Skip to main content

Happy New Year! (1st January, 2018)

It's been quite the year.

This blog started in a dorm room, as a result of an impulsive decision. On the 16th of February, 2016, I clicked the publish button.

Everyone makes impulsive decisions - but I may be the only one who doesn't regret it.

Since then, this blog has featured the likes of the The Hinchas y Jugadores project, which (tried) to bring fans, writers, footballers and coaches together. And it blew up - I ended up interviewing ex-Barcelona players, a footballer with three consecutive league titles, the assistant technical director of Rayo Vallecano, an Ipswich legend, and the nephew of Juan Sabas.

Not to mention the fact that fans of Segunda B clubs came on board - yes, Burgos and Real Jaén have fans, and Ponferradina had more than one! Someone actually wrote over 2,500 words about the Barcelona Femení team. UCAM Murcia, a team that were in the sixth tier a decade ago, had a fan too. And if that surprises you, how about the fact that a Norwegian supports Gimnàstic de Tarragona. Or that Real Madrid's reach is so great that they have fans in Kurdistan.

And all that pales in comparison to the coincidence that my Alavés fan interview was with the cousin of ex-Alavés defender Santiago Martínez.

More importantly, this blog has always tried to delve into the depths of the historical archive, and do things that no one is doing. No one plots player's careers on Google Maps. And no one talks about university clubs. So this blog did it - twice, and counting. Not to mention that this blog went to Westfields, and at WHSmith picked up every Madrid travel guide and searched for Vallecas - finding no mention of Vallecas - just to prove the point that Vallecas is under-the-radar.

Because why not.

But this blog has always been about fans. So to all those who contributed to the Hinchas y Jugadores project, or the live projects such as the Rayo aficionado or Las Perspectivas....thank you. This blog doesn't survive without you - and it helps assuage the effects of the impulsive decision I made.

Finally, given that this is the new year, I've attached below a compilation of some pieces that I think went under-the-radar - yes, even on this under-the-radar blog.

This is blog post number 345 on day number 320.

Over and out.

Links:

And some under-the-radar pieces

Javi and Emilio Guerra - twins divided by opportunity
From Catalonia to Heybridge - the story of an eighth division club
Francisco Pérez Pérez - the actual oldest player to have played in Spain 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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
Post a Comment
Read more

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
Post a Comment
Read more

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,
Post a Comment
Read more