The fact that former City player Cedric Anselin has very recently been granted settled status allowing him to stay in the UK permanently has set my old thought train running down the tracks.
To be honest Cedric was never a star and debatably not really one of our stand-out recruits [courtesy of Bruce Rioch who signed him from Bordeaux all those years ago] but he was reliable when injury allowed during the short time he was with us.
Since his playing days, Cedric has become a prominent campaigner on behalf of male mental health and often contributes to Radio Norfolk with his appearances alongside Chris Goreham, just as Mark Rivers, Mark Walton and Gossy do equally effectively as well of course.
I once bumped into Cedric years ago and a nicer man you could not meet – he is just the type of guy every country should be proud to accept as a citizen. I claim to be apolitical, so I’ll save my views on Cedric’s particular situation until a tad later.***
But it kind of turned my attention to what it might be like for a new signing at a new club in a new country.
Right now NCFC have a rare old clutch of “foreign” players. Christos Tzolis and Dimi Giannoulis are Greek, Ozan Kabak is Turkish, Matias Normann is Norwegian, Teemu Pukki is Finnish, Milot Rashica is the first Kosovan to score a Premier League goal and Kenny McLean is rather obviously from Glasgow 😊
There have been so many others over the years as well, of course.
I thought I couldn’t get my head around exactly what these guys might be thinking on their arrival in East Anglia, which is hardly an area in which they are likely to meet fellow countrymen, but a chat yesterday morning with my next door neighbour in Norwich put it into some kind of perspective.
Zoltan and his wife Margrit are from Hungary. They moved here about five years ago and the first thing Zoltan and I spoke about was football. His English then wasn’t up to “hi mate how you doing” level but I learned on day one that he was a former amateur goalkeeper and followed Ferencvaros but his major love is ice hockey.
These days he swears like a trooper in fluent English and his command of the language has become excellent. I’d like to think I helped him a little bit along the way – no sniggering at the back from regular MFW readers, please.
I can also recall a surreal situation when I was selling a property in Llucmajor, Mallorca. Back then such transactions had to be approved face to face with the Abagado or Solicitor with both vendor and purchaser present. Rumours of brown envelopes are only partially true – a small bottle of decent brandy to be shared during the transaction proved totally acceptable on all sides.
Juan who bought the place spoke only Spanish and mine is poco pocito. The solicitor’s English was as dire as my Spanish so he and I communicated in schoolboy French with a translation for Juan. Job done the hard way, although most amicably.
So that’s what it could be like for these young footballers who arrive in this country. I know what a guardian, a centrocampista and a delantero are but I’m no linguist and there’s so much for these young guys to assimilate.
Yes, many of them have some understanding of English when they arrive but a few don’t and it must be so $odding difficult for them to get their heads around the culture change.
Then there’s the question of where they are living and how well they might get along with their neighbours, where to go on a non match-day evening and who with as well as navigating what to them might come across as an alien City. I know, I’ve done this from Paris to Dublin and Manheim to Madrid.
It ain’t easy, believe me.
So I guess we should cut a bit of slack for our *imports* as it’s not so easy to quickly become accustomed to your surroundings no matter how much you might earn, which is never the point under these circumstances.
Folks like Cedric Anselin settle down very quickly and very well, but not everybody copes with ex-patriation as well as him and the likes of Tim Krul or Alex Tettey.
Maybe sometimes the Canary nation expecting a foreign national to hit the ground running is a big old ask.
I’m pretty sure there’s a bit of the theatre about it but to this day Marcelo Bielsa never does his media duties without the services of his translator Andres Clavijo.
In any case, it’s a good illustration of how difficult it might be if you are temporarily a pescado out of agua.
*** I didn’t vote in the referendum but would have chosen remain without the continued presence of the ECoJ and the ECoHR.
Most Europeans I have met [and there is a quantative sample] would agree with me on that point I am sure.
That’s as political as I’ll ever get on MFW.
