Megson & Mandaric bring hope to Wednesday

Here's a piece I wrote for the WSC Daily section of the When Saturday Comes website http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/7310/38/



It's been a long since this sign intimidated visiting teams.

 8 June ~ Considering that Sheffield Wednesday have just endured the third-worst League placing in their 144-year history, there’s a genuine sense of optimism around Hillsborough. Now that Wednesday have finally shrugged off the crippling millstone of debt and neighbours United were kind enough to drop down and join us in League One, the feeling among most Owls fans is that the “natural order” of football in Sheffield will soon be restored. Admittedly, the fact that there will be Steel City derbies in the third tier for the first time since 1980 is a source of acute embarrassment for England’s fourth-largest city.


Starved of success, the bitter rivalry between Owls and Blades has created an insular attitude towards the wider world of football – “I don’t care where we finish as long as we beat them lot twice” is a common mantra from both sets of fans on local radio phone-ins.


Yet, by the end of March it looked like the clubs might not be renewing hostilities next season after all. The appointment in February of former Owls midfielder Gary Megson was supposed to have galvanised a talented yet collectively incohesive squad to push for at least a play-off spot, but things actually got a lot worse. Wednesday slipped perilously close to the relegation places and an unthinkable first appearance in the Football League’s basement division was becoming a distinct possibility. This was a scenario not even the most pessimistic of Owls would have envisaged after Milan Mandaric’s 11th-hour takeover enabled the club to avoid a second winding-up petition of the season and clear colossal debts amassed by over 15 years of financial mismanagement.


As a player, Megson’s tenacious style had made him a key member of Howard Wilkinson’s 1984 promotion-winning side and, just like his old boss, he picks a team where fitness and physicality come first. This ethos eventually steered Wednesday to a comfortable finish but it has caused ripples of discontent among fans that would prefer Wednesday to start their long overdue revival playing something akin to the champagne football of Ron Atkinson’s early-1990s side. Megson can, however, do something no Wednesday manager has been able to do since that era: be competitive in the transfer market. We aren’t expecting Di Canios or Carbones but it will make the long summer break much more exciting.


Across the city, another former Owls player, Danny Wilson, has become perhaps the most controversial managerial appointment in Sheffield United’s history, being welcomed to Bramall Lane by “Love United, Hate Wilson” banners. Despite playing in Big Ron’s 1991 League Cup-winning side, as Wednesday manager painful memories of an 8-0 humiliation at Newcastle and subsequent relegation from the Premier League had already tarnished his reputation. Taking charge of the Blades is fine by us. In fact we found the whole furore highly amusing. If he does half as good a job as Micky Adams did, then his Hillsborough hero status will be reinstated. Richard Salguero

Many Happy Returns?

Cádiz’s centenary year promotion struggle

Segunda División B is a tough league to get out of. Sure, you’ve heard that said by many an embittered lower league manager as a thinly veiled pre-season disclaimer, but with no automatic promotion spots, the only means of escape from the third tier of Spanish football is through a multi-regional play-off system. Little wonder then that it has the lugubrious nickname of ‘El Pozo’ ('The Pit').

Not the best place then for Cádiz to celebrate their centenary season, and it’s been as tumultuous a year as any of their previous 100. With rising debts, dwindling attendances (not helped by the region having amongst the highest unemployment rates in Spain) and protests against the club president, it was hardly the party they would have imagined just five years ago when the club graced the Primers Liga. Los Amarillos have since suffered three relegations, although they clambered out of Segunda B at the first attempt in 2008/09, they were immediately relegated from the Liga Adelante last season.

This season started out as brightly as the glorious Andalucían sunshine for Cádiz, with five wins (and draw against eventual table toppers Real Murcia) in their first six games. But, just as the Cadistas were anticipating a repeat of two seasons ago when their team looked a class apart at this level, a disappointing run of five defeats in seven led to Serbian coach Hristo Vidakovic being shown the door at the Estadio Ramón de Carranza. This was most likely a fire exit as a complete renovation project has left much of the stadium a construction site.

