A pleasant surprise this morning – a comment from a Liverpool supporter. I had no idea any of them could write. But, to be honest, he only said what I’d decided not to add to my dismissal of British football yesterday, viz. that when your team has lost 7 of its last 8 games you’re entitled to be a tad disillusioned. And then there’s the recent woeful performances of the England team. Which rather makes my point because – unlike both Liverpool and Everton – it comprises only national players. Liverpool, of course, is essentially a Spanish team. So I do rejoice in its successes. These days at least.

The Portuguese economy is struggling and VAT rates have recently risen there. This has the poorer inhabitants crossing the border in search of cheaper petrol in Tui and the richer to buy luxury cars in Vigo. Strangely enough, Spanish doctors are going in the opposite direction, which is a problem for the Galician Xunta. It’s bad enough when Madrid is trying to steal your talent without the lowly Portuguese getting in on the act.

It must be a shock for the Spanish when they first hear, say, a Chinese accent. For, in films shown here both in cinemas and on TV, every single voice is dubbed by one of the same 5 or 6 people [I refuse to say ‘actors’] who provide the voices for everybody of any age and provenance in every film. I feel the Spanish should stir themselves and riot against this. It must violate some race law somewhere. As well as annoying the hell out of me, if you haven't noticed.

Oh, and by the way, if I’d had been a lifelong supporter of Liverpool, they’d have been in the Second Division when I was a tot. Which Everton never have.