Halfway Home!

Please forgive my tardiness and lack of a post last week. These things happen when you are stuck in bed the whole time and sick as a dog. Thankfully I am now recuperated and ready to blog about our friends in El Infierno. So we are now officially halfway done with the season! Jornada 21 has come and gone which marked the midway point of the season. We have certainly seen our share of suprises and shocking results so let's recap.

The biggest thing that stands out is the tremendous parity in La Segunda Division. It's crowded at the top! A mere six points separates 1st from 11th. So basically any team that can get hot and win three or even four games in a row has an excellent chance at putting themselves in position to win promotion. In addition, the dropoff from 12th to 17th is just a difference of three points. It's really only when you get to 18th and the relegation zones where you see the big gaps in points.

We were all but writing Murcia's obituary just over a month ago and now a recent string of wins has put them at 28 points and just five points out of a promotion spot. Their bright young coach, Jose Miguel Campos is spearheading this revival after the disastrous reign of Javier Clemente. Things can change very quickly. Just ask Celta. The Vigo side was rolling and rocketing up the standings and poised to take over the lead. Yet, they fell in games to Murcia and Xerez and are now back in the middle of the pack.

Of the three teams that were relegated down from the Primera to La Segunda: Zaragoza, Levante and Murcia, the Aragoneses and the Valencianos have the best shot to gain promotion back to La Primera. Murcia, as mentioned above, is glad to be safe of not being relegated a second straight year so they'll be happy with a mid-table finish.

Looking at the four teams that were promoted from Segunda B: Rayo Vallecano, Alicante, Huesca and Girona, I have to say that I'm impressed with three of the four. Rayo and Girona each have 31 points while Huesca sits in 12th with 29 points. Not shabby for their first years back in El Infierno. Alicante, on the other hand, is a complete disaster. As noted last month, they are already on their fourth coach and have pretty much secured their relegation back to Segunda B. They are next to last with a dismal 15 points.

One of the biggest questions is whether this year's surprise leader, Xerez, can hold their form and earn their first ever promotion to La Primera. I've been doubting them all season, yet there they stand at the top of the table with 37 points, three clear of 2nd place Tenerife. Do I think they can continue? In the end, my prediction is no. Tenerife has the look of a team starved to get back to futbol in La Primera and I think they will end up at the top. I like the way hercules has been going about their business the whole season and they will claim the second promotion spot. The third promotion spot will be a grueling race that will most likely go down to the final minutes of the season. Salamanca, Real Sociedad, Xerez and Zaragoza will battle until the end, only to see Zaragoza lay claim to the last promotion spot with a heart-stopping victory against Ray in Vallecas.

As for relegation, Sevilla Atletico and Alicante are definitely headed down to Segunda B. Cordoba and Eibar are the other sides currently in the relegation zone. Unfortunately I think long-time Infierno side Eibar will see their day of reckoning and drop. Cordoba, on the other hand, will rally and please their supporters by staying up. Albacete gets my nod for the final relegation spot.

One last thing, keep Elche forward Miguel Angle Lopez (above photo) in your thoughts and prayers. He returned last week to the pitch after two months away from the game after the death of his infant son. I could not imagine a more painful experience for any parent than for that to happen. Here's hoping Miguel and his family stay strong during this difficult time. Elche is our Team of the Week for that reason.

Jornada 21
Zaragoza - Rayo 2-3
Hércules - Salamanca 2-2
Sevilla At - Alicante 2-3
Xerez - Celta 2-0
Castellón - Tenerife 2-2
Murcia - Cordoba 1-0
Alavés - Albacete 0-2
Girona - Huesca 2-0
Las Palmas - Levante 1-2
R.Sociedad - Elche 0-0
Gimnástic - Eibar - Postponed (weather)

Clasificacion

1. Xerez - 37
2. Tenerife - 34
3. Hércules - 33
4. Zaragoza - 33
5. Castellón - 33
6. Salamanca - 33
7. R.Sociedad - 32
8. Levante - 32
9. Rayo - 31
10. Celta - 31
11. Girona - 31
12. Huesca - 29
13. Murcia - 28
14. Gimnástic* - 27
15. Las Palmas - 27
16. Albacete - 27
17. Elche - 26
18. Alavés - 23
19. Córdoba - 21
20. Eibar* - 21
21. Alicante - 15
22. Sevilla At - 9

Grande Castellon!

