David Moyes says that whenever he has visited Athletic Bilbao’s San Mames stadium it has left a lasting impression on him.
The Real Sociedad boss takes his side there to face Los Leones in the Basque derby on Tuesday and revealed that he thinks it is a ground that serves as an inspiration for the players.
“I think Athletic have got a fantastic stadium and I’ve been incredibly impressed by the facilities there,” the Scot told a Press conference.
“I think it’s something we need here as a way to attract people to football. The supporters want to spend their money wisely and make sure they are getting good value. They want good seats, a good view and to be close to the action.
“There is a great atmosphere at San Mames and I hope it is going to inspire my team as well. If you are a fan of football you want to play at the big venues and a full stadium adds to the atmosphere.
“My players are experienced and they’ve done it before many times so I’d expect them to be able to cope with a lively atmosphere.”
The game starts at 10pm local time and one thing Moyes is not impressed with are the inconvenient kick-off times and scheduling of games in Spain.
“We’ll have a really difficult week with playing Saturday-Tuesday-Friday and I don’t think it’s fair.
“We’ve had less time to recover from Saturday’s match than Athletic [who played on Friday] and it’s not correct, although we know that in football you have to get on with it and play your games,” he maintained.
