Espanyol USA

Hector Moreno injured

2014-07-01T05:34:00.002-07:00

With Everton and former coach Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham Hotspur negotiating with the club for the rights to Hector Moreno, it looked like we would net a hefty fee and it would have a domino effect on the type of player(s) we could sign in the Summer transfer window, which is why it was such a shock during the first half of the Mexico v Netherlands Round of 16 match to watch in horror as Moreno slid into a tackle on Arjen Robben and immediately I knew something was wrong.

It was a freak injury, it looked the normal everyday tackle in the box, but he began writhing in pain and he wouldn't get up. There was a delay of more than a minute to stabilize him, he bore weight on it and tried taking some tentative steps but he collapsed soon after. They stretchered him off and the preliminary reports were a fractured left tibia near the ankle. He'll be operated this Wednesday back home in Guadalajara. He'll be out for 6 months.

There are reports we're looking at former perico Victor Ruiz at Valencia. They bout him for 7.5 million euros and we're seeking a 2 million euro insurance payment from FiFA for the injury so that may happen. Ruiz is not valued by Los Che.

A Marvelous Minority

2014-06-03T16:06:00.002-07:00

On Monday Espanyol launched a new campaign that they dubbed "Maravillosa Minoria" or Marvelous Minority in which they intend to "publicly project the DNA and the characteristics of the club and its fans," an initiative that according to club sources, "goes beyond just retaining and increasing the number of members." They seek to create in RCD Espanyol an alternate cultural brand, a civic pride for the city of Barcelona that includes "all those who are curious, restless, nonconformists and those who are aware that one way of thinking can't be deemed thinking at all." This new campaign will be rolled out soon on panels, buses, billboards and digital banners, as well as through the normal channels of the club. It'll continue through the coming months in new promotions for this new "Alternative Pride" for citizens who have chosen to side with the blue-and-whites. They added, "You'll never be the majority, but fortunately for the world you'll never cease o exist. Our vocation is our voice."

Look, I am all for campaigns that increase awareness of Espanyol as a civic brand, if London has a bushel of teams and Madrid have four genuine Primera clubs, then Barcelona can at least have two clubs that define the city. I'm not talking politics either. This is not a Catalan versus Castilian issue. Not everyone that was born in Catalunya believes in separating from Spain; not everyone who considers themselves an FC Barcelona fan supports a free Catalunya. They are a global brand. They are not just mes que un club anymore. Nowadays, they are mes que Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain or even Europe, which just illuminates their hypocrisy even more.

Instead, I believe we have it in us to be an alternative both in the city and abroad. When we lost to Sevilla in penalties at the 2007 UEFA Cup final in Glasgow, our supporters traveled and made connections with Scots and many of them became fans if they couldn't be socios at first.We have this network ready to be accessed, but we have to think of ourselves as a club worthy of it. It's our time now.

Espanyol to play in England

2014-05-31T05:09:00.000-07:00

A newspaper in Cambridge, England is reporting that local club Cambridge United will host Espanyol, Shaktar Donetsk, and Premier League side West Ham in what they're billing as the Absolute Travel Cup taking place at their ground the R Costings Abbey Stadium on July 19 and 20. There will be two fixtures on each day, similar to that of the Emirates Cup which Arsenal FC hosts every year, but I'm not sure if they will use the points system used there. Much like the Amsterdam Tournament that Ajax hosts every year, they award 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and additional points awarded for goals to determine a winner.

Either way it's a great opportunity to extend the brand I guess, for marketing purposes and the like, but I'd rather for new coach Sergio Gonzalez to have a few more weeks in training, installing his system and vetting players before traveling to England.

Mauricio Pochettino hired by Tottenham

2014-05-31T04:50:00.000-07:00

Tottenham have, as has been reported in the English press, hired former Southampton and Espanyol coach Mauricio Pochettino. Now, I confess that I am not all that informed on Spurs and their situation in the Premier League, nor the reasons why a Spurs fans are complaining other than hiring a coach who "failed" in Spain, but as an Espanyol fan who has followed the career path of the "Sheriff of Murphy" for many years I think this a brilliant hire.

Obviously, if he were that great a coach why did Espanyol fire him then? Well, there are many reasons why a coach is let go. The club is looking for a boost, his methods aren't working, or a million other reasons really if you examine them closely, but the results just weren't there. Pochettino had left his former club last on the table with 9 points from 12 matches and it took his replacement, former Mexico international manager Javier Aguirre, the better part of the last two months to dig them out of that hole. Why then hire, as some have said, "a guy with a 33% winning record (in Spain) and can't speak a word of English?"

I'm no Pochettino apologist. He was ultimately responsible, and I gave reasons why he should have been fired in this article from a few years back, but I rate him as a football manager and so did many in Spain. When Jose Mourinho was enduring his annual bating session with the Madrid press early in 2011 Pochettino had lowly Espanyol fighting for a Champions League slot and his name was being bandied about as a possible replacement at Real Madrid. Sampdoria had him as much hired in Summer 2012; the deal was set and the Italian club had paid the 1.5 million euro clause in his contract to speak to the Argentine, before Pochettino ultimately turned them down. There were other clubs in Spain that had inquired, he could have moved to any number of La Liga clubs over the last few years, but he stayed at Espanyol because he believed in his "project" - a word he used often.

