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"I know you were in Los Angeles last week but how does Johan Cruyff in Amsterdam sound?" said Football Focus editor Mark Cole last week.

always sounds good. Just as we had done with Jurgen Klinsmann, we were interviewing Dutch legend Cruyff for Gary Lineker's documentary this coming Sunday but sneaking in a few questions for Focus.

I spoke to Cruyff back in April when he became honorary president of Barcelona - a role he held for all of two months before Joan Laporta's replacement gave him the heave-ho.

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Greetings. This week's blog is about a hurriedly arranged trip to to interview .

I can see some of you already penning your "waste of licence fee payers' money" and "expensive jolly" comments, so let me offer this early defence.

The interview with Klinsmann will not only be available on but also as part of a documentary about the England national side and how they can put right the wrongs of this summer's World Cup in South Africa. I also stayed in a dodgy hotel miles from anywhere and was seated at the back of the plane on the flight in and out.

In fact, the journey out there will live with me for quite some time. Flying to LA is a bit of a 10-hour beast and the last thing you want to hear when you sit down on a packed flight is this from the bloke you are wedged next to...

"I've got a significant bladder problem!" Such was the regularity of his rising that I had to abandon watching an hour in. A forced intermission every seven to eight minutes does not make for perfect viewing conditions.

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It's official - our good record has completely gone in the last few weeks. Last season, when we took on the road, we seemed to act as a lucky omen to the home side - just ask Manchester City, Fulham, Tottenham, Burnley and Bradford fans. This time round we are 2 and 0 (as the Americans would say).

We went to Leeds on the opening day of the season and - and exactlylast Saturday.

Now, I know a lot of people were miffed at my praise for Joey Barton last week so I promise not to talk about him, but I will be concentrating on our trip to the North East.

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I had a miniature lemon cheesecake last night that was simply spectacular. Normally I am not a big fan of 'mini' anything when it comes to grub but this beauty was a six-bite culinary masterpiece.

I had been painting our living room for a few hours and, just when I was considering downing brushes, the lemon 'hit' kept me going until the midnight hour.

Away from cheesecake, I received a request this week for my five Premier League players of the season so far. I know this will cause quite a bit of debate so here we go (in no particular order)...

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Hello people. I trust all is well out there. I got a letter last week. It was a rather angry one. Thankfully I don't get too many furious letters but this was a good one. It was from a fan who was a little bit miffed that I said on Focus that his team played in orange.

In truth I should have known better. I used to work in the north-west of England and I am well aware that a) they play in tangerine and b) their supporters get very moody if you describe it as "orange".

The letter was about 7/10 on the rage scale - sections of capital letters also take you into the 7-10 bracket. The phrase "HAVE YOU GOT IT?" was repeated several times and the answer is, yes, I have got it and I aim to avoid any colour-based confusion over the rest of the season.

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