Finally Over and New Kits
By: Cesar |
2 Comments
So what do you think?
These are supposedly the new kits we’ll be wearing in next season’s La Liga and UEFA Cup competitions … not too bad, eh?
I didn’t get this season’s kit and for good reasons … why would I want a kit that’ll remind me of one of the worst seasons in our history?
No thanks … I’ll pass.
This ‘worst season’ comes to a thankful end this Sunday when our beloved host Atletico Madrid … talk about a vanilla contest.
Atletico are safely tucked into a Champions League spot and Valencia are safely in next season’s La Liga.
So what’s the excitement for this game? Plenty.
First, the supporter’s clubs plan an all-out protest against main shareholder Juan Soler. They, along with every sane Valencia fan, want him to sell his shares and kiss the club goodbye. Let’s hope he gets the idea and bails. Hopefully some rich investor will get in there and load the club coffers full of money.
Next, the club plan to celebrate last month’s stirring Copa Del Rey victory. They wanted to celebrate it before, but with a relegation battle at hand, it didn’t feel right.
Well, now that we’re safe, here comes the celebration.
Thing is, the hostile environment of the Mestalla might not befit such a celebration. What are we celebrating, exactly? Ok, we won the Cup. So?
I know it sounds like I’m a flip-flopper. In some ways, I am. I admit it.
While it was great to win the Cup and see our beloved in a final, I just want this season to end. The Cup did not save the season. The Cup was a nice treat in an otherwise dismal campaign.
I don’t think anyone will be in a celebrating mood come Sunday. Most of us just want it to end.
Sunday could also be the goodbye of many players. And a coach.
Should Voro win on Sunday in his 5th game in charge, he’ll match Ronald Koeman’s record in 22 games. Think about that … in 5 games, he’s done exactly what TinTin did in 22 games!!! Unreal …
In any case, he’ll likely be gone after Sunday’s game.
What’s this I hear? Michael Laudrup is leaving Getafe at the end of the season?
Hmm, interesting … very interesting.
Then again, do we really want another ex-Barca player running our club? Koeman and Laudrup were teammates during Barca’s ‘Dream Team’ era of the early ’90’s. Hmm …
Well, whatever happens come Sunday, it should make for a fitting end to a dismal campaign.
Some chants against the team and chairman. Some goodbyes to notable players. Hopefully a victory … who knows?
We’ll have time to analyze the season and discuss who should stay and who should go once this game ends … we all know what the story is. No need to rehash it here …
For kicks, take a look at this article from goal.com analyzing our future … The end of the beginning?
I dunno, although the author does make some good points. It’s nothing you guys haven’t talked about on the Comments section of this blog before … the article does a good job of putting everything we’ve said in one place … what do you think?
Wouldn’t Villa look nice in that new top?
Category: 
Tags: Relief
By: Cesar | 44 Comments
Ahh, sweet glorious relief … how wonderful it is!
The weight of the world has been lifted off our shoulders.
The birds are chirping. The sun is shining. The flowers smell wonderful and the effervescent coffee in the next room beckons us to enjoy the day …
Ok, it’s really cold, windy and rainy here in New York City this morning. But you know what? Who cares!
Valencia will be in La Liga next season!!!
Coming off our 5-1 destruction of city neighbors Levante, Valencia have assured themselves a place in next season’s competition.
Finally, that deep unsettling pain in my chest can dissipate.
So for all the QQ’s, for all the Ronald Koeman’s, for all the Juan Soler’s … we have survived …
It’s a strange feeling. I’m certainly happy we’re still in the league. I’m estatic we won the Copa Del Rey.
But is this a successful season? I don’t really think so.
Anyways, that debate can wait a week.
For now, our eyes turn to Atletico Madrid and our final game of the season.
But even more importantly, we turn inward and think about who will be playing their final games with us next weekend.
It could be that hat trick hero David Villa will be saying good bye. Wanna hear something ironic? Yesterday’s hat trick saw El Guaje tie Real Madrid sporting director and ex-valencianista Pedja Mijatovic on the list of all-time Valencia scorers with 56 … and where’s he going now?
