Table After 23

Real Jaén 1 Real Murcia 1

Ying : We score with the last kick to draw against Cadiz. Yang : Jaén score with the last kick to level the scores.

From the sound of the radio commentary (I only caught the second half) if siounded like there weren't a lot of chances, and Real Murcia seemed to be in control. But it's always playing with fire at 1 - 0...and, as against Sevilla, this time we were on the wrong end.

Not too much damage done, as Cadiz had a poor draw at home to Almeria B, San Roque drew at Lorca Frankenstein, Seville B drew with Estepona, and Ceuta drew at Caravaca, so all as it was. It would have been almost a definitive blow to have won, but.....all rivals are still at arms length, and we have some, a priori, easier games coming up.

Real Jaén:
Adrián (Tejera 40')
José Mari - Rojas - Espín - Zurdo
Zarandona - Fran Carnicer - Fran Machado (Toledo 57') - Iván
Añete (Pedro 71') - Segura.

Real Murcia:
Alberto
Gago - Iván Amaya - Gotor - Óscar Sánchez
Albiol - Aguilera - Richi (Cámara 80'), Aquino (Isaac 69')
Kike García (Pedro 60') - Chando.

Goals:
0 - 1 Kike García 47'
1 - 1 Pedro 93'

Ref: Carlos López López...booked 9, so it must have been a very dirty game!

The Spanish Cup is ill...

It's FA Cup 4th round weekend, and just watching football focus you can see the esteem with which the competition is held. Stadiums will be full, a non league side will give someone a big scare, everyone, even the minnows, dream of Wembley.

In midweek the Copa Del Rey semi-finals first legs took place. And at all conquering, super, mega, best team-of-all-time (sic) Barcelona, there is an example of why, despite winning everyting, Barsa's finances are in disarray. In a stadium with a 100,000 capacity, only 49,000 bothered to turn up.....for a cup semi final. Can you imagine Old Trafford with only 35,000 for a semi of the FA cup? Or even the first leg of a Carling Cup semi?

Barca, predictably, won 5 - 0, and I'm told there are worries.....as when they scored the third after just 15 minutes, the TV turn-off was massive. Financial doping, too many advantages, and, admittedly, a great youth system, has made them far too good for the rest to compete with.

Real Murcia travel to Jaén tomorrow after a friendly draw with CSKA Moscow in midweek (1 - 1). Real Jaén pleasantly decided no cameras will be allowed in, so no TV, no internet coverage.....so, it's a choice of going the 350 kms (700 round trip)or the commentary from the excellent and very excitable José Manuel on the official club radio. Undecided.....kick off is at 4 p.m. (3 p.m. UK time) as it seems Jaén don't have any money for electricity. A sad state of affairs, but indicative of what things are like outside of Madrid and Barcelona.

GOL GOL GOL GOL GOL GOL GOL GOOOOOL

Off Topic: Perfect System, gone wrong…..

Democracy. Spoilt by anti-democratic politicians. What a thoroughly disappointing bunch they are. I always imagined democracy as the perfect system, where we all get our say, and therefore the government can swing from left to right and in the course of time maintain a centre heading as they do and undo according to their own political ethos….but with the common goal of governing to serve the people. Oh what a stoopid romantic I am.

Now politicians only believe in their own party’s line, and they believe in it more than they do in democracy, and for me that means a line has been crossed. How many times do we see a MP scaremonger us come election time, about how terrible it’s going to/has been be with the other lot, how it will mean the end of civilization as we know it…..when really all they are bothered about is their own feathered nest and how they may have to turn in a decent days work if voted out of office. How often is a circumstance either acceptable and to be forgotten or pardoned, or needing severe punishment and a resignation, depending on which side of the fence the miscreant is on?

The immediate and “as a matter of course” rejection of all policy coming from the other side is a clear demonstration that they do not even consider their opponents policy, never mind study it. Horrors, it may actually make sense and serve the common good. No…it’s theirs, therefore it is bad. Wouldn’t it be nice to see good politics…I’m not saying agree on everything, heaven forbid, but just occasionally see beyond party lines?

I find party activists unfathomable n’all. I can see why football fans stand by their team, whatever they do, but a political party? Consisting of a bunch of largely dishonest, never done a real day’s work, straight out of university and onto the gravy train, house flipping, moat cleaning, suited even on their days off, hypocritical, know-it-alls? You must be joking! Waving a flag at a political meeting in support of a over-privileged toff or a middle class luvvy socialist? I’d rather stub my toes or have my wisdom teeth out…or even watch Cartagena’s next away game.

