The Pride of Vallekas

"I have only good words for the Bukaneros, I have been in Vallecas with so many different people (friends, family, coworkers...) and all of them were amazed by the way the Bukaneros transmit their support both the team and the rest of the crowd. They are the real supporters, they are always singing and cheering. It doesn't matter if the team is winning or losing.... Also, it's incredible how they support all the categories, you can go to a game from Rayo’s female team and they will be there with you, the same with the youth teams, if the alevín (10 and 11 years old kids) are playing a tournament, the Bukaneros will be there supporting - it's really amazing how they live and breathe Rayo Vallecano. The Bukaneros are not only a hooligan group, they fight for something, they are committed with a lot of social actions and they have all my respect. Life is not just about football." That was an interview with Daniel Kobe in yesterday's piece (read it here ) as p...

Yesterday, I wrote an article about Carlos Aranda, who holds the record for playing in La Liga for the most number of clubs - eight. If you consider just playing for a La Liga club, not actually playing in La Liga with them, that figure becomes nine. But I dug deeper, and found out that if you look at professional clubs (La Liga and Segunda), Carlos Aranda holds that record jointly with Moisés García - an astonishing 12 clubs.  Obviously, only if you use the second metric - by the first metric  Moisés García is top with 12 and Aranda comes joint second with 11 with a couple of other players. That record will be broken soon though - there are quite a few players who are at 11, and they still have a couple of seasons in the tank. So today, I look at a player whose records are unlikely to be broken anytime soon - Elche's Nino.  Even his name has the word modest in it. Juan Francisco Martínez Modesto, aka Nino, was born in Vera, Almería, and first appeared p...

I get it now. I get why I support Rayo. Watching the game against Gimnàstic, I realized why my heart belongs to a working-class district in Madrid I've never been to, to a club that smears its own fans and a side that should be competing against Barcelona and Real Madrid but instead plays Reus Deportiu and Mirandés*. It wasn't the 2-0 win. Or the incessant wave of attack after attack. Or the intricate passing patterns breaking down a resolute defense. It wasn't Roberto Trashorras, who had one of his best games in a Rayo shirt and created chance after chance. Or Ernesto Galán, who kept Nàstic's entire left side silent. Or Adrián Embarba, who exposed right back Gerard Valentín's foraying runs forward** with pace and trickery. Or Fran Beltrán, who defended with heart and attacked with skill. Or Antonio Amaya, who calmly kept and distributed the ball. Or even Míchel and his calm demeanor. It's because there is a fight that Rayo fans are fighting and they...

In Rayo's attack, a dizzying array of white and red, it is typically the player who plays "in the hole" who ends up scoring most of the goals, often playing as a deep striker. In modern times, Emiliano Armenteros will be credited as the first to perform admirably well at this role. His 20 goals in the 2010-11 season proved critical to Rayo's promotion to La Liga. The next season, it was Michu (15 goals). The season after, it was Piti (18) and for another two seasons it was Alberto Bueno (11 and then 17).  And while And while Michu, Piti and Bueno were already Segunda caliber players, immediately making an impact on La Liga outfit (Rayo), it was Emilio's story that really stood out. Emilio Armenteros, after having played as a starter from ages 19 to 21 at Independiente, was signed by Sevilla but largely played for the reserves. At 23, in 2009, Armenteros moved to Xerez on loan but only played 1560 minutes as the Andalucians were relegated. He would then ...

The Zozulya case is messy and complicated and divisive. The residents of Vallekas have clearly not warmed themselves to him. There's another resident who hasn't, and he's pretty important. Pablo Iglesias. Yes, the leader of the Podemos party, the third largest in Spain, weighed in on the situation. "It is very healthy for the fans of the team in my neighborhood to say that Zozulya is not part of Rayo's values. Rayo is a team that does not get along with intolerance and racism." Also, Pablo Iñiguez is out for three to four weeks. As if Baena out and Quini (suspension) not being available due to suspension was going to make the game against Oviedo any easier. Oh, and I can't believe no one is saying this, but Presa gave an interview that went something like this. Have you had any real offer to sell the club? Yes, many. Would you consider selling it? No, not right now because the situation is complex. We have not come here for an econo...