You are spot on Martin. Its language problems, but basically cultural differences are sometimes so big that it makes settle in very difficult. Locals who have never lived abroad just does not understand it. For footballer how team plays is also very important. Still its also true that no one forces them to move. Thats why people who have come as refugees for example are in different situation and usually they come from places which are culturally very different. Basically for foreign players you should not expect similar club commitment as local players can have. They usually know very little about club and league and it takes time to settle and to settle overall in life to new country and city. Sometimes its never happening. It can be impossible also if you move inside country, areas and cultures differ and you will never be accepted as part of it.
Finnish sportsmen and sportswomen are used to move abroad. Its more like talking how early age someone should or not move, but we are always talking about individuals so there is no right answer. This summer 3 finnish players moved to playing in scottish premier league. I dont know how scottish clubs made those transfers possible because of brexit but it happened. Niskanen Dundee United moved there from Germany. He never settled to Germany and to german football which is very organised just like german society and for mistakes you get punished. He fits to brittish football, tries, runs and battles like crazy. Very untypical finnish player. Ojala Motherwell is experienced journeyman who likely fits playing and living anywhere if just gets paid. Vertainen St Johnstone have been in complete cultural shock. This is his first time playing abroad. He have not settled and they loaned him to Ireland now. Then we have national team squad player who moved to Korean league and settled right away and better than he settled in Belgium.
Hungarian who follows ice hockey its interesting. Hungarians and finns are kind of cousins, we belong in the same linguistic group. Finland just won ice hockey olympic gold, but to be honest it can be described as lame reaction. Nothing compared to when Finland finally got place in major football tournament. Ice hockey and football are like cat and dog in Finland. They are 2 main sports and there is not much love between them. NHL is popular in here, just like premier league. Viasat finland has tv rights to both and now also formula 1 which is another big tv rights in here. Fans between sports are not related together, when different sport coaches meet sometimes there is at least trying to appropriate behaving and speaking without provocation purpose.
Hi 1×2
First off your Glen Kamara seemed to settle quickly with Glasgow Rangers, as did Teemu himself of course, possibly more with Norwich than he ever did with Celtic.
But Teemu has his wife and either one or two children with him here and speaks pretty good English and both of those factors give him a major advantage over youngsters such as Tzolis or the early incarnation of Buendia, who certainly suffered from culture shock in his first season with us.
Whenever I was in France, Germany, Spain or even the RoI i noticed one thing. With work colleagues alongside you in a bar or wherever you are accepted straight away. Venturing out solo can be a little more difficult with a limited command of the language of the host country at your disposal.
Maybe I was lucky but so many strangers have been so good to me in every European country I have visited. Something we are not always that good at reciprocating in the UK I am afraid.
Interesting to hear about the language link between Finland and Hungary – I didn’t realise that. The ice hockey – football comment was interesting also.
Kiitos
Well written, thank you. I’ve subscribed to the old adage “takes a season to bed-in” for a good few years and am flummoxed by the levels of expectation.
This is why Daniel Farke’s German army worked so well for us – asides from the excellent English teaching in German schools – there was a ready-made group of linguistic buddies, who helped each other to settle in. Even Mario & Onel had German as a second language, before arriving here.
A similar duscussion took place on Five Live, last night, asking why some players are allowed time to acclimatise, whilst others are expected to have an instant impact. Taking care of an imported player, away from the football side, is as crucial to their success as anything on the training ground – as crucial as the care we take with home-grown teenage arrivals. One can only imagine the dual problems for younger foreigners, who need careful handling in both areas!
Our club used to have this well covered, but I wonder whether the sheer numbers brought in recently have left our resources overstretched…
Hi Christopher
You’re spot on about the teaching of English [I’d call it American English] in German schools which is probably why I only know about two dozen words of German. Everybody I met wanted to test their English out on me which was cool – but as a result I didn’t learn Jack of their language myself 🙂
It is the age factor that concerns me too. I didn’t work in the wider Europe until I was around 30 and had young children at home at the time but I did more than cope as I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it apart from the travelling. Crossing central Paris a couple of times in an RHD Suzuki Vitara is something I’d rather forget tbh!
We know the Club gives every support to all our young recruits but coming from their homeland to a houseshare in Dussindale or a flatshare in Riverside must be daunting.
There is no way I could have managed that at 19 as I would have missed my mates. I know you make new friends all the time but that doesn’t always compensate.