In the thick of Winter, all the leagues in Europe, with the main exception being the English Premier League, take a respite from competition. The Mediterranean leagues of Spain, France and Italy take a rational break of 2 weeks more or less. Understandably, the German Bundesliga closes its doors a little while longer simply because, well, it's pretty freakin cold in Germany the first two weeks in January. So alot of what the German sides and other northern European teams like to do is venture south for a little sun and mix in training to prepare for the second half of their league season.

Bundesliga side Schalke04, no stranger to European success, settled into the cozy confines of the Valencian coast. To keep their form at match level, a friendly, or 'amistoso' as its called in Spain, was set up between Schalke and Castellon, one of our beloved sides from El Infierno. Schalke is a team that reached the quarterfinals of last year's Champions League so it is a side of quality. The seven-time Bundesliga Champs also have a UEFA Cup in their trophy case (1997) and a recent runner-up Bundesliga finish in 2007. Now for the delicious part. In their friendly against Castellon, the locals, playing with a side of mostly reserves, claimed a spirited 1-0 victory. It was a young chap by the name of Ferran Giner who scored the gamewinner in the second half. Ferran is the son of a former Valencian player, Fernando Giner, and has risen through the ranks of the Castellon 'cantera'. With players like these in the mix knocking off a habitual European top side club like Schalke, there is no wonder why Castellon stands at 29 points and a game away from reaching promotion to La Primera Division. Keep an eye on them.

As for our Showdown at La Romareda last weekend. The game was a tense affair in the first half and finally Zaragoza was able to break through with a goal in the last 15 minutes of the game and held on for the 1-0 win. There's no reason why Zaragoza can't maintain its home form on the road but somehow, it continues to be an issue. if they right that, the Aragon side should be at the top the table of El Infierno by the end of Week 42.

Players to watch for are David Rodriguez and Dinei at Celta. Both are good goal scorers and have Celta back in the hunt. More on them in another week's post!

1. Xerez - 33
2. Zaragoza - 33
3. Salamanca - 32
4. Tenerife - 30
5. Hércules - 29
6. Castellón - 29
7. Levante - 29
8. Huesca - 28
9. R.Sociedad - 28
10. Celta* - 28
11. Girona - 28
12. Gimnástic - 27
13. Rayo - 27
14. Las Palmas - 26
15. Albacete - 24
16. Elche - 22
17. Eibar - 21
18. Alavés - 20
19. Murcia* - 19
20. Córdoba - 18
21. Alicante - 12
22. Sevilla At. - 9

JORNADA 19
Castellón - Gimnástic 2-1
Girona - Eibar 2-0
Xerez - Tenerife 2-0
Sevilla At. - Huesca 1-1
Alavés - Celta 1-2
Hércules - Alicante 1-2
Murcia - Albacete 1-0
Zaragoza - Salamanca 1-0
Las Palmas - Córdoba 0-0
R.Sociedad - Rayo 1-1
Elche - Levante 0-2

Showdown at La Romareda

It doesn't really matter the country or even the division where the futbol is played, any time there is a game between the first and second place teams, it gets everyone's attention and will certainly have ours this weekend. First place Salamanca, with 32 points, visits second place Zaragoza, with 30 points, in this weekend's marquee matchup in El Infierno.

We've already had a chance to talk a little about both sides and referenced some of their past glories and star power. The same can be said for both teams this year and look no further than the quality of side that Zaragoza possesses. Looking up and down their roster, the names stand out: Ewerthon, Pavon, Ayala and Oliveira. Both Oliveira and Ewerthon have made national team appearances for Brazil. In fact, Oliveira would have made Brazil's 2006 World Cup team if he hadn't torn up his knee the previous Fall. Pavon is a player who made his name rising through the ranks of the Real Madrid system. It was Pavon who was cited by many who were critical of Real Madrid's yearly signing of 'galacticos' saying the team should be focusing its efforts on producing 'Mas Pavones' instead of throwing money at high priced stars. Pavon eventually fizzled out at Real but has since become a mainstay with the Aragon side.

