Real Murcia 4 Yeclano 0

Quite an easy victory.....but it has to be said that the first 35 minutes were pretty poor, and until we got ahead we seemed to be unable to get out of first gear. There were a few restless moments, but no real scares. It all changed after I made a pact.....into my head came the thought that I had to choose between a victory for Real Murcia or a win for Arsenal in the Carling cup final....clearly I chose a win for Real, and so a couple of minutes later we were 2 up through Amaya's header and Albiol's close range shot. I didn't know at the time, but Arsenal were making their customary piss poor effort at a final, and all my fault.

After the break it was one way traffic....Kike thumped in a terrific third, and Chando broke his drought with a deft header. We should have had more, hit the post and had a long range effort smash back off the bar.

Real Murcia:
Alberto
Ander Gago - Luciano - Iván Amaya - Óscar Sánchez
Urzaiz (Isaac Jové 57') - Aguilera - Albiol - Pedro (Abraham 67')
Kike (Molino 61') - Chando

Yeclano:
Toni Bernal
Pedro (Rafa López 69') - San José - Rumbo - Piru
José Ramón (Vilaseca 65') - Cano - Iglesias - Biri (Andrés 22')
Tomás - Carrasco

Goals:
1-0 Amaya 41'
2-0 Albiol 43'
3-0 Kike 49'
4-0 Chando 59'

Referee : Mr. Arcediano Monescillo. Not the worst referee we have seen (that's not saying much) but he did make the odd strange decision. Decided that he was not going to make many bookings, and let Yeclano off very lightly.....I would say they should have had at least 5 or 6 more yellows, but time after time he refused to card bad fouls. I they want to be lenient, that's fine, but for both teams. He brandished a yellow at Luciano for a challenge nowhere near as bad a 7 or 8 similar or worse infringements from the visitors.

Attendence : 6.505

Next up is Estepona on Sunday at midday. It's on an artificial pitch, so not easy, but we need to keep the pressure up on Sevilla B, who won again yesterday (4 - 0 against San Roque).

Final note : good to see 3 players that have come through the youth set up at the club in the first team : Urzaiz, Aguilera and Kike....and doing very very well.

Back to winning ways please....

Although a home game against a lowly Yeclano should not really create too many worries, teams do come to the New Condomina very motivated, as at this level you don't get to play in front of such a large crowd at such a magnificent stadium very often.....or even in your playing career. Added to this I can feel an undercurrent of sharpening knives.....from Real Murcia fans who expect us to win 8 nil each week, and who, if we are not winning by the 25th minute, will start to turn against the team and coach Iñaki Alonso. I myself have to admit to a certain unease.....we have not been on form, and have lost first place (which as explained is a must for our promotion ambitions), and cannot afford to speculate at all. Alonso seems to be a calm character, never seems to get hot under the collar or be very animated on the touchline. He has my full support, of course, but I can see a section of the crowd are restless at his calm exterior...and think maybe the players need a bit of a kick up the backside as well as the arm around the shoulder that Iñaki seems to do so well. Interesting to see how things go.

I jinxed Richi in my last post saying he was fit....the same day in a warm up game against Juande Ramos's Dnipro from Ukraine, he was injured again. Murcia won 2 - 1, but Kike also took a knock, from a Dnipro side who were descibed as "over physical" by those present.

Sundays game with Yeclano....

The game on Sunday against Yeclano is at 17.30 p.m., 16.30 p.m. in the UK, and can be followed on Real Murcia TV on the official club website ( www.realmurcia.es ). For those of us in Murcia it is on channel 7.

Team news is that Richi is fit and ready to come back into the side if selected, and Aguilera has served his suspension and is available. Although Urzaiz played well, I do expect to see both Richi and Aguilera back in the starting 11.

Bleating / Do we have to be PC?

I really can't get on with political correctness in any of it's forms. Maybe that's cause I'm becoming a bitter old git...or is it? Calling a spade a spade, or letting one's true feelings known has become very rare...indeed it seems we value a PC lie more than we do the difficult to digest truth. This week I wanted foreign clubs I have zero affinity with to beat english club sides. I admit. Yesterday my son and I ran around the living room when Lyon equalized against Real Madrid. Usted perdone. Last week I felt sick when Spurs got lucky against the worst AC Milan side I've ever seen. Sorry.

