David Villa set to move on Friday as Bilbao beat some children
Tuesday 18 May 2010 10:53
Before the blog kicks off with its normal rants and raves - and it has some whoppers stored up today - it is going to begin with some fluffy news and the most insanely brilliant concept ever conceived by anyone ever - aside from trams. But that’s probably just a LLL fetish.
To say goodbye to Joseba Etxeberría after 15 seasons at the club, the Athletic Bilbao bigwigs decided to organise a charity match. But rather than getting the Spanish equivalent of Shed Seven and Tony the annoying chef bloke from Hollyoaks to pull on a pair of boots (LLL is a little behind on UK culture, as you may have noticed) the Bilbao bigwigs decided to invite 200 school kids between the ages of 12 and 15 to take on the first team. At the same time.
Well, that’s not entirely true. The first half began with 100 vs 10 before things got a little bit silly in the final five minutes of the game which saw 200 vs 20. Remarkably - probably because Fernando Amorebieta was banned from tackling 10 kiddies at the same time - Athletic only came away as 5-3 winners.
20,000 locals turned up to the game paying €20 each with all the funds going to a charity to build a football stadium in the Congo.
LLL hears that Deportivo also tried to set up the idea before being told by social services that youngsters being forced to endure the football stylings of the Galician side firsthand consists of cruel and unusual punishment.
And now onto the more serious business of the tectonic plates of la Primera shifting with the season now done and dusted.
Barcelona have admitted that David Villa will be become a ‘smugger’ - as LLL now likes to call them - to be presented on Friday according to Mundo Deportivo.
The club’s sporting VP, Rafael Yuste, revealed on Ona FM that “the negotiations are going well in David Villa’s case” however things were a little bit tougher in regards to the club’s second target - Cesc Fabregas.
“Cesc’s case is different,” said Yuste, “because it concerns the player wanting to come, which is very important, and talking to his club and then, if it happens, reaching an agreement.”
The news is not so good for Real’s main man-of-the-moment, José Mourinho, with Marca grumbling that Inter are cruelly blocking their manager’s move to Madrid.
Tuesday’s edition complains that the club president, Massimo Moratti is “trying to break the verbal agreement between Mourinho and Madrid” by tempting him with a salary increase. “Some things are more important in life” was Marca’s made-up reply from the manager.
LLL feels that Marca is quite right to feel aggrieved. After all, what right do Inter have in trying to hold Mourinho to a legally binding contract with the club that lasts until 2012?
However, the blog feels the paper may want to look into how much of the club’s money will be blown on this potential change at the helm at Castle Greyskull.
The club reportedly paid Villarreal €4m to buy out Manuel Pellegrini’s contract, last summer. Should the Chilean be fired - and it is likely to happen on Wednesday according to Marca - then it will cost the club another €4m to get rid of him.
Prising Mourinho from Milan is likely to cost €8m say AS and with Marca writing that The Special One will demand a four year contract with Madrid, LLL estimates that it will take in the region of €15m to pay off the final three years of that once Mourinho has been fired in twelve months time for playing Cristiano Ronaldo as a fullback.
In all, the total cost of this managerial merry-go-round will be in the region of €31m - a figure that would pay Gonzalo Higuaín’s reported contract demands for a good six years for starters.
The last supporters of Manuel Pellegrini, AS, finally caved in over the weekend and it had nothing whatsoever do to with an official visit on Friday from Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, to their new offices.
But the blog would just note that on Tuesday 11th May, the paper published a poll claiming that 59% of fans who responded didn’t want Mourinho at the club and lead with a story from Iker Casillas saying that he wanted Pellegrini to stay. “You have to give continuity to a project,” claimed the goalkeeper.
Four days later, an editorial from Javier Matallanas claimed that “all paths lead to José Mourinho.”
They do now.
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About Tim Stannard
La Liga Loca is the playground for the evil, more childish half of Tim Stannard’s psyche to be let loose. The other 50% is a contributor to FourFourTwo magazine, Football365, Sabotage Times as well as other publications such as UEFA Champions Magazine and When Saturday Comes. He is also a regular guest on Real Madrid TV’s Extra Time show and works as a TV producer extraordinaire for hire. To contact Tim directly email laligaloca@yahoo.co.uk