He was a first choice center-back for Espanyol, club-captain, and the one foreign-born player to have played the most for the Catalan club. He played under Marcelo Bielsa in Argentina, Jose Antonio Camacho in Spain and Luis Fernandez in France amongst others. His leadership skills are evident, but despite getting his coaching badges fairly promptly, in the same year (2008) as other illustrious former players like Fabrizio Ravanelli, Alessandro Costacurta, and Roy Keane, Pochettino had only a very short term as an assistant in Espanyol’s very successful women’s squad before given the reigns. When he was hired in March of 2009, the club were on the verge of another relegation struggle. They were dead last as late as Round 30, but Pochettino made his much-reported pilgrimage to the Madonna at Montserrat and a bit of contrived myth-making saved Espanyol and gave Pochettino some leeway. It is to be said that Espanyol won eight of their last ten matches and finished a comfortable tenth that year. He has it in him to turn Spurs around.

He believes in vetting youngsters, fast-forwarding their progress, and like many of his country-men believes that attacking football is paramount, emphasizing the fundamentals of ball-control and possession, but he's no naive purist. He's is sides also defend well, favors the 4-2-3-1 that is ubiquitous nowadays and when he had the players at Espanyol he won games. When you have the sort of turn-over that Espanyol have had over his tenure, losing more than half the squad every year, you expect to lose games, but Pochettino lengthened the inevitable fall.

Did he have a "fractious relationship with his players" as ESPN is quoted? Sure, but when he took over the squad was run by a player committee of veterans that were a good part of the reason why the club were playing so poorly. He is a tough and demanding tactician and there are no automatic slots in his first team. He'll bring out the best in his players or they won't play long. I realize that Spurs supporters aren't too pleased with the hiring of a manager with so little experience "managing at a top-club" but in the long-run this may the best decision the south coast club made all year. By the way, as some English pundits have noted recently, his English is actually not all that bad.

Hector Moreno to Manchester United

2014-05-30T07:23:00.001-07:00

I realize we are a selling club. It'll be our reality for at least the next generation and a half and I'll probably never see the end of it. We owe a ton of money from building Cornella-el Prat and there's a tax bill due that we can't pay, so I'm not worried about losing starting center-back and Mexican international Hector Moreno to Inter Milan or (as rumored) Louis van Gall's Dutch Manchester United project. Either way is alright with me. Just get what he's worth on the market: 20 million euros or more and I'll be alright with it. He's first choice for Mexico at the heart of defense. Other than that or he can sit at the end of the bench and see his prospects dwindle.

New Espanyol Coach: Sergio Gonzalez

2014-05-26T05:23:00.001-07:00

As expected, Espanyol will not take a route to excite and galvanize the fans by choosing a candidate like Pepe Mel or Luis Garcia, one with experience in the top-flight, or even bringing in as reported someone like either Athletic-B coach José Angel "Cuco" Ziganda or ex-Osasuna coach Javi Gracia, but instead name Espanyol-B coach Sergio Gonzalez.

It's a route worth exploring, it's worked before when they plucked a very inexperienced Mauricio Pochettino out of the youth ranks and flung him at a desperate relegation fight, but Sergio is no club-legend like Mauricio Pochettino whose influence both amongst the youngsters he called through the revolving door that is Cornella-el Prat and in the boardroom was significant. He was a serviceable mid-fielder for Depor in the last decade before hanging up his boots and he did come in as a sub in the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan, but he's only been in charge of the B-team since January.

This smacks of another conservative decision run by the scrooges that control the purse-strings on the board. Oh, to have leadership that has even a bit of vision to galvanize support rather than a group that is content to mire itself mid-table free from the dangers of relegation.

Renewing Sergio Garcia

2014-05-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

Sergio Garcia's contract is up at the end of 2015 and the player wants to stay. The captain wants to extend his stay. "In other clubs if they want to keep a player, his salary is always the one they raise; I'm not asking for much. I just want to maintain what I'm on. I have one more year on the contract. The club should give us a proposal and we'll see where they stand. There's nothing new yet, but I'm hopeful that we'll receive something positive in the next few days and I can stay."

This is particularly frustrating not because I'm surprised that a club like ours would toss away one of the few referential players in our squad, but because we've done it so many times before. President Joan Collet said he wouldn't scale back his contract but the board isn't so sure, and while we have new leadership from the President on down, the same short-sided misers that have controlled the club's purse-strings for too long are still running the club from behind the scenes.

So it's why I'm not really hopeful and why we'll likely see him at Everton or Tottenham next year, or maybe he'll keep trying for a place at Atleti, Valencia or Sevilla and we'll continue our small-minded approach to permanence in La Liga.

