phoenix1876 Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 interesting experience Barcelona VS rayo vallecano 70'000 roughly there, but atmosphere eerily quiet to start off with, very few songs sang by the home crowd. couple of hundred rayo fans where were directly opposite from us in the south stand, and you could hear them singing in the tier we were in, my and my mate where by far louder than anyone in our section of the stand, just your usual nonsense that you spurt like "ive seen better at firhill" but when the game got going, great wee game, barcelona's playing style is fairly impressive overall though, great experience 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uberteeb Posted March 19, 2013 Report Share Posted March 19, 2013 Cool story bro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Hansen Posted March 20, 2013 Report Share Posted March 20, 2013 Cool story bro. I am a season ticket holder with CD Tenerife and we are currently playing in Segunda B having come down from the Primera and Segunda A in succesive seasons and I can tell you that the feeling among Spanish football supporters is that two of the worst supports (not in terms of numbers) are the big two of Real Madrid and Barcelona ,when we played at the Bernabeau in 2009 in a full stadium our support (around 1500) outsung the home support throughout the whole game.In terms of atmosphere your are much better of at Firhill or the Heliodoro (CD Tenerife stadium) than the big two in Spain however I am sure you enjoyed the experience as Barcelona are one hell of a team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Peebles Tackle Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Really? I was there too! I've been to there for quite a few games over the last couple of years (including 2 Clasicos) & it was very, very subdued last Sunday. I think there were a LOT of tourists there & I know a lot of the members didn't bother because it was the day of the marathon & transport was pretty poor. The atmosphere on the Clasico days is like nothing I've ever witnessed - really hairs on the back of the neck stuff. Still, some cracking football & some nice goals. Probably the most impressive thing was the pitch - like a bowling green. Imagine how many goals the Jags could score in our division on a pitch like that?!? Oh, and their away strip for next season is a BELTER! http://www.thasoccerjersey.com/images/2013013009502947876818.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisal Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 (edited) Oh, and their away strip for next season is a BELTER! http://www.thasoccer...02947876818.jpg Barca want to be us Barca want to be us We're so good Barca want to be us Edited March 22, 2013 by thisal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blutarsky Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Might get a whole lot quieter on the Iberian peninsula if there is a financial implosion. Added to that Dr Fuentes appears to be prepared to name the footballers who allegedly doped to save his skin. Scandal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_mac Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Might get a whole lot quieter on the Iberian peninsula if there is a financial implosion. Added to that Dr Fuentes appears to be prepared to name the footballers who allegedly doped to save his skin. Scandal. Astonishing article! Does David Longmuir still think we should be following the Spanish model? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Peebles Tackle Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Astonishing article! Does David Longmuir still think we should be following the Spanish model? Well, Barca are following the Thistle model... for strips! Really shocking state of affairs there - amazing thing is that they get decent TV money & good crowds and STILL can't make it work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kni Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Might get a whole lot quieter on the Iberian peninsula if there is a financial implosion. Added to that Dr Fuentes appears to be prepared to name the footballers who allegedly doped to save his skin. Scandal. The doping scandal could be huge. Real Sociedad's huge payments to Fuentes could be just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. EPO could be a huge help to footballers, especially in fighting fatigue. Fuentes said "In 2006 I worked with all types of athletes. Footballers, athletes, cyclists, boxer and tennis players". Testing in football and tennis has been a joke. The tests themselves cannot pick certain types of doping and out-of-competition testing, which is just as important, is almost non-existent. Tennis is now planning to bring biological passports, like cycling has done, to identify blood irregularities. FIFA, typically, has no such plans. Arsene Wenger has been campaigning for more doping tests for several years but he has, until recently, been largely ignored by the authorities and media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blutarsky Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Yip, rumoured to be some big stars, past and present. Could be a game changer for soccer, for Spain and beyond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Peebles Tackle Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 The doping scandal could be huge. Real Sociedad's huge payments to Fuentes could be just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. EPO could be a huge help to footballers, especially in fighting fatigue. Fuentes said "In 2006 I worked with all types of