His pace, finishing and vision for goal could be headed to England or the comfy confines of the Santiago Bernabeu and Real Madrid. Funny how these things work.
David Silva could be running through the San Siro midfield for Inter Milan in a few months.
Joaquin could be falling over and losing balls for Everton and Miguel could be full of prawn for Manchester United.
Change is in the air.
Vicente, Albelda (who, with this yellow card yesterday, probably played his last game with the club. He’s suspended for next week), Canizares and Angulo could join that list as could Maduro, Banega, Timo Hildebrand and Baraja.
That’s a lot of goodbyes. Not to mention the coming of a new coach. Emery? Marcelino? Who knows … and if you’ve been listening to the rumor mills, Juan Soler could be selling his shares any day now …
So many things could be different with our club in a matter of weeks.
Well, we have time to assess what’s happened this season and what will happen in the summer. For now, let’s enjoy the victory. Let’s enjoy the fact we’ll be playing top-flight Spanish football AND UEFA Cup football next season.
As reader Javier de Roque said, it’s like we finished 5th! I know, not really. But think about it. We’re in Europe and we’re still in La Liga. I shrug my shoulders and say, ‘Hey! Not that bad … right? Right??’
Not that good … but I’ll take it for now.
Voro? Any thoughts?
“It was a good result but the important thing is to try to resolve the situation as soon as possible. (Very very true …)
“The players have shown their qualities recently and we have managed to get ourselves out of trouble thanks to their efforts so the merit is theirs. Our previous games for example against Osasuna and Zaragoza were a little lucky but we have to try and carry that luck with us.
“It was not an easy game tonight as Levante did dominate for long spells, we scored with our first shot and perhaps this was the turning point.
“Football goes both ways, in Barcelona we played well but we were thrashed, to day it was in our favor.”
In closing, I’ll say this … and think about this some …
Who is in worse shape? Us or Barcelona?
Did you watch that game against Mallorca yesterday? For those that don’t know, Barca were up 2-0 and then let in 3 at home to lose, 3-2.
At least we had something to play for: survival.
Barca walked into a cauldron of fan dissent, people waving white hankies and calling for the president’s head. (We’ve seen that before, no?)
The negative energy fed the team and they lost their lead.
Now, they’re in for a thorough house cleaning. Players are bound to leave and different players are expected to come.
They have the money to weather the storm. But the expectations for the club are much greater than ours.
I don’t mean this in a negative way. But let’s face facts. Barcelona are one of the richest clubs in the world. They’re expected to be in the Champions League every season. They’re expected to be in at least the top 2 in Spain every season.
Anything less is a disappointment. Talk about pressure.
Sure, we flirted with relegation this season. We fired two coaches, saw players come and go and also witnessed utter fan frustration at the happenings at the Mestalla.
But when it all comes down to it, we won a Cup. We beat Madrid at home. We managed to shake off the negative effects of Koeman and are in next season’s La Liga.
There’s an air of possibility in our club.
Imagine the pressure Barcelona face. If they finish 4th next season, Pep Guardiola’s head will be on a plate for the Nou Camp faithful.
Sometimes, finishing 14th in the league is better than finishing 4th.
In that respect, we did ok.
Safety
By: Cesar | 44 Comments
I’m keeping this one short as I battle a torrid head cold that just won’t go away … the players better not catch anything either, as evidenced by the picture above which shows Marchena and Villa enjoying the wet conditions at Paterna.
They’re needed. Me? Not so much, as the great comments on the site more than make up for the blog.
Thanks for your wonderful insight and please keep it coming!
So after Wednesday’s tense 1-0 victory over Real Zaragoza, we’re a point from safety, a point from our late-season objective: staying in La Liga.
Should reigning champions Real Madrid defeat Zaragoza at La Romareda, we’re also safe.
So things are finally looking up for us … can you believe this is our objective? Staying in La Liga? Seems so long ago we were dreaming of Moscow nights and a date in the Champions League final. Now we’re clawing for scraps.