A recurring theme for the early stages of the campaign was a disciplinary record in Cádiz’s games that certainly lived up to the “fiery Latin temperament” cliché. Los Amarillos and their opponents each received eight red cards, with Cádiz finishing three games with just nine men. The 1-0 home victory over AD Ceuta saw the side based in mainland Africa reduced to eight, which was not all that surprising considering they were coached at the time by none other than Andoni Goikoetxea, whose ankle-ligament-shredding tackle on Barcelona’s youthful Diego Maradona earned him the infamous nickname of ‘The Butcher of Bilbao’.

Vidakovic’s replacement, José González embarked on his third spell in charge at the Carranza in just eight years by making an immediate impact, winning his first four games including a notable 2-1 victory over the then leaders Sevilla Atletico (the ‘B’ side of Sevilla FC). Yet Cádiz’s performances were often unconvincing and another inconsistent run at the turn of the year culminated in a 1-1 draw with Lucena in front of just 2,000 fans, the lowest crowd at the Carranza in years. The result also saw Los Amarillos slip outside the top four, and crucially, the play-off positions.

Rayo Vallecano fans sympathise with Cádiz (complete with portraits of the two clubs' presedentes)

But events on the pitch have been the least of Cádiz’s worries. Debts amounting to a cojones-shrinking €13.5m meant administrators were called in to pick their way through some dubious bookkeeping and it was revealed that players hadn’t been paid for two months. With groups from the Middle East and Mexico rumoured to be interested in rescuing the club, the Cadistas sought to apply pressure the club’s owner, Antonio Muñoz with their ‘Vende y Vete’ (Sell and Go) campaign. In an act of extraordinary solidarity, fans of Segunda División Rayo Vallecano - themselves in similar financial dire straits and demanding boardroom changes - displayed banners of their club badge alongside that of Cádiz’s bearing the sentiment, “Two shared emotions, the same big mess”.

Veteran defender Raúl López issued a rallying call for the closing stages of the season: “Son siete jornados y son siete finales.” (“There are seven games and seven finals.”). Standard stuff from a beleaguered skipper you might think, but amazingly it inspired Cádiz to suddenly find their richest vein of form since they took the Segunda División title in 2005. In the penultimate game of the season Los Amarillos faced fellow promotion hopefuls CD Roquetas seeking a sixth consecutive win that would clinch a Segunda B Grupo 4 play-off spot. Of course, they had to do it the hard way, overturning a 1-0 deficit with 10 minutes to go, in front of a rapturous Carranza crowd.

That goal celebration

In the play-off semi-final Cádiz were drawn against Club Deportivo Mirandés who had finished 2nd in Segunda B Grupo 1 (the northern and Basque regions). Dani Cifuentes celebrated Cádiz’s second goal in a 2-0 first-leg victory by making a double-V sign to the Cadistas. Did it symbolise v-for-victory or vende y vete? If they can escape El Pozo and with a Brazilian group fronted by Ronaldinho’s brother the new favourites to take over the club, perhaps it meant both. Here’s hoping Los Amarillos’ big birthday bash can end up being a celebration to remember, because believe me; few cities in the world can do a fiesta as well as Cádiz.

Confusion reigns in Spain

The XXXVIII Trofeo Ciudad de El Puerto

I was hoping that this was going to be a report of my experiences at the Trofeo Ramón de Carranza. Hosted by Cádiz CF for the past 55 years, this prestigious pre-season tournament has seen the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan and São Paulo take to the field before the rumbustious yet ever good-natured Cadistas.

Unfortunately, despite my best efforts to coincide my stay in Spain within the usual weekend of the tournament, the confirmed 2010 Trofeo Carranza dates meant that instead of watching Espanyol, Aléti, Sevilla and Los Amarillos tussle it out for quite possibly the biggest (in terms of physical size) trophy in world football, I would be wrestling with tent poles in the pouring Derbyshire rain.

So, after a couple of frustrating weeks of scouring websites for potential friendly fixtures that I could feasibly fit around my trips between Malaga, Granada and the Cádiz region, I finally found one, and right on the proverbial doorstep. The XXXVIII Trofeo Ciudad de El Puerto would be taking place in my old hometown of El Puerto de Santa Maria at the club my father made a handful of appearances for way back when. It would simply be rude of me not to go. This triangular tournament of 45-minute games would feature Cádiz, San Fernando Club Deportivo and hosts Racing Club Portuense. 