Me, I’m a fine upstanding and uncorruptable fella, and will sell my vote to whoever promises to lower income tax.

End of rant.

Real Murcia's First Foreign Player.....

Taken, (photos and text) with permission, from the “Historia Del Real Murcia” Volume II, by Quique Baeza, Juan Antonio Garre y Pedro Garcia (my own translation).



THOMPSON, THE FIRST FOREIGN MURCIANISTA

Englishman Thomas Norman Thompson (known as Tom Thompson in his country, and as Mister Thompson in Spain) passed into Real Murcia’s history as the first foreigner to play for the club.

Thompson, who had played most of his career in an English third division club, arrived in Murcia for business reasons, and remained in the city from November 1924 until February 1925. During that brief lapse of time, he had the opportunity to form part of the historical line-up, that, on 25th December 1924, played against Martinec at the inauguration of La Condomina.

The board thought that, given his experience and precedence, he would be the ideal person to train the team. So, Thompson combined the coaching role with a playing role, but the Englishman, who five years earlier had been part of a first division squad, didn’t live up to the expectation his signing had caused. As a player he left intermittent details of his supposed quality, but was very disputed for his indolence on the pitch.

In the month of February (when there was most criticism of his play) Thompson abandoned Murcia to return to his country, at the same time that he had finished the commercial labor that he came to the city to carry out.

It seems Tom Thompson was retired or semi retired when he came to Murcia. He had played for Sunderland, Gillingham and Guildford United in England. He played 11 games , and scored one goal for Real Murcia.


Photo : Thompson whilst at Gilligham.

Real Murcia's second english player was many years later, and an alltogether different character, as I know from first hand experience....but that's a post for the future.

Table : After 22

Real Murcia 1 Cadiz 1

What is it about football? The suffering, the disappointments, the games where nothing goes your way, the boredom, the referees, the diving, the playacting, the cold wet Wednesdays, the miles and miles after an away defeat, relegations, those bastards who mock your following a lesser side, the Monday mornings, the deflected goal against.....but there are moments, rare but special, when the goal repays you in full, and makes all the suffering pale into insignificance. Today I had one such moment.

Real Murcia played a decent first half, threatened to score a few times, and were basically untroubled by a rather unambitious Cadiz side. Then, it seemed that either we were tired, or satisfied also with a draw, but they became slow and conformist, and Cadiz seemed to realize that they were being offered a chance to win. And so, in the 70th minute, after missing a great chance a few minutes earlier, Cadiz took the lead with a deflected shot that was going wide, hit a defender, and went in. They could have extended the lead as Real Murcia pushed forward in numbers....and they wasted time at every opportunity, the referee inexplicably only adding 4 minutes despite 6 substitutions and Cadiz's physio coming on 4 or 5 times, plus the time wasted taking fouls and throw-ins. Jose Gonzalez's clown antics, persistantly being out of his technical area, even on the pitch, antagonised the crowd, the ref wasting more time to chat with him. It looked like all was lost as the 94'th minute came and went. But then.....the goal.

Jorge Molino, signed from Atletico Madrid in the summer, had impressed in his 2 or 3 games at the start of the season, the club had high hopes for him, looked a very good signing for the future, but he was injured (I think at San Andres in the Cup) and has been out for 4 long months. He came on with around 10 minutes remaining....but all Murcia were doing was lumping long balls up to Cadiz's area.....all seemingly lost. The last chance......the ball arrived at Molino's feet....94 minutes+....time stood still..."just feckin hit it" screamed the crowd...but no, with class, with sang froid, he saw the keeper off his line, and cooly curled the ball over and into the corner of the net.

The goal is the maximum in football, and the goal when all is lost in such an important game is maximum plus. I can say it is the best goal scored at the New Condomina in it's short history (since 2006). To share it with my long suffering amigos was great, but most of all to turn and see my 8 year-old son screaming and going crazy, jumping onto me....unforgettable. Yer sheep just don't know what that feels like......

Real Murcia:
Alberto
Mario Marín (Jorge Molino 76') - Gotor - Iván Amaya - Óscar Sánchez
Aguilera - Albiol - Pedro (Isaac 58') - Cañadas
Aquino (Kike 66') - Chando.