New signings: Luis Alberto and Jozabed

2014-05-24T20:47:00.001-07:00

With the future of Stuani, Sergio Garcia and John Cordoba up in the air the club are busily negotiating with Liverpool for the services of forward Luis Alberto who came up in the Sevilla system and spent a fruitful campaign in Barcelona-B before being sold to the Reds for 7 million euros. He has gotten few minutes at Anfield what with the form of Luis Suarez and company and Liverpool would allow a year long loan with the option to buy. Jozabed is another Sevilla product who plays At Real Jaen in the second division. He's a playmaker with a decent enough shot, but he's much more of a distributor. As Hector Moreno is also in the sights of some bigger clubs we may need to sell, so another experienced central defender is in the cards as well.

New Espanyol Coach

2014-05-24T16:08:00.001-07:00

Javier Aguirre will not be back on the sidelines, so rather than complain abiout another decent coach leaving Cornella, let's look at some of the candidates that are floating around. First of all, you can forget Michael Laudrup. For all his desire to return to Spain, he'd be a better fit at Malaga than for us.

Luis Garcia: the former Levante and Getafe coach brings a similar mind-set and tactical set-up to Aguirre. His teams won't give you much other than a bit of grit and stability, but when you are constantly struggling for a place in Primera the conservative approach is to not change much. Don't open yourself up much and wait to hit the opponent on the counter. Opinion: this looks like the likely choice, a safe one both financially and in a footballing sense.

Paolo Sousa: the former Espanyol player has experience in England at both Leicester City and Queens Park Rangers, but for some reason he is the forgotten man at Swansea City who took for Roberto Martinez after he left for Wigan and was succeeded by both Brendan Rogers and Michael Laudrup. He's also coached for the last few years with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli League where he won the league in 2014. Opinion: this one is an intriguing hire. He knows the club and has contacts all across Europe and it'd be a great stepping stone if he ever decided to hop to another club after a few years in charge.

Paco Jemez: I love the way his teams play the game. It is an attractive brand of football based in attacking the opponent's goal. Rayo Vallecano shouldn't by design be in the position they are, but they are. They don't play scared and they don't settle for their lot in life. It's time we had leadership at least on the field that brought that sort of attitude on the pitch. Opinion: Is it a naive approach? Sure. Would it get us relegated? Maybe, but one of the reasons why we have been leaking supporters and attendances at Cornella have been dropping is that we need excitement on the pitch. Biggest detraction though is that he has a release clause to his contract with Rayo and it's in the millions. So it's a no go. Which brings me to my choice.

Pepe Mel: everything I said about Paco I'd put Pepe there as well. His clubs aren't as aggressive as Paco's but they are better organized. He's adaptable, he led a club like Betis out of Segunda and West Brom to safety in the Premier League with little time to negotiate with the differences in culture, language and footballing styles in England, and his clubs give FC Barcelona fits. I'd love it. Plus he's not under contract so we wouldn't have to pay him a ton of money. Opinion: it is highly doubtful that it'd happen. It makes too much sense. We'd wind up negotiating for months, and then blowing negotiations over pennies.

Thievi Bifouma to Malaga

2014-01-20T12:54:00.000-08:00

The deal to sell Thievy Bifouma to Malaga is moving forward. Slowly. Which is as it should be. It should not be an easy sale, despite the bad behavior, the insubordination and the player´s desperate need to move. It´s to a direct mid-table league rival, so they should pay or at least pressure the player to accept a deal to a club in another league, like the originally rumored deal to Rennes in Ligue 1. At first it looked to be a move away from Cornellà for the money, but now it seems there´s also a personal element as well; his partner is from Malaga and pregnant with his child. Either way we´re getting more production out of Jhon Cordoba and his athleticism and physicality fits Aguirre´s needs more than Thievy who was a project of Poche´s.

Espanyol 1-0 Celta

2014-01-20T10:47:00.001-08:00

Match: It was a dull and typically Aguirre-like game. We gave up possession to Celta for entire swaths of the game, our midfield was over-run at times and we were very much one-dimensional for most of the game with Sergio Garcia and Stuani on an island up front as we packed our third with bodies. From that you would think that Celta dominated, but like Luis Enrique´s other clubs in the past, AS Roma and Barcelona-B, it was all bark and no bite. They pressured high on defense and they tried to hit quick darting attackers in the middle from the wings, but Kiko Casillas was well-prepared for them; he´s such a good keeper, one in a long-line of good Real Madrid Castilla keepers.

In typical Falete fashion, Sergio Garcia emulated his namesake gypsy-flamenco namesake with a dramatic 88th minute goal. It was a marvel of control and precise finishing in the box. People talk about other deadly finishers and few ever mention Sergio´s talents: headers, striking the ball with either foot, and remarkably finding space among defenders that are much taller and more physical than he is. He is our MVP today and any day.