Roberto Ayala, commonly known as 'El Raton' is a grizzled veteran of Spanish futbol spending many years playing at the Mestalla for Valencia. He was an integral part of those wonderful Valencia teams that captured two La Liga titles and back to back appearances in the final of the UEFA Champions League. But the Argentine defender is known best as simply 'El Capitan.' No one has captained more matches for the Argentina National Team than Robero Ayala. If you consider the long history of Argentine futbol, it's an impressive distinction. His appearances date back to the silver medal winning team at the 1996 Olympics all the way to the runner-up performance at the 2007 Copa Amerixa where sadly, Ayala contributed to Brazil's 3-0 win by scoring an own goal in the waning moments of the first half and giving Brazil an insurmountable 2-0 lead. Roberto is living out his futbol days in La Romareda for Zaragoza but remains a key component for the side. He's a sentimental favorite here and that's why I'm picking Zaragoza to squeeze out a 2-1 victory.

Jornada 18 - Resultados:

TenerifeSevilla At 2-1
Rayo - Levante 0-0
Huesca - Alavés 2-0
Córdoba - R.Sociedad 2-2
Celta - Hércules 2-1
Gimnástic - Girona 3-0
Eibar - Xerez 1-1
Albacete - Zaragoza 1-1
Castellón - Elche 2-2
Salamanca - Las Palmas 2-2
Alicante - Murcia 0-2

Clasificacion:
1. Salamanca - 32
2. Zaragoza - 30
3. Xerez - 30
4. Tenerife - 30
5. Hércules - 29
6. Gimnástic - 27
7. Huesca - 27
8. R.Sociedad - 27
9. Castellón - 26
10. Rayo - 26
11. Levante - 26
12. Las Palmas - 25
13. Celta* - 25
14. Girona - 25
15. Albacete - 24
16. Elche - 22
17. Eibar - 21
18. Alavés - 20
19. Córdoba - 17
20. Murcia* - 16
21. Alicante - 9
22. Sevilla At - 8

The Unemployment Line

Let's face it, being a coach of a European futbol team isn't the most stable position in the world when it comes to job security. You look around at the different leagues all over the continent and the exceptions are few and far between. Sir Alex Fergueson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal stand out as coaches who have been with their teams for more than 10 years. In Sir Alex's case, he's been there 20+ years and is a stalwart at Old Trafford.

Yet venture to the south and in Spain you will find a completely different story. Former Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard was the the Catalan club for five years. That's an eternity in Spanish futbol. Consider that Real Madrid just fired Bernd Schuster and all he did was deliver a La Liga championship last year. Or even more curious is the fact that Fabio Capello, in two separate stints with the Madrid side, won a La Liga crown in each year only to be fired after the season... Que coño???? At least each one of those coaches made it at least one year. The same cannot be said this year in La Segunda. The year is not even half over and there have been seven, count 'em seven, coaching changes. And what's even more mindblowing is that a single club has accounted for FOUR for those. That's right, one team in El Infierno has already had FOUR coaches this year. If you're smart, you know who I'm taking about. Just go back to my previous post and see who is the penultimate 'colista'.... Alicante.

It didn't take long to start this circus either. In Jornada 7, Juan Carlos Granero was replaced by Asier Garitano. A whopping three weeks later during Jornada 10, Garitano was replaced by Nino Lema. Lema actually made it another five weeks to Jornada 15 before being replaced by Manolo Jimenez (see above photo)who hopefully by now has learned the names of his players as he tries to direct them out of the cellar of El Infierno. Alicante has just one win this season and a mere 9 points. The outlook does not look good. The team spent last year in the Segunda B and it's a good bet they'll return there even before the month of May starts. But hey, look on the bright side, at least the players will be able to soak up the spring Valencian sun with no pressure at all once they have 'secured' their relegation. Buena suerte chavales....

