Intertoto Cup Our Saving Grace?

By: Cesar | March 16th, 2008

It’s getting bad … again …

I don’t have the heart to write a detailed, blow-by-blow account of yesterday’s humiliating 2-1 defeat to Sevilla at the Mestalla.

Here’s what goal.com’s Fernando Montabon had to say about yesterday’s game:

Valencia have been flattened again in their own back yard, as Sevilla came out of the blocks too fast and too furious for Los Ches, scoring twice in the first 25 minutes. An uninspired Valencia could only claw one back in the final minutes as they were resigned to another humiliating defeat, and almost certainly out of contention for European football next season…

Really, what else needs to be said? Can you sense my frustration at getting our tails handed to us week after week?
I can’t believe how the mighty have fallen.
This time last year, we were in the Champions League quarterfinals, one step from the European semifinals and doing well enough in the league to dream of top-draw European competition this season.

Now?

We’re falling further and further behind in the league table week after week. We have a coach who apparently can’t coach, a president who just quit, a cast of players who play as if they HAVE quit and a disenchanted fan base sick of the losing.

What the hell happened here? It took place way too fast. Dissecting yesterday’s game would be futile and an exercise in tedium. I’d be saying the same things I’ve been saying week after week.

Our tactics are rubbish. Our players aren’t living up to their potential. Our coach hasn’t a clue what to do … blah blah blah … as Timothy Lakefront said in yesterday’s comments, ‘We f****g suck.’

As sad as it sounds, the Intertoto Cup is our saving grace. Because I don’t see how we’re going to get past Barcelona at the Mestalla this week to make it to the Copa Del Rey final the way we’re playing …

If you have the stomach to bear it, here’s a pretty lengthy re-cap of yesterday’s game … I don’t think you need me to interpret the game for you. The ‘highlights’ speak for themselves …

I’m obviously not the only one frustrated beyond belief.

Ronnie ‘Tintin’ Koeman’s won 3 of the 16 league games he’s coached since he took over for QQ Sanchez Flores late last year. That’s simply not good enough.

Apparently new club president Agustín Morera wants results. He didn’t get those in his first game as club president yesterday. He wants wins. We all do. The semifinal Cup matchup against Barcelona this Thursday at the Mestalla could mark yet another delineation point for our club. Should Tintin survive and get us into the final, he’ll probably hold onto his job until the end of the season.

If not, it’s probably the end of the Koeman era at Valencia.

One stumbling block that could give Koeman some respite it the fact that if the board choose to fire him then he would be due €6m in compensation. That’s quite a stash of cash. But can things really go on like this anymore?

Case in point: Did you hear Koeman’s rants against the press, the club and anyone associated with Valencia the other day?

Tintin expressed his disappointment with officials within the club for leaking developments to the press – and to the press for siding with their “friends”… I guess these friends would mean David Albelda, Santiago Canizares, etc.

He’s upset that his meeting with vice-president of sports Rafael Salom and sporting director Miguel Angel Ruiz to plan for next season was leaked.

“This should have been a secret meeting, but someone from the club was instead responsible for leaking it to the press,” he roared. “This shouldn’t happen at any club in the world, and I want to tell the culprit to his face – I know who it is,” he continued with a grave expression. Oh oh … who could it be? A Valencian mystery! More drama for our local soap opera, ‘As The Mestalla Turns’ … uggh …

“I have no friends among the media and maybe that’s why nobody defends me,” he said about the volatile Valencian press.

“But my interest is that the team wins, not to provide news or anything like that. In Valencia if you’re a friend of a journalist, you’re defended even if you want to sue the club for 60 million euros,” he continued in a rather poorly veiled attack on David Albelda. Kinda childish, no?

Despite all the drama, he feels calm.

“There’s no fear for my future, because I know that I’ll be here for a while,” he grinned. Based on what???

“I came at an unusual time,” he admitted, but added that “the team has improved on the pitch, but there are a few minor details to fix up. And while I don’t like to complain about referees, we could have five more points than we do.”

On the subject of the resignation of president Juan Soler, he said, “It’s bad news. He’s done a great deal for the club.

“It was him that persuaded me to come here. Hopefully his health will improve.”

I just don’t know what to say right now about the state of the club. It’s apparent things need to be changed.
The players, the coach, the tactics, the club leadership, etc etc etc …

I don’t profess to have answers to what ails the club. I’m just an emotionally invested fan.

What I do know is that this situation can’t continue for much longer. Meaning, after Thursday should we lose to Barcelona.

We NEED that game in the worst way. We NEED to get something from this season. I’d explode if we made it to the final … what an emotional high after such a putrid season …

On another note, who wants to guest blog this week? E-mail me at cesarman@yahoo.com. One lucky fan will get his article printed this week before the Barca match Thursday. I know many of you are interested, so get your opinions about our sad sack club in print and have the world read them! AMUNT!