La Liga 2013-2014

Sergio Busquets: "And yes the referee didn't do his job well either because it is a red card and that made it more difficult. I think that would have changed the game. He was through on the goalkeeper, I don't know where (Mikel) Balenziaga was but it was a clear one-on-one and for me it is a red card."
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Amazing how a random player can diss a referee like this. Don't La Liga have rules for statements such as this?!
 
Barca and Madrid fans are used to success. The older ones are also used to the way it comes and goes. They're also used to gloating when the trophies are going one way and the club politics is turning the other lot into a circus. It's good for a laugh. They also know how it works, because they remember when it was the other way round.

However, there are already a set of Barca fans who don't remember a time before Guardiola. They "remember" because they've read about Madrid sacking Del Bosque. They don't "remember" booing Rijkaard and his team two years after they won a CL/Liga double. They don't remember Cruyff winning 4 Ligas in a row, and a European Cup, and getting booed and sacked after two trophyless years.

The pressure on Tata now is coming from the catalan media. They've been meticulously supportive of Barcelona for the past few years; completely different to how Marca/AS treat Real Madrid. Now the negative stories are leaking out: about the players their form, fitness and attitude; the style of play and even about Messi. Some of it seems to be coming from inside the squad. Tata's in the middle of that and a focus for discontent, and Rosell cares only about self-preservation and getting one over on Laporte.

People laughed about Raul's role at Madrid, probably endowing him with more (malicious) influence than he actually had. Now the Madrid fans are watching with amusement as players like Xavi get charged with being "too big to drop" and Tata's taking the hit both for choosing him, and for taking him off.

So the fans then. Yes the big two have their shares of idiots, arrogant prats, clowns, and perfectly normal fans. The ratios in my experience tend to vary from year to year, decade to decade. Not that different to United fans really.
 
jojojo said:
Barca and Madrid fans are used to success. The older ones are also used to the way it comes and goes. They're also used to gloating when the trophies are going one way and the club politics is turning the other lot into a circus. It's good for a laugh. They also know how it works, because they remember when it was the other way round.

However, there are already a set of Barca fans who don't remember a time before Guardiola. They "remember" because they've read about Madrid sacking Del Bosque. They don't "remember" booing Rijkaard and his team two years after they won a CL/Liga double. They don't remember Cruyff winning 4 Ligas in a row, and a European Cup, and getting booed and sacked after two trophyless years.

The pressure on Tata now is coming from the catalan media. They've been meticulously supportive of Barcelona for the past few years; completely different to how Marca/AS treat Real Madrid. Now the negative stories are leaking out: about the players their form, fitness and attitude; the style of play and even about Messi. Some of it seems to be coming from inside the squad. Tata's in the middle of that and a focus for discontent, and Rossel cares only about self-preservation.

People laughed about Raul's role at Madrid, probably endowing him with more (malicious) influence than he actually had. Now the Madrid fans are watching with amusement as players like Xavi get charged with being "too big to drop" and Tata's taking the hit both for choosing him, and for taking him off.

So the fans then. Yes the big two have their shares of idiots, arrogant prats, clowns, and perfectly normal fans. The ratios in my experience tend to vary from year to year, decade to decade. Not that different to United fans really.
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I don't understand Barcelona fans. They had Saviola and Kluivert playing as strikers hoping for a long punt and a knockdown to fall kindly to moan about anything. cnuts.

What is this about Spain and player power? Xavi, Raul, Casillas.. err St. Iker etc etc?
 
A couple of bits of Spanish football, non-football stuff. So skip the post if you don't like soap opera.

Del Nido, president of Sevilla FC, has just been sentenced to 7 years for his role in the cover-up of the local authority bribery/corruption scandal in Marbella round about a decade ago. The accusation was that he helped them to fake documents, rewrite minutes of meetings that didn't take place etc. His defence was always that he was just their lawyer, and he just gave them advice (worth around 7m Euros in 4 years in fees + whatever real estate deals he managed to get timed exactly right).

Other football connections?
Jesus Gil (now dead) was Marbella's mayor at the start of the scam and diverted quite a bit of dodgy cash Atletico's way.
It's rumoured that the Sheik Thani who bought Malaga did so on the back of "promises" that council officials had long experience of how to smoothe planning permission and real estate deals for the right people. He was just 10 years late.

The other non-football piece of football gossip is that Spain's favourite football gossip show got splattered last night. The TV company who haven't paid their employees for 6 months took offence when the Punto Pelota chief (Pedrerol) admitted publicly they hadn't been paid and might have to look for new employers. When his crew arrived at the studio (to work unpaid) the security guards told them to clear off.

They TV company actually went ahead with the show, using new reporters, pundits etc but there's no way they can recreate the chemistry or the ambience :lol: The advertisers are already running away and as the show's ad revenue was keeping the station (just) afloat it's unlikely to see 2014.

Bad news for insomniacs - the show used to run from midnight to 2 or 3 in the morning.
 
interesting news...

I hope Del Nido actually goes to a proper jail (and dont spend those 7 years in a retiring Spa)... this Shirt-And-Tie criminals are the worst type.

1 fecker down... many more to go.
 
Del Nido :lol:

Surely you jest, he doesn't look like a criminal...that would get caught

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Has anyone ever fleeced Del Nido in a transfer? Surely they ended up with a horse's head in their bed the next morning

On a side note, Primera Liga owners & Presidents have got to be, in general, the shadiest bunch of wheeler & dealers in football. Yet, I find it a fascinating insight into football culture in the country - it's from another age in the past. Also puts a lot of the politics, refereeing conspiracies, rivalries etc. into perspective.

I've read many a Sevilla player professing their love for Del Nido but of course he very likely was paying them handsomely as well
 
Some (potentially) interesting matches this weekend.

Friday 13th December 2013 (From the BBC, so all times are UK)
Levante V Elche 20:00

Saturday 14th December 2013
Osasuna V Real Madrid 15:00
Rayo Vallecano V Granada CF 17:00
Barcelona V Villarreal 19:00
Málaga V Getafe 21:00

Sunday 15th December 2013
Almería V Espanyol 11:00
Real Sociedad V Real Betis 16:00
Sevilla V Athletic Club 18:00
Atlético Madrid V Valencia CF 20:00

Monday 16th December 2013
Real Valladolid V Celta de Vigo 21:00

On paper, Real Madrid have the most straightforward game - but Osasuna at home don't like to make things easy for Madrid.

Barcelona are up against Villareal, who are certainly capable of putting up a fight. The Nou Camp should see them through, but it could be a good match.

Sunday offers Atletico Vs Valencia. The nicest thing I can say about Valencia is that they've started looking less awful than they did. Their results haven't improved much though. Even so, they might make a game of it. Unfortunately Valencia's centre back Ricardo Costa is out, which probably means Villa / Diego Costa will find it all too easy.
 
I don't get why ronaldo has to be up in arms whenever he loses the ball, it makes him look like a complete idiot.
 
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