Reflection: Let me get this out. I am no fan of Aguirre´s brand of football. I´m a purist and I was sad to see Pochettino go, even though I knew he couldn´t sustain that kind of football with our revolving brand of castoffs and ne´erdowells, but we are salvaging points and winning matches that we should be winning. We are tough and strong and most importantly we are consistent. No long losing stretches that put us in serious danger of relegation.

Next Match: the next match is the first-leg against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey at Cornellà. Most won´t give us a shot, but the cup is different and we are a cup team. As usual Visca L´Espanyol. Sorry I´ve been gone too long.

Espanyol 3-1 Valencia

2013-08-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

At halftime at Cornella-el Prat I looked up at the scoreline and realized, not just that RCD Espanyol were level at 1-1 with Valencia but the numbers told a much greater story. 8 shots on goal and 6 corners for Espanyol and 2 of each for the visitors. I had never seen us play that well against Valencia and they looked really really poor, as poor as I have seen them play since Ronald Koeman took over and almost got them relegated. I knew then we were in for a great second half. When the game was over, I was sure that this wasn't just another early win to get the hopes up for the year. This was something different.

We were defensively solid. Colotto and Moreno linked well together, Kiko Casilla was solid, a real leader between the poles, but it was a team effort. Victor Sanchez and Javi Lopez were epic in midfield. Pizzi was more than a capable replacement for Verdu, and Aguirre has gotten more out of Stuani than any other coach I've seen. Usually I am an optimistic if guarded supporter this time of the season. I think we could be looking at a very successful campaign this year.

Man of the match: Hector Moreno

Joan Verdu: Mercenary?

2013-07-27T08:47:00.001-07:00

Joan Verdu is now a Real Betis player. He negotiated with us, couldn't come to an agreement, took the pay-raise from Real Betis despite his age and declining skills, but he's angry that we call him a mercenary?

When the negotiations broke down he had this to say: "I'm not a mercenary. People can think what you want, but they'd be wrong. All know is I received a proposal from Villarreal (last season), and the club told me me to stay, that they would arrange it (the extension). During this time, I made the effort to reach a settlement. I would have liked to retire at Espanyol."

He was due to leave for Olympiakos in Greece, but he's moved to Andalusia instead as pretty much the direct replacement for Benat Exteberria. Verdu might have just let things go, but instead he released this statement, repeating to an extent what he'd already said: "I appreciate a lot more things than money. Espanyol are going through a difficult time economically and it’s up to the directors to sort it out. I would not like them to call me a 'mercenary' Are you seeing the big picture?

To add further insult, in that same interview with As.com, he said, "The heat here traps you here but everything else has been perfect. One of the good things is that Betis have a great squad and I’ve already realized this is a fantastic club that tries to make things easier for the players. After five days I know that I have made the right choice. Now we just need things to go well. " Interesting.

Now, I don't care if a player leaves us. We've weathered the loss of better players than him, so I'm not worried that the staff will replace him; it's a grown man's game and we are not in the financial position to reward any player beyond our scale. They can leave for whatever reason they want, but we have the right to criticize them for it. It's not about the "mercenary" even. It's the fact that after five days he's already found a place that completes him as a player, the perfect place that makes it easier on guys like him? That attitude just grinds me to no end. It's not about loyalty, it's about respect for the club, the supporters, and the shirt he wore as captain. I guess he has no more respect than any other out there.

So, his only complaint about Betis is the heat in Andalusia? Wait till he feels the heat at Cornella when Betis comes to play

Joan Verdu to Sevilla

2013-02-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

Reports are in the Spanish papers that Joan Verdu, who has been in contract talks with us for the better part of a year, has been contacted through his agent by representatives of Sevilla FC. There are no firm offers as of yet but their idea is to sign the ex-Depor and ex-FC Barcelona youth-team prospect to a three year contract. New Sevilla coach Unai Emery is said to by high on the attacking midfielder as is outgoing SD Monchi, but they will have to face serious threats from other clubs like Atletico Madrid in Spain and Swansea City in the English Premier League.

It is still not a given, the player loves playing in his hometown and enjoys his status as one of the greats in the blanquiazul midfield but for a player who has never played in Europe or competed seriously for trophies I couldn't blame him for at least listening to offers. When all settles down I still expect Joan to resign with us, I think it depends seriously on our ambitions, but either way I wish him well. Whatever happens we need to respect ourselves as a club and as an entity and get the most for all the players that other clubs come asking for. We have talent. We just don't respect ourselves enough to sell that talent at fair market value.

Espanyol In Rare form

2013-02-19T04:49:00.001-08:00

It's nice to get a prediction right, you see the stats and the performance is being rewarded with valuable points. We are traveling on a high that I can't remember being on, granted it's a short time that I have been supporting this club, but this is heady territory.

Since Mauricio Pochettino and the club decided to part ways after the debacle of a 0-2 loss at home against Getafe, the club have gone on a 6-4-1 run putting it amongst the second half leaders in form. We have the joint longest unbeaten form with Real Sociedad, the longest winning streak in that time, and a real chance to save our place in the top-flight.