Cádiz:
Dani
Cifuentes - Álvaro Silva - Baquero - Raúl López
Álvaro Jurado - Josemi (Fran Cortés 65') - Enrique (Velasco 52') - Carlos Caballero
López Silva (Jose Serrano 77') - Pachón.

Goals:
0-1 Cifuentes 71'
1-1 Jorge Molino 94'

Attendance : 7.757

Referee : The terrible Mr. Ortiz Blanco. Followed the game at great distance, was slow, lethargic, let Cadiz get away unpunished with consistent rotational fouling. Overall a poor referee.

So miraculously we keep Cadiz 8 points away....and Sevilla B managed to lose at Yeclano! Can't ask for more than that, can we?



Photo : Jorge Molino. Fingers crossed he can keep fit, as he is like a new signing.

Step UP Today!

Big big game this afternoon at the New Condomina (17.00 hrs, 16.00 UK time....live via the feed to the club website). A chance to leave matters almost, barring a complete capitulation, clear as far as Cadiz are concerned. With a win, Cadiz would be 11 points away plus goal average.....in reality 12 points, which would be almost impossible to recover. I can't see Real Murcia losing 4 games out of the remaining 16, and anything but defeat will leave Cadiz in a bad position. The fourth and fifth place side will still be 8 or 10 points away (again, a gap probably too large to recover), and our main challenge for top spot are Sevilla B, who visit lowly Yeclano later on today. Yeclano have drawn more games than they have lost, so let's hope they can at least stop Sevilla from winning.

So Cadiz must surely come out shooting today as they must win - so I expect a much more open game than most of those we have seen at home this season, where our visitors have "parked the bus" and defended in numbers. A return to Murcia for coach José "Pepico" Gonzalez with whom Real Murcia were relegated last season......I'm a bit indifferent.....he has part of the blame but no more than many (now thankfully gone) lazy, indolent players, incompetent directors and other technical staff.

Iñaki Alonso has asked that the fans really get behind the team and pressurize Cadiz today.....the away fans do it....why not at home? So....if you are going....wrap up warm, it's gonna be cold....but save yer voice for the game, and let's really get behind em'.

Goals from Sunday

The Card Cheat(s) - How bad can Primera get?

Cheating at cards isn't nice, is it?

We all know that Barcelona are the best team in the universe and beyond. And that Real Madrid are the only team with any hope at all of hanging on to their coat-tails.
Just a glimpse of the table tells the same old story after just 19 games :

1. Barcelona 52 points and goal difference +50 (Fifty!)
2. Real Madrid 48 points and goal difference +30
And in a distant third :
3. Vilarreal 39 points, goal difference +18

There are many dark and grubby goings on to keep it this way; including financial jiggery-pokery (I hope that with UEFA financial fair play rules that come into being in 2013, Real Madrid and Barcelona (the worst offenders in this type of cheating) will be taken down a peg or 2). It will also help if they don't get their own way when the TV money cake finally gets cut - they get unfair advantage. Primera has become a mere procession, a competition to see which of the 2 will win...and however many "playstation" type goals or 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 goal thumpings they give out, for me it is tiresome, tedious and ever so predictable.

A few weeks ago a fuss was made when Jose Mourinho encouraged one of his players to waste time and provoke a yellow card, in order to complete a cycle of 5 cards and miss an unimportant game, and have a clean sheet for more important clashes. I have seen this tactic played out many times now. A sneaky foul, timewasting - the infractor knowing full well how many cards they are on and the upcoming fixtures.

This has now come full circle, and in a very absurd and damning manner. How far can the dominance of the 2 have gone, when you have players and coaches and officials of lesser teams, doing the same thing....counting cards, studying the fixture list, and encouraging players on when and how to get that 5th card to miss a game. In order to miss unimportant games? Far from it. I hear that there are sides who make this calculation in order their better players serve their suspensions against Real Madrid and Barcelona. A clear admission of defeat before the game has even started. Any wonder then, at the +50 and +30 goal differences?

Kudos!

Over the weekend the main news in Murcia (and indeed nationally), was the brutal beating outside his home of Murcia regional government's councillor responsable for culture and tourism, Pedro Alberto Cruz, by 3 as yet unidentified thugs. Badly beaten, he was operated on immediately.

