La Liga Loca

A sideways look at Spanish football

Tim Stannard and Simon Talbot

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Monday’s Good Day, Bad Day - Round 5

Monday 29 September 2008 12:00

Good Day

Malaga

The weekend didn't start too well for manic Malaga down on the Costa del Crime.

First off, club owner and former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz was caught by the Fuzz whilst involved in allegedly dodgy financial dealings with some dubious gentlemen.

Sanz is claiming he was just lending a helping hand with a reported $10 million business transaction. A judge may decide otherwise on Tuesday.

Soon after, it was revealed that his son and Malaga president Fernando Sanz was contemplating stepping down with the side pointless and goalless after four rounds of action.

Whilst the side’s big boss may be in a spot of hot water at the moment, a 2-1 home win over Valladolid means that at least one part of Malaga FC is out of jail this week.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

There are few strikers around who, when one-on-one with a keeper, you’d bet your bottom on them scoring. Ruud van Nistelrooy is one of them.

The sight of the Betis defenders trying to crawl their way into the turf after Real Madrid’s last gasp win said it all. Their attention wavered for a gnat’s nanosecond, but that was more than enough time for Van the Man to win the game.

Ruud breaks Betis hearts in stoppage time

It was the Dutchman’s 60th strike in 86 Madrid games and his 7th in 7 official matches this season.

Naturally, Marca celebrated this achievement on their front page, but had to balance this praise by noting that “who needs R9 when you have R7!” - the same R7 who dug a big hole on the de Lopera pitch on Saturday night and sat in it until he was hauled off.

David Villa

“We have to tread carefully by taking things step by step,” warned Unai Emery on Sunday.

David Villa is in more of a hurry than his boss, having banged in goals number five and six of the league season.

Valencia are now top of the table and Emery is officially having the best debut as a coach in the Mestalla madhouse. And this remarkable run should keep him in his job until at least November - a fine effort from the former Almería man.

Sporting

This is a predictable as a Banega pee-pee gag from the blog but a 1-0 defeat to Villarreal must have had the Asturians dancing in the streets like Bowie and Jagger on Saturday night.

Or maybe not, considering it was a game that the home side felt they should have won. La Liga Loca still reckons that the sprightly Sporting side will be fine when Primera’s Judgement Day comes along. Especially with Betis in the mix.

Manolo Preciado’s men have a chance to start the season properly next week by taking on the still middling about Mallorca. But the manager will have to sit in the stands with potty mouthed Preciado having given some lip to the referee on Saturday night.

Francisco Casquero

The Getafe midfielder may only have one trick in his footballing toolkit, but it’s a doozy.
1) Run towards the goal with the ball.
2) Smack it.
3) Win game.

Casquero (R): "If in doubt... smack it"

Thierry Henry

It’s a shame that fans in Spain are unlikely to see the Frenchman in his imperial prime and pomp. A combination of brooding boredom, being played out of position and an iffy back means that it looks like a steady decline for Titi at the Camp Nou.

But La Liga Loca feels confident that there could be one last burst of form left in Henry’s tank. And so does Pep Guardiola, whose faith in the forward was repaid with a goal against Espanyol.

Almería

Granted, they were taking on a Recreativo side that was down to nine men at the time - and eight, soon after - but the late, late winner from Negredo means they are nearly a quarter of the way to achieving their survival target this season with just five games gone.

Bad Day

Espanyol

Oh dear. One can only imagine Paul from Barcelona is howling at traffic today after Saturday night’s demolition derby.

Taking on the issues surrounding this cantankerous clash is rather like hopping up and down on a wasps’ nest covered in honey, but here goes.

Who was responsible for selling tickets to a group of Barca Ultras and allowing them to not only bring flares into the ground but launch seven of them into an Espanyol end? At the moment everyone is blaming each other.

Why did the Barcelona players think it was a good idea to run towards the Ultras to celebrate their goals? “Passion in its purest form” said one La Sexta commentator. “Provocation” say Espanyol who look set to report five Barcelona players for the action.

“If the club are fighting to eradicate them (Ultra groups) then the players cannot become the protagonists,” argues Josep Maria Casanovas writing in Monday’s Sport.

Why is Joan Laporta getting such a tough time? The Barça president has done a great deal - and at enormous personal risk - to outlaw Ultra groups from the Camp Nou. If the Montjuic security services decide to let them in, it’s not his responsibility.

And why are Espanyol looking to have the last section of the game replayed as is reported in Monday’s papers? Every time a decision doesn't go their way, they cannot keep crying conspiracy.

When the tackle came in during injury time, the penalty call looked a good one. Video replays suggest otherwise, but only after many looks from many angles.

Dániel Sanchez Llibre’s declaration that “if someone wants to help the big clubs occupy the top of the standings, we will go and form another league,” just makes him look like a loon.

(Blog steps back slowly).

Sparks fly between Espanyol and Barca supporters

Real Betis

“The best Betis side I’ve seen in my four seasons here,” said Maresca after last weekend’s goalless draw. “The best Betis I’ve seen since being in Spain.” claims Ruud van Nistelrooy on Saturday night.

