Another planet
Ulises could have landed on Mars
by Pat Stanton
WATCHING
MANCHESTER UNITED beating Boavista on Wednesday night, it struck me how many foreign
players have invaded the leagues in other nations. In Scotland we have more and more
each day but we're not so different from the likes of Portugal whose current League
Champions arrived at Old Trafford with Brazilians and Venezuelans amongst their number.
There are
differences, of course. Those from Brazil enjoy the same native tongue as Portuguese
is the language spoken in both nations. Also, the climate and many of the customs in
Portuglal will make it so much easier for the South Americans to settle. I'm not
sure about the guy from Venezuela in terms of the language spoken but climate etc will not
be a difficulty.
Compare that to the
Ulises De La Cruz situation. He arrives in Scotland where the natives speak a
totally differnt language and even his team mates, with the exception of Paco Luna, will
speak in a tongue and dialect he must find difficult to comprehend. Then there are
the customs of this strange land. I doubt very much whether Ulises had heard of or
experienced any of these before he arrived. Lets be honest, it must feel like Mars
to him and I don't mean the deep fried variety!
Is Stuart Lovell helping Ulises settle in? (sns)
Finally there's the
weather. You might scoff and say it should not be a factor but put yourself in his
place. Imagine you're a brickie and you've been suddenly transported to Ecuador,
where it is VERY hot and humid but you are expected, from the day you arrive, to adjust to
that and perform at your very best when laying bricks. Add to that the fact that you
understand very little of what is being said to you and even less about some of the
customs you observe on a daily basis and maybe you'll understand why it is taking Ulises a
wee while to settle.
I've seen him do
things on the park which require immense talent and I've seen him do things which might
make him struggle to get picked down the local park but I know this for certain - he will
come good and he will be an asset to Hibs. Perhaps the signing of his countryman
Hurtado, should it go ahead, will help him even more.
Right now the only
thing about Ulises that really worries me is the news that Ecuador plan 15 warm up matches
ahead of the World Cup next summer. He's going to clock up some air miles if he's
involved in that lot and it will not help him to settle here any quicker. Lets hope
Alex can have some say in when he will be released.
Last Saturday's
defeat at Parkhead was disappointing in terms of the result but I was encouraged by the
fact that we at least had a go. Better to lose whilst trying to win - if you know
what I mean! It's Motherwell on Saturday and I've no reason to think we cannot turn
them over. Alex will have the lads fired up and ready and it's all about pride now
as they strive to prove to one and all that last season was not just a flash in the pan.
Celtic games are always hard (sns)
Like Alex I believe
that third place is still possible. Livi will not keep their run going for ever and
once they suffer a couple of defeats the pack will close on them. Credit to them for
their efforts but that's the way I see it. Aberdeen are a very young side and I
think they will falter also whilst Dundee and Hearts are too inconsistent and have quite
shallow squads. Yes, Hibs can still do it - starting with a win on Saturday.
Oh, one last thing.
I'm very interested in the debate over where the CIS Cup Semi Final should be
played. Hampden. which I don't really like as a ground personally, Fir Park,
Tynecastle, Ibrox or wherever. One thing is for sure, wherever we play it, Ayr
United will not be a walkover - not with Yogi roaring them on!
Until next time
Pat |