The doctors treating him are going to let him out of hospital, but have prohibited him from attending to any of his duties, meetings, including the important International Tourism Fair (Fitur) in Madrid. But some things just can't be missed, for any reason, and as one of his government collegues explained on the steps of the hospital, they have convinced him to pass on all events...except...."He want's to support his team (Real Murcia). We cannot find any way to restrain him" from attending at the stadium, despite his condition.

Politics aside.....bloody hell.....pair of eggs! I've been to games where I've had a bad cold, a cough, even the shits, but this on a different level. Kudos for him....and for Real Murcia.

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?

Promotion explained.....

That is, as I understand it!

There are 4 groups of Segunda B....the teams finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in each group qualify for the promotion play offs.

For the sake of clearness lets say :

Group 1 : Teams A, B, C and D.
Group 2 : Teams E, F, G and H.
Group 3 : Teams I, J, K and L.
Group 4 : Teams M, N, O and P.

The Champions of each group enter a draw (A, E, I and M) and the resulting two ties (home and away) have two winners, who are promoted (lets say E amd M get promoted). The 2 losers from these (A and I) are still in with a chance.

The other 12 sides go into a draw, and 6 ties come out. The resulting six winners plus the losers from the champions round (A and I) make 8 teams. From these 4 ties are drawn (always home and away), another 4 teams are eliminated, leaving 4. From these you have 2 ties, the winners joining E and M getting promotion.

So in total 4 sides are promoted.

Clear? Thought not.....


Simples!

Table After 21.....

The distance between Real and 5th place (who don't qualify for the play off) is now 10 points....and the way things are looking, it will be very difficult for Murcia not to be in the play off. Next week's game against Cadiz is an important one....if we can win, it would mean a massive 11 point gap, plus goal average, which would be almost impossible for them to claw back even over 16 odd games, so the team expected to be our main rivals could be almost out of the race for top spot. They have changed the time of the game...now it is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Sunday 23rd.....unless they change it again.....

Roquetas 0 Real Murcia 3

What a brilliant away day! Although Real only scored late into the game, they always looked in control of the situation. All 3 goals were high class, Kike Garcia with the first after a great cross by Isaac....a towering, powerful header, a real centre forward's goal...the kind of goal that is ever more rare in football these days. Kike was outstanding from the moment he came on....and if he concentrates and is given time, patience and minutes....we could have a real player on our hands. He cooly finished off a great move for the third. Albiol majestically executed a free kick....right in the top corner, for the second. Special mention to Alberto, who pulled off an incredible double save at point blank range. Since Girona he seems to be blessed....ying and yang?

Roquetas:
Flavio
Pablo García - Servando - Guillén - Morillas
Miro (Martin 45') - Manolo - Israel - De Gomar (Javicho 66')
Marc - Pallarés.

Real Murcia:
Alberto
Gago - Gotor - Amaya - Óscar Sánchez
Aguilera - Cámara (Urzaiz 77') - Albiol - Pedro (Isaac 66')
Aquino (Kike 66') - Chando.

Goals:
0-1 Kike 72'
0-2 Albiol 76'
0-3 Kike 84'

Ref: Mr. Gil Coscollá....was OK, but the game was easy to referee.

Att....dunno....maybe 600....200 odd from Murcia.

On arrival at Roquetas, we went into the ground, and, going up the stairs, the smell of bacon and sausages invaded our noses.....a proper bar, real beer, and, as is typical in Andalucia, a "tapa" with yer beer ("chistorra" or bacon in fresh bread). Lovely. At halftime, back to the bar, and this time they had prepared "migas" to acompany the cold cerveza. Yum. This is what top level football is missing....it was friendly, local, reasonable and original, a very pleasant surprise, the like of which I have not seen in a football ground in years.....and which no doubt helps a club like Roquetas to survive with the income it creates. I'm sure there is a do-good quango or health and safety no fun spoilsport out there waiting to pounce on them. After the game.....down into town to the beach area....Pescado frito, Paella, Gintonic, lots of laughs....and all sat outside in just a tee-shirt. Just a perfect day.

Thanks to all concerned.....Mr. Black, Masacra, Sr. Garrido, Paco Isterici, Tarantino, and most of all to the beautiful brunette with the massive gravity defying jugs who seemed to follow us around all day!


Photo : Real are applauded off. Sorry, no photos of the brunette!

