Welcome to my new series - the Silly Season Accumulator! And Sergio Mantecón. (14th June, 2017)

Rumors here, rumors there, rumors everyw...CAN WE PLEASE HAVE LESS RUMORS!

As you can guess, I hate silly season. It's just rumors and rumors - all talk and no action.

So welcome to my new series, called the Silly Season Accumulator. Where I list all the rumors that have ever been mentioned on the internet about Rayo. Yes - all of them. Just to show you how ridiculous this machine is - a machine that creates meaningless content masquerading as journalism.

If that's harsh, that's because the irony is that more rumors gives me more material. And that material gets in the way of the stories that matter.

Here's all the rumors so far:

Marco Sangalli from Mirandés is interested in joining Rayo, who is also linked to Valladolid, Numancia and Reus.
Embarba is being courted by Granada, Sporting and Pumas in Mexico.
Alberto Martín from Leganés has his contract expiring this summer, and has been linked too. Córdoba are also interested.
Rayo interested in signing Lugo striker Pablo Caballero.
Raúl Baena, whose contract expires at the end of the season, has been linked to Alcorcón.
(Edit: the following was added a few minutes ago!) Rayo want to keep Manucho, Baena, Ebert, Dorado, Nacho, Miku and Quini and Pablo Clavería - some might be announced as soon as the next few days! However,

Baena has interest from several La Liga and foreign teams - his renewal is "difficult"
Ebert is almost inevitably gone - Rayo simply cannot financially match what is being reportedly being offered by several other teams.
Manucho has interest from several teams in Israel, China and Portugal, but the renewal could be easier as Manucho has publicly said he'd like to stay.
Pablo Clavería is reportedly going to get promoted to the first team.
Other players, such as Nacho, Miku and Quini, are almost certain to renew.

The season hasn't even ended yet.

A helpful table that captures the rumors and signings, including "ins" and "outs" at the club. Source: www.unionrayo.es

As you may know if you read this blog regularly, I have a penchant for players who fight for La Liga status and make their debut late in their 30's. Players who prove age is no barrier to success.

But this is the story of someone who made their La Liga debut at 33, only for him to drop into the lower tiers all over again.

So, I present to you: from the first tier to the fourth - Sergio Mantecón

Born in Madrid, Mantecón finished his formation with local giants Real Madrid, but made his senior debuts with Badajoz's reserve team. He made his debut in early 2001, and finished the 2000-01 Segunda campaign with eight Segunda appearances.

In the following two years, Mantecón was a regular starter for the Extremaduran side, being relegated in 2003. In August of that year he joined Alicante in Segunda División B, appearing twice in the promotion playoffs but falling consecutively short.

In June 2006 he returned to the Segunda, signing for Hércules. After being regularly used in his first season he was left out of the squad in his second, and subsequently joined third level's Ponferradina in January 2008.

Mantecón retured, once again, to the Segunda with Castellón in June 2008. After experiencing another team relegation in 2010, he joined fellow league club Elche. He was an integral part of the team that won promotion to La Liga, and on the 19th of August 2013, 33-year-old Mantecón made his debut in the Spanish top flight, replacing David Generelo midway through the second half of a 0–3 away loss against Rayo Vallecano.

However, the rise ended there - after only 12 appearances and two starts during the campaign, he was released in June 2014, and moved to Cádiz in the third level. He helped the Andalusian club to promotion in 2016 but after being rarely used this season he left in January.

He is now playing for Tercera club Lorca Deportiva, who are currently fighting for promotion to the third tier via the playoffs.

Follow @Vallecanos1924

Francisco Pérez Pérez - the actual oldest player to have played in Spain (1st November, 2017)

I've always wanted to ask a football player: how much do you love your club? If you see your club go down, what are you willing to put on the line to see them go back up? The notion that "players will come and players will go, but the fans are the club" is one that is sadly true in what has become a money-filled sport. The story of a player sacrificing money and success for his club? That story is rare. That story is beautiful. This is that story. This is the story of a player who loved his club. His local club. It'll be a long time if and when someone beats his record. Francisco Pérez Pérez, also known as Chico, currently holds the record for being the oldest player to play in the Segunda B - 43 years and 93 days is the figure. That's a figure that second place Diego Rodríguez Fernández (41 years and 324 days) falls short of by a year and 134 days. I should also point out that the top 3 list for oldest players to play in any of the top three tier

When three teams offered a 19-year-old an eight year contract (11th October, 2017)

Just how many players can you name who have the following descrption: He is a striker of great quality, and was a great promise of Spanish football, but his bad luck and some injuries denied him the opportunity to recover - he has never played more than one season in the same team. This is the story of a player - a technically and physically excellent striker - who made mistakes and suffered injuries very young and never really recovered. Born in Santa Eulàlia de Ronçana, Barcelona, Iván Peñaranda started his youth career at Granollers. His real formation, however, was in the lower categories of Barcelona, in which he stayed for seven years (1991-98). Playing alongside Xavi Hernández, Gabri and Carles Puyol. He was considered as one of the young players with a huge future within the club. In the summer of 1998, he angered Barcelona by using "change of residence" as an excuse to sign for Mallorca B (he would move there along with his family), where he would play alongs

Who is Raúl Martín Presa, the Mickey Mouse? Part 1. (20th August, 2017)

José María Ruiz-Mateos was the head and main shareholder of Nueva Rumasa - the company that owned Rayo and other companies - mainly specializing in dairy products. (He wasn't the president of Rayo though - his wife, Teresa Rivero, was Rayo's president). In early 2011, the directors announced a debt of over 700 million euros, that it was on the verge of bankruptcy and that staff wouldn't be paid. And the players were visibly angry about it - captain Míchel assured the press that the club would continue fighting on the pitch, but the day after the announcement was made, six key players didn’t attend training. Veteran midfielder José María Movilla spoke on radio station SER about the situation, about the fact that he had only received seven of the last eighteen months of pay, about the fact that there were a few players who couldn't even afford car repairs. When Rayo Vallecano were about to earn promotion to La Liga despite all the odds - the players not being paid,

The Pride of Vallekas

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