Some Golden Soft Sombrero Moments with John Filan Filan on his English footy travels… Diegos: " Aussie goalkeepers are certainly the flavour of the month in the UK at the moment. Of the three plying their trade in the English premiership - Bosnich, Schwarzer and yourself, it seems that you're the one who prompts the question "who the hell is this Aussie upstart with the gloves on? The Diegos know that you are the great John Filan but can you tell the rest of Australia about your soccer travels since you left home many years ago?" Filan: " I left just after the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Since then I've traveled around a bit, a gypsy type of career if you like, up until just recently. Early on I went to Cambridge for a couple of seasons in the second division and then moved to Coventry were l didn't have the best of times. At the start of last season l ended up at Blackburn and its gone well since then." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999
Diegos: " It seems that every overseas club want an Aussie goalkeeper nowadays. What special qualities do you think Aussie keepers have that overseas goalkeepers don't have and do you think the myth that young Aussie keepers have to strangle man-eating crocodiles for training has any thing to do with the fact that they are in such great demand at the moment?" Filan: " You're probably right. I think the Aussie boys are a bit crazier than the English keepers. We tend to get involved in a few things that the English keepers will stay out of. There have been a few suggestions about our parentage and stuff like that. But we're hanging in there and the boys are doing well." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999
Diegos: " Your performances for Blackburn Rovers are attracting rave reviews across England at present. It seems however, that the press and the fans are not the only ones doing the raving. Apparently you have sent Blackburn's former number one custodian, Tim Flower stark raving mad, in that since his return from injury, your displays have kept him out of the team - so much so, that he has demanded a transfer from the club. You've spent a long time being number two keeper for a couple of clubs in the past. How does it feel to finally be "The Man" and are you tempted to perhaps, suggest to Tim that he should spend more time cleaning your boots and getting you cups of tea for a change?" Filan: " That might be a good idea. At the moment I've got Tim running scared and I'm more than happy with that. It's a situation were one keeper has got to play and one misses out. Unfortunately it looks like he's not taking it that well and is stating publicly, that he wants to leave the club. I can't be worried about those sorts of things. I just want to play in the first team." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999
Diegos: " We all know how treacherous it is to be a goalkeeper, especially in England where players like Duncan Ferguson and Vinnie Jones get a pay rise if they claim a keeper's scalp. We Diegos nearly cried a couple of weeks ago when you literally fell on your head whilst going for a high ball against Sunderland in the FA cup. We were thinking the worst when you were stretchered from the park wearing a neck brace. Miraculously you played the next week. Was the injury as serious as it looked and did you employ the services of Glenn Hoddle's faith healer, Eileen Drewery to get you right so quickly?" Filan: " Getting Hoddle's faith healer may well have been a good option at the time because l certainly didn't feel to good after l took that spill. When the physio came out and realized that l had fallen on my head, he wasn't as worried as usual because l have been known as being a bit of a thick-head in the past. Thinking back, in that respect, it was probably a good thing that l did go in head first." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999 Filan on Roy Hodgson as Socceroo coach… Diegos: "You played under Roy Hodgson at Blackburn prior to his sacking earlier this season. He is being touted as a possible future Socceroos coach. Do you think he has the qualities to lead the Socceroos to the next World Cup and if he does get the job, do you think your chances of playing for the Socceroos will improve?" Filan: " I'm not sure about whether it will improve my chances of playing but I'm sure the ex-manager will do a good job if he gets the job. He has had a couple of other national teams and done well with them. Whether or not he wants to come down to Australia is another matter. To be honest, I think he might struggle with the Aussie sense of humour. He gets a bit intellectual at times so you'll all have to have your dictionaries on hand regularly. But other than that l think that he would do well." Diegos: "Are Aussie players in England concerned that a Socceroo coach has not been appointed as yet?" Filan: " Its weird situation because when Terry Venables was appointed for the last campaign, there was a lot of hype and media attention focused on it here in England. Aussie football as a result was getting a lot of coverage. When he did leave the set up in Australia, a lot of papers were asking about who was going to be the next manager. It seemed that at stage that there were a number of people interested in the job. But it looks as though Soccer Australia has let it go for too long and that the initial interest has died away. At present I've got coaches and managers at our club asking me who the manager is and l can't really tell them. Maybe the Aussie decision makers have missed the boat a little bit on this one but I guess that's something Soccer Australia has got to sort out itself." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999
Diegos: " Your new manager, Brian Kidd was the famous number two under Alex Ferguson at Manchester United for many years. He has done a great job with the team since he took over. What's he like as a manager and does he spit as much as Alex Ferguson?" Filan: " Fortunately he hasn't spat at me yet. I'm more than happy with him so far. He has done well for the club, very well in fact. He has come from a successful club and he possesses that arrogance about his management that will no doubt soon, flow through the whole team." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999
Diegos: " Australia has a glut of world class goalkeepers vying for the prized, psychedelic Socceroo keeper's shirt. You have to compete against the likes of Mark 'Bonza' Bosnich, Mark ' The Baby Giraffe' Schwarzer and Zeljko 'The Overgrown Cat' Kalac. Is it a case of John 'Fed Up' Filan when it comes to your aspirations to become the Socceroos next World Cup keeper? " Filan: " Not really. The problem with Australian football is that it only has important competition once every four years in the World Cup. As a result a lot of the guys over here are more worried about their careers with their clubs and if they get picked to play with the Socceroos it's a bonus. Unfortunately representing your country doesn't pay the bills week in week out. The main thing for me is my football career here but if l do get involved with the Socceroos in the future, that will be great." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999
Diegos: " Mark Bosnich has had a couple of well publicized spats with English supporters behind his goal over the years. What is the funniest thing opposition supporters have said to you and have you thought about hitting them with the age old, Basil Fawlty, Nazi salute to the them of your back?" Filan: " After seeing what Bosnich copped at Spurs and in the media, I've kept the old Nazi salute well and truly tucked away. The weirdest experience I've ever had was when l first signed at Blackburn. A lady came in at one of the club's signing sessions and got so excited that she took off her false leg and wanted me to sign it. The only problem was that it still had a shoe and stocking on it. You get used to some weird things over here." Soft Sombrero Moment 1999 |