There are so many stories just waiting to be illuminated. It's not just the change in attitude or the change in coach, the philosophy of play is more direct and we pressure more, but we are playing with a maturity that some would say comes entirely from the coach, but it's more complicated than that. It's not just tactics that have turned us around. It's not just man-management. Ultimately it is the players who have responded because they're skills are valued in positions where they can make an impact.

He has Stuani on the left in space. He moved Sergio Garcia up front instead of in support and took players like Simao off the bench. He put them in places where they could succeed and he supported them. Despite all of the defections this was not a bottom feeding side. We have talent and most of it fueled by our youth-teams. We should be competing mid-table and above but they just weren't showing it in front of Pochettino.

It's a wonderful story. Almost as dramatic as the last day salvations that we have endured in the past, but the greatest tragedy in all this is how little it matters in the grand scheme of things. In a fair and just championship this would be one of the top stories on either one of the local sports dailies. Nothing. The Madrid based dailies, where there should be a broader focus, still nothing and that's why sites like this exist.

Espanyol is a worthy club to support. They have given me plenty of times to cheer, to reflect, every emotion that someone can feel for a club that represents who they are, a hard-working group of supporters and players who struggle for everything they have and wouldn't want it any other way. Do we crave the spotlight? Sure, who doesn't but it should be on merits and that's why I call it a tragedy. In any other league, in any other country, when a club is on form like we are the conversation is at least bandied about, talked about in the comments section. Respect in front of the media circus at least, but because the entirety of Spanish football has been swallowed up by the cancerous growth that is BarcaMadrid it is difficult to be anything other than an afterthought.

Morning Papers

2013-02-18T11:44:00.001-08:00

As.com: the main story is the highly contested match against Betis at home. There were many occasions at goal for both sides and more than a handful of obvious penalties swallowed in the referee's whistle, Espanyol beat Real Betis 1-0. Fifth consecutive win for Espanyol at home. Sergio Garcia scores the winning goal against the green-and-whites and makes it six rounds since the club have tasted defeat.

Marca.com: the main focus here is that the club and its leadership are very much of one voice. As Diego Colotto says, "The numbers are very, very good, being eleven points from relegation and six from the European slots, but our objective is very clear: permanency. Afterwards there will be time to think of other matters, though we are takeing advantage of these positive results."

Sport.es: Sport concentrates on Aguirre's reaction. "Until we avoid the drop mathematically the team will have to continue to suffer and running in every encounter. I vouch for what's in my squad, to the fans I can not comment. I can not stop their euphoria or do things that compete against me." It's clear by his words that Aguirre is the focal point of the change in attitude that has changed the club's fortunes. Everyone in a leadership position on the squad is following Aguirre's mantra.

El Mundo Deportivo: EMD reports that the club is in no hurry to renew Aguirre's contract beyond the end of the year. The task is still unfinished and Aguirre himself has said as much. The mantra is salvation and we are still far away from the mythical 42 points or so that it would take to insure that status. Right now fans are behind the coach and wanting the club to extend the contract considering the impact he has had in Pochettino's shadow, but it's way too soon.

Preview: RCD Espanyol v Real Betis

2013-02-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

Pepe Mel brings his verdiblancos in from Andalusia on a very bad run of form. They are win-less in their last 6 games with three straight losses away from the Benito Villamarin and two from the last 12 possible points. While this would probably on most days leave me with a sigh of relief, you have to think that in the grand scheme of things they aren't nearly as bad as they've been playing and we aren't nearly as good as we've been playing since Javier Aguirre's arrival. 18 points from a possible 27, without a home loss in that time, and now well above the drop. The new-coach bump hit us well and good, but I am apprehensive before this match.

We won't have Wakaso Mubarak who finally showed his face around town. He offered no real excuse for being late two days, he "had a fever or something", and so he trains on his own and will miss the game against the beticos but after 53 days away from Cornella he hasn't been a factor really in this colossal turnaround. Juan Forlin won't play because of an accumulation of cards and Baena is still out due to injury but we'll be ready with 19 players nonetheless.

Betis on the other hand has midfielders Salva Sevilla and Pozuelo still absent through injury, as is striker and lead goal-scorer Ruben Castro, and Nosa Igiebor has yet to return from Nigeria after the Africa Cup of Nations. Cañas is also out but Alex Martinez and Alvaro Vadillo do return. Despite the losing streak, Real Betis remains the second best league side in away matches and that's the scariest stat of all.

Player(s) to watch out for: despite having a difficult season due to an extended contract struggle, similar to what Fernando Llorente had at Athletic, and not training with the team this week, Beñat is still a very important cog in Pepe Mel's attack. On our side it is amazing what a turn around a player like Stuani or even Simao really have exhibited, and Verdu is the creative spark that runs our attack, but having a healthy Sergio Garcia leading the charge is key in the quicker more direct style that Aguirre requires. Our counter-attack is much more effective and will I think be the decisive factor in the match.

Squads:
Espanyol: Casilla, Javier Lopez, Colotto, Hector Moreno, Capdevila, Victor Sanchez, Tejera, Sergio Garcia, Verdú, Simao; Stuani.

