Real Murcia 1 Ecija 0

Be careful what you wish for. Iñaki Alonso said last week that he preferred to have Sevilla pressuring us, and some "suffering" rather than pulling clear to early and having a couple of weeks off before the play off. And boy did we suffer yesterday! Ecija came out to win (it was really their last chance of getting to the play off places) and were without doubt the best side I have see this year at the New Condomina. We were fortunate, the luck of champions shall we say...."Saint" Alberto Cifuentes saving at least 2 one on one's, the second one the last kick of the game. Last season we would have lost this game....this year.....our luck has changed.

Real Murcia:
Saint Alberto
Ander Gago - Luciano - Iván Amaya - Óscar Sánchez
Aguilera - Richi - Cañadas (Cámara 77') - Pedro (Molino 66')
Kike (Isaac 57') - Chando

Écija
Ramón
Portela - Óscar Rodríguez - Alejo - Ramírez
Moya - Nando - Bello - Jonan García
Fali (Juan Pablo 76') - Armero (Plata 64')

Goal
1-0 Pedro (p) 62'

Referee : Mr. González González. Usual abnormal decisions we come to expect each week.

Att. 6.990

No, another week done, one less game remaining, and we extend our winning streak to seven games. Now comes the danger.....in principal we have a run of easier games and Seville have harder ties. But 3 weeks ago we had tougher games and Sevilla easier, and we have gained more points. No room for complacency....the same winning attitude must continue.

Next : Lucena - Real Murcia, Sunday 12 midday (11 a.m. UK time).

Photo : This is a GOALIE!

Addicted

Good comments from coach Iñaki Alonso.....

"We are at a good moment, most of all in terms of confidence. We can't be our own worst enemy by relaxing, being complacent, the team has to give the maximum, work more than our rival, be ambitious, if we don't do that any team can give us problems. We have to be humble, keep our feet on the ground and start each game with that winning determination we hjave seen the last few games, they need to become addicted to winning. Winning 6 games on the trot isn't easy, I would like to continue and to do so we need to keep the hunger"

"It's very important that the fans and the press keep their feet on the ground and all pull in the same direction. We are proud of the run we are on but we haven't achieved anything yet"

"I have experience of a segunda B promotion when the last 4 games didn't mean anything. Teams can lose concentration by being qualified too early, I have that experience and it isn't good. If I could choose, I would prefer to reach the final suffering"

Good stuff......we can't afford to relax, and it is a good thing that Sevilla are still hanging on to our coat-tails. Tomorrow's home game with Ecija (who sit in 8th, but are 6 points out of the play off zone) kicks off at 17.30 p.m., thats 16.30 p.m. UK time. IF you can get a feed from the official website, they are carrying the game. If not it's the excellent radio commentary from the exitable Jose Manuel Sanchez on the club radio, if your spanish is good enough to follow it. Just remember.....if you hear "gol" it means we have conceded....if you hear "GOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOLGOL" it means Real have scored. EASY!

Photo : Iñaki Alonso....el jefe....whatever happens in the play off, whatever the "experts" in our local press say, he has done a magnificent job this season. I hope he will be Real's coach for years to come.

Real's second Englishman : The GIF!

Following on from Real Murcia's first english player Thompson , our second(and last) english player was Gifton Noel Williams.

Noel Williams arrived on 31st January 2007, the last day of the transfer window, from Burnley. He had previously been at Watford and Stoke City.

Gifton waited patiently on the bench for a few weeks for his opportunity. Real Murcia were having a good season, were always in the top 3. I met Gifton on his first day in Murcia, helping a pal of mine (an estate agent) to show him and his wife some housing, acting as translator. He asked me about the fans in Murcia, and I told him straight - "they are demanding and all too quick to make judgement. Miss-control you first pass or blast your first chance over the bar, and they will not let you succeed, you will be marked, and will carry a cross until you leave. Make sure your first touch in a Real Murcia shirt is a good one".

Gifton's chance finally came away to Alaves on the 3rd of March (just 9 minutes), but his home debut and real impact didn't come until the 24th of March, at home to Sporting Gijón, replacing Aranda for the last 6 minutes. His first touch was great control and a pinpoint through ball to a collegue, who missed the one on one chance. Gifton then scored a home debut goal just a minute later.