Quarter Final...Copa Del Rey

Yep...I know we were knocked out by a crooked ref and the galacticos. But I just put Sky Sports on, expecting to see Almeria´s "Estadio del Mediterraneo" full to the rafters for their clash with Deportivo. I think it's the first time they have ever had the chance to reach the semis......and my complete surprise...it was EMPTY! Not half full....almost no-one had bothered to go!

Hang on a minute.....I blinked, pinched myself....and looked again. The echoes of the players shouts, the plastic unoccupied seats on all sides....What is it with the Spanish and cup competitions? Can anyone explain?

I just don't get it. A midweek cup time, that's what gets me going. Staying at home just isn't an option. Spain is different, as they say.

Manager of the Year?

Shocking. There I was watching my first primera game of the season, hoping to see Vilarreal at least scare Real Madrid, and all I got was a demonstration of what a lowlife Jose Mourinho really is, and how Madrid can do no wrong, unless of course Barcelona are involved.

Imagine.....let's say a Man City against Aston Villa game. City score their fourth on the way to a 4 - 2 home win....imagine Mancini running over to the opposition bench, fists waving, shouting, jumping and punching the air, gesticulating to fans behind the bench, getting right to the end of the dugout, completely away from your own area, clearly intimidating and inciting a reaction. Would he get away with it? I think the Premier league would charge him with bringing the game into disrepute and violent conduct at least. A 5 or 6 game touchline ban. Am I wrong?

Now this is Spain and the portugese in question happens to be Real Madrid's manager. In less than 24 hours his disgraceful display has been forgotten. The only way it wouldn't have been forgotten would be if the rival was Barcelona....whose press mouthpieces would have made an incredible fuss. Others are powerless, and the Liga bosses don't care. Marca have conveniently swept it under the carpet, Sport (as it wasn't against Barsa) missed it completely, TVE editorially can't say anything bad about Real Madrid, and the rest are going all gooey about Messi's Golden Ball. The worst unsporting behaviour seen in years, all covered up in a day.

Brings back to mind a couple of Barcelona games over the last few years, where Barsa's fans have hurled bottles, coins, telephones, lighters, and even a pigs head (yes, a pigs head) onto the pitch. Real Murcia were forced to play a home game in Alicante after a fan threw a half full platic water bottle onto the pitch in a cup game against Zaragoza, after some terrible provocation by Zaragoza players. A small plastic bottle means immediate and tough action, scandal and outrage. A pig's head? Bottles? Telephones? Tut tut tut and Barsa still to take any punishment at all.

Anyhow, back to Jose. Today I see he has been named manager of the year. This (for me) is a complete cop out by those arch-dick eds' at FIFA who seem intent on ruining our game, not content with the 2018 and 2022 sellout, and fresh from a bout of trouser action with unlimited russian whores and with shedloads of Qatari currency in their swiss bank accounts, no, they feel they can rub it in some more. OK, Mourinho won the Champions League.....but how did he do it, and where? They have bottled it, and forgotten his antics. Of course Real Madrid is the biggest brand in world football, give the Golden Ball to Messi...so they have to balance it out with an undeserved gong for the special one. Even Harry the twitch Redknapp would have been a better choice.....OK i'm exaggerating, but you get my point.

Or am I being a bit too sensitive?


Photo : Jose asks Vilarreal's bench if anyones cock is as big as his.

Juan AGUILERA

Juan Aguilera Nuñez (Madrid, 13th September 1985) had been at the youth ranks of Real Madrid and Getafe before arriving at Real Murcia's B team in 2008. Last season he made a few appearances, impressed, but strangely didn't make the first team often, which was a shame considering the disaster the season was. I'm not saying we would have stayed in segunda....but it couldn't have been any worse than those that failed and have now gone from the club.

This season however, he has been a star. He is everywhere, omnipresent. Cool on the ball, good passer, great tackler (his success rate must be very high indeed), dribbles well despite his height - indeed he looks a little ungainly, organizes the team and sets a level of workrate that is an example to others. Must be being followed by teams in higher divisions.

His performance yesterday was nigh on miraculous, considering he was stretching every time there was a break and was clearly uncomfortable. Outstanding....really outstanding.


Photo : Juan AGUILERA is magic!