Real Betis: Adrián, Chica, Amaya, Paulao, Nacho, Rubén Pérez, Beñat, Nono, Pabón, Jorge Molina and Campbell.

Prediction: 2-0 win at home. Goals by Sergio and Stuani.

Cristian Alvarez will not return

2013-02-16T07:03:00.001-08:00

As has been announced in all the local papers, goalkeeper Cristian Alvarez will not be returning next season with Espanyol. While the player wanted an extension, negotiations with have lapsed as his agent Fabian Soldini has confirmed. We did not agree on contract renewal and do not see a future for Cristian at Espanyol. He wanted to continue but we did not reach an agreement. It ends his cycle of Espanyol. He would have liked to continue, he feels a part of the club, but there are things that even if you want, they do not."

Where he goes from here is not an easy answer he added, "There are clubs that have called, that we are very interested in, but we will prioritize the opportunity to play, for example, before signing on as a second goalkeeper to a major club in England who called us. I will be in Europe in March to begin meetings. Cristian today is the third goalkeeper for Argentina and he aims to reach the World Cup in Brazil."

Real Betis is in Barcelona preparing to face us, so it is rather interesting that the rumors of Cristian going to Betis are circulating, it always happens when they want to destabilize us in the media, but the contracts of the three goalkeepers that are currently on their payroll expire on June 30 and Betis apparently is only seriously negotiating with young keeper Adrian. Cristian is a certain option for them.

The next question is then, what about us? With Alvarez leaving and Kiko Casilla rumored to be one of the bachelorettes moving across town as Victor Valdez moves on, are we looking at a possibility where we start next season with no keepers on hand? Sure, we have Edgar and German at Espanyol B, but it looks like we'd certainly be in the market for a keeper in the Summer. While I would like Casilla to continue, if we sign him to a heftier contract extension with a larger buy-out clause, I'd be happy if he brings in the cash. Sign a young keeper like Antonio Adan from Real Madrid who will certainly not be returning there and get an experienced veteran to back him up and that would be great. A return for Carlos Kameni maybe?

Where in the world is Wakaso?

2013-02-15T02:23:00.001-08:00

A week ago in the Africa Cup of Nations, Burkina Faso stunned favourites Ghana with a 3-2 win (on penalties mind you) and the Black Stars were essentially out of the competition, saddled with one consolation game that three days later they in turn lost to former Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita's Mali.
One of the more frustrated Ghanaian players that day was midfielder Wakaso Mubarak who had a failed penalty in the 58th minute and despite being joint top-scorer in the competition, the talented attacker is still apparently in Acra, Ghana and for the most part missing.

Now, this isn't some case of Where's Wakaso despite the leading title. Apparently much of this was planned ahead of time with coach Aguirre's blessing but the club expected him back two days ago and no one had heard from him since the final. He's apparently flying in today and will most likely miss this weekend's match against Betis. The club want explanations from a player that has literally been gone for almost two months. He is sure to be fined and will likely suffer internal sanctions by the club.

He's a talented player obviously with great upside, but highly undisciplined, a foul magnet for much of the season so far, and with this just another in a long line of players who play for the name on the back of the shirt and not for the badge on the front.

Espanyol News

2013-02-13T05:31:00.000-08:00

News: Espanyol right-back Javi Lopez finished the game at San Mames with a strained left knee, so doctors are monitoring his progress. Midfielder Cristian Gomez trained with the rest of the squad after having recovered from a bruised left knee and Raul Baena began exercising outside of Cornella-El Prat, still suffering discomfort in his back, pending tests to see if the Andalusian player midfielder is available for next league match.

Weather: it is incredible to see the changes that Aguirre has brought to the club. It is the same squad that he inherited from Pochettino but the attitude, the emphasis on collective play and the fact that we have made Cornella a fortress again, it's all quite stunning. Two months ago I was certain we were going to be relegated. Today, not so much. Sure, with 28 points we are still quite obviously not out of danger, but clubs are starting to take us more seriously and the games will get tougher. We did not help ourselves much in the transfer window so this is not over just yet.

Sport: I knew we had a chance to beat a fairly ordinary Athletic side, this is not the same squad that beat Manchester United so convincingly last year in Europe, but I never expected a 4-0 drubbing. I didn't think we had that many goals in us honestly. Time to start reassessing what this squad can do. Next match is at home at noon PST in the States against Real Betis.

Quote: "I will wait what it takes to renew my contract." - Joan Verdu. Let's hope that is a promise. Me can't afford to lose our best player and what remains of our player leadership.

Espanyol hire a new Sporting Director

2012-12-12T22:12:00.000-08:00

Espanyol have decided to replace exiting Sporting Director Ramón Planes with former assistant Oscar Perarnau. Heĺl be presented to the press tomorrow Thursday to the press. He was the assistant to ¨Tintin¨ Marquez when he coached the squad previously to Pochettino, but it smacks of a bargain-basement hire. The club are confident that, ¨he represented the most adequate hire for the position, because of his professionalmerits, techical experience in elite football, and his formative years at the club.¨

I´m not buying it. I think we could have held out as some papers are saying for Rafael Monfort who spent the last three years in international scouting for Real Madrid or the more obvious choice amongst my fellow pericos of José Rojo 'Pacheta' who led Numancia and Oviedo both in the last few years.