La Liga Loca is dying to know what the worst one was.

Atlético Madrid

A poor performance from the rojiblancos against an obstinate Sevilla side that has been discussed elsewhere.

But you’d have to possess a heart of concrete to have a pop at Atleti. Missing Forlan, Maniche, Simao, Heitinga and with Kun lame in several different ways at once, the home side were naturally off colour. None more so than Luis Garcia who suffered 90 minutes of jeering from the Calderón fans.

Osasuna fans

Looks like being a fun season ahead for the pampered Pamplonans. Four draws. No wins and just two goals scored.

“The reality is that we didn’t deserve any more” was Ziganda’s impressions on Sunday’s goalless draw against Numancia.

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About Tim Stannard and Simon Talbot

When he isn't fighting the evil forces of flamenco or attracting libel actions for La Liga Loca, Tim Stannard is building his media empire in Madrid. As well as contributing to Football365 and doing odd jobs elsewhere, Tim also works in the glamorous world of television as a producer, script writer, news editor, coffee boy and stand-in fluffer.

Simon Talbot? Well, he's a man of mystery.

Comments

	September 29, 2008 14:01 Paul said: Was too angry to Right a report Tim would have been able to Print. but i will answer those points. 1) Spanish law says Tickets must be available to everyone. When you purchased a ticket for the away end you had to show ID. Espanyol gave the names to the Police last week. The flares are not very big. Quite easy to smuggle- Number confiscated in Barça end 5 0r 10 depending on which report you read. Espanyol 30,000 people 0. Security is provided by the stadium which is owned by the council. Espanyol also provides a private security firm to help out. 2)Think it was a mixture of the 2. You get an inexistent penalty 2 minutes after the game should have finished,you are going to go mental. But this could have kick started a riot. A fine is about right. 3)Laporta deserved credit for his attempt to try and wrestle control from The morons but Now he needs their votes and going against them is seen as Anti- Barça. The saviola affair soured everything with Espanyol and his refusal to apologise,even privately, will haunt him. His Holier than thou atitude doesn't help either. 4) C'mon Tim, Espanyol always seem to be on the recieveing end against Barça and nearly everyone else come to think of it. Law of Averages says this can't be right. the game shouldn't be replayed but the Ref should be suspended and an Independent investigation into him should be started, Hello Rob Styles. As a Liga one would be Run by a Barça socio. 5) from where i was it looked a penalty (120 meters away) but from where the Ref was ? Would he have given it against Barça ?. Something happened at halftime because up till then he'd done ok to poor. second half.... 6) how many Footy Supporters wish the likes Of Barça,Man Utd and Milan would F*** off and let the rest of us get on with the genuine article ?. The Playing field isn't level we all know it yet we put up with. Dani stands up for the Club and won't be pushed around by Barça. No mean feat in this city i can Tell you. Twice this week Barça have got out of jail thanks to referees. That's twice in 4 days. 4 points gained. take away those points and they are 10th 7 points off the leader. Smells fishy to me. Guardiola seems like a decent bloke and is trying to sort out the club, Remarkably less diving than usual. well done Pep. But just for once come out and say yes the ref was wrong we were lucky. can i say Hi to American John at this point. The big problem was The Police. their lack of response to the problem caused fans to enter the pitch ,grab security and Stadium Staff and ask thenm why nothing was happening to stop it. during the match Espanyol informed the Police that the fans had flares. What happened ? NADA It's common Knowledge here that some Members of the Riot squad are also members of the Boixos Nois (The Crazy Boys),I know i laughed too. They won't get involved unless it's cracking skulls of People in Blue and white. barça are very powerful politically and doing something against them takes a lot of guts. This inaction offened virtually every supporter more then the flares themselves and if you don't understand why Flares are so significant. Barça fans killed a Young Espanyol supporter in the Sarria stadium with a flare that was aimed from the away end. The symbolism isn't lost on Espanyol fans. The whole thing was premeditaed on The Crazy Boys website,still makes me laugh. We all knew it was going to happen let's see if the authorites have the balls to do sometyhing serious about it. Stray cat count 0 apart from Slim Jim Phantom in a raul tamudo is god shirt. Bring on the Comments
	September 29, 2008 14:34 tinslejo said: I'm quite concerned. The last time Valencia started this well in the league in 04/05 they went all crappo, sacked and few managers and didn't even qualify for the UEFA cup. Signs are ominous.
	September 29, 2008 14:38 mpgv said: "You get an inexistent penalty 2 minutes after the game should have finished" - do you think pericos goal was ok???
	September 29, 2008 15:36 maspringekeunpapeldechurros said: We all know Cantalejo's history, and I doubt if it will go any further unfortunately. I see Tim's point that it was difficult to judge although the linesman should have had a much better view. But if there is doubt shouldn't the referee refuse it? Innocent till proven guilty. I think I am going to become an anorak and start logging dodgy decisions for RM and Barca. My grouch was the timing of the match, I know that the ref has the final say on the extra minutes added (my point!!) and that sexta must have had the timing wrong with the penalty whistled at 6 minutes over time, but reports later said that a whole 1 minute and 30 seconds over time had been played before the penalty!!