Not that I’m complaining, because staying in the league is our main objective these days. And if we succeed, let’s thank our lucky stars.
One point is all it will take. One point against city rivals Levante, who at 26 points sit in 20th and last place in the league. They’re already relegated and playing simply for pride.
We all might think this is a gimme game, but that’s not so. A club playing simply for pride, a club playing the string out, playing in their last local derby for some time, will be playing their hearts out.
And with the form we’ve shown week in and week out, nothing’s taken for granted.
I’ve said before that I have a special place in my heart for Levante.
I lived in the neighborhood and went to many games during my time living in Valencia.
But as much as I feel for Levante, this is a must win. Valencia has to go all-out, hoping to stifle any momentum our city neighbors hope to build.
Should be a good one …
Some tidbits:
- Keep the nominations for the Valencia season awards coming! There’s a whole community of people voting over at the Xtratime forum as well! Make your way over and make friends with Valencia fans from around the world!
- Goal.com thinks we’re going to win 3-1 in their game preview. What do you think?
- Vicente is hurt again. I love the guy. I really do. But he’s softer than a newborn baby’s bottom (weak metaphor, eh? I’m sick. Give me a break …) His time here is up.
- Is Almeria’s Unai Emery our new coach? Spanish media seems to think we’ve signed the hot coaching property to a two-year deal. But Emery said that’s hogwash.
“That I have signed something with Valencia is a lie. It is a lie that Valencia have secured Unai Emery,” Emery said, apparently talking to someone about himself in the third person.
- David Albelda dropped his case against the club. I guess some of the boos he heard on Wednesday upon reappearing caused him to change his mind.
Great man. Great player. You totally didn’t deserve what you got. I will miss you next season.
- Milan’s transfer consultant and super agent, Ernesto Bronzetti, claims that the Rossoneri’s bid for Ronaldinho may be over and they should also look elsewhere for reinforcements … like, Valencia, for example.
“There are many young players in Spain who are potential targets. Look at Valencia for example, they will need to sell following a poor season and they may be forced to get rid of some of their prized assets.”
Hmm, like Silva, Joaquin and David Villa?
So is that the respect we command around Europe? The spectre of a selling club hangs around us?
Pathetic what the people in charge of this club have done this season …
I need to lay down. More later …
Random Thoughts Before Today’s ‘Game of the Year’
By: Cesar | 47 Comments
Valencia v. Real Zaragoza.
Game of the Year.
How many times have I said that?
(Look at that scrumptious paella. Since footie pics haven’t been working, I figured I’d change it up and show you Valencia’s 2nd best contribution to the world, besides Valencia CF … It’s a good luck paella!!)
But think about the ramifications should we lose today.
We inch a step closer to relegation, that dreaded word.
And along with relegation comes:
- A drop to Segunda. How many games you think we’ll be able to see next season?
- A fire-sale of players.
- No big name coaches.
- Dreaded fixtures against the likes of Sporting Gijon and Granada 74.
Although we could see old friends Celta Vigo, Alaves, Tenerife, Albacete and Levante.
Also, our biggest historical rival is Hercules. So that’s something … right???
- A drop in crowd sizes at the Mestalla. Tickets would come cheap. How many people want to come out and see 2nd Division football?
A victory and losses by Valladolid (against Betis) and Recreativo (against Villarreal) would help us a LOT …
We’d jump us to 45 points and basically be assured of staying in La Liga. So let’s hope for that.
The Mestalla will be packed tonight, with the atmosphere of a final.
20,000 orange balloons have been distributed and management have asked fans to dress in orange. They’re selling scarfs and shirts in the same color as well … Should be an electric evening, should we win …
Tonight also marks the return of some former ex-players. Juanfran, Ricardo Oliviera, Pablo Aimar (one of my favorite players) and defender Roberto Ayala.
I miss Aimar and Ayala the most. Imagine what their tenacity in the midfield and hardcore edge in defending would have given us this season.
They’re ex-players also fighting for their La Liga lives with Zaragoza, so you know they’ll be pumped to play against Los Che.