I wish we could afford someone like Sevilla´s Monchi or the group that heads Levante or Villarreal even. Instead we recycle people who have worn the badge or held the flag but haven´t had experience to lead an organization of this magnatude. I wish him well, but this does not leave me at all optimistic.

Espanyol USA News - A New Beginning

2012-12-09T17:01:00.002-08:00

It´s a new beginning for Pericos everywhere. There´s a new President since last we spoke with Joan Collet has taken the reigns. We have a new manager in Javier Aguirre who brings a new philosophy and sense of urgency, but both on and on the pitch the message stays the same. We´ve moved to 19th place sitting on 11 points since the Pochettino change was made, but that´s more the fact that Granada and Depor who sandwich us at the bottom are also piss-poor. What distinguishes us from those two squads is that we have talent at the back and with Verdu at the helm of our attack we at least have a puncher´s chance. Sergio Garcia says ¨we don´t need any reinforcements in January¨, but I beg to differ. I agree with Aguirre´s assessment.

There were reports that he wanted to bring in two Mexican League players: winger Nery Castillo who came up in the Olympiakos academy, trialed with Manchester United and plays with Pachuca. They were also linked with center-back Hugo Ayala of Tigres. Those two seem like reaches for two reasons: the board is canceling the traditional Christmas festivities at the club to save money, so I doubt there´s much in the budget, and those two players have roles where we have already spent plenty. Pretty telling is what another possible ¨signing¨ said: ¨It´s a dream to go and play in Europe. If there is no firm offer and if there isn´t something concise that assures me that that they´re going to pay me what (current club) Santos owe me on the remaining years of my contract, I won´t go. It´s an honor that a manager like that (Aguirre) considers you, but you have to stay calm and wait.¨ No, there´s no way we´re on the market for this sort of player and I mean of the sort that requires full payment to move clubs. We´re looking for cheap or free castoffs to be rented for the short-term.

That´s what we´re resigned to get, but what we really need is a Pandiani, and no I don´t mean that we should dig him up from another Segunda adventure for another go-around. We need a tough back-to-goal striker to hold up the ball and allow our talented midfield to participate at goal. What weĺl probably get is a guy like Dani Güiza who´s on-loan in Malaysia of all places because Getafe´s Luis Garcia can´t stand him or Nelson Haedo Valdez who hates Russia and the term plays for Valencia on-loan is a little much. Wish we had just a little more money.

What is also obvious is that we had a problem in the dressing room. Players quit on Mauricio Pochettino certainly, but he quit on players as well. Aguirre made peace with former Atléti winger Simao Sabrosa who had been relegated to the end of the bench (a typical Poche ploy for players who argued with him). Simao looks rejuvenated and he scored his first goal for us.

For that alone I am cautiously optimistic about ¨El Vasco¨ Aguirre taking over. As captain Cristian Alvarez said, ¨we are a 112 year old club and we will not let that slide. The squad is united and we are growing, totally sure that we are going to turn this around.¨ I hope so.

Interview with Espanyol USA

2012-11-11T18:04:00.000-08:00

Here's the interview I did with a fanzine for the RCD Espanyol Supporters of Montmelo

How and when did the RCD Espanyol Supporter’s Club of Los Angeles form?
The RCD Espanyol Supporter´s Club of Los Ángeles, California was founded two year

s ago when I asked my friend Nick Puñal who is the founder of the Australian Peña how I could do the same. In that time there have been many incidents, the crisis is not only an Iberian problem, and that's why we haven't formed officially, but I have in mind this year that I can do this behind enemy lines (it's a Barca world).

Is it an Official Supporter's Club for RCD Espanyol? For the moment it is an unofficial penya, but we have in the matter of 10-15 members who want to contribute. We have a country that is for the most part, because of language and culture, much more inclined to be supporters of Mancherster Unietd or Chelsea FC, and they were fans of La Liga they would more than likely find themselves on either of the white or blaugrana shelves. We are in the infancy of the perico indoctrination.

How many socios do you have in hand?
Very few but very strong.

Do you have a place where you can see all the matches for RCD Espanyol?
The Olde Shipe in Fullerton, California. It is normally an English footie bar, but there is room for more.

I suppose that being from so far that tickets are difficult to manage. Have you ever seen RCD Espanyol play? I have been a Perico since I saw RCDE PLAY DEPOR IN 2007 at the Montjuic. It's not difficult. We watch 10 or 12 matches per week. I watch all the matches since then. It's not that difficult. We can even watch Segunda-A matches generally.