Real Murcia 1 Sevilla B & Mr. Pintado Calero 1

Without a doubt Sevilla B are the best visiting side we have seen at the New Condomina this year. They played some really good stuff at the end of the first half came close to scoring on a few occasions, and thanks to Alberto making 3 good saves, Real Murcia went in at the break ahead. We dominated the first half an hour, and should have already been ahead, Richi and Aguilera missing easy easy chances before Albiol scored with a great shot. The second half was pretty even until Carles was sent off for 2 yellow cards; after that it was a case of defending, something we did pretty well until the 91st minute when Sevilla scored a scrappy equalizer after a bit of a scramble.

Real Murcia :
Alberto
Ander Gago - Gotor - Ivan Amaya - Óscar Sánchez
Aguilera - Richi (Carles 59') - Albiol - Pedro
Cañadas (Aquino 68') - Chando (Mario Marín 74')

Sevilla B :
Dani Jimenéz
Bernardo - Campaña (Javi Martínez 74') - Rodri - Luis Alberto
Deivid - Luna - Caballero (Jairo 61´) - Salva
Alejandro (Adrián 86') - Ñoño

Goals :
1 - 0 Albiol 44'
1 - 1 Jairo 91'

Referee : Mr. Pintado Calero. Card-happy, short sighted, confusing and clueless. It's hard to get so much wrong even if you try. After 4 minutes of the second half he had made crystal clear he was going to put Seville back in the game with any help he could give them.......and his over zelous, premeditated punishment of Real Murcia was clear for all to see. Neither of Carles challenges warranted a card, but he got two. Time after time after time he failed to see clear illegal tackles, shoves and elbows by Sevilla, while at the same time being ultra intolerant of even the slightest contact from Real Murcia players. Drove the crowd to dispair with his weird decision making. A very very poor refereee indeed.

Att. 7,518



Photo : You're not fit to referee!

Vamos Real Murcia.....

Butterflies. A lot in play today against Seville.

Kick off is at noon (11 a.m. UK time), can be followed via the club website (www.realmurcia.es), hope the feed works for the whole game! Alternatively you may be able to follow on www.rojadirecta.es as the match is on our local TV channel....and on their website ( http://www.7rm.es ) it has a link to 7RM en directo (7RM live) but am not sure if this will work.

Off Topic : Driving in Spain? Careful!

I've been driving here since 1989....the road system has improved greatly, and before driving was only OK, but without the common courtesy we expect and give in the UK, you know the ...."after you!"...."oh no, please, after you!" thing that we used to do. But now?

Before we had intersections with traffic lights. Too many lights, but....relatively safe, if you obeyed the red means stop, green for go code. Over the last 4 years the DGT (Dirección General de Trafico) in their wisdom have gone for more roundabouts. Great...you may think. But, unfortunately, they decided to reinvent the wheel, and with terrible consequences. Firstly....roundabouts are to control traffic and replace traffic lights. Here many roundabouts include lights which completely defeat the object. Secondly and worst of all.....we have all seen how well roundaboiuts work in the UK if you obey 2 basic simple rules:

1. Never go round the outside.
2. Always give way to those already on the roundabout.

The geniuses at the DGT in Madrid know better however, and made 2 rules that make the natural function of a roundabout almost totally impossible :

1. (remember in Spain you are going round anticlockwise). When on a roundabout you have to give way to the right, and are not required to put yourself on the inside if you are taking the third exit.
2. You only have to give way to those on the roundabout if they are in the lane you are going on to.

Rule 1 means that, effectively, the inside lane of a roundabout is redundant. Say you have 2 lanes going into a roundabout....you take the inside lane to go straight on, as you know (or expect) that those on the outside lane are going to turn right at the first exit or go straight on as you will. Wrong! In Spain "going round the outside" is legal. If you do as I do and use the inside to go straight on, and some numpty drives across the exit and you have the bad luck to have him drive into you.....he is in the right. Incredible but true. Rule 2 also makes the inside lane worthless, as those coming on to the roundabout see the outside lane as free, and come on just as you are indicating to come off. Result? Chaos, horns, shouts, insults, bumps, scrapes, increased insurance and bodyshops full of dented vehicles. The DGT solution? Instead of teaching the 2 basic rules we all have drummed into us in the UK...they say that you must go round again and try to get into the outside lane as soon as possible (even if that means driving right across other exits - of course, as those exiting have to give way to the right).

