The Pride of Vallekas

He is the son of a flamenco singer, Francisco Crespo Aguilar, better known as Lucas de Écija. He said he had "neither the voice or the talent" for what his father did, but entertainment is in his blood. A firebrand idealist, he ripped into anyone who even dared to think about hoofing the ball long, who shouted toca in his every breath - repeatedly, relentlessly, almost religiously, who loved nothing more than his team passing the ball from the goalkeeper into the opposition's goal without it leaving the ground. He spared nothing and no one from his actions and words. He told players to be brave, pointing at his cojones when asked how. He shouted at players to be calmer and he shouted at players to be more energetic. He told players that they were mierda when they were, well, mierda . He took players off and then shouted at them while on the bench - for every one to see. Lass publicly fought him. So did Bebé. Anaitz Arbilla cried - twice. But they all came back st...

Tapani writes about Spanish and English football, including Huddersfield and Rayo, on his Finnish blog Mania Fútbol. You can read it here . Also, you can follow Tapani on Twitter here . A bit about yourself and your background I'm your average Joe, living in Finland, aged 35, having watched football since Italia 90. I watch a lot of local football, but have also always followed the English game (Huddersfield being my club in England since mid-90s). Football in Spain was, for a long time, something I had an interest in but didn't really see too much of. I always liked the national team but didn't really get to grips with the league until 2014 when I got to spend the spring in Madrid as part of my study leave from work. How long have you been a fan of Rayo and what made you support them in the first place? One distinction has to be made first: I don't think I can really call myself a "fan". I see the Bukaneros, and all the others, supporting Rayo, follow...