Apology

Sorry. I have to offer my sincere apologies for deliberately misleading you in my blog "Roquetas 0 Real Murcia 3" published Sunday evening. Clearly I have misinterpreted Real Murcia's performance under the influence of alcohol. What appeared at the time to be a solid and entertaining performace was in fact boring, tedious and totally rubbish. Thank goodness our local sports reporters were able to set the record straight and avoid any confusion my slanted and untrue view of events may have caused. Please read below the true events of Sunday's game as they really were, courtesy of the magnificent Ángela Moreno in the "La Opinión" Murcia local paper (my translation):

The city of Roquetas inspires more some holiday, a day of rest and relaxation, than a game of football. And that's how the Almerian fans think, who hardly attend the stands at the Antonio Peroles stadium, and that's how Real Murcia took it, who were only awoken up in the last minutes by Isaac and Kike, two of the players pointed at by Iñaki Alonso for their poor performances. Apart from the goals, which arrived in a 10 minute interval, and from the limited reliability of Chando, little more to highlight from a game that Jusús Samper, if he had attended, would not have hesitated to qualify as boring.

Roquetas, as a good host, gave Real Murcia the ball and asked them to make themselves comfortable on the pitch as if it were their own home. The only thing missing was to bring out a table, some beers, and aperative, plug in the play station and play with footballers of real quality.

The red team, with the goodness that characterises the squad, accepted the invitation, took the ball and dizzied it from side to side so as not to offend the good intentions of their rival. But the anguish that invades Murcia when they have to go into enemy territory, and the passionless, lazy domination, like the trotting of an old horse, converted the game more to being an uninteresting kickabout, than a clash where the principal actor was the leader of the division.

The first approach from Murcia to the penalty area, didn't arrive until the 20th minute, when Aquino, mistaking the ball for a Bohemian crystal jug, delicately headed the ball into Flavio's hands. The youth product, who was lined up by his coach in a midfield position to avoid the typical suffocation of "fatter" players when the have to go from 0 to 100 on the wing, and Pedro started to timidly enter play, but didn't find any colaboration from Chando, who is still intent on missing chances you cannot miss.

It is understood that Iñaki Alonso and Sergio Fernandez are crazy about signing a "different striker" to Chando. And even though it isn't clear exactly what they mean by different, everything indicates that they refer to actually being able to score a few goals.

Ten minutes of pressure are enough so that the red's coach has the excuse for his usual post match analisis....so Real Murcia, like a lizard, layed in the sun waiting for a new spark that would be enough to close out the game.

As an analisis of the bad isn't worth it, and will only serve to repeat or worsten what has been said in the previous paragraphs and in articles written until today, it is best to take the time machine, jump 20 minutes over something that isn't football, and thank Iñaki Alonso for pardoning, even though he doesn't know for what, Isaac and for giving a new opportunity to Kike.

Isaac demanded a first team place with a marvellous cross that Kike, with the impulse of his own and others doubts, headed into the net, celbrating the score with his usual melodrama. If his profession doesn't convince him, this week he has the chance to go to Cartagena and do a casting in which Alez de la Iglesia will elect extras for his next film "La Chispa de la Vida". Who knows, in the end he may even charm Salma Hayek?

With the abcense of protagonists (Pedro looked on from the bench, and Chando preferred not to touch the ball and therefore not fail again), Albiol, another of this team's extras, scored with a majestic shot from a free kick. Third consecutive game with a goal from the Valencian, who seems to be shouting in Chando's ear that if he, anything but a striker, can score, then it can't be that hard.

As if to demonstrate that you can say a lot of stupid things at the press conference, the Murcia players ignored instructions from their manager to "be like dogs, waste time and fake injury" and, led by Isaac, went to sentence the game, but with goals.

Marvellous result for the leader, who maintains Sevilla B three points away; and two "new signings" for the rest of the season. But for good play, speed and fruitful dominance, we're still waiting.


Personal vendetta or what?