I'm not alone, I know. So should TV commentators take this growing minority (? I question if it is a minority) into consideration when bleating on about Real Madrid or Chelsea or United or Arsenal? On TVE last night the commentator was having kittens when Madrid scored, he screamed and screamed and screamed, and all game long made mention of "Cristiano" (Ronaldo), "Sergio" (Ramos) and "Iker" (Casillas) as if they were his best mates. Surely he must be aware that 99.9% of the 45% of the population who support Barcelona (his viewers!) are not with the PC bollocks and fervently want Madrid to receive a thrashing? Just as this was vice-versa last week when Barsa lost to Arsenal....I can't imagine one Madrid supporter that wasn't happy (and again the TVE commentator referenced Messi as "Leo", Iniesta as "Andrés" etc.). This whole first name thing must be really annoying for, say, a Racing Santander fan when they face either Barsa or Madrid. Surely the commentator should be neutral, and not on first name terms with one side but not with the other?

I can remember as a kid, when we didn't have footy saturation, wanting Liverpool to win the european cup. I can still see myself wanting a Bolton, Everton or Sunderland to succeed in europe, but a Man Utd, Tottenham or Chelsea? No effin way! Some see this as small minded, but I can't help it.....and I'm only being honest.

I have a similar problem when it comes to international football. I want England to do well, to win...but....week in week out I think Ashley Cole is a greedy bastard, John Terry is pure excrement, Frank Lampard is thick and a complete tool, Wayne Rooney is a diving cheat with a permit to insult officials, Crouch and Defoe are just Tottenham....I can't just suddenly and as if by magic switch off and want the best for them. I don't have it in me...I still want the opposition striker to deliberately disfigure John Terry's face with a terrible sickening elbow and then "El Hadj Doiuf" him. I apologise.....but that's how I feel. Truth.

Anyhow....I seem to have gone completely over the top. The question is.....do you support all your nations club sides as is PC? Or are you plain crazy like me?

I'll get my coat!

TABLE AFTER 26.....

Almeria B 1 Real Murcia 0

Terrible result against what looked like quite a poor Almería outfit. But it could have been different.....Kike had a second half penalty saved, and Chando was guilty of missing a pretty easy chance. Almería made the most of about their only attack to score their winner late on.

I'm not surprised....we can't expect to win every game. Plus the fact that the night of Wednesday to Thursday this week I had a dream that we lost and dropped out of the top four to miss out on even playing in the play offs....I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach when I woke up, and that same feeling was with me last night, despite the damage not being all that bad.

Almería B:
Diego García
Javi Moyano - Hugo Álvarez - Trujillo - Richi
Alberto - Casabella (Márquez 89') - Antoñito (José Ramón 73') - Rubio
Jonathan - Aarón (César 56')

Real Murcia:
Alberto
Ander Gago - Iván Amaya - Luciano - Óscar Sánchez
Urzáiz - Albiol - Aquino (Chando 59') - Cañadas (Abraham 59')
Pedro (Molino 71') - Kike

Goal:
1-0 Jonathan 84'

Referee : Mr. Mateo Valero.

Let's hope we can get back to winning habits as the last few games have seen us drop many points, that we may come to miss when squeaky bum time comes around. I have explained the importance of finishing first, and it doesn't seem that Sevilla B are letting up at all....far from it, they thrashed previously 4th placed Ceuta 1 - 5 away.

I can think of only one positive reading.....being ahead for too long can't help when you go into the play off. So lets take top spot late on and hit the play offs on form.

Murcia's World Class.....Beer!

After two weeks of Berliner in Germany, Carling Extra Cold and Fosters in London, and Mahou at Madrid airport, it's good to be home. Maybe it's my 20+ years here and my taste buds are more honed to local stuff.....but, wow, this is better than anything tasted in my travels, by a very long way. It's the beer I crave when they offer you a Heineken in LA or a Carlsberg in Paris. World Class.....superb....the Messi or beers...it's sooo good it's above a lot of Murcianos who sniff at it....

Get a litre bottle, and make sure you have some chilled glasses. Have some cured manchego, or some fresh cut (important) "pata negra" ham, or (as I am doing) some frtesh (not frozen) red prawns.....pour well (with a head)....taste....now tell me I'm wrong!

Almería.....

Sorry about the lack of blog this week.....been away.....including taking in the Arsenal - Barcelona game at the Emirates on Wednesday...awesome!

The game at Almería is on Sunday at 8 p.m., and is only available to see via the club website on the internet. A must win game after our lead was reduced to 2 points last weekend.