It’s gonna be a battle, people … wherever you are, show some support!!
We need this game!!
After we win, enjoy a drink as you watch El Classico between Barcelona and Real Madrid and watch Barca be humiliated as they give the new champions the pasillo (guard of honor).
But first, let’s make sure we’re not humiliated ourselves.
We need this game … AMUNT!
Spain Euro 2008 and Awards Time
By: Cesar | 19 Comments
With Valencia’s season winding down, I’m going to be concentrating more effort on Spain’s Euro 2008 campaign.
That’s right, Euro 2008 is just around the corner! It begins June 7th with Spain’s first game against Russia June 10th in Innsbruck.
Make sure to check out my Spain Euro 2008 blog, hosted by theoffside.com for my ‘insightful’ coverage …
Many Valencia players should be there. David Villa. David Silva. Marchena.
Maybe Joaquin.
Maybe Raul Albiol.
Whatever! It’s La Furia Roja!! So let’s support them!
It should be fun … make sure to check it out.
On top of that, I thought it would be fun to give awards at the end of the season for Valencia’s players.
So, here’s the categories …
- Valencia Player of the Year
- Valencia Goat of the Year … in other words, worst player …
- Best Moment of the Season
- Worst Moment of the Season … if we get relegated, well … that might win …
- Best Game
- Worst Game
Can you think of any other categories??
Post your comments here or e-mail them to me and we’ll have a Valencia ‘gala’ at the end of the season …
Uggh … what a crappy season it’s been …
The Abyss of Segunda
By: Cesar | 18 Comments
NADA … that’s what Valencia gave us yesterday. Nothing … As today’s front page of Foroche puts it, that’s what Valencia gave us. And there’s nothing more to say …
We’re now staring into the abyss, two points from relegation with three games left.
As it stands, we’re at 42 points, two above 18th-place Osasuna.
Here’s the standings:
13 - Getafe - 42 points
14 - Valladolid - 42 points
15 - Valencia - 42 points
16 - Zaragoza - 41 points
17 - Recreativo - 40 points
18 - Osasuna - 40 points
19 - Murcia - 30 points
Murcia and Levante are relegated.
We’re in the fight of our lives, with a game this Wednesday against 16th-place Zaragoza followed by battles with city rivals Levante and Atletico Madrid.
And that’s that. Season over.
Either we celebrate staying in La Liga.
Or we cry over the unthinkable: Relegation.
Here’s my thoughts on yesterday’s humiliating 6-0 loss to Barcelona …
I don’t have any thoughts. I didn’t see the game. I’m GLAD I didn’t see the game.
Reader Daniel provided me with text updates along with various other friends expressing shock and dismay at what used to be a great Valencia team …
What happened? Here’s what I think happened … no one cares anymore.
Sure, we the fans care. We buy the shirts, spend our time watching the matches, blog our thoughts, frequent forums, etc.
But what do the players care? Most of them won’t even be here next season … some don’t want to be here …
What does it matter to them if we stay up or not?
Our defense is rubbish. Our play, lackluster … what more is there to say? Once a team is down by three goals after 10 minutes, the game’s pretty much about saving face. Which is something we didn’t do yesterday …
Aggh, this is so frustrating …
Look, call me negative but I’m not the only one that feels this way … Valencia’s squad was met by a group of angry fans when they arrived at the city’s airport on Sunday evening after being heavily beaten by Barcelona.
The supporters were furious following our beloved’s toothless display at the Nou Camp.
Fearing an altercation, the club opted to keep the players on the plane until the team bus could be driven onto the runway to collect them, rather than have them meet it outside the airport entrance.
Cries of ‘Less millions, More backbone’ were heard, along with accusations that the players were ‘mercenaries’ and ’shameless’ after such an inept display against Barcelona.
Uggh … You know our goal difference this year is -21???
Negative 21???? What the f&CK??? Remember when we used to have the best defense in Europe?
My, how times change …
The president is GONE.
QQ is GONE. Koeman is GONE.
You know who is still here?