El Puerto de Santa Maria’s home of football.

For a club that has spent its entire history in the lower leagues of Spanish football (and indeed will start the new season in Tercera División - Group 10) Racing Club Portuense’s Estadio José del Cuvillo has an impressive capacity of 8,600. The vast majority of which is accounted for in a cantilever grandstand smartly bedecked (and it pains me to admit this as a Wednesdayite) with red and white seats. 

Not your average red light district.

However, the approach to the stadium is rather less salubrious, as the surrounding woods are a well-known haunt for the town’s prostitutes. But unlike their British counterparts, who patrol the grubby inner-city back streets, El Puerto de Santa Maria’s ‘ladies of the night’ (and indeed broad daylight) can be found in groups of two or three, lolling around on plastic garden chairs under the cooling shade of the pines - and with temperatures in Andalucía regularly touching 40°C in the summer months, who can blame them?

“Ooh, is there a match on tonight?” asked one with genuine surprise as we passed them. Now, I’d have thought they’d have checked Racing’s fixtures to see if their ‘business’ would be affected tonight, one way or the other. Trying to ignore the dusty remnants of condoms strewn around the club’s car park (a situation that a sandal-wearing missus Sal was less than pleased with) we purchased our tickets through a hole in the wall of the main stand so small it made me wonder if the overly cheery disposition of the teenage girl who served us wasn’t just a form of claustrophobia induced hysteria.

Football badge aficionados will no doubt note the resemblance to the Sevilla crest.

Behind the stand we grabbed a couple of cañas of Cruzcampo from the small but perfectly formed bar area and examined the Ciudad de El Puerto trophy itself which, along with its mini runners-up version, were elegantly yet modestly displayed on a table. The only security guard in sight was more interested in keeping a vigil on the entrance to the ladies’ toilets.


After waiting five minutes to see if we’d get to have a go on the table football game, the lure of a throbbing euro pop soundtrack interspersed with the triumphant cry of “Viva Racing!” from the club’s anthem was too much to resist and it was time to take our places for the night’s events…

€1 cervezas more than make up for the lack of chicken balti pies.

Up for the cup - or should that be glass?

San Fernando CD v Cádiz CF

I’d decided against wearing my Cádiz home shirt (circa 2004) mainly out of respect for my dad’s old team, but as Los Amarillos ran out to face San Fernando Club Deportivo for the first of the night’s three matches the cries of derision aimed at them from the fans in blue surrounding us made me glad I hadn’t nailed my colours to the mast.

The town of San Fernando lies just a few miles south of Cádiz and is also part of the same peninsula that looks out over the North Atlantic Sea. The original incarnation of the club, Club Deportivo San Fernando – like so many of Spain’s smaller clubs - went to the wall in 2009 but quickly reformed, retaining the traditional club crest and colours and simply flipping their name around.

The Ultras assemble.

The Cadistas acclimatise themselves to lower division stadia once again.

Cádiz’s new Serbian coach, Hristo Vidakovic, had decided to give a number of youth players a run out, which explained why only a handful of Cadistas had turned up. A spritely first 20 minutes saw the ball pinging small clouds of dust from the artificial turf and San Fernando’s Sergio Beato catching the eye with some neat flicks. With his unkempt long hair and socks around the ankles, it was brilliant to see the kind of old-school winger mimicked up and down British schoolyards in the ‘80s.

With neither keeper being really tested, the Racing fans, impatiently waiting to see their own team in action, decided to liven things up by making a nuisance of themselves, passing around a megaphone and bellowing indecipherable words of 'encouragement' at the players.

Megaphone madness from the Pieles Rojas.

San Fernando fans enjoy getting one over their old rivals.

Then, with just 8 minutes left, the game suddenly came to life. Confusion in the Cádiz back four resulted in a poor back header that let in Ivan Guerrero and he held his nerve under pressure to give San Fernando the lead. Shortly after the restart, Beato added to his maverick image by getting himself sent off for reacting to a late challenge. To be fair it was a little harsh on him as the Cádiz defender made a real meal of it. The usual hand-bags ensued and the cries of “¡Cabrone!” from the incensed San Fernando fans were directed towards the referee, who could easily pass as Leo Messi’s older brother. As if the abuse was giving him some perverse pleasure, he then booked San Fernando’s Puli for a rather innocuous challenge.

