The dressing room was all hugs and beaming smiles.

Our best performance of the season so far and almost everyone had a good reason to be happy. Only Rossi, another game without a goal, looked downhearted. Several of the players shook my hand and thanked me although I'm not sure what I did...apart from make frantic Benitez-like arm gestures for 90 minutes.

I was on my way back out to my car when Ruben called me back holding his phone out in front of him.

"it's for you" he said, handing me the phone with a wide smile

I took the phone off him, confused

"err...hola?"

"Jon...my name is Manuel Pellegrini...I just want to say congratulations on this win...already this club will start to love you"

I went to reply but it sounded like his signal was breaking up so I handed the phone back to Ruben.

"thank him for me Ruben, that meant a lot"

We all had the day off on the Thursday and Lucy and I decided to head into town for a nice Autumn walk through the park. I still couldn't tell what was going on inside her head, would she one day just insist on us moving back home or would I catch her calling Spain home absent mindedly in the middle of a conversation. The problem was I hadn't really thought through what my response would be if she did demand we went back.

We popped into a shop to buy some groceries only for the shopkeeper to embrace me and call out several of his relatives from the back room out to do the same. It was then that I saw the Villareal scarf up behind the till.

"Senor, por favor...you hold yes?"

He thrust a cereal box in my hand and positioned me near the till.

"photograph please"

My wife sniggered as I was left there confused for several minutes whilst he rumaged around in the stock room for his camera. Meanwhile 2 old ladies impatiently stood behind me with thier shopping.

Eventually he re-appeared and took his photo of me pretending to buy something. This was followed by several snaps of me with various members of his family, holding the dirty looking scarf above our heads.

We eventually left the place without buying anything.

"wow, I guess this is how it feels to be famous" I said as we headed further into town.

"it was hardly front page of HELLO magazine Jon" she replied.

But I think she had put ideas into her own head as we spent the next 3 long hours in clothes shops looking for expensive outfits for her.