If it is difficult to propagate Espanyolismo in Cataluña, we suppose that it must be that much difficult in another continent. What do you do to reach the United States public? It's much easier to propagate Espanyol support here thatn in Cataluña. FC Barcelona is a club that many detest, especially those that don't follow it. The English supporter doesn't have much of a soft-spot for the blaugrana, I mean Chelsea, Liverpool or United. I'm not saying we have it easy, the culé has a pretty fixed North American support, but certainly not as much as in Barcelona.

What do you do to keep informed about the totality RCD Espanyol? I spend my day scouring the internet, looking at Crónica Perica and other dailies, and chatting with my fellow pericos on twitter.

What is the impression that reaches you in the US of the atmosphere at Cornellà-El Prat? The impression that reaches us about Cornellà-El Prat is that of a support that is not found in much of Spain. We speak of the great support or atmosphere at Anfield or Old Trafford; it is spoken of now, on GolTV USA or now on Al-Jazeera TV where we watch La Liga BBVA matches, that the best place to watch a Liga match is at Cornellà, and not in San Mamés, in the Calderón, or in Mestalla or in whatever other dinosaur-stadium in Spain.

Out of all the members of our supporter's group there are some that are situated in La Curva. What do you think of this collective? Do you think it can grow further? Yes and yes. We gave many supporters that live here in the United States because of their work or their family but they remember time spent at Sarrià, in Montjjuic or now at Cornellà.

In your humble opinion to you think the FCPE, headed by Alberto Ariza, is doing a great job in empoyering the supporter's groups? Since I am this far away I really don't have uch information on this topic but I am willing to learn more. The strength of the a club like ours is in its support and not only in what is found in Catalunya. I love Espanyol. I am a perico from the heart and from my support.

Can we find you on the internet? You can find me at Espanyol USA (http://espanyolusa.info/) and at @espanyolusa on twitter. I amalso looking to start an Espanyol podcast in Spanish. I have 7 years experience in this but I need collaborators.

Carte blanche: my best wishes to all of you. It's because of the warm reception that I received 5 years ago last September that I became a perico in the first place.

Espanyol board quits

2012-10-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

According to reports from Sport.es and Mundo Deportivo in Barcelona, on Wednesday the board of directors starting with President Ramon Condal and including practically everyone else at RCD Espanyol will hand in their resignations effective Wednesday morning due to pressure from supporters and their miserable start. The board had stated on Monday that there would be no changes or drastic measures but in the last few hours it has all changed. Emergency elections have been called and will be held before November 25. Joan Collet will assume the day to day running of the club with Vice-President Sergio Oliveró as his second. It is not clear if coach Mauricio Pochettino will continue on after the elections considering he has lost a large part of his support on the board. Sporting Director Ramon Plánes will continue on as well in the interim.

Will Mauricio Pochettino take the blame?

2012-09-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

It´s been a horrid start for the club. One point from a possible 15 and one of the worst defenses in La Liga. They are on pace for relegation. They are the worst side I´ve seen all year and the worst Espanyol side I have seen in the 5 years I have been a supporter. Sue me. I am new to the club.

When something this incomprehensible starts happening to a club you support you look for answers and in this case there are no easy ones. The club is massively in debt to the tune of around 158 million euros. It is on an austerity program that is forcing them to cut that debt in half by 2015. We have lost close to 6,000 paid members in the last two years. The best and brightest have been sold. The blame for this sort of debacle should always start at the top, that is what leadership or power affords you, both the rewards from a job well done and the blame when it doesn´t, and yes it´s true that none of them suit up weekly, nor do they run around for ninety minutes, so the players themselves are in a pragmatic sense to blame for the bad run of form, but in looking for reasons on the macroscopic or microscopic levels we often forget that the worst culprits in systemic failures are the middle managers, those people entrusted with the everyday work that moves organizations but are sometimes hamstrung by petty jealousies or feuds that interrupt the business at hand. That's Mauricio Pochettino.

Now I like the guy. He comes across as an intelligent and forthright person, but there have been little things that have sent warning flags since the beginning. He's fallen out with players. Many times. When it was with Tamudo we forgave him because we knew that the club had factions, cliques that were getting in the way of governing, leading the club, and three coaches in a calendar year had suffered the consequences of a squad that was broken into many small fiefdoms and Tamudo was the leader. Then it was Coro, David Garcia, Torrejon and Hurtado, and we thought it was all economics, the sale of ingrates and people not willing or capable of wearing the badge, but it continued and all for a pittance and all because they couldn´t or wouldn´t get along with the Sherriff from Murphy. Was there a reason why Javi Marquez and Jordi Amat were both ostracized and banished from the club? It bothers me.

I like Mauricio Pochettino. He has been good for the club and he can be a great manager somewhere but not at Espanyol I believe. He is too close to the colors, too close to his days as a player, and part of the reason why the club are staring at a long year with a relegation battle at hand. Sooner or later the club will have to decide if they need to go another way.

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Espanyol News

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Espanyol USA News - A New Beginning

Interview with Espanyol USA

Espanyol board quits

Will Mauricio Pochettino take the blame?