Despite this, his chances were limited, coming on as a late substitute in a few games. His next goal came in the 3 - 0 home win over Xerez.



The he scored the winner against Lorca :



His fourth and final goal for Real came on 27th May away at Malaga in a 2 - 1 win. In total he only played a total of 286 minutes....and I think his goals to minutes ratio is the best ever for a Real Murcia player. A good lad, a joker in the dressing room, missed a good curry (I solved this for him), enjoyed the odd cigarette, and was very competitive at everything, even card games with no money involved!

Gifton told me something about really enjoying the good times, as you never know what is around the corner, and you can take things for granted. He came to Murcia as a centre forward, good header of the ball.....but this wasn't his natural game. He had plenty of baggage in knee problems, and had to adapt his game due to a certain lack of mobility. At Watford (he came through the youth ranks at the hornets), he had pace and skill. He finished top scorer.....he told me they had Chelsea and Arsenal looking at him, he felt like he was on the crest of a wave....then, a magic goal against Sunderland descibred thus in the press...."The winning goal was quite stunning. Ben Iroha's long throw into the box was controlled on his chest by Gifton Noel-Williams. With his back to goal and a defender in close attention, we waited for the lay-off to a colleague. Instead, in a moment of absolute genius, he hooked the ball goalwards over his shoulder as it dropped. The element of surprise was enough - Sorensen could do nothing, watching in astonishment with the rest of us as it bounced inside his right hand post, and Gifton was away to the corner flag to celebrate. An improvised masterpiece". Just a few minutes later, in the same game, Sunderland defender Paul Butler made a lunge that did for Gifton's knee....a horrendous injury, which took him almost 2 years to recover from (although he never really did recover, given the arthritis he suffered from).

Pity he had to spoil his almost cult hero status at Murcia by signing for Elche (only joking) when then coach Lucas Alcaraz decided he was surplus to requirements for the 07/08 season in primera. After Elche he went to the USA, and now coaches in Austin, Texas.

News from the sick bay / Highlights

The aftermath of the Leppers vicious assaults on Real Murcia players :

Albiol looks like being out for 6 weeks, and Carles got away with a badly sprained ankle. Quite amazing really when you see that the tackle was deliberately calculated to do damage.

The Guardia Civil have asked "7 Region de Murcia" (our regional TV station), to give them the video of the game so that can investigate the perpetrators of the spitting and liquid throwing at Carles. But I think I already know what will happen......f-all. Can't we send then a copy of Sunday's bullshit La Opinión article n'all? Surely a charge deception or fraud or just being a cretin for the hopeless deranged hack would follow?

Make your own minds up - he's the evidence.

32 down, 6 to go.....

Remaining regular season games :



At first glance it looks like we have an easier run in.....but there is zero room for complacency. We can afford one slip up, but one only. Sevilla B have 4 of the last 6 games at home - let not expect them to let up despite some tough opponents they have to face.

Ernie, share your stash!

I read in one newspaper, and I quote...

"The game turned into a battle after the red Gago decided to open fire with an elbow on Oscar that went unpunished"

"things didn't start as they did in the last outing against Ceuta. Not all games are at the Condomina, and not every day you score after less thasn a minute, or the referee invents a penalty in your favour. In San Roque things weren't so easy. The reds didn't have the ball for more than 10 seconds in the first half"

"The only 2 chances in the first half were for the home team"

"Gago wanted to be the cleverest in the class, an elbow on Oscar started a war between them......no one will recognise that everything was tranquil until Gago's elbow"

"The unfortunate injury to Albiol....the valencian kicked in a strange way, firstly the rivals leg, and then fresh air"

"Before Cañadas goal in the 69th minute, the ball and control were for the home side. But Iñaki Alonso will think that no-one is interested in that"

"Alfaro was sent off after touching Carle's face....who with some theatre tried to recover for Murcia what he has taken away with his famous sendings off. Pereira noted his number and made an ungraceful tackle on the midfielder who was carried off. Another San Roque player off and Real Murcia's road was cleared for them"

No mention of the disgraceful behaviour of San Roques players, staff and fans. ¿Comment from a local Lepe newspaper perhaps? ¿An Andalusian reporter's one sided opinión of the game?

