La Liga 2007/08

[Donna Ferentes]

Bit of a trek from Aragón though...

 

[g force]

There's not much TBH. Get into basketball and go see Lleida?

Girona FC...still a trek...

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Heh. If I was going as far as Girona I might as well carry on up to France and watch the rugby league.

 

[mrkikiet]

That leaves Real Zaragoza, who on the face of it are ideal - not far away, strong club but not a huge corporate affair, supporters who support their local team. Unfortunately, the week I came to Spain was the very same week that Eto'o was forced to leave the pitch (or try to) by racist chanting at LA Romereda, which isn't the sort of start you really want.

They aren't all racist by any stretch of the imagination. If you read the Zaragoza message boards they are pretty aware of what is going on and there is a realisation that it needs to stop. Certainly the Penyas seem to be trying to do something about it. I think that it is changing and that things will improve slowly.

Plus, the football at Zaragoza this season has the potential to be pretty exciting.

 

[mrkikiet]

Sabadell

Villarreal....everyone has a soft spot for the yellow submarines.

Villareal are buying their way to success though, no real support base there. They're a slightly more successful Middlesborough.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

They aren't all racist by any stretch of the imagination. If you read the Zaragoza message boards they are pretty aware of what is going on and there is a realisation that it needs to stop. Certainly the Penyas seem to be trying to do something about it. I think that it is changing and that things will improve slowly.

Plus, the football at Zaragoza this season has the potential to be pretty exciting.

Of course, and I wouldn't suggest for a moment that all Zaragoza fans are racist, and if I were an established fan I'd feel differently about it. But when it's your introduction (Nayim, all those years ago, apart) to a club it feels very different.

 

[g force]

Looks increasingly as if Ramos is off to Spurs. Bad news for Sevilla...can't think of a lot of candidates who could do such a good job for the team, esp with the season starting this weekend.

 

[mrkikiet]

Very bad news for Sevilla, looks like del Nido may have played a role in forcing him though.

 

[g force]

Is it really all because a promised - and worthwhile - pay rise never materialised? Real, Barca and Valencia will all be very happy about the unsettling so near to the season.

 

[mrkikiet]

Is it really all because a promised - and worthwhile - pay rise never materialised? Real, Barca and Valencia will all be very happy about the unsettling so near to the season.

and also villareal, zaragoza and atleti.

i also noticed that madrid are trying to pinch D.Milito from zaragoza. Schuster wants a no.9.

 

[T & P]

I see that there's some shit going on with TV rights and some games being rescheduled?? Can anyone give me a brief explanation of what's going on?

 

[g force]

No idea....but Real buying everyone right now? Heinze, Robben, Sneijder, Drenthe...possibly Alves.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

And other thing. Why the fuck does the news on TVE1 get cut short so that we can have live coverage of pre-seaons friendlies?

 

[Donna Ferentes]

No idea....but Real buying everyone right now? Heinze, Robben, Sneijder, Drenthe...possibly Alves.

John Terry said losing Robben was a blow.

"We are very disappointed to lose him," said the Chelsea captain. "He's very young and a world class player.

"He's been a great friend to not only me but all the other Chelsea players. We are sorry to see him go but on behalf of myself and everyone else at Chelsea we wish him well."

You are invited to guess:

a. how many of these words are true?
b. how many were composed by John Terry?

 

[g force]

Well he's 23, so "young" is fair. Point 2 - none

 

[mrkikiet]

Predictions:
The TV will be sorted at the last minute.
Barcelona will win the league, regaining form when Eto'o goes away for the African Nations Cup in the Spring.
Real Madrid, Zaragoza and Valencia will finish in the Champions League spots, assuming Zaragoza get knocked out the uefa early. If Zaragoza stay in the uefa they will struggle to finish top 6.
The other two Uefa spots will be filled by Sevilla and Atletico de Madrid.
Levante will get relegated, taking Savio down with them so he can at last go back and spend more time with his family in Brazil.
Espanyol will get to the cup final and lose on penalties.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

I was walking down Calle San Lorenzo in Huesca today and there was a big crowd outside the church, TV van, photographers, lots of men in white t-shirts. It obviously wasn't a wedding and when I got closer it was, in fact, the squad of SD Huesca, just come out of what I assume was the annual pre-season blessing or similar nonsense...

 

[mrkikiet]

I was walking down Calle San Lorenzo in Huesca today and there was a big crowd outside the church, TV van, photographers, lots of men in white t-shirts. It obviously wasn't a wedding and when I got closer it was, in fact, the squad of SD Huesca, just come out of what I assume was the annual pre-season blessing or similar nonsense...

Zaragoza went to El Pilar to ask for her blessing last wednesday.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

What did she say?

That's something I don't get. How can "her" be "El"?

 

[Concrete Meadow]

Bye bye Belletti. Good luck (except when/if we play Chelsea).

And I like your predictions. You are very nice, mrkikiet

Donna Ferentes, hope you can give us some match reports. I'll be working in New York for the rest of the year and won't have access to certain Liga games.

Onward!

Tomorrow (CET)

20:00 Real Madrid - Atletico Madrid
22:00 Real Murcia - Zaragoza
22:00 Sevilla - Getafe

Sunday

19:00 Athletic Bilbao - Osasuna
19:00 Deportivo La Coruna - Almeria
19:00 Mallorca - Levante
19:00 Racing Santander - Barcelona
19:00 Recreativo Huelva - Real Betis

21:00 Espanyol - Valladolid
21:00 Valencia - Villarreal

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Donna Ferentes, hope you can give us some match reports.

You'll be lucky. Unlikely I'll see very much of it.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

What is going on with the TV, anyway? It's all passed me by.

 

[mrkikiet]

it seems to be on skysports and no spanish tv.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

La Sexta have a game tonight, don't they? Is that a temporary arrangement?

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Still, we do have Arsenal v Man city live on TVE2 this afternoon as far as I can see.

 

[mrkikiet]

La Sexta have a game tonight, don't they? Is that a temporary arrangement?

Don't know, I'm not in Spain any more

I suspect la sexta should have football every week, you don't know what the live game is do you? Is it sevilla or Zaragoza?

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Don't know, I'm not in Spain any more

I suspect la sexta should have football every week, you don't know what the live game is do you? Is it sevilla or Zaragoza?

Zaragoza at Murcia.

Ah, "no Spanish TV" means you don't have it? Not "it's not on Spanish TV"?

 

[mrkikiet]

I was under the impression that it wasn't on spanish tv this weekend. This is because of disputes about tv rights and la sexta owing money from last season.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Is there anywhere I can read about it? Spanish sources will do, I'll manage (i.e. get help from my girlfriend).

I suppose it might be in Phil Ball tomorrow night.

 

[mrkikiet]

sid lowe mentions it in his guardian column yesterday.