Have we overstretched in this regard? I fear so.
Thanks – great comment.
Hi Martin
I suppose I am the classical lazy Brit when it comes to learning another language, having worked in Indonesia, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Qatar and many other far flung places as a contractor your life becomes controller by the company you work for.
Most of my time was on remote sites so everything was supplied accommodation, food, laundry and transportation where you needed to go and the main thing was that English was the main source of communication between people.
Gabon is a French speaking country and the locals communicate in that or a tribal language but with the contractors in is in broken English, similarly in Eq Guinea it is Spanish and Cameroon it’s a mixture of French, German and English this was due to the Germans losing the WW1 and England and France taking over their African territories.
In most places the locals are very welcoming but are very protective of their language especially in African it’s OK to speak a European language but try and learn their tribal one and it’s a no go.
While in Yemen, Qatar and Saudi picking up a few phrases is OK but again they prefer to speak English not for your benefit but for theirs.
In Qatar I lived in an apartment and drove 80km each way to work each day and soon adapted to their American style of road system, the apartment, shopping and general living was made easy as the company had locals to get you through each stage being English unlike other national a UK driving licence enabled you to get a local licence without a test.
Each place as you throws up different problems that we all adapt to in our own way it’s no one fits all and I have been luck that all my working life overseas my family preferred to stay UK based so never had the problems of schooling and children welfare which many did.
Social life depending on your location varies on a camp it’s usually a bar or organised function, in Saudi it was a barbacue at a villa with home made wine and Qatar, Dubai it was one of many licenced hotels.
When Cedric and others in the early days of city going into the overseas market I would presume that the club was very unprepared for what was needed to assimilate players into the local community and were left to their own devices to sort things out.
Soto and Sargent would have had less problems due to the language but like the rest would have had to rely on the club to arrange temporary accommodation, driving licences and medical information be it private or a local doctor.
With most European countries some form of English would hopefully have been taught in school but as a very good Philippino friend told me you can learn American from films and TV as a kid.
A family liason person or unit must be an essential department for all clubs these days but it helps to have someone from the same environment that can help you adapt Rashica knowing Sargent, Dimi and Tzolis, Kabak knowing German would have helped having Zimmermann, Sargent and Rachica and the coaching staff to fit in but they all have one thing in common football.
Like starting any new job in a new locations you have to be open minded and adapt to the new environment otherwise it will not be a successful union
Hi Alex
I’ve been to very many countries in Europe but never out of the continent so I doff the proverbial titfer to you.
An interesting read about the language considerations as well.
I think it’s a lot easier to be open-minded as an adult. As I said to Christopher [above] I wouldn’t have stood a chance at 18, 19, 20 or whatever.
Cheers
Most of the African and Arabic speakers will only use English when it is about work and I found out that the reason they didn’t want us to learn local dialects was that they could curse you rotten with others and you had no idea about it.
I can well believe that. *Puta* is a well known indigenous swearword in Spain and the indirect equivalent of our C word, as in the most insulting on the menu. It is often directed towards oppositionjugadores, afficionados and officiales throughout La Liga.
I can’t speak for the mainland but on Mallorca they have a few words reserved for a certain type of Brit tourist which involve lobsters, obesity and state of apparel. It would be rude for me to disclose them on MFW.
I did learn a bit of Spanish for the World Cup when it was held here – “el arbitro es gilipollas”, which if you know that “arbitro” is referee, probably isn’t too hard to work out the rest. (It got me into trouble with a tour rep in Portugal, when I used it in a five a side game against the hotel waiters!)
I first went to Mallorca on a package holiday and we stayed in Alcudia. Can’t remember the name of the hotel but it was right next to a Sportcentre and we had a full 11 v 11 with 30 minutes a half against the staff on the astro which was a tradition for the hotel guys.
We lost either 3-1 or 3-2 but it was bl00dy good fun. Apparently the only time the hotel had lost in five years was against a team of German touring cyclists, some of which regularly played football together.