On to the games. Side note: Real Murcia just announced that they have fired Javier Clemente and brought on Jose Miguel Campos to try to salvage their season. Will it have an impact? Doubtful. Anyhow, to the games... A little shifting of the top 3. Salamanca is emerging as the strongest side in El Infierno. The Xerex freight train looks to be a little derailed after another tie, this time away at Castellon. A very nice battle is shaping up for the third pormotion spot between Hercules, Zaragoza, Castellon and Rayo Vallecano. Huesca is also right there with 24 points.

Resultados - Jornada 16

Córdoba - Rayo 0-1
Albacete - R.Sociedad 2-1
Castellón - Xerez 2-2
Celta - Zaragoza 2-0
Alicante - Las Palmas 1-2
Salamanca - Levante 3-0
Huesca - Murcia 1-0
Girona - Elche 1-1
Tenerife - Hércules 3-2
Eibar - Alavés 1-0
Gimnástic - Sevilla At 3-1

Clasificacion

1. Salamanca - 31
2. Xerez - 29
3. Hércules - 26
4. Zaragoza - 26
5. Castellón - 25
6. Rayo - 25
7. Huesca - 24
8. Tenerife - 24
9. R.Sociedad - 23
10. Albacete - 23
11. Celta - 22
12. Girona - 22
13. Levante - 22
14. Gimnástic - 21
15. Las Palmas - 21
16. Alavés - 20
17. Eibar - 19
18. Elche - 18
19. Córdoba - 16
20. Murcia - 13
21. Alicante - 9
22. Sevilla At - 7

Where Have You Gone, Real Oviedo and SD Compostela?

We once again travel off the paths of El Infierno and down into the depths of Spanish futbol. In the Fall of 1996, as I was being introduced to Spanish futbol, there were two teams playing in La Liga who are now nowhere to be found even close to the highest level of futbol in Spain. They were Real Oviedo and SD Compostela. What these two have in common is that financial problems and irregularities have landed them in either La Tercera Division or their Division Regional, which is one rung below La Tercera. But what I would like to do today is recount some of the glory and 'fame' that these teams did experience recently ago.

Well, this is the right time of year to recount a story about our Asturian friends from Oviedo. In the 1998-1999 season, when Oviedo was in La Primera, they played Real Madrid at home in Asturias in the last match before the Christmas break. Panamanian Dely Valdes scored the game winner for Oviedo and celebrated by calling his wife on a cell phone and wishing her a Merry Christmas. So before Joe Horn of the NFL's New Orleans Saints got everyone in a fuss about using a cell phone in a touchdown celebration 7-8 years ago, Dely Valdes had already gone down that road in La Liga. The cover of Marca the next day was "Hola, Soy Dely Valdes, Feliz Navidad!" and showed him speaking into the phone while being mobbed by teammates. (See above photo)

Now, there are no covers of Oviedo on Marca, but a curious rebirth has started for the club. The fans are making their back out to the 30,000 person Estadio Carlos Tartiere. A Trofeo Principado (Asturian competition) against Sporting Gijon (then in El Infierno, now in the Primera) saw a jam-packed crowd look on as Oviedo managed to beat their regional rivals 2-1. Pride has now been restored after financial hardship landed on this club and unfortunately on the players. there was even a day when the player showed up for practice only to find there was no electricty. Gone are the days when the fans lined their training ground to protest the players' supposed greediness. Now, after being promoted to La Tercera a couple years ago, the team was the toast of Oviedo as fans lined the streets as if they had won the World Cup. Maybe soon, more celebrations will happen in Oviedo as their native sons battle to return to prominence.

If you never saw SD Compostela play a game, you at least saw them as the opposing team in one of the famous Ronaldo clips ever. Once again, it was the year Ronaldo was with Barca. It also happens to be my favorite goal of all-time. He picks up the ball at midfield and basically beats the entire team, is getting dragged down by his shirt when he enters the penalty box, yet still swung his right boot round and scored the first of his 3 goals that night. I'll never forget it. I was at the Atleti-Betis game at Estadio Vincente Calderon and the scoreboard was like a pinball machine lighting up with "Gol en Compostela - Gol de Ronaldo". Barca won that game 5-1 and the cover of El Mundo Deportivo the next day was "Apostol Ronaldo", a direct reference to the fact that Santiago is home to Apostle James. I still have it at my home too.The whole world went on to know all about Ronaldo that year, but everyone forgot about poor Compostela or, "Compos" as they are called. Compostela lasted another year in la Primera before they descended down to la Segunda and soon enough, in 2001 they had trouble paying players. It was then that the Spanish Futbol Federation sent them down to the lower rings of Hell. This is all ironic considering that the most famous religious pilgrimage in the world, The Camino de Santiago, just so happens to end at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, a mere 20km or so away from their futbol stadium. It just doesn't seem right that a team in such a Holy City has to play in such an ungodly and hellish division.

