The Pride of Vallekas

Travel blogs have always fascinated me. These are people who take time out of their lives to travel, explore, and then document the various corners of the world that many will never see. Being a travel blogger, therefore, is even more important in a world where information is accessible but experiences are not. This is an interview with football travel blogger Roddy Cons, founder of the travel blog The Team on Tour, or TTOT. You can follow this amazing blog on YouTube here , Facebook here , Twitter here and Instagram here . A little bit about yourself and your background I'm a Scot who has been living in Madrid for the best part of eight years now. Since finishing uni, I've done some English teaching and also worked as a freelance football writer, writing previews and match reports for a host of leagues across the world, including the Spanish Second Division. What made you become interested in visiting football stadiums around Spain and Europe in general? My writin...

You can follow Margus on Twitter here . A bit about yourself and your background? I'm a 27 years old Norwegian from outside Oslo. I grew up there and started to follow Spanish football back when I was 13 years old. I've worked as a freelance journalist since 2008, and now I live in Spain - right outside Málaga. How long have you been a fan of Zaragoza and what made you support them in the first place? Since 2004. I saw the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, where they won against the odds. Describe your first experience of watching Zaragoza play? My first visit at the stadium wasn't until 2011 against Real Sociedad. Hélder Postiga scored his famous chilena in that game! To an outsider - how would you describe Zaragoza's playing style, what it means to be a fan of the club, and what it means to be a player of the club? Their style is intense. A lot of pressure when in defense and at times too fast forward. The style requires a quick striker who can r...

You can follow Adrián Fernández on Twitter here . How long have you been a fan of Córdoba and what made you support them in the first place? I've been a fan of Cordoba since I started to get interested in football, when I was a kid. The reason I follow the team is because it is from my city, and since I started to follow them, I felt very represented. Describe your first experience of watching Córdoba play? I do not remember the first time very well, because I was small, but I remember the relegation to the Segunda B (third division) in 2005. It hurt a lot, and it was at that moment when I felt that I loved Córdoba CF. To an outsider - how would you describe Córdoba's playing style, what it means to be a fan of the club, and what it means to be a player of the club? Córdoba has a very changing style of play. It depends on each rival. To be a player of Córdoba means not to surrender and fight until the end (we ascended to La Liga in the 93rd minute), and to be fan, ...

I'm on a search. I'm not searching for an answer. I'm searching for a profile, a painting of the football fan, a sculpture of the various complexities of supporting a club in Spain. In my previous project, I tried to capture that. The Hinchas y Jugadores project succeeded in bringing very different stories - those of fans, writers, players and coaches - together. But no story is complete - there will always be something left unsaid. Being a fan of a club is more than just a commitment. It is a way of life. And while it would be impossible to capture everything in one article, there are some basic questions that we often forget to ask. Think about a club. Now, try answering the following questions about the club: What sets it apart? What sets the fans of that club apart? Does its board support its ultras ? Do those ultras  even think about themselves in political terms? I know as little as you do. And I want to find out more - much, much more. This project is op...

Hinchas y Jugadores Xtra is where a fan gives a quick comment on his club. You can follow Javier Santa Engracia on Twitter here . He is part of the Ultras Sur fan group, who in his words are "are the only boys who know how to support Real Madrid"! You can follow the group on Twitter  here . How long have you been a fan of Madrid B and what made you support them in the first place? I've been a Real Madrid supporter since I was 7 years old, as a Real Madrid supporter I couldn't get the idea of not supporting the second team of the club. Given the transfer windows and the squad that was assembled at the start of the season, is Madrid B where you want it to be? Well, the promotion to second division is always the first target for Real Madrid B, something that this season is going to be very difficult to reach, so, for me there aren't in the place that I want to be. Of the signings made this season, which one worked out the best/had the most impact and w...

Yet again, this is one of those days. But hold on, it's about Rayo. I wrote an article about Rayo and Cádiz, their friendship and the history of their ultra groups (the Bukaneros and the Brigadas Amarillas) on Villarreal.com ( here ).