A painful last few minutes for Real Sociedad against Getafe have left them just outside the relegation zone with five points from eight games. It has been a dreadful start from the white and blue which they need to turn around quickly if they are to challenge for a place in Europe. Pablo Hervais’ tap-in 82 minutes in looked to have sealed all three points for the royals but two quick goals in stoppage time from Getafe striker Yoda snatched the win for the away side. … [Read more...]
The Irish-Spaniard
Who is the only Irish manager to manager successfully in Spain? That man is Patrick O’Connell, also known as Patricio O’Connell, who managed successfully at both Real Betis and FC Barcelona. But, who was he? Where did he make his name? Patrick O’Connell was born on the 8th of March 1887 in Westmeath, Ireland, playing the position of wing half. His playing career included playing for: Belfast Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday, Hull City and Manchester United. As an Irish International, his honours include captaining Ireland to the British Home Championship in 1914. … [Read more...]
Messi proves ability to lead Argentina to glory
Lionel Messi led his team to a hard-fought victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina last night, proving he has the capability to help Argentina win the World Cup. Messi bagged the second goal in the 2-1 win to kick-off Argentina's World Cup campaign. There has been plenty of pressure on Messi to perform, as the final comparison to Maradona is to lead Argentina to World Cup glory, as Diego did in 1986. Whilst Messi is not alone in a star-studded Argentina squad, he has been given the talismanic tag, heavy in responsibility. His performance last night was far from his Barcelona best, but the goal … [Read more...]
Zidane to take over should Real lose tonight
Reports in Italy claim that should Carlo Ancelotti lose the Champions League Final, Zinedine Zidane will be named as the new coach of Real Madrid. Stories had been circulating in recent weeks suggesting Zidane did not have enough experience to take charge at the Bernabeu. But Milan-based daily, Gazzetta Dello Sport say this is not the case, with the final tomorrow deciding his future. This seems quite harsh on Ancelotti ( He did win the Copa Del Rey ) but then the obstacle standing in Real,s way are noisy neighbours and recently crowned La Liga champions Atletico Madrid. … [Read more...]
A better job than Ancelotti
It has been hard to stop for breath in this season’s La Liga, it has been brilliant and we still don’t know who is going to prevail. What we do know is that it is coming to an end. But it isn’t too bad as we still have the World Cup to look forward to and for one lucky person this World Cup has just gone from awesome, to insane. … [Read more...]
GUEST POST: FC Barcelona – what went wrong this season
Despite the current media and pundit narrative, this season isn’t Barcelona’s Waterloo. Yes, the team lost the Copa Del Rey to Real Madrid, crashed out of the Champion’s League, and barring a miracle won’t win the league. However, taking a realistic view of this season, Barca’s results seem appropriate. Last year the team effectively had two managers as Tito fought his battle with cancer and before that, they lost arguably the best coach of the modern era after a historic four year run. With the hiring of Gerardo Martino this past summer, Barcelona is on its fourth coach in the last three … [Read more...]
What’s the future for Barcelona?
Barcelona are still reeling from the news that they have been handed a 14 month transfer embargo by FIFA. They have announced an appeal, but could this be turning into an annus mirabilis for Tata Martino's team, and if so how will they cope with it? Barcelona were always seen as being above the temptations that other teams succumbed to. They didn't chase sponsorship, instead supporting Unicef on the front of their shirts. They weren't interested in corporate Euros. The club was run by fans, and was famous for their spirit of fair play. They were, to coin their immortal phrase, more than a … [Read more...]
Return tie against City at Camp Nou sets Barca tongues wagging
After a fairly fortuitous 2-0 win against a game Manchester City in the Champions League, it looks likely that Barcelona will get through to the quarter-finals at the expense of the moneyed English side. In recent years, Spanish clubs have had the upper hand over their English opponents, with Barca among those profiting the most. In the past decade, the current champions have managed to overcome Manchester United in two finals, Arsenal twice in the knockout stages and, on the odd occasion, Chelsea. City could soon join that list, but against Premier League opposition, there have been a few … [Read more...]
5 Spanish Players that May Miss the World Cup
The Spanish national team is known for having some of the world’s best players at its disposal. But with so many talented players, the Spanish national team will need to make some big decisions. Based on the season they’ve had so far with their club teams, here are five players that may not make the trip to Brazil. … [Read more...]
Semi-final Showdowns With Added Spice
It's semi final first leg week in the Copa Del Rey, and both games promise to be exciting, and difficult to predict. Wednesday evening will see Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona v Real Sociedad. Barcelona are red hot favourites to progress through to the King's Cup final, but Sociedad were a team in form prior to their thumping by Atletico at the weekend. Sociedad were unlucky to lose the fixture 4-0, and it may be that their players had one eye on this game and next week's return. Tata Martino's side were distraught at losing to Valencia on Sunday. The result leaves them in a poor … [Read more...]