Villa. Joaquin. Silva. Caneira. Miguel. Marchena. Vicente. Mata. Etc etc etc …
You get my drift.
You know what?
I was against selling Joaquin, Villa and Silva just a few days ago.
But since we turned into the New York Knicks of European football, here’s an idea: Sell all three of them.
In fact, sell them all!!
We can’t win a game with Joaquin, Villa and Silva on the team anyways …
So what makes anyone think they should be part of the rebuilding process here?
Just leave our club, make your money and leave us alone …
If you don’t want to be here … if you want to play for Madrid, Tottenham, Inter or freakin’ the New York Red Bulls, just leave …
Sorry for this emotional post, but 6-0 is unacceptable … it doesn’t matter if we looked good for a few moments in attack, if Timo played well, if Henry dove a few times, etc etc …
6-0!!!!! Six goals for them, none for us! Unreal …
I’m done ranting … 6-0 really makes me mad … (Can you tell?)
By the way, nice to see Albelda back …
And CONGRATS to Real Madrid on their 31st league championship …
More Bad News: Villa to Madrid
By: Cesar | 46 Comments
You want more bad news?
You know, besides being near relegation, being in massive debt, having to offload our talent, etc??
According to MARCA and Goal.com, David Villa turned down an offer to join England’s Tottenham Hotspur to join … Real Madrid …
UGGGGGH …
At least that’s where he wants to go …
MARCA says Madrid is offering 30 million Euros plus either Esteban Granero or Rubén De la Red …
I dunno. Read the articles above to get a better grip on the story. Goal.com says it’s unlikely, but something tells me it’s a lot closer to reality than we think.
Just imagine: Villa scoring against us in the Mestalla, kissing the Madrid badge …
Oh, this season is SUCH a nightmare. I can’t believe what’s happened to our club …
Ok, I understand we need to sell Villa … but to Madrid? Real Madrid??
Why? WHY? Uggh, I’m so disgusted with this team right now …
Let’s hope and pray this isn’t reality and just more rubbish rumor mill crap …
By the way, we play Barcelona this weekend.
The End of an Era
By: Cesar | 19 Comments
So this is how it ends.
Valencia CF fight their way through the last four matches of the season, clawing past relegation and into next season’s La Liga.
They sell their top players, bring in a mediocre (aka cheap) coach who’s never really won anything and dabble in mid-table obscurity for the next few seasons, developing players for the ‘Big’ teams to buy …
Wow, how times have changed, eh??
What an absolute nightmare this season’s been …
Last season, we were talking about being a ‘Big Team’ ourselves. We were building a new stadium, reveling in our young players like Silva and Mata, thinking of future glories and European hardware.
Now, we’re turning into another horror story, a ‘What If?’ or a ‘What happened to them?’
We’re turning into Leeds United. Not to knock them down, but think about it …
Because this issue hits so close to home, I’m not sure I can express myself the way I’d like to … this news comes like a punch to the gut.
It’s like the directors of the club are telling us, ‘I hope you enjoyed yourselves. But the fun’s over. Time to pay up.’
The debt is piling up. There’s no money for new players.
We’re building a new stadium so the developers, who obviously made bad business decisions, need money. How do you get it? Sell our best asset: Players!
Unreal.
Here’s what other people are saying about the plight of our club … they express themselves MUCH better than I ever could …
Sarita over on Che-UK says:
Marcelino and Valencia had a verbal agreement. There was a meeting this week and
talks fell through. This seems to have been because:- He wanted full control of sporting matters;
- He had a list of players he wanted us to keep and others he wanted us to
transfer, but there may have been a disagreement here too;
- He wanted to bring in certain players, but it seems we don’t have the budget.This is all very depressing.
