Anorthosis adventure has been an eye-opener for Andrea Orlandi

Such as the day his team’s fans started fighting with the opposition substitutes before a game had even kicked off.

The former Albion playmaker still wonders how he ended up on the Mediterranean island – with its beautiful weather and landscapes but somewhat unruly football culture – rather than, for example, the shivering and wet but more traditional footballing heartland of North West England.

But he is certainly seeing the world and his young daughters Norah and Emma, who was born in Brighton almost two years ago, love their current home.

“The lifestyle is very good,” Orlandi said as he prepared to help his top-flight team Anorthosis Famagusta take on leaders APOEL of Nicosia.

“The weather is fantastic and my daughters are enjoying it more than me probably. The football is miles away from what I’ve been used to. Technically it’s not bad and you see some really good players here.

“But I’ve had some bad experiences myself and the way clubs treat players here shouldn’t be allowed.

“Still, Anorthosis is a big club with a good fanbase and we are in the race to win the league despite a couple of bad results lately.”

Anorthosis have a cosmopolitan squad, including players from Brazil, Portugal, South Africa, Slovenia, Sweden and France. Their match against APOEL attracted a crowd of 7,000.

Orlandi has seen examples of poor organisation around the league off the pitch – and unexpected drama on it. He told The Argus: “Clubs here don’t have a great reputation and I’ve seen why.

“They do things in a very unprofessional way and you can see players that were playing suddenly out of the squad for apparently no reason.

Andrea Orlandi in action for Albion

“I mean out of the squad without getting paid and without the possibility to train with their squad. I don’t know how they can do it but it happens constantly.

“There isn’t a strong players’ association that can protect us even if they are trying to improve that. Some teams are serious though.But, still, the league needs a clean start for me.

“The language is mostly English, as it was an English colony, and Greek. I’m trying to learn some Greek and my daughters study it at school.

“They go to an international school but they have to study Greek as well. On the pitch everything is in English. A funny English, I’d say.”

Orlandi is disappointed and surprised that he did not stay in the Championship. There are examples of members of that dreadful Blackpool side of which he was part who stayed in the division.

Jamie O’Hara is with Fulham, ex-Albion defender Grant Hall was snapped up by QPR and Nathan Delfouneso went to Blackburn.

Orlandi means no slight on them but he is a little perplexed he did not manage to find a similar opportunity.

He was openly critical of what went on off the field at Bloomfield Road in a widely-read weekly online blog which he wrote throughout his season in Lancashire. It was a testing experience and he remains scathing of that team.

He said: “When last season finished I needed time to rest and think. The experience at Blackpool had taken a lot of energy away from me and I wanted a change.

“I had an offer from a Championship club one week after the season was over but I needed more time to think. After that I only found negative answers from most of the clubs.

“I had some really good performances (for Blackpool) and scored five goals in a team that struggled to make three passes in a row and I expected something different.

“Seeing some of my team mates going to clubs like Fulham, QPR, Rovers, I thought I deserved a chance but nothing happened.”

Orlandi lived in Bolton last season and Neil Lennon left the door to Championship football ajar last summer – but Wanderers were not in a great situation either.

Orlandi in action during his tough season with Blackpool

“I trained with Bolton for a week. Great experience, fantastic players and coaching staff but they were not in a position where they could offer me something and I couldn’t wait any longer.

“So I signed here because the offers I had from Spain weren’t good enough.”

Orlandi comes from Barcelona and found England a touch on the chilly side. The move to Cyprus offered a return to a warmer climate.

But Famagusta is a long way from the Catalan capital and there was one particularly serious issue with a move to the far eastern end of the Mediterranean.

The question is asked with hesitation. Is it being slightly narrow-minded to ask whether he ever feared for his safety due to horrific events in Syria and the Middle East. Is it a bit silly to ask the question?

“Not silly at all,” Orlandi says. “I had concerns about it and I asked friends that were playing here if there was any problem.

“We are very close to Syria and Israel but the situation here is calm. Refugees don’t come to Cyprus either as they want to go to Europe.

“It feels strange though to think that, not far from you, there are people going through such a dramatic situation.”

There have been surprising and uncomfortable moments on a much smaller scale though, including the time Anorthosis prepared to go on to the pitch away to Apollon and found the battle had already commenced around them.

“We were warming up before the game when our fans started to break the fences and cause some havoc.

“Anyway, we went to the dressing room ready for the game and, as we were walking out, our fans were on the pitch fighting with the Apollon subs.

“We couldn’t play the game and our fans were banned for a few games and of course they took the points from us.”

Anorthosis were in the title running until a recent slump of three defeats in four games, most recently by 2-1 in that game against APOEL, when Orlandi came off the bench.

“Winning a league is certainly something very attractive and was one of the main reasons why I came here,” he admits.

“It gives you the chance to play the qualifying rounds of the Champions League.

“But APOEL have been dominating in the last years and are currently the team to beat.

“Anorthosis are the first Cypriot team to have ever played in the Champions League group stages.

“I’m playing in midfield as a No.8, maybe a little bit too far from goal but football here is different and the way we play makes it difficult to have chances to score.”

So what of future plans when his year-long contract is up?

“I don’t know,” said the now 31-year-old. “I’m not giving up on England.

“I want to play at a competitive level and enjoy football again. Let’s see what happens. Now I’m here and I’ll give everything I have until the last day on this island.”