I get the reference to the Referee’s Song 🙂
Marty, like you I’ve moved about a bit job wise, as a young man I took the wife and kids to live in Yorkshire, we spoke broad Norfolk and the local lingo and ‘ways’ resulted in many a problem and laughs. Big tough steel workers calling each other, and me, ‘love’ took some getting use to. But as far as football clubs are concerned surely they provided help and support for foreign players and their families? Be stupid to give ‘em a new shirt and expect an instant result.
Hi Cutty
You certainly pick up on a lot of cultural differences working away in the UK for sure.
I worked in Middlesbrough lots so the *luv* one isn’t new to me although the first time you hear it there is indeed a certain shock factor. The *Smoggies* tend to eat pie & peas on a good old workmens’ quiz night, have that deep fried Parmo thing and lemon tops are the cornet of local choice on Redcar or Seaton Carew beach. I’ve sampled all three and bl00dy good they were too.
Not being born and bred like you I had to work out what a few Norfolk foodstuffs were myself, such as pork cheese [Londoners called it brawn], samfer [samphire was unheard of in London in the 70s] and the free bits us kids got from the chippy in London were scrapes but Sue has always called them bits.
Jeez knows how I’d get along in Ulan Bator.
Cheers
My daughter had to spend a year abroad as part of her university course when she was 19. She loved Leipzig but, even though she was fluent in German (there’s less English spoken in the former DDR, people over 40 learned Russian at school) and she had been to many countries across 4 continents growing up, she found it difficult. I know clubs now have staff to help look after foreign recruits, but the young men have a lot of pressure and expectations on them and some struggle with it.
The first signing I can remember us making from a non English speaking foreign country was Drazen Mucinic (my spelling is almost certainly wrong). He looked good in the first couple of games but disappeared into oblivion quite quickly.
I hope the fans will give the 2021/22 intake of imports enough time to settle. Rashica seems to have settled quickly. Tzolis, especially, is going to be a good player somewhere-I hope it’s with us.
Hi Don
With regards to your daughter and her studies one of my BASF colleagues was a wonderful lady called Rosemarie, who originally came from Silesia and could speak Polish, German, Russian and of course excellent English.
She never went into too much detail but came to the UK with her parents in the late 1930s [we can imagine why] and ended up marrying some high-up on Horsham Council in the 50s. She was kept on by the company into her early 70s which was very unusual in those days.
NOBODY can spell Muzinic – bet that’s wrong as well, I didn’t cheat and google.
I was going to sign out with Strange Town by The Jam but wrote this in a hurry so forgot to include it which is a shame as it is so appropriate.
Cheers
Great article, as usual, Martin. And another reason why I’m disappointed we didn;t buy more Championship and promising League 1 players over last summer. No English culture shocks there. I accept the foreign lads may be ‘better players’. But thats no good if they can’t settle here, are homesick, have no family/friends with them, or are using us to get a move upwards. Our most successful recent season in the Prem was built on Lambert and McNally’s Champ signings like the Bennetts, Ruddy, Pilkington, Morrison, and the various Leeds lads. Not to mention Holty, Russ, Jackson etc who got us up in the first place. All Brits or British based, before we signed them.
Hi Dan
I think in time to come we’ll look back on the Lambert years with increasing affection – such a shame it ended the way it did but that wasn’t solely of PL’s doing by any means.
Every single player you named is held in high regard by so many of us.
Cheers
I was the only non-Geordie on a tanker shuttling between the Gulf and Europe, so I had to quickly get to grips with a foreign language (well, that’s what it seemed like).
It’s somewhat surprising how many ex-players end up settling here, even when they’ve played somewhere else after us, but maybe house prices have something to do with that. Cedric is the first foreign born player to do so, as far as I’m aware. Even managers have stayed as well, Worthington and Brown come to mind (can’t count Stringer, he’s local).
Hi Jim
I generally worked with Teessiders rather than Geordies and their accent is much softer and easier to get to grips with but I had to go up to Cramlington a couple of times and I must admit I struggled a bit on occasions. Same with Glasgow!
Dave Stringer is born and bred, Ken Brown lives in Brundall and I know Worthington stayed here as well, just like Hucks and quite a few of the other past players as well as you say.
I can’t think of another foreign-born player to have become settled in Norfolk either but I bet there’s one or two we’ve both forgotten about.
Cheers