Worst still the idea that Manzano is the new top choice. Why, oh why, oh why the
heck is that the case? I was pleased to hear one paper saying Caparrós is on the
list, although still. What has happened? A few weeks ago we were saying Benítez
and now it’s Manzano?? I would prefer Emery to Manzano. He doesn’t even fit the
profile! Where’s the “young” in Manzano? And he’s been around for ages, what big
triumph has he achieved?? What happened to Lippi, Deschamps, et al?Now, it’s not that we’re actually going to sell V, S and J, but they will be put
on the market. As far as Joaquín is concerned, well, not that I’d be gutted if
he left. But: we paid 18m for him, are we really gonna make a profit? Is this
wise from a business perspective? Where would he go?Villa: If we think 20m EUROS is a good price for the guy, less than Modric to
Tottenham as someone here said the other day, then someone at Valencia needs a
reality check. Villa ONLY needs to go for very big money. And that means 40m
POUNDS. If he’s so great and all these wealthy clubs are after him, why is that
so difficult to ask for? Otherwise Villa’s under contract and he should stay.Silva: Big big big big mistake. Just the other day Raúl was saying what a
gifted, promising talent he is. And you know what we’ll do, we’ll sell him for
peanuts! No no no, Valencia! Does anyone here know any Board members? Please do
something!!Plus, as Miguel says, this shows we lack amibition. It all says here’s a club
who is in financial difficulty (and therefore would accept any measly cash sum
cos we’re desperate). Does anyone at Valencia have a brain? Does anyone know
what discretion is? No! Just tell the whole world our problems. Stupid stupid
stupid.I’m getting very fed up.
Me too. Great commentary.
Check out this one by Dan, also at Che-Uk. He tries to compare Valencia to an English club.
I was trying to explain to a friend who supports Spurs about our
situation, but naturally he didn’t know who Manzano was. So i tried
to come up with an English alternative.I dont know how accurate it is now, but i said this:
Imagine if, when Spurs sacked Martin Jol, instead of going for Juande
Ramos, they brought in Neil Warnock. Then they told him “You need to
sell Aaron Lennon, Berbatov and Jenas to fund new players”He said “It can’t be that bad”
can anyone come up with a better Premiership alternative?
Every day i wake up and wonder where we would be if Quique had been
given the whole season, and then Marcelinho could quietly take over
in summer.But now everyone in Europe looks at La Liga table and says “Blimey,
look at Valencia down there” and they look at newspapers and websites
and see that we have no cash, and yet foolishly attempted to build a
stadium, the oppulence of which would be more suited to the likes of
Man Utd or The England national team, and they see we are supposedly
selling Villa, Silva, Joaquin etc, and now they see that, on top of
Mourinho, Capello and whoever else not wanting to come in October,
now we can’t even get Marcelinho, and have turned to Manzano. The
Spanish Neil Warnock.This downgrades us from “Spanish Giants” to “What happened to that
Valencia” just like people over here now talk about Depor.“Didn’t Rivaldo play for them before he went to Barca?”
“Didn’t Villa play for Valencia before he went to ?????”“Wow look at the great players they’ve had over the years, and look
at them now”
Great comments both … poignant and tell the story MUCH better than I ever could …
Let’s hope all of this is just rumor and gossip right now.
Let’s hope they’re not tearing the heart and soul of our club up just for money.
The Worst News Valencia Fans Could Hear …
By: Cesar | 26 Comments
There’s a bevy of news out there regarding our beloved ahead of tonight’s dull 2-1 Liverpool win over Chelsea in a competition we only dream of being in.
I could talk about former Koeman assistant José Mari Bakero saying the Trio of Santi Canizares, Angulo and Albelda were frozen out simply for sporting reasons.
Or I could touch on the fact that Koeman recently turned down the Mexico coaching job. Mexico DOES want to go to the World Cup, correct??
I could also speak about the official end of the Canizares era, as he’s announced he will leave Valencia at the end of the season.
But what struck me was this article from goal.com, not the most reliable source of news, but still a source.
I’ll post it here with comments following the article. To read the original, click the link above. Mind you, if you’re a Valencia fan, this article will scare the pants off of you …
Valencia’s economic crisis has meant that they have pulled out of a deal to sign Marcelino and look set to have to sell David Villa and many of their big name stars.
The problems generated by the previous regime under former president Juan Soler have meant that the club’s plans have been radically altered and stories linking their biggest names with moves are not speculation, according to AS.