Then we have the almost total lack of any form of indication. I'm a stickler for this, even if I can't see any other cars, I still indicate, as otherwise I am saying that I am infallible, and have 360º vision and can always see everything, cars, pedestrians, cats, dogs and anything else that may possibly be in the way or be wanting to avoid me. I would say that 35% of Spanish drivers never use the indicators, another 30% only when it suits them, and the rest only most of the time. Don't expect to know what other drivers are thinking of doing.

The mobile phone. Girls are most guilty. I had some bird bump my beemer reversing out of the school car park a few weeks ago. I mean, reversing is already a challenge for the female of the species, but reversing with 3 screaming kids in the back while balancing and phone under your chin whilst discussing shopping or whatever they cluck on about .....that's asking for trouble. Every time I see strange driving, in a good 90% of times the driver in question is on their mobile. I even saw a geezer on a motorbike texting while travelling along at 80.

Don't expect any thanks for letting anyone through or for giving way either. None will be given....they just think you're a mug. Motorway slip roads? Don't be surprised if you have the ridiculous situation of a bunch of cars trying to come off the motorway while another bunch are all trying to get on, all within the same 100 metre stretch.

The DGT take the easy PC route and blame 99.9% of accidents on excess speed. Of course if we all drove around at 20 kilometers an hour there would be no accidents. But their crazy, skimpy road design, and unbelieveable, suicidal attempts to reinvent roundabout flow, are causing massive problems. Every day it's getting worse and I see terrible driving each time I go out.

I myself am the lovechild of Sterling Moss and Jenson Button.

Coat!

The irrefutable FACTS

- Segunda B group 4 is a very tough division. FACT
- Segunda B isn't the dungeon our local sports journo's make it out to be. FACT
- Our stadium is the best (if not the biggest) in Spain. FACT
- Real Murcia are top. FACT
- Cadiz have lost 7 games (SEVEN!) against our 2. FACT
- Only Sevilla B have scored more goals. FACT
- No team in the 4 groups of segunda B have more points. FACT
- Only 9 goals conceded in 19 games. FACT
- Defending well also constitutes good play. FACT
- Real Murcia are now out of administration. FACT
- "Real Murcia are at their worst moment" (Angela Moreno from La Opinion, mid December) is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard! FACT.
- Going down was bad but has cleared out all the crap. FACT
- We have a very very good chance of going straight back up. FACT

The future's bright, the futures Grana. FACT!



Photo : The Nueva Condomina....the real thing, not a computer generated image. FACT!

Más Líder......

The rest of round 19's games were played yesterday, and Real Murcia are better placed without playing. Cadiz's recovery under ex Murcia coach Jose Gonzalez seems to be over after they lost their second consecutive game, this time at home to Melilla. Ceuta only managed a home draw with San Roque, but Sevilla B managed a 2 - 0 away win at Alcala.

This means Real Murcia are 3 points clear of Sevilla B, seven clear of Cadiz and Ceuta, and eight clear of fifth placed San Roque. Given we beat Sevilla away (1 - 3) and that in Spain it is goal difference directly with them, we are as good as 4 points clear right now......and have a home game against them on Sunday. If we can win that one and our next home game against Cadiz - or get through those games undefeated, we will be well set to finish first. I can't see us dropping 7 points more than Cadiz (who will probably have another change of coach). A win on Sunday would be massive.

Updated table :

One World is enough.....

The window is now open, and the mere mortals have to scrape around for a player to reinforce their squad for the "segunda vuelta". For the footy authorities, all is rosy.....Spain are world champions, Barsa and Madrid rule...and as this fact contents 90% of the consuming public, they are not under scrutiny. But you only have to look into the second division to see how bad things are. Half of the division in administration, Rayo and Betis prohibited from bringing in players due to non payment of wages. Further down the ladder it's worse. In our own division of "B" Real Jaen have been unable to supply transport for away games and players have used their own cars, Estepona are on the brink and may withdraw from competition, Caravaca's players protesting by kneeling for the first minute at the New Condomina.

And what are the radio and telly on about? How to sort out the lower leagues? How a profound restructure is necessary? A detailed analisis of club finance? No, unfortunately.....Barcelona and Real Madrid's under 12's played in a tournament and that was deemed more newsworthy. A kid's 7 a side competition. You couldn't make it up.

There is no love of football, in Spain.

Happy New Year!

Promotion promotion promotion.......