Gerrard did. Who knows what happens at these incidents when things go down. I prefer not to comment on ugly incidents like these unless I witnessed them myself. Raheem Sterling’s currently facing a court appearance to answer charges of assault after a woman reported him for assault. People are quick to judge him and they shouldn’t. It’s easy to judge, criticise or defend but unless you know the facts yourself, it’s best avoided. Footballers are easy targets.

I am far from defending Terry’s character, I am merely saying I try to avoid having an opinion on players that get caught up in stuff unless I can see and judge the facts for myself. I won’t join a pack to attack someone and I won’t defend someone blindly through allegiance.

Terry was once fined for parking his Bentley in a disabled parking space. Now you can’t argue with that so yeh, total c*nt, End of his defence. LOL.

Concentrating on football and football only, I like players of Terry’s style (not character!). He is a battler and I can honestly say that I’d be willing to hang a signed John Terry England shirt in my house, especially if I thought some of my visitors might object