Marcelino had reached a verbal agreement with the club after the Copa del Rey final, but last Monday the club’s new board advised him that they could not fulfil the promises he required and major sales were to take place in the summer.
At the head of the clear-out is Villa, who this week was linked with a €20m move to Tottenham Hotspur. That idea may have appeared fanciful on the face of it, but Valencia look set to be forced to let the player talk to the Premier League outfit.
Also of value and with many admirers are such names as Silva, who Tottenham have also been linked with to fill the left-side of midfield, and Joaquín.
Fringe players are to be offered to other club in a bid to raise finances with Nikola Zigic and Miguel leading the way, along with David Albelda and Santi Cañizares, who spent most of the season frozen out under Ronald Koeman.
The new Valenica president, Agustín Morera, has had lengthy talks with vice president Rafael Salom and sporting director Juan Sánchez and they are preparing to rebuild the squad.
News of the plight of the club will shock fans who have always viewed Valencia as one of the Spanish league’s big players, but over spending has allegedly led to major problems.
Gregorio Manzano now appears to be the favourite to take over the reins as coach in the summer with Voro admitting that he has no desire to continue and wants to return to his behind-the-scenes role.
I’ll be right up front: This article scares me.
Look, we all know news from goal.com should be taken with a grain of salt. But this wasn’t just reported here. It’s all over the place, including Spanish rag AS.comandValencia paper Superdeporte.
I can deal with us selling David Villa next season, bringing in a new coach and having a period of readjustment.
But this is above and beyond that. This is basically saying we’re in full-on rebuilding mode, getting rid of key players because we can’t afford them and blowing up the entire project.
From being a breath from last season’s Champions League semifinals to the depths of rebuilding this season. And for what? Shoddy mismanagement? Poor decision making?
Utterly unacceptable.
So now Marcelino pulls out of a deal because we can’t afford to keep Joaquin and Silva.
We’re putting all of our best players up for sale, saying we can’t afford them.
What is going on here?? What happened?
Is this pure rumor mill rubbish? Or is this for real?
If it’s true, it’s about the worst news we as Valencia fans can hear.
They’re destroying our club. First and foremost, Juan Soler, who needs to sell his shares in the club RIGHT NOW. He’s using these players to finance his stadium, then he’ll walk away with a fat cat real estate deal. In the process, he’ll destroy the club while lining his fat pockets … unreal.
I don’t know what more to say … things have gone from bad to worse this season and now they’re destroying our club, chipping the pieces off one by one.
No one cares anymore. It’s always been about the money.
But why do the fans have to suffer so?
Stranger Than Fiction
By: Cesar | 8 Comments
Relief, at least for one week, came in the form of a 3-0 victory at the hands of 10-man Osasuna at a feisty Mestalla yesterday.
With new coach Voro at the helm, Valencia returned to the old 4-4-2 system that’s worked wonders before.
It paid dividends, as Joaquin, Mata and Villa (penalty) scored against the Rojillos, down a man due to goalkeeper Ricardo’s dodgy foul on Villa in the 18th minute.
Besides that, we saw the triumphant returns of goalkeeper Santiago Canizares and Miguel Ángel Angulo, who received a huge ovation when he was brought in late in the game …
Ahh, this feels good.
Not only is it nice to win a game (finally!) but there’s a sense of normalcy that returned with the additions of Canizares and Angulo.
Angulo was never the brightest bulb on the tree, but he always played with grit and passion. And he was truly grateful for the rousing cheer he received when he made his way on the pitch, saying, ‘There aren’t words to explain how I felt.’
That’s wonderful.
And Canizares … what can I say? He’s my favorite player and I actually got a wee bit misty-eyed when I saw he returned to the Valencia nets.
It won’t last forever. Nothing does. But it felt good, warm and familiar to see these lads running on the Mestalla pitch. Not to mention the fact that Vicente played as well. It was a veritable 2004 reunion on the field … all we needed was Kily and Rafa Benitez!