Melilla 1 Real Murcia 1

As expected, a very tough away game in North Africa. I though Melilla got away with some very rough play, should have had at least another 3 bookings and had one player sent off before the interval. Their brutish forward Chota got away with murder....and after being carded, cut Mario Marín down from behind, a clear yellow, which the ref didn't have the balls to show him. Dibi also committed an X rated lunge on Amaya who escaped without serious injury, but was only shown a yellow.

Melilla's opener looked offside, and the replays show it was very close, but offside. The linesman...well.....if you saw it on TV or the internet, now you know who ate all the pies! The pitch was also a factor....dry, bumpy, every ball seemed to bobble at the wrong time and it looked as if we were heading for defeat. Thanks to a deft header from Kike (on a great scoring streak), we took a point....that could have been all three had Pedro not wasted a great chance late on.

Melilla:
Dorronsoro
Llamas (Ramos 78') - Herreros - Mahaman - Rodríguez
Dibi (Azrack 33') - Enguix - Bravo (Amarito 65') - Carlos Ruiz
Guille Roldán - Chota.

Real Murcia:
Alberto
Ander Gago - Luciano - Iván Amaya - Mario Marín
Aguilera - Cámara (Cañadas 54') - Albiol (Aquino 59') - Pedro
Kike (Urzaiz 78') - Chando.

Goals:
1-0 Chota 18'
1-1 Kike 75'

Ref : Mr. Álvarez Pinardo. Another who needs to grow a pair....should have sent one, maybe 2 Melilla players of in the first half, but lacked authority and let them get away with it. One of his linesmen...well....it's OK for me to have a beer belly....but a assistant ref in professional sport who has to run up and down the line? A disgrace.

10,000 Thanks!

I see that since I started this modest blog about Real Murcia, this week 10,000 visit were surpassed.

Thanks to you all......to all the guys in Spain, to the Brits, to you in Northern Ireland, to you in Holland, to you in Germany...

The game against Melilla on Sunday will be at 12.00 p.m. (11 a.m. UK time), and will be available to see via the club's official website ( www.realmurcia.es ). Let's hope for a good result at this tough away match.

TABLE AFTER 24.....

Real Murcia 2 Alcala 0

Iñaki Alonso was right. The 5 and 6 nil thrashings are Barcelona’s thing. Those expecting a high score will have disappointed, but Álcala were always going to defend in numbers and make it difficult, and they did it quite well until Real Murcia unlocked them a few minutes from half time. After that the result was never in doubt, and Alberto’s goal wasn’t threatened. Positive points…Kike is looking sharp in front of goal and is on a good run, and Dani Aquino had a very good game, playing a bit further back, and looks to be recovering the form that made him one of the best young players in Spain – let’s hope he can stay injury free, as a succession of niggling knocks and strains have blighted him.

Real Murcia:
Alberto
Ander Gago – Luciano - Iván Amaya - Mario Marín
Aguilera - Richi (Pedro 6') - Albiol - Aquino (Molino 71')
Kike (Rosquete 75') - Chando

Alcalá:
Relaño
Moreno - Carrasco - Pulido - Velázquez
Gonzalo (Gancedo 77') - Ismael - Ángel Luis - Chico (Platero 70')
Pérez (Bernal 61') - Mustafá

Goals:
1-0 Kike 41'
2-0 Ander Gago 50'

Referee: Mr. Cuesta Ferreiro. Mostly unnoticed, but gave a few strange decisions, such as a booking for Ivan Amaya when he made a fine tackle.

Attendance : 6.556

In other games Sevilla B won with a very very late goal against Betis B, Cadiz could only draw at Yeclano, San Roque and Melilla also won. Tough away game at Melilla next week.....we will have to be on our game.

