Village Idiot

Barça election is today. Laporta the overwhelming favorite. I'd just agree to give the presidency to whomever he's voted for tbf.

Bartomeu arrested, alongside some other Barça officials. They allegedly diverted club funds to hire a consultancy company (essentially a troll farm) to improve the board's public image (and smear opposition and players when doing so). Christ

Well, if I were Bruce I would request to have all meetings with the new ownership via zoom.

Marca reporting today that the Saudis had eyed Mateo Alemany (former managing director of Real Mallorca and Valencia) as Charnley's replacement. He's rumored to become Barça's managing director after March's election, if Laporta wins (which he's likely to). You're probably more clued in than I do about whether Marca is bullshitting or not.

I said it at the start of the season that in no way was it all doom and gloom at Barca - there is so much to work with talent wise - just needs a coach to do his job and Barca should be ok VI you think Garcia, Wijnaldum and Depay will be your signings in the summer? All on a free isn’t bad (need to ship out Coutinho/Pjamic and the like) It all depends on whether Koeman lasts the season. We have an election this March and depending on who wins (and how Barça ends the season) he'll stay or not. If he stays he'll probably get his guys. As for Koeman's chances, the frontrunner (Laporta) has said Koeman will stay if he does a good job the remainder of the season. If there's an upset and Victor Font wins, Xavi will be most likely appointed. What about Messi's future? Does he favour 1 candidate over the other? As in, if Laporta wins is he more likely to stay? Or vice versa. I honestly have no idea. He surely has more rapport with Laporta, but I think he's made up his mind already and will say so once we are out of the CL/La Liga.

I said it at the start of the season that in no way was it all doom and gloom at Barca - there is so much to work with talent wise - just needs a coach to do his job and Barca should be ok VI you think Garcia, Wijnaldum and Depay will be your signings in the summer? All on a free isn’t bad (need to ship out Coutinho/Pjamic and the like) It all depends on whether Koeman lasts the season. We have an election this March and depending on who wins (and how Barça ends the season) he'll stay or not. If he stays he'll probably get his guys. As for Koeman's chances, the frontrunner (Laporta) has said Koeman will stay if he does a good job the remainder of the season. If there's an upset and Victor Font wins, Xavi will be most likely appointed.

What a brilliant game yesterday, so much fun again. Hopefully it's not a mirage, since we were quite impotent against Sevilla just a few days prior. And yes, we have some very nice youngsters.

Reports that Fati isn't recovering well from his knee injury and has had to go under the knife a second time, and might need a third. Poor lad, he had it all.

Yeah. The rough figures match what we already knew about his contract. Not sure why all this indignation theater. And I'm fine with us paying him this. Barça's problem has been paying huge sums to mediocre players, not paying astronomical ones to Leo Messi.

Why am I getting Gerryadams'd? Since we were talking English managers I just wanted to specify Rodgers' home nation.

Yeah. It's probably more illustrative to look at the top 6 instead. PL: 1. Norway 2. Spain 3. UK (North Ireland) 4. Germany 5. Portugal 6. Italy La Liga: 1. Argentina 2. France 3. Netherlands 4. Spain 5. Spain 6. Spain Serie A: 1. Italy 2. Italy 3. Portugal 4. Italy 5. Italy 6. Italy Bundesliga: 1. Germany 2. Germany 3. Netherlands 4. Austria 5. Germany 6. Austria (Yes, I was bored)

Note that even though my head says it's best if he left, given his age, salary, and our finances... my heart says otherwise. I'd love it if he spent his whole career with us, even when he can barely walk on the pitch. Like Kobe at LA.

You still think he'll leave this summer? Was starting to think he'll stay He gave an interview these holidays that while far less angry and confrontational than the one he gave in the summer, still felt like a goodbye. Said if he left he'd like to return and have a post-playing career at Barça. Spend half of the time saying how much loves the club and the city (which I don't doubt one bit)...

Messi being Messi against Málaga. Christ, I wish there was still a chance to get fans back in stadiums this season. I really need to watch him live one last time before he leaves

I love the implication that this place is the lowest of the low Wish I posted more often nowadays. But last 2 years have been very weird for me (and covid has made everything... stranger).

He's a blowhard. His stewardship of the club was actually pretty bad, but had the luck of stumbling upon Ronaldinho (not his signing) and Guardiola (not his first choice), plus the golden generation of Xavi-Iniesta-Messi and the others. By the end of his reign dude was behaving like a paranoid tinpot dictator, spying on members of his own board with the club's finances in pretty dire straits. Thing is that since Bartomeu has been even worse at all those things, people has forgotten about all the shit Laporta did. Personally I like Font, seems level-headed and a guy with a plan. But he won't win.

We had a poll for the upcoming Barça presidential election this weekend. Unsurprisingly, Joan Laporta (who presided the club during the Rijkaard-Guardiola eras) is leading by around 30%. Dude is also splashing the cash in the campaign. He isn't personally wealthy, so I wonder who's backing him. Anyway, I think he'll be a disaster, but certainly an entertaining disaster. If Barça has to burn to the ground, I guess it's better to have Nero doing it.

Pedri is so fucking good. We have many, many, problems but some outstanding young players we can build around too (De Jong, Pedri, Fati)

Also, this annoys me to no end: PES is now a sponsor so Barça's social media use PES graphics instead of real player pics every time they score a goal or to announce the starting XI. It pisses me off so much

Messi scored his goal #643 for Barça, matches Pelé's record with Santos. Kinda glad he stuck around to grab this one last record (not that he wanted to...)

It's going to sound racist but I always saw him as potentially our Vuckic.

That's absolutely brilliant. Goal wasn't bad either Fucking ref booking him for it ffs. That remains the most idiotic rule in football

Messi scores and takes off his Barça shirt to show a Newell's Maradona top. Class. EDIT: The commentators are saying it's match-worn. Now the world has a shirt that was worn both by Maradona and Messi.

I've never seen Barça and Real both be so poor in a single season. I presume they'll both bounce back at some point, but Aleti has done well and has a great chance to win the title.

Oblak will play his 200th La Liga game next week. Least goals conceeded by La Liga goalies in their first 200 games: 123 Oblak 165 Miguel Reina 176 Víctor Valdés 180 Zubizarreta 186 Ablanedo 196 Arconada 197 Abel 200 Artola Some of those played behind great defences, too.