Nando said: "I never thought it would be so difficult to settle down into English football. I'd like to think I'm quite an open, adaptable person. I've played in France as well so I thought it would be more straightforward, but it's taken time.
"The physical nature of the game was difficult, but only because I wasn't fit myself. I hadn't played for a long time so I wasn't going into games 100 per cent. I coped with it after a while.
"I think it was a mixture; off the field things not being quite right, mentally, in myself, whether it's in training ot coming to the game. If things aren't right off the field, such as your family, your children, your wife, it makes things more difficult. How I am on the field is how I am off the field.
"The kids were a bit sad at the beginning because we'd left all their friends behind in Spain. Now my wife is happy to be here and we're settled in. My little girl speaks really good English. My best English teacher of all is my daughter.
"Now I've got quite a few games behind me and I feel I've settled in. It's taken a lot longer than I originally hoped. I was surprised by that but now as we go into 2006 I hope I can put that experience behind me. Things can now look up, not just for me personally but for the team."