Pictures of Luis Yáñez, the general manager, and a fan, David Arranz, having a heated discussion during the game, in which Luis accused David of calling him a "fucking fascist", a claim that has been denied. Fans chanting "Presa, hijo de puta, Bukaneros te saluda" once David was evicted by security, which doesn't even need translation (for the record, it's "Presa, you son of a bitch, Bukaneros greets you"). Presa banning 20 fans who undertook a peaceful protest with Presa Vete Ya banners. Also, the verb Presa translates to Stress, or Force. The noun translates to journalism. It's just so ironic and perfect.... But today's post is about tactics. In a 4-2-3-1, Jordi Gómez's introduction for Baena was what I previously called "the death warrant of any defensive protection" (Read it here ). I must confess, having seen Trashorras and Jordi Gómez work together against the sturdy defense of Reus Deportiu, I need to salute Míchel...

Tell Rayo fans why their stadium has no light, With leaks in the plumbing and grass in the seats, Tell Rayo fans why ten of them can't enter the stadium, For expressing a view different from the elites. Tell Rayo fans why millions were spent, On a sporting project that was doomed to fail, Tell Rayo fans why after winning three leagues, The women's team is now looking pale. Tell Rayo fans why both players and staff, Have been signing fake contracts - being basically used, Tell Rayo fans why one of their official peñas, Has been ordered that the club badge be removed. Tell Rayo fans why the budgets are late and poor, With excuses like "the spreadsheet added badly", Tell Rayo fans why after everything that has happened, You can still say you are our  President. Gladly. I hope you enjoyed that little poem.  In other news, Marca screenshots transfermarkt.com to show the possible destinations of Roman Zozulya, ruling out former cl...

I've been avoiding this topic, but things are just getting ridiculous now and I wanted to give a very quick take on it. Yesterday was the deadline for Zozulya to "return" to Rayo. Now, there have been a lot of disagreeements. Rayo fans don't want him in the team. Tebas and Presa are willing to charge fans who drove Zozulya out. And the Agrupación de Peñas del Rayo, or la Plataforma ADRV, has called for an assembly in the Rayo locker room to resolve the situation, whether that means Zozulya plays at Rayo or somewhere else. But among all the chaos, what was most striking was Toño's recent interview, where he said something very simple but very important. "We must also consider that if he comes we will have to accept it in the best possible way and if he can contribute by scoring goals we must treat him as part of the team, regardless of ideological thoughts." If the left loves one thing, it is the idea of free speech and safe spaces where anyone can...

Raúl Martín Presa just confirmed that the 17 fans, who Tebas had filed criminal complaints against (yes, this is the Zozulya case), will be expelled if found in the stadium. Nice work. Also, Marca, being typically and idiosyncratically Marca, released a dossier entitled Tracing Míchel's Rayo with "predictions" and interviews. The gist? Míchel worked under Paco, so Míchel's Rayo will play like Paco's Rayo. Finally, we must applaud courage when it is displayed. And today it was displayed by a Casanova - Gerard Nus Casanova. The assistant technical director for Rayo is also the assistant manager of the Ghana national football team, and because none of the technical staff (bar manager Avram Grant) have been paid even though AFCON finished weeks ago, he is refusing to leave Accra until everyone gets paid. "Like any human being, when you do work you want to get paid - I don't think there's anything strange in that. I'm just going to wait here un...

On September the 21st, 2015, I posted an article on BackPageFootball entitled Rayo Vallecano – The minnows defying the script. ( Read it here ). Ever since then, Rayo have been relegated, are currently in a relegation battle, just sent back a player they had loaned within a day, and for some dumb reason Raúl Martín Presa is still in charge. I want to write about Rayo. I want to write about its history, its famous players and its struggles. I want to write about the football and the board, the politics and the fans, the players and the coaches. But more importantly, I want to give my take on the day-to-day coverage. So, starting today, I have decided that I will write about Rayo everyday. This is the first blog post. And this is the whole blog post. It took me days to just write this. On some days, I will write as much as this post. On some days, I'll probably just link to a post I wrote somewhere else. On some days, I won't write at all. But bear with me - I'll try m...