Despite coming under some late pressure, San Fernando held on to the absolute delight of particularly vocal adolescent fan who, in a crude twist of Los Amarillos' popular chant, screamed “Puta Cadiz Oe!”. I honestly though a blood vessel in his neck was about to burst.

Now I must admit what happened next caught me on the hop a bit. I thought I’d I stand up to stretch my legs and take a few snaps before the second match started (missus Sal had even gone for cerverzas) when it became apparent that a penalty shoot-out had began. Thinking I’d somehow inexplicably blacked out and missed a Cádiz equaliser, I asked the fella in front of me what the dickens was going off, he said the results of these spot-kicks would be used to settle things in the event of any ties. Cádiz went 4-1 up with just two pens left for San Fernando but, bizarrely, the shoot-out continued until both teams had taken five each with neither adding to the score.

Racing Club Portuense v Cadiz CF

The next game saw the hosts take on Cádiz and they certainly made a ‘Racing’ start by putting the ball in the net inside two minutes, only for our Messi-a-like friend (who was running the line for this encounter) to raise his flag for offside.

Whilst Cádiz had been testing the Racing keeper, the San Fernando fans had been on snack run. As plates of tapas were passed around the stands they kindly included us in the rounds and we tucked into some delicious fried fish and bread sticks – a far cry from the stodgy, lukewarm pies at your average League One ground I can tell you.

All the game’s goals came in a frenetic ten-minute spell. Racing took the lead from Mere’s looping header before two almost identical defensive lapses of concentration allowed first Hugo García and then Arriaga to neatly slot home from close range and give Los Amarillos victory.

Fully prepared for a penalty shoot-out this time, I carefully made note of the score. Yet, once again I needed some confirmation on exactly what was going on. With all ten kicks taken and the score standing at 4-4, instead of entering a tense sudden-death scenario the players simply trudged off the pitch. The San Fernando fan who’d originally explained the penalty scenario now seemed unsure himself. 

"Sod the last game lads, let's just get ourselves off."

San Fernando CD v Racing Club Portuense

A win for San Fernando in the final match would make things simple, a second victory would mean they’d be taking home the aptly sherry glass shaped silverware.

But it was Racing who took the lead in the 10^th minute, after sloppy defending allowed Villalustre to sprint through and bundle the ball through the keeper’s legs. This sparked a good old song and dance from the Racing Ultras as one of them played their Shakira mobile phone ringtone through the megaphone. The swaying of hips soon came to an abrupt end when San Fernando turned the game on its head, with two goals in as many minutes. On 15 minutes Juanmi raced through to poke home, and then after some neat play down the left side, was at the far post to nod in his second.

Night falls on the Estadio José del Cuvillo.

The game had a real cup final feel to it now and in the 23^rd minute the large San Fernando contingent, clearly taking this tournament seriously, sensed the glory of a match winning third goal. But as their attack broke down Racing hit them with a lightning break. Villalustre found himself in a frankly ridiculous amount of space and calmly rounded the keeper who’d manically sprinted way out his area, to slot home.

In my experience, most football fans seem to think that their own club has the exclusive rights to carelessly throwing leads away, and the resigned moaning and groaning around me confirmed that the San Fernando faithful were no different. 

Like some self-fulfilling prophecy, San Fernando’s confidence visibly drained and Racing, clearly sensing that the game was theirs for the taking, did just that with two minutes to go. Good link up play down the right side saw the ball chipped into that man Villalustre, who had the time to direct a volley past the sprawling keeper and claim a glorious hat-trick.

Name on the cup?

At the full-time whistle we started to mull over just who would be crowned 38^th winners of the Trofeo Ciudad de El Puerto. Each team had won one game a piece but we assumed that Cádiz held the advantage by winning and then drawing their penalty shoot-outs. So, going into the final spot-kicks we assumed that Racing needed to win to match Los Amarillos’ record, which they did 3-1. This sparked scenes of jubilation amongst the Racing players and as we again tried to find someone who could explain the maths behind the ensuing madness, San Fernando were presented the runners-up trophy and Racing the main prize. Any protestations from the Cádiz players/officials failed to materialise as – to further add to the farcical nature of the night - it appeared that they’d actually left the stadium by this point. 