True, Osasuna had 10 men for much of the match. But still, 3 points is 3 points … what more can we ask for at this point?? We did play well for long stretches of the match. There’s something to be said for having the Trio back and a new coach at the helm.
Click below for highlights of our much-needed win …
With the win, we cam breathe somewhat easier … at least until next week, when we travel to the Nou Camp and take on Barcelona.
Voro was realistic after the win.
“We knew how to cope with the pressure and move forward after a difficult situation and we can now view the future with optimism, although we have not achieved anything yet. One win does not solve all the problems, just like losing would not have been that serious,” Voro said.
Very true.
Next week, it’s Barca.
For now, let’s enjoy a victory. It might not have been extraordinarily pretty. It might not have been just (many say the Villa penalty was a bit harsh). But it’s what it is … and I’ll take it.
I’m a smiling Valencia fan today …
I leave you with the words of Spanish soccer sage Phil Ball, who waxes poetic on our beloved and offers words of condolences for our neighbors/city brothers Levante, who were relegated this weekend …
Talking of therapy, we can hardly close this week’s column without a mention of the goings-on at Valencia, soon to be made into a soap-opera called ‘Stranger than Fiction’. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any weirder, just about the only member of the backroom staff not to get the sack during last Monday’s predictable ‘Lunchtime of the Long Knives’, new manager and club stalwart Voro (Salvador González Marco) decided that he should offer the olive branch to the three veteran players previously sidelined by Koeman.
Of course, for all Koeman’s obvious inability to master the art of man-management (his ability to master the art of football tactics remains a moot point), it does seem that he was something of a puppet king, brought in by Soler and then asked to do the dirty deed during the first week of his stay - hardly a move likely to win the players’ affection. But Koeman could have said no. The fact that he willingly played executioner in a drama in which he had previously played no part, says little for his judgement. But you can’t bite the hand that feeds you, particularly in the first week.
Then again, as the old saying goes - watch out for your enemies whilst you’re on the way up, because they’ll come back to haunt you on your way down. And so, six days after a humiliating thrashing at the hands of Bilbao, Cañizares is back in the team, Angulo comes on as substitute (and makes his 300th appearance) and Albelda is back in the squad. Admittedly goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand was injured - although the rumour mills were saying the opposite - but Cañizares did seem to be rushed back between the sticks with indecent haste.
It’s all very well offering an olive branch, but it remains a worrying fact for Valencia’s further prospects of avoiding relegation that several players (one of them Hildebrand) must be fairly unchuffed to see the three outlaws swagger back so easily into town. I don’t know. There has been so much disinformation that it’s hard to get at the truth - but in the final instance the policy decision came up trumps, at least for the purposes of Sunday.
Osasuna came as unwilling victims, but it was always a possibility that Valencia could begin their Year Zero at home to a struggling side like them. A 3-0 win, aided and abetted by the ref who sent off Osasuna’s goalie Ricardo in the 20th minute for nothing more than taking the ball off Villa’s feet, as he’s been coached to do, may be just the tonic the whole club needs to avoid joining their fellow Valencianos Levante, who were finally relegated after losing at Recreativo.
Someone must have put a spell on the city this year, because the drama has hardly been confined to the Mestalla this week. Indeed, Levante came to within 48 hours of carrying out their threat to refuse to play against Recreativo, unless they were given bank guarantees that at least 50% of the money owed to them would be transferred to them by the middle of this week.
Facing the prospect of a possible relegation to Segunda B and the subsequent mess of adding and subtracting points from the teams that have played Levante since Christmas, Valencia’s City Council finally got their act in gear and secured the guarantees. Levante played and lost, but were at least put out of their top-flight misery. It remains to be seen whether they can survive next season, however, unless their ground is put up for redevelopment. And Valencia CF think they have problems. As Einstein remarked, everything’s relative.
Stranger than fiction indeed, this season’s La Liga show. Don’t put it past Barcelona to upset the apple cart, win at Old Trafford and really confuse the issue even further.
What a year it’s been, eh?
Four more games to go … let’s enjoy them!!!
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Euro 2008