The Saturday Interview: Brian Doogan meets new Ewood goalkeeper John Filan

IN Irish, the name means wolf. But in Ireland the O'Faolains were branded horse-rustlers.

They came from Roscommon and they left, changing the family name to Filan, with their tails between their legs and the horses' tails - and the horses - returned to their rightful owners.

Their destination?

"For rustling a horse or two, they were sent to Australia, one of the best countries in the world - some punishment!" joked John Filan, the Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper, who in two matches this season has not only filled the boots of the injured Tim Flowers adequately but has stood out in his own right.

Off the pitch, relaxed and good-humoured, he shows no indication of partaking in former family pastimes - the horse population of East Lancashire has reported no missing persons in recent weeks.

He does, however, share his ancestors' sense of adventure.

Abseiling, caving and rock-climbing feature prominently among his hobbies.

Bungee-jumps and parachute jumps would too, "only Mr Hodgson might not be keen on the idea".

Occasional excursions near the Great Barrier Reef are also obligatory for a guy brought up in Eastwood, Sydney, within touching distance of the sea on which he used to surf.

Now he goes diving and the feeling of floating, of being in suspended animation, is a fantastic experience.

"It's a weird feeling, everything's so different down there," said Filan, still staying at The Dunkenhalgh since his arrival from Coventry City but hoping to move into a converted barn in a small country village with girlfriend Emma in a matter of weeks.

Part of the attraction of diving as well is the lack of human life underwater.

Filan gets on well with people, has retained friends even from his days spent at the Marist Brothers School in Eastwood 10 years ago.

About 15 of them go camping together each year.

The hour I spent with him this week suggested he could be good company. But, as much as he enjoys being with people, he likes his own company too.

"Diving's something you can do by yourself in a world not dominated by humans," he elaborated, adding later that when on land his musical tastes are far-reaching - "If I like it, I like it" - he likes to read about personal triumph and his favourite actors are Steve McQueen and John Wayne.

"When I first tried diving I thought I'd hate it but it's magic.

"I don't mind being by myself.

"If there's too many in the room, I'll find a way to leave."

Maybe this is why he became a goalkeeper. He can be part of a team but he can also stand in isolation.

His more simple explanation is: "People would probably tell you it's because I can't run!"

It may also have had something to do with his mother, Margaret, a computer librarian.

Filan's older brother, Kevin, formerly a paratrooper and now working in adventure holidays, was big into rugby league, a sport Margaret did not deem suitable for her younger son.

"My mum deterred me from playing rugby league because Kevin used to come home with bits missing!" recalled John.

He did, however, play some rugby league for the Brothers, who could be ruthless on the sports field as well as in the classroom.

"They tended to be a bit more physical than the teachers at my primary school, St Michael's, Meadowbank, who were nuns," said Filan. "The Brothers didn't mind grabbing you by the collar and instilling a little fear in you."

They also instilled enough knowledge in Filan for him to be accepted for university courses in physiotherapy and physical education.

But he chose football instead and by the age of 22 was proficient enough to keep goal for Australia, along with Aston Villa's Mark Bosnich, at the Barcelona Olympics.

"That experience changed my whole concept of the Olympics, it was a real eye-opener - I realised just how much commercialism is in it," said Filan, about an event which plunged to even more gaudy depths in Atlanta last year, epitomized by the participation of America's basketball Dream Team who were first assembled in Barcelona.

"I was brought up believing in true amateurism where a person could train on dirt tracks and emerge from nowhere to win an Olympic gold medal.

"Those days are gone.

"Whether or not that changes sport, you can't stop it.

"It's inevitable now. There is money in sport - a lot of it - and that's it."

Market forces were less behind his move to Ewood Park than a desire to make Terry Venables' Australian squad for France '98.

"Blackburn Rovers are a more high-profile club and they're at the top end of the league," said Filan, who has a firm grasp of reality. "But it wasn't solely a decision about making the national team - that's out of my hands anyway.

"Just as it's out of my hands what happens when Tim Flowers returns to match fitness.

"I take the attitude that when I play I do as well as I can. When Tim's fit we'll see what happens.

"But that will be determined by the manager. He gets paid to do that.

"At any professional club, there's only 11 numbers and you have to accept that.

"I would like to play a role in France '98 - there was even talk that I may be eligible for Ireland, though I don't know if appearing for Australia at the Olympics - which were not fully recognised internationals - would prevent that."

If it doesn't veto his availability for the Republic, there is always the small matter of a few horses ...

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.