Well someone had to win it...

As we made our way to the exits scratching our heads, the helpful San Fernando fan came back to us with what initially seemed a definitive explanation of how the tournament had been decided, but he failed to convince even himself with this new theory and again threw his hands to the air. At this point I’m rather proud to say that I chipped in with my own bit of Andalucían humour, by declaring that the night’s true winners were the excellent fried fish. Well, it was enough to make our new friend’s wife laugh anyway.

As the fans dispersed into the balmy night, one car was conspicuous in heading towards the ground. It stopped halfway down the track leading to the stadium car park and the driver hopped out and disappeared into the woods. A rather robust looking prostitute then lumbered towards the trees to apparently complete a transaction far less complicated than the rules of the Trofeo Ciudad de El Puerto. 

Segunda B (Grupo 4) preview 2010/11: Part 3

I return from my break in España with tales of a bizarre pre-season tournament nature, but that’ll have to wait for a few days. It’s the ‘big kick-off’ on Sunday (August 29th) and it’s about time you were acquainted with the remaining sides battling it out for Segunda B glory.

Actually, I told a little fib there. Cádiz started their season yesterday, with a Copa del Rey First Round tie up in the outskirts of Madrid where I’m delighted to say they thrashed Tercera División AD Parla 5-1. Los Amarillos’ new midfield signing Fernando Velasco hit a hat-trick (and rather charitably, an own goal) against the side Rafa Benítez once had spell with as a player. This sets up a meeting with L'Hospitalet at the Carranza in the next round.

Unión Deportiva Melilla

Formed: 1943 (Reformed 1976)
Ground: Estadio Municipal Álvarez Claro (12,000)

Last season: 2nd

Look like: Chesterfield

Unión Deportiva Melilla are (along with AD Cueta) based in an autonomous Spanish city joined to Morocco on the North African coast. Which could quite possibly add it to the list of clubs that are ‘always a tough place to go’. By that I mean no offense to any Moroccan readers, as the only tangible criteria for grounds to be described as such by visiting managers/players is to simply have recorded a recent victory there – be it at Besiktas or Brechin - regardless of the home team’s current form.

The origins of UD Melilla go back to 1943 when the club was formed through the merging of Deportivo Español, Melilla FC and Juventud Deportiva, although this incarnation only lasted for 13 years. After reforming in the mid-seventies the club finally reached Segunda B in 1987 were they have been firmly entrenched ever since.

They missed out in the 98/99 promotion play-offs and again last season, to the elaborately titled Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Club de Fútbol (The Las Palmas University team). So, it’ll be interesting to see whether UD Melilla can bounce back from the disappointment of having their season ruined by a bunch of students.

Lucena CF

Formed: 1968
Ground: Estadio Municipal de Lucena (6,000)

Last season: 6th
Look like: Wycombe Wanderers

Lucena CF are looking forward to their fourth successive season in Segunda B after clinching promotion from the Tercera División in 06/07 by overcoming AD Fundación Logroñés (yet another Spanish club with a fleeting lifespan) and Sociedad Deportiva Noja in the play-offs. It was also the year the club ditched their original name: Atlético Lucentino Industrial.

Now, the Spanish are a bit of a superstitious bunch that it wouldn’t surprise me at all if many Lucentinos saw this identity change as the real reason behind their teams newly found success. I should also point out to any skeptics that my very own ‘lucky’ Wednesday boxer shorts finally wore out around 1993… merely a coincidence? I’ll let you decide.

Further evidence that fortune perhaps favours Lucena came at the business end of the 2008/09 season. The Lucentinos found themselves 6 points from safety with just three games left but handsome victories over fellow relegation candidates Granada 74 (boo!) and Portuense (my dad’s home town team) gave them every chance of escaping. On what proved to be a dramatic final day, Lucena could only manage to draw with UB Conquense and so had to hope that this bettered the results of Granada 74 and San Fernando. But with San Fernando cruising to a 3-0 half-time lead at home to Puertollano, all seemed lost. Yet incredibly Puertollano produced a stunning second-half fight back to run out 5-3 winners and with Granada 74 losing at Antequera, Lucena were saved.