On to the results. Xerex comes back down to earth as the Top 3 tightens up. Zaragoza avoids embarassment and equalises late against Huesca in the 'derbi aragones' with two goals from the Brazilian Ewerthon. It was Huesca first visit to play their regional neighbors in league play in 58 years! Also, new coaches abound at Cordoba and Alicante.

Clasificacion:

1. Xerez - 28
2. Salamanca - 28
3. Zaragoza - 26
4. Hércules - 26
5. Castellón - 24
6. R.Sociedad - 23
7. Rayo - 22
8. Levante - 22
9. Huesca - 21
10. Tenerife - 21
11. Girona - 21
12. Albacete - 20
13. Alavés - 20
14. Celta - 19
15. Gimnástic - 18
16. Las Palmas - 18
17. Elche - 17
18. Córdoba - 16
19. Eibar - 16
20. Murcia - 13
21. Alicante - 9
22. Sevilla At - 7

Resultados - Jornada 15

Hércules - Eibar 2-0
Murcia - Tenerife 2-2
Sevilla - AtCastellón 0-2
Zaragoza - Huesca 2-2
R.Sociedad - Alicante 1-0
Las Palmas - Celta 2-0
Elche - Córdoba 3-1
Levante - Albacete 3-1
Alavés - Gimnástic 1-1
Rayo - Salamanca 1-1
Xerez - Girona 2-2

The Fall of Real Murcia

A mere 11 months ago, then newly-promoted Real Murcia was one of the surprises of La Liga. They started off their 100th year of futbol, or their 'Centenario' as it is known, with a win against Osasuna to lay claim to 9th place in La Liga. Things reached a fever pitch that first week in January when thoughts of UEFA Cup futbol danced in the heads of Real Murcia supporters. A newly promoted team earning a spot to the following year's UEFA Cup was unheard of. And unfortunately for Real Murcia, it still is. Following the euphoric win against the Pamplona side, Real Murcia went into a tailspin like no other eventually falling to 19th place and being relegated back down to La Segunda Division. Real Murcia was only capable of scratching out 8 points in their next 20 games. Unfortunately for them, the trend has continued and now Real Murcia once again find themselves in the relegation zone. This time, to be relegated down to the Segunda B.

What makes this so painful for the team and its supporters is that the 'Centenario' is suppose to be a special year. A club celebrating 100 years of existence is suppose to summon magic and win games against 'los gigantes' or better yet, take their fans on a wild ride in the Copa del Rey. But sometimes, the Centenarios don't work out and now Real Murcia are seeing one of their worst years ever in the year of their Centenario.

Now Real Murcia has called on former Spanish National Team Coach Javier Clemente to turn things around. Clemente himself has been around the block many many times, and is sure to eventually piss off another team in another Spanish autonomous region. He's done it in his native Basque Country, Andalucia, Catalonia, Comunidad de Madrid, Tenenrife... and even Serbia! This is also a coach who managed to take a powerful Spanish National Team and lose to Cyprus. That's not a typo. That really happened. Not surprisingly, he resigned as 'Seleccionador' three days later. Don't hold your breath the the faithful who still go to La Nueva Condomina will see a quick tunraround. Real Murcia is in trouble. Let's hope the start of their second Centenario is better than the end of the first.

On to the results.... The Xerez train keeps rolling. They are now 'lider' of La Segunda. And don't look now but the Gallegos from Celta are making their way towards the top.

