Village Idiot Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Apparently the sheik doesn't care anymore. Cazorla just travelled to London to sign for Arsenal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinho lad Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Apparently the sheik doesn't care anymore. I hope he chokes on his Ramadan dinner. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David28 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 Quick question - couldn't find the answer on wiki - do away goals count in the Super Cup? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Yes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David28 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Yes. Cheers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 http://don.pesgaming.com/images/smilies/messi.png Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Levante have laid out a new grass pitch for this season.... apparently the first time in 40 years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David28 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 What do you think about the Super Cup tomorrow btw, VI? Any reasons why the odds on Madrid winning the title are that high? I mean, if in a Champions League tie, the first leg was 3-2 I'd always back the away side of the first leg to go through.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Aye it's a bit daft considering how poor Mourinho's record in El Classicos is as well. http://don.pesgaming.com/images/smilies/messi.png Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 No idea. Suppose the bettors are being spaz after RM's bad start to the season and the loss at the weekend. 3-2 away isn't a terrible result. Think it will be a close affair. Mou always seems to play conservatively in the first leg, and then lets the dogs out in the second so at least it should be entertaining. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Aye it's a bit daft considering how poor Mourinho's record in El Classicos is as well. http://don.pesgaming.com/images/smilies/messi.png That's mint. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_le3z01eAUi1qdodh0.gif Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Went to Valencia - Depor on Sunday night. Thoroughly enjoyed both the match and the whole experience. The general atmosphere at La Liga games is considerably more laid back from what I've seen (3 games now) than football in England. More subdued in terms of support and more of a social occasion. The Valencia 'ultras' were brill mind, plenty noise and banners etc. Seemed to be lots of protesting about the 11pm kick off time and a fair few anti-Madrid/Barca chants. Valencia were excellent first half but barely turned up in the second and allowed an average Depor side to dominate. Great standard of football (ignoring some shoddy defending and lacklustre off the ball stuff) though and probably a fair result. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveItIfWeBeatU Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19387975 Malaga's Champions League journey clouded by financial crisis By Andy Brassell European football expert When Malaga's status rocketed following a takeover from the Qatari royal family, it appeared that the route to the promised land of Champions League football would be a smooth one. But the Andalusians head to Athens for the return leg of their Champions League play-off with Panathinaikos on the back of a journey that has taken a twist or two more than even the most thrill-seeking fan would have hoped for. Financial problems have meant La Liga's biggest spenders of last season have become the only team in Spain not to sign a single player this summer. With little money in Spain outside the Barca and Madrid duopoly, there was a real chance for Malaga to become a powerful presence in La Liga following Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani's initial big impression. A net £50m was spent on players last summer - more than either Barcelona or Real Madrid - and £12m was pledged to build a smart new facility for the club's youth academy. Arrival in the group stage - and potential ties against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich - have been the aim ever since summer 2010. And after scraping home in fourth spot on the final day of last season, it seemed like they had taken that chance. So the club's current financial troubles have come as a shock to many, at least outside Spain. When Malaga should have been strengthening to ensure Champions League progression, they have been selling to stay afloat with the owners' interest waning. Of course, Arsenal were one of the first beneficiaries of Malaga's problems. Star man Santi Cazorla was sold to the London club for £15m - £1.5m less than the Andalusian club paid Villarreal for the Spain midfielder last summer. When talented young forward Salomon Rondon and experienced Netherlands defender Joris Mathijsen followed him out the door, it looked like a full-blown exodus. High-earning coach Manuel Pellegrini's position was also questioned as rumours grew of the club's impending sale. In reality, the warning signs have been there for months. Former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Cazorla were among a handful of players to threaten legal action over unpaid wages last season. The LFP (Liga de Futbol Profesional) had imposed a transfer ban in January after the club missed a payment to Osasuna for Spain full-back Nacho Monreal. As the club's staff in Spain struggled to establish a working line of communication with Qatar, matters were left in disarray by the sudden death of the board's chief advisor Jose Carlos Perez in February, following a stroke. Internal morale had been shaken. Former Bolton defender Fernando Hierro lasted 10 months in the post of sporting director before quitting in May, frustrated by the remoteness of the owners. So now it's left to Pellegrini, once heavily linked with Liverpool, to rally the troops. The beginning of the season has been a relief for the experienced Chilean after such a summer of uncertainty. Whatever the 58-year-old ex-Real Madrid coach has been doing with the players left at his disposal, it's worked. Saturday 1-1 draw against Mallorca left Malaga with a creditable four points from their opening two La Liga matches. Yet it was in the Champions League last week that Pellegrini's players really took the chance to