Real Jaén CF

Formed: 1922

Ground: Nuevo Estadio de La Victoria (12,800)

Last season: 3rd

Look like: Hearts (in their away kit)

You have to go back to the 1950s for Real Jaén’s glory days when they spent three years in Spain’s top flight. The pinnacle of this spell came after the third game of the 57/58 season, when they proudly sat in second place in the La Liga table behind a truly all-conquering Real Madrid side.  

Unfortunately, since then Real Jaén haven’t really come anywhere near to recapturing that splendid form, spending the majority of the intervening years languishing in the lower leagues. They do however jointly hold (with fellow Segunda B - Grupo 4-ers CD Puertollano) the record number of Copa Federación wins, but before we get too carried away I should tell you they have just the two trophies to polish. That’s because this competition - which is only open to sides in Segunda B and the Tercera División – ran from 1945 to 1953 and was then abandoned for over 40 years. It was exhumed in 1994 and has been contested ever since.

Real Jaén have missed out on promotion in the last two season’s play-offs, losing to Villarreal B and Barcelona B respectively. The biggest challenge in their recent history did end in triumph though. Saddled with huge debts the club almost certainly faced liquidation this summer but at the very last moment existing and former players agreed a reduced repayment deal and the club was thankfully saved.

And on that bright note, let’s have some light-hearted trivia. The final hours of Jaén’s old Estadio La Victoria ground in June 2001 were quite eventful. Not only did Andalusian rivals Real Betis clinch promotion to the Primera División with a 2-0 victory over the hosts, later that evening the stadium became the venue to a concert by legendary crooner Julio Iglesias.

Club Deportivo Puertollano

Formed: 1948
Ground: Estadio Francisco Sánchez Menor (8,000)
Last season: 6th
Look like: Oldham Athletic

CD Puertollano’s best ever season came in 1967/68 when they missed out on a place in the top flight by losing (thrashed 6-1 on aggregate) to Córdoba in a promotion/relegation play-off when they were known as Calvo Sotelo (after the national fuel company which was established in the town).

In fact, the industrial city of Puertollano is sometimes cynically referred to as ‘The town of two lies’ because puerto is Spanish for ‘port’ and llano means ‘level’ or ‘flat’. As it is situated hundreds of kilometres from the coast and built on the slopes of the surrounding mountains, Puertollano can claim neither. Now, I knew there was something not quite right about my trip to Port Vale for a League Cup tie last season…

Club Deportivo Puertollano (a name adopted last year, the fifth different one in their history) ended a 20-year spell in the doldrums in 2006 when they beat Arcos CF in the play-offs to clamber into Segunda B, where they’ve established themselves quite well. They’ll be hoping to make the step up from being a crack lower division side (8 Tercera titles and 2 Copa Federación wins) to something resembling their team of the swinging sixties.

Unión Deportiva Almería B

Formed: 2001
Ground: Estadio Municipal Juan Rojas (13,468)
Last season: 4th Tercera División Group 9
Look like: Stoke City

Unión Deportiva Almería B will fill the unsightly hole left in Segunda B by the demise through financial collapse of CF Atlético Ciudad. The club had been knocking on the promotion door for the past two season’s, losing out in the play-offs firstly to Real Ávila and then Centre d'Esports L’Hospitalet - a Catalan team with a name that, to me, sounds like the French version of Lilleshall.

The fact that Unión Deportiva Almería B even exist is testament to how far Almería’s senior side have come in recent years. A Tercera División team just over a decade ago, UD Almería have established themselves in La Liga, proving to be a thorn in the side to many a more illustrious equipo.

Lorca Atlético CF

Formed: 2010
Ground: Francisco Artés Carrasco (8,094)
Last season: N/A
Look like: Colchester United

The tale behind the newly formed Lorca Atlético is not so much a Granada 74-esque franchise horror story but more of a local rescue job. With debts of €340.000, Sangonera Atlético CF were facing oblivion this summer until a businessman bought their ‘seat’ and shifted the club a few miles down the road to Lorca. Although this was after he had sniffed around other financially stricken sides from the Murcia region - Caravaca and Jumilla

.  