Nope....this is from serial anti Real Murcia twerp Ernesto Fernandez in Murcia's local daily La Opinión. I would love to get hold of some of the halucenogenic drugs he must be on.....I need a break from reality too!

San Thugs de Lepe 0 Real Murcia 2

We knew beforehand that this was going to be a tough away trip - San Roque sit third in the table, and have received plaudits for being a good footballing side. We saw none of that today. From the first minutes of the game it became clear that their mission was to intimidate in any possible way, to create an atmoshere. Within the first few seconds one of their players, Oscar, made a display of blatant play acting, then repeated the same a few minutes later (after hardly a touch), but then claimed innocence after an X rated and calculated studs in the back assault on Ander Gago...he got away with just a yellow. You could see that they had been wound up to go out and do damage, and it was no surprise when Miguel Albiol was injured by another crude and reckless tackle (unpunished). It looked bad......I expect he will be out for at least a few weeks and maybe even for the rest of the season. San Roque had a couple of chances, and you have to say we were maybe a bit fortunate to go to half time at 0 - 0.

After the break, more of the same. Richi booked for a soft tackle, but Lepe's players again were really over the top. Then came the moment the game changed. A free kick just outside the box, Cañadas shapes to take it and Kike is elbowed as he tried to get in the way of the defensive wall. Red card. When the dust settled Cañadas sent the ball up and over the wall and down into the net. You could see then the San Roque's players and fans completely lost it. Murcia had not been provoked, and not entered into their dirty game, and had risen above it. Then came some of the most unbelieveable scenes I've seen at a football match. Carles was on the wrong end of a criminal tackle....you know the type.....a legbreaker....a vicious lunge by a lurching knucklehead defender, intent on doing damage. As Carles lay stricken near the touchline, being taunted and insulted by opposition players and their baying fans, evidently badly injured and in great pain, the referee rightly dismissed the offender. This seemed to anger the crowd even further. It looked bad and Carles (again, clearly in a great deal of pain....not that faked Dani Alves or Di Maria pain, but oh shit I think my leg is broken and it hurts like hell pain) was put on a stretcher....and while being carried along the touchine, was taunted, insulted, spat at, had a bottle of water and many other objects thrown at him. What had he done?

Real Murcia played keepball against San Roque's 9 men, who continued be get the benefit of some lenient refereeing, as they could have finished with 6. The ref added 7 minutes....and after a couple of these Pedro cooly curled the ball into the bottom corner to make it 0 - 2.

San Roque:
José Ramón
Jaume - Zou - Hornillo - Germán (Marqués 81')
Pereira - Alfaro - De Dios (Juanje 73') - Cheli (Salas 78')
Óscar - Fernando

Real Murcia:
Alberto
Ander Gago - Luciano - Iván Amaya - Óscar Sánchez
Aguilera - Richi (Carles 62' (Isaac Jové, 71')) - Albiol (Cañadas, 26') - Pedro
Kike - Chando

Goals:
0-1 Cañadas 69'
0-2 Pedro 92'

Referee : Mr. Cuesta Ferreiro. Despite the 2 sendings off, was very lenient towards San Roque's wild and violent ways. At times he looked like the referee on a WWF wrestling match, deliberately looking the other way whilst it all went off behind his back.

So....a great win and another game gone, one step closer to securing top spot. The pressure back on Sevilla B for their visit to Jumilla tomorrow. However....the enduring image will be of the baying neanderthal orangutans, spitting at, throwing things at and insulting a badly injured player. Nothing can justify that, nothing. The TV images are crystal clear, and they can't hide behind the typical "oh it was a couple of idiots" as they were all at it. The referee made mention in his report, not of this incident with Carles, but that the Real Murcia bench was also pelted, and a linesman had "bits of brick" thrown at him. Credit to Real Murcia.....a class act, didn't enter into the provocations. At the final whistle San Roque's coach lost it and tried to pick a fight seemingly with anyone in his vacinity.....what a very bad loser.

Good to see the players go and share their joy with the 50 or so Real fans that had made the long trip. The commentator said that the players had got together and paid all the fans tickets. Nice touch. Next up, Ecija at home on Sunday 10th at 5.30 p.m. (4.30 p.m. UK time).

P.S. The commentator on our local TV (la 7) informed us that San Roque had recently been bought out by a British consortium......which included a certain Dennis Wise....has the midget psycopath been taking their training?