Football HATE list :

Top 10 Football HATE list :

1. Tottnumb (ideas above their station, always talking bollocks, always looking up at Arsenal, obscure tax avoiding Bahamas benefactor, and for having that ridiculous chicken for a badge)

2. Barcelona (all the unfair advantages they get in Spain, the snowball, the dubious financing, the arrogance, and the sheer boredom another 5 nil thrashing creates. Football without competition is very poor indeed)

3. Chelsea (the knucklehead fans, the arrogance, the ill gained money, the year on year losses, the damage the transfer prices they pay are doing to the rest of football in inflated fees, the crass way they have decided it's now or never for the Champions league as they haven't a hope in hell of getting through UEFA's financial fair-play rules)

4. Real Madrid (all the unfair advantages they get in Spain, the snowball, the dubious financing, the arrogance, the sheep following they have, the exclusivity on media coverage)

5. Mr. Texeira Vitienes (the referee. Scuttles up and down football pitches dishing out injustice and making people miserable. Unbelievably blew a softer than soft last minute of added time non penalty sending Real Murcia to relegation down to the pit of Segunda B. When I take over he’ll be the first at the guillotine)

6. Man United (Ferguson and the way he has at least 3 refs under his command. His influence on the Fat Sam, Pulis crowd and how they play dirty and at 120% against some teams but roll over against Man Utd without so much as an attempt to compete)

7. Efesé Cartagena, or whatever it’s called (disgusting new invention, purchased their place in whatever division from Balsicas. Gloryhunter newbie supporters. Horrid, unclean, smelly stadium. And they stoned our coach)

8. Man City (Petrodollars, , the year on year losses, the damage the transfer prices they pay are doing to the rest of football in inflated fees. Proper fans though, I’ll give em’ that)

9. Portugal (for inventing diving, depilation, and just about everything that’s wrong in football)

10. UEFA's Mr. Blatter (what a feckin’ clown, an imbecile of the first order)

Phew….glad I got that off my chest!

Friendly Result / Chandooooooo!

Real Murcia beat local side beniel 0 - 4 in a friendly last night. Seems coach Alonso took along some of the more promising talent from the youth ranks, seeing as there was no money in the pot for signings in the January window. We are always going to pick up some injuries, so he wanted to see what he has available.

Good news is that Chando has signed a new deal with the club that will keep him at Real Murcia for another 2 seasons after this. Although, expect him to move on if we don't get promotion......

Will UEFA have the Balls?

Chelsea are like our politicians. They chose to make public the bad news on the very same day they signed Fernando Torres and David Luiz. Predictably, the papers are full of the Torres and Luiz news, photos, etc. etc., but neatly tucked away is the news that they made yet another loss for the 09/10 season, the little matter of £ 70,900,000 ....yes, that's pounds sterling, with all it's zeros. This adds to the similar and worse losses of the last decade.....it's estimated that Roman Abrahamovich has blown almost a billion of his cash stash on the club.

Evidently they know that the UEFA "financial Fair Play" rules come into effect for the 2014 Champions and Europa Leagues. Clubs have to demonstrate that they are living within their means, and have to present an overall aggregate "no losses" over a rolling 3 season period. Chelsea know this.....but still spent over £70 million in one day (no-one was sold to balance the books, like Liverpool have done), plus the massive wages they are going to be paying Torres (rumoured at £ 170,000 a week.). These numbers will evidently come out in the 10/11 figures, which are very very likely to be worse than the 9/10 set. As the qualification is calculated on a 3 year rolling, are they banking on making profits (don't laugh) for the 11/12 and 12/13 seasons in order to play in the Champions League? Or (more likely) do they know something we don't?

Mallorca qualified but were barred from participating in this year’s Europa League due to being under administration. So well done UEFA, helping a smaller club out of it's financial troubles but prohibiting them from the earnings a good run may have created. But, if that is the path they have decided on, we can't expect less when a Barcelona or a Chelsea are the club in question who have flaunted the rules come 2014. However, I think we can all see that Chelsea's behaviour, and that of the Man City's and Barcelona's, means that jiggery pokery will be admitted, one-off sugar daddy contributions will be admitted (Chelsea, Man City), a blind eye will be turned to cooked books (inevitable in Spain) and that as usual, less popular sides will be made an example of. It’s a clever way of deceiving the public into thinking you are trying to open things up, when in fact you are doing the opposite, and creating a virtual closed-shop.

How can the dilligent and well run clubs in Germany have a hope of winning the Champions League when they are up against clubs who can spend and spend and spend and spend and spend without any worry of having to balance anything? How can an Arsenal, whilst reducing debt (exclusively due to building a new stadium), concentrating on bringing players through their youth system, or Wenger's brilliance in identifying early talent and the odd calculated and affordable transfer, compete whilst their rivals sign off-the-shelf megastars as their benefactor blows another 200 million?

Wasn't the point to make the playing field level? Will UEFA have grown a pair by 2014?


Photo : I'll back a ogliarch russian mafia against a snail eating surrender monkey any day!