Sangonera Atlético were themselves only formed in 1996, after it was decided that a town of less than 10,000 inhabitants would perhaps enjoy more football success if its two clubs - Atlético Sangonera and Sangonera CF – merged. For the record Sangonera Atlético had finished the 2009/10 season 12th in Segunda B.

Écija Balompié

Formed: 1939 (reformed 1968)
Ground: Estadio San Pablo (4,500)
Last season: 11th

Look like: Peterborough United

Écija Balompié (the literal translation of ‘football’ into Spanish never fails to make me smile) are about to embark on their 14th successive season in Segunda B, a league they actually finished the 2007/08 season in first position but lost to SD Huesca in the play-offs.

Since then the club have had two nervous summers trying to meet the financial requirements to stay not only in Segunda B, but to remain in business altogether.

It’s all a far cry from the heady days of their 2006/07 Copa Del Rey run where they held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw at their Estadio San Pablo ground. Temporary seating was erected doubling the capacity to 10,000 to meet the demand for any lower league side’s dream date. The second date didn’t go so well with Los Galácticos winning 5-1 at the Bernabéu. Needless to say to the pair haven’t retuned calls since.

Y ya está. Hopefully the next time the conversation in your local boozer turns to the Segunda B you’ll be able to hold your own. Stay tuned for a report on the 39th Trofeo Ciudad de El Puerto.

Adios

Sal

Segunda B (Grupo 4) preview 2010/11: Part 2

Unfortunately, since my first post, CF Atlético Ciudad have been dissolved after they failed to pay the €800,000 in wages owed to their players. In similar circumstances, Lucena, Poli Ejido, and Real Jaén have narrowly escaped automatic relegation to the Tercera División and the scary possibility of meeting the same fate as Ciudad. Écija Balompié and Jumilla fans are also sweating on their respective clubs’ precarious financial positions.

So, assuming there’ll be enough teams left to make this whole third tier of Spanish football malarkey actually worthwhile, let’s take look at some of the other Segunda División B (Groupo 4) sides…

Real Murcia CF

Formed: 1908
Ground: Estadio Nueva Condomina (33,045)
Last season: 20^th Segunda División A (Liga Adelante)
Look like: Charlton Athletic

When it comes to size and pedigree, Real Murcia are the big boys of this Segunda B - Grupo 4. Los Pimentoneros ‘The paprika-men’ hail from Spain’s 7^th largest city and have spent a total of 18 years in the Primera División, with fleeting appearances coming as recently as 2004 and 2008. In fact, this will be only their 12^th season spent outside the top two divisions, after being cruelly relegated by a 94^th minute spot kick in their final game of last season at Girona. This had the knock-on effect of demoting their ‘B’ side – Real Murcia Imperial – who would otherwise have lined up in this season’s Segunda B. Real Murcia also hold the record for Segunda A titles (9), which might endear them with fans of Manchester City who boast the equivalent English accolade.

Although the club was officially founded in 1908, reference was made to the brilliantly anglicized ‘Foot Ball Club de Murcia’ in a local paper five years earlier. The team also started out playing their games at the city’s bullring, I can only imagine that the criteria for pitch dimensions was a little more flexible back then.

Real Murcia’s famous ex-coaches include legends Ferenc Puskás and Ladislao Kubala as well as John Toshack and former Spain manager Javier Clemente. One of their most notable former players is the Argentine defender José Luis Brown – scorer of the opening goal of the 1986 World Cup Final.

In transfer news, Real Murcia’s highly sough after Spanish U-21 left back Sergio Escudero will be playing alongside former Real Madrid favourite Raúl in the forthcoming season, after joining Bundesliga side Schalke 04.

Sevilla Atlético Club

Formed: 1958
Ground: Ciudad Deportiva José Ramón Cisneros Palacios (2,500)
Last season: 15th

Look like: Southampton (in their special 150^th anniversary strip)

Current Spain internationals Jesús Navas, Sergio Ramos and Carlos Marchena are just the latest of a distinguished list of players to come through the ranks of Sevilla Atlético – the ‘B’ side of Andalusian giants Sevilla FC. Antonio Puerta would surely have joined them in La Selección but tragically suffered cardiac arrest whilst playing for Sevilla against Getafe in 2007 and died three days later aged just 22.