shine. They swept Panathinaikos aside 2-0 - recovering from their own financial meltdown under a recently launched AFC Wimbledon-style ownership model. It was the fans' chance to make themselves heard too. La Rosaleda was sold out as the passionate locals showed their pride in representing Andalucia in Europe, after years of watching Sevilla and Betis do the same. They are proud of their home-grown players in Malaga, and stylish midfielder Isco was the star of a bright performance. The 20-year-old was born just a few miles from La Rosaleda, and laid on the crucial second goal for Eliseu. There are signs of hope elsewhere in the team. Fabrice Olinga, 16, led the line against Panathinaikos, days after becoming the youngest La Liga scorer against Celta Vigo. Pellegrini still has experience at his disposal too. Former Bayern defender Martin Demichelis scored the first against the Greeks. France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan was outstanding and eager to stay, having rebuffed tentative interest from Newcastle. On a January visit to Malaga's derby with Sevilla, I was in a Pellegrini media conference when the coach could barely contain his frustration at his side's attitude over the season. His team had "given the impression of a team that lacks cohesion and that we haven't had the spirit to get results" too often, he told us. In that January derby, they responded with a gutsy performance and a win that got them moving back in the right direction. Amid the chaos, Malaga's players have shown more of that fight since. And their fans hope it will be enough to get them into the promised land of the Champions League group phase. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Former Bolton defender Fernando Hierro Aye, that's the best way to sum up his career indeed... when I think of the name Fernando Hierro those glorious days of turning up at the Reebok is the first thing that comes to my mind. Good article otherwise, and sums up their situation rather well. Isco isn't one of their local talents, though, he was born in Málaga but they bought him off Valencia. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveItIfWeBeatU Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Video: - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-19395252 Brazilian boy with no feet to train at Barcelona 28 August 2012 An 11-year-old Brazilian boy has earned a place at the Barcelona football team's summer training camp - despite being born without feet. Gabriel Muniz was initially offered a place at the team's training academy in Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, after appearing on a popular sports programme in Brazil. His story and skills inspired the club's managers and he was invited to the team's Spanish camp in September. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 VI - I know it's early days but what's the general feeling amongst Barcelona fans about Tito Vilanova? Is it a case of people expect the success to continue due to how close he was to Guardiola? Or a case of he'll happily refresh things and maybe even adopt a change of style if needs be to prove that he isn't Guardiola? I've watched all of your games this season, although haven't fully concentrated on them. So far you don't seem to be doing too well defensively, but also seem to be getting to the other end of the pitch a lot more faster than under Guardiola. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 It's a bit wait and see for now. Very early days still. Most people I talk with are a bit pessimistic because of the manager change, but not hugely so yet and there's a lot of fence sitting. I can say that I like some of the stuff I've been seeing - as you say we're a bit more direct, but our players don't seem fully comfortable with it yet - but some other I'm not liking as much. But it's still way too early to pass judgement and even have a good idea of what Vilanova really wants to do differently. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Our board will present a motion in the next general assembly calling for a referendum regarding the Camp Nou: modernize it or sell it and build a new stadium. I'm torn on what to vote. We'd probably be better off with a new, more modern, stadium. But it's the f***ing Camp Nou. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vinkent Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Could anyone help with a quick bit of advice? I'm off to live in Spain for a few months very shortly and I'm keen to see as many matches as I can. Any advice on buying tickets in general? Ive heard of people buying them online and then finding them cheaper on the day at the stadium but I don't want to risk that and miss out either Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Where are you going? Some clubs (including most of the bigger ones) work with ticketmaster. It's easy, works well and their fees are minimal; I always use it for my Barça tickets. http://www.ticketmaster.es/nav/en/deportes/index.html?loce=es-home-header_menu-5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vinkent Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I'm off to Zaragoza mate but wouldn't mind a trip or two (thinking Barca would be easiest?) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Village Idiot Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Zaragoza is pretty well connected with both Barcelona and Madrid, fast train drops you in either city in about an hour. It can be expensive though, but there are cheap buses available too. Zaragoza are pretty shit themselves nowadays, but their relegation battle last year was certainly exciting and there's always some drama at the stadium with the board situation they have This site seems to be the official seller online for Real Zaragoza tickets: http://www.entradas.com/entradas/Partidos-Real-Zaragoza-club_69_1_50&entidad=1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wullie Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I'm in Barcelona 25-28th November so I'm really hoping Barca get drawn at home in the CDR on the Tuesday night. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vinkent Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Cheers for the advice! Hope I can get to some canny matches. Might pop in to see a fair few Zaragoza ones if it's cheap enough Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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