	September 29, 2008 15:52 sameoldcabbage said: "Why did the Barcelona players think it was a good idea to run towards the Ultras to celebrate their goals? “Passion in its purest form” said one La Sexta commentator. “Provocation” say Espanyol who look set to report five Barcelona players for the action." Er...which team's players don't run towards their own supporters just having scored a goal, especially such an important one?
	September 29, 2008 19:22 AdamCule said: "3)Laporta deserved credit for his attempt to try and wrestle control from The morons but Now he needs their votes and going against them is seen as Anti- Barça." Come off it Paul, you know as well as anybody that Laporta has never relaxed in his stance against the Boixos and everybody that was present in that stadium was there because Espanyol had sold them a ticket. Barca weren't selling tickets for the fixture at all. As for the votes, well Laporta's second and final mandate is coming to a close so votes aren't an issue. Even if they were, the assertation that what he has done in evicting the Boixos is anti-Barca is absurd and I know nobody who believes that.
	September 29, 2008 19:24 AdamCule said: On the time issue, it's possible that Medina Cantalejo lost track himself but the penalty and goal were within the 3 minutes of injury time indicated on the board if you time it from when the board went up.
	September 29, 2008 20:53 Paul said: Sorry adam it's you who needs to be honest here. Apart from Sang Cule most of the younger Guys at Barça want to be a Boixos or pretend to be one. They sell the flags outside the ground for christsake. Laporta needs to not rock the boat right now and your telling him that he's not trying to get everyone on his side for re-election. as for your second point,the board went up in The 92 minute ,fact. 90 so technically there was only 1 minute to be played. Thanks for proving what i've always said on here. Bad losers but even worse winners. Justifying cheating is a Barça speciality. Glad to see the rest of the world is getting to see it at last. MPGV -fair point but after what had happened it was ill-advised to put it mildly.
	September 29, 2008 22:05 AdamCule said: "They sell the flags outside the ground for christsake. Laporta needs to not rock the boat right now and your telling him that he's not trying to get everyone on his side for re-election." Those stalls aren't run by Barca and the Boixos Nois were delisted as an official Penya. Typical that the perikos try to deflect the blame after the shambolic way they went about ticketing and security. Laporta CAN'T be re-elected. Barca presidents can only serve two terms (a rule change brought in by Gaspart)and Laporta is in his 2nd, so bang goes your periko conspiracy theory. It's great to see Espanyol getting themselves into such a tizz over the on-pitch issues, consider it pay back for denying us the league in 2007 (yeah, I know Messi handball blah blah blah). See you in Cornella in 2k9.
	September 29, 2008 23:08 Paul said: The gospel according to adam. Barcelona didn't do anything wrong. He's all ready admitted he wasn't at the match. I was. Keep proving me right that you just can't handle the criticism. Go on do your I said "Espanyol were the better team" bit. Typical humourless Barça fan. most of you have seen the incidents by Now, you be the jury. Don't know if Adam could handle the truth so be gentle folks. He has a flair for the ridiculous
	September 30, 2008 09:33 mpgv said: c'mon paul. ref was bad, very bad, but all the game he try to even up the decisions. that wasn't one way trafiic. i counted 6 decisive errors: 1) he didn't give penalty for espanyol handball 2) espanyol goal move started from foul that never was 3) espanyol goal was illegal 4) sending off was nonsense 5) injury time was too long 6) there wasn't penalty on eto'o 3:3. so i don't think there's much to moan about for pericos. thats life. take 3 points from SB and everybody will be happy :)
	September 30, 2008 09:48 mpgv said: P.S. except tamudo grandma :)))))
	September 30, 2008 12:22 Paul said: MPGV- In That case give 2 points to Betis. the Luis garcia Foul is 50/50. the penalty is 100 % wrong. It was a foul leading up the goal,so was the play up till the penalty decision. If it was a foul leading up to the goal and it wasn't a goal they cancel each other out that's one decisive decision so by your logic that's 2;3. This is why i hate Barça. None of you has the balls to stand up and say "It was wrong " and not try to justify the Result. all the big decisions went one way. Clutching at straws does you no favours. Any football fan could see what was going on.
	September 30, 2008 13:51 mpgv said: "all the big decisions went one way." absolutely false. you look like pericos president - comic. all world against gentelmans in blue and white on the pitch and in the stands. ususususus :) read what sid lowe wrote about game. i think it's neutral view ...
	September 30, 2008 20:23 Guerrero said: As for the Barcelona derby (yes, it's a late response but I've been busy being a single Dad), it was a FCB win hands down. Two, not one, iffy goals were counted that night, one per side. That arm from Luis Garcia was as highly suspect as the penalty in the dying minutes of the match. Exclude both and we're left with Thierry's goal. The Ultras were Espanyol's problem to prevent. It was their house, so it's their call. Unfortunate for the parakeet supporters given the flare tossing.