Jornada 14
Tenerife - Zaragoza 1-2
Salamanca - Córdoba 1-0
Castellón - Alavés 0-1
Alicante - Levante 0-2
Gimnástic - Hércules 2-2
Albacete - Rayo 2-1
Celta - R.Sociedad 0-0
Xerez - Elche 3-1
Huesca - Las Palmas 2-1
Girona - Sevilla At 1-0
Eibar - Murcia 3-1

Clasificacion:

1. Xerez - 27
2. Salamanca - 27
3. Zaragoza - 25
4. Hércules - 23
5. Castellón - 21
6. Rayo - 21
7. Huesca - 20
8. R.Sociedad - 20
9. Tenerife - 20
10. Albacete - 20
11. Girona - 20
12. Celta - 19
13. Levante - 19
14. Alavés - 19
15. Gimnástic - 17
16. Córdoba - 16
17. Eibar - 16
18. Las Palmas - 15
19. Elche - 14
20. Murcia - 12
21. Alicante - 9
22. Sevilla At - 7

Abuelo, pasa el balon!

Futbol is a rough game. You look around and most of the players running on pitches every weekend are men in their 20s. Some are even teenagers. There are certainly players in their early 30s, but once you start getting around the age of 35, it's just about time to hang up the boots. Futbol takes a toll on the knees (just look at Ronaldo) and simply put, most players lose their much needed velocity to stay competitive once they get north of 35. There are exceptions, Paolo Maldini at AC Milan is one that immediately comes to mind. But in Spain the player who holds the title of 'abuelo' of Spanish futbol is a man who goes out every week and plays 'al hueso' for Rayo Vallecano in La Segunda Division. He is Carlos Llorens.

Carlos Llorens was born in Alicante back in 1967 and rose through the ranks of futbol in the Comunidad de Valencia. Most of his futbol has been played in La Segunda Division with occasional stops with teams in La Segunda B. Here is the resume:

Tomelloso (91-92), Cartagena (92-93), Elche (93-94), Levante (94-95) ,Lleida (95-97), Leganés (97-98), Rayo Vallecano (98-00), Atlético de Madrid (00-01), Osasuna (00-01), Alavés (01-03), Polideportivo Ejido (03-06) and back to Rayo Vallecano (06-current).

Even if his play was not in La Liga at the first division level, it's still very impressive and is worth respect and admiration. And not only is Carlos still playing, but he performs at a high level at the left back for Rayo. He started all games last year for the Vallecas club and is on track to do the same this year.

He will always be remembered as a hero to Rayo Vallecano fans after Carlos cooly converted the PK that gave Rayo the 1-0 win over Benidorm to ensure promotion from Segunda B to La Segunda. It was during that game where an unforgettable scene played out. The referee whistled the PK in favor of Rayo and of course the savvy veteran Llorens was chosen to take it. Carlos' daughters were in the stands that day in Vallecas and assured all of those around them that their father would not fail, and as stated above, they were right!

So to all of you who are now over 30 and starting to feel some ill effects of aging, especially after engaging in sport, be sure to channel your inner Carlos Llorens! As a tribute to Carlos Llorens, this week's Team of the Week is Rayo Vallecano.

I forgot to post results and La Clasificacion from last week. Xerex esta en racha! The boys from southwestern Andalucia have scored 10 goals in their last two games!

Jornada 12

Sevilla At - Elche 0-2
Xerez - Alavés 5-0
Girona - Hércules 1-0
Castellón - Murcia 2-0
Gimnástic - Zaragoza 0-0
Eibar - Las Palmas 1-2
Tenerife - R.Sociedad 1-1
Huesca - Levante 2-1
Celta - Rayo 0-0
Alicante - Córdoba 2-2
Albacete - Salamanca 2-2

Clasificacion:

1. Salamanca - 24
2. Xerez - 21
3. Hércules - 21
4. Castellón - 20
5. Rayo - 20
6. Zaragoza - 19
7. Huesca - 17
8. Tenerife - 17
9. Albacete - 17
10. Girona -17
11. R.Sociedad - 16
12. Levante - 16
13. Gimnástic - 15
14. Las Palmas - 15
15. Celta - 15
16. Córdoba - 13
17. Eibar - 13
18. Alavés - 13
19. Elche - 11
20. Murcia - 11
21. Alicante - 8
22. Sevilla At - 7