With the resources of one of Spain’s largest and most successful sides behind them, it’s no surprise that Sevilla Atlético have always been a force in the lower divisions – winning the Tercerca División on nine occasions (five of those in between 1981 and 1987). Over the last twenty years they’ve established themselves as a solid Segunda B side and recently spent a couple of seasons in Segunda A for the first time (although they could never actually be promoted because even if Sevilla FC were to be relegated to allow Sevilla Atlético into La Liga, the ‘B’ team would effectively become the ‘A’ team, as most players aged under-25 can switch contracts between the two).

Finally, a random factoid: Sevilla Atletico are the only Spanish ‘B’ team whose strip differs to that of the main side – sporting a Rayo Vallecano style red seatbelt on their shirts.

Real Betis Balompié B

Formed: 1962
Ground: Ciudad Deportiva Ruiz de Lopera (4,000)
Last season: 14th

Look like: The big Real Betis

One of the highlights of the forthcoming Segunda B – Grupo 4 season must surely be the ‘B’ derbi clashes between Sevilla Atlético and Real Betis Balompié B. The well-to-do/working class divide of Seville’s football teams is reflected in Betis B’s original name - Triana Balompié (Triana being a traditionally poorer district of the city).

Former players include ex-Spain internationals Rafael Gordillo (who was picked for La Selección 75 times) and Diego Tristan - Cádiz’s very own veteran striker. Even closer to home, Valencia’s flying winger Joaquín, came through the Betis B ranks and was born in my dad’s town - El Puerto de Santa María. In fact I can exclusively reveal that Señor Salguero was a friend of his father, Aurelio, who owns bar El Chino – where I must admit I’ve enjoyed a copa or two in the past (look out for Joaquín’s Betis shirt on display if you’re ever in there).

Further testament to Betis B’s youth development is that only Barcelona, Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao have won the Spanish U-19 cup on more occasions.

Time for one last fact? Okay, the distinctive green and white of the Betis strip comes from the colours of the Andalusian flag.

Caravaca CF

Formed: 1969

Ground: Estadio Antonio Martínez El Morao (2,000)
Last season: 10th
Look like: Swansea City

Caravaca CF have just enjoyed their first ever season at the third level of Spanish football, finishing a creditable 10^th. This came on the back of a promotion campaign which saw them score an incredible 115 goals, making them Spain’s top scorers that year and no doubt causing a few headaches for the editor of their 2008/09 season review DVD. They, of course, had to beat Galician side CD Ourense in the play-offs (for whom Mark ‘The man who saved Alex Ferguson’s job’ Robins once had a spell).

Sadly, as with many sides in Segunda B, Caravaca’s future is uncertain with the club desperately seeking new owners before the 2010/11 season starts.

Club Polideportivo Ejido

Formed: 1969

Ground: Estadio Municipal Santo Domingo (7,870)
Last season: 4th
Look like: Manchester City

After a tense evening which saw the El Ejido based club raise the €300,000 it owed to it’s players with just hours to spare - and thus avoiding automatic demotion to the Tercera División - Poli finally put the kettle on to make a soothing brew (or more likely a café cortado) to calm their shattered nerves.

After emerging from the regional leagues in 1987 Poli Ejido bobbed between the Tercera and Segunda B Divisións until 2000 when they enjoyed successive promotions to find themselves at the second tier of Spanish football for the first time. The club found the switch to this level tough going but bravely battled against relegation for seven seasons until succumbing in 2007/08.

The following season, as a lowly Segunda B, side Poli Ejido produced an almighty shock in the Copa Del Rey by thrashing Villarreal 6-1 on aggregate. They nearly repeated this feat in the next round (last 16) against Espanyol, beating them 3-2 at home but losing 1-0 in Barcelona to be eliminated on away goals in a game where Poli had two good penalty shouts for handball turned down.

The last two seasons have ended in frustration for Poli Ejido, missing out on a return to Segunda A in consecutive promotion play-offs, but they’ll be glad just to be able to give it another shot this season after their brush with the football authorities.

My final round-up will hopefully include Écija, Real Jaén, Lucena, Melilla, Puertollano and the newly formed Lorca Atlético. In the meantime I’ll be off to España for a week or so, where hopefully I’ll have some random pre-season action to report on.

Until then, adios mis amigos.

Sal