athletes. Footballers, athletes, cyclists, boxer and tennis players". Testing in football and tennis has been a joke. The tests themselves cannot pick certain types of doping and out-of-competition testing, which is just as important, is almost non-existent. Tennis is now planning to bring biological passports, like cycling has done, to identify blood irregularities. FIFA, typically, has no such plans. Arsene Wenger has been campaigning for more doping tests for several years but he has, until recently, been largely ignored by the authorities and media. My mate swears Messi is superhuman - maybe he is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kni Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 (edited) My mate swears Messi is superhuman - maybe he is! More on Fuentes, doping and Spanish football from an article in 2006! "Top football clubs Real Madrid and FC Barcelona used the services of Dr Eufemiano Fuentes, according to a report in French newspaper Le Monde. Fuentes is at the centre of Operacion Puerto, which up until now has widely been reported as another cycling doping scandal. "The documents, in Dr Fuentes' handwriting, allegedly detail the preparation plans for the two clubs for the 2005-2006 seasons. The plan showed that the main objective of FC Barcelona was the Champions League in May, which it won, as well as having the players peak for the World Cup. "The training programs include circles and 'IG' symbols that correspond to preparation or rest periods. These are the same symbols used by Dr Fuentes in his plans for the Liberty Seguros riders, according to Le Monde. The Spanish Guardia Civil believe that these symbols correspond to anabolic steroids (circle) and Insulin Growth Factor - IGF-1 (IG). "Other symbols are used in the team plans, including a rounded 'e', and a circle with a dot in it. These are supposed to correspond to blood transfusions and the administration of EPO. Some individual players had tailored programs, in case they were injured or tired. "Eufemiano Fuentes did not have a formal relationship with either FC Barcelona or Real Madrid. His plans were allegedly sent via the team doctor or one of the players." Edited March 22, 2013 by kni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Peebles Tackle Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 More on Fuentes, doping and Spanish football from an article in 2006! "Top football clubs Real Madrid and FC Barcelona used the services of Dr Eufemiano Fuentes, according to a report in French newspaper Le Monde. Fuentes is at the centre of Operacion Puerto, which up until now has widely been reported as another cycling doping scandal. "The documents, in Dr Fuentes' handwriting, allegedly detail the preparation plans for the two clubs for the 2005-2006 seasons. The plan showed that the main objective of FC Barcelona was the Champions League in May, which it won, as well as having the players peak for the World Cup. "The training programs include circles and 'IG' symbols that correspond to preparation or rest periods. These are the same symbols used by Dr Fuentes in his plans for the Liberty Seguros riders, according to Le Monde. The Spanish Guardia Civil believe that these symbols correspond to anabolic steroids (circle) and Insulin Growth Factor - IGF-1 (IG). "Other symbols are used in the team plans, including a rounded 'e', and a circle with a dot in it. These are supposed to correspond to blood transfusions and the administration of EPO. Some individual players had tailored programs, in case they were injured or tired. "Eufemiano Fuentes did not have a formal relationship with either FC Barcelona or Real Madrid. His plans were allegedly sent via the team doctor or one of the players." Sounds very sinister... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_mac Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Well, Barca are following the Thistle model... for strips! Really shocking state of affairs there - amazing thing is that they get decent TV money & good crowds and STILL can't make it work! Wouldn't be so sure about the TV money GPT. Barca and Real negotiate their own deals over there (which is what the OF wanted for so long here) and as a result the other clubs get pretty much shat on with regards to the slice of the pice they are entitled to. I would say this is part of the problem in Spain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrantB Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 When in Barcelona, you are better off going to see these guys... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UE_Sant_Andreu http://uesantandreu.cat/web/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Peebles Tackle Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Wouldn't be so sure about the TV money GPT. Barca and Real negotiate their own deals over there (which is what the OF wanted for so long here) and as a result the other clubs get pretty much shat on with regards to the slice of the pice they are entitled to. I would say this is part of the problem in Spain. Yeah, but without digging into it, I'm sure Valencia do better than, say, Motherwell from TV. Sadly, Real & Barca have done the right thing for them, but like the OF, it would mean nothing without opposition, so I agree it is part of the problem. Having said that, Spain aren't doing too badly as a national side & in the CL. Again though, 90% of the squad come from Real & Barca. I guess what I'm saying is, it's all swings n roundabouts... Or something. It's getting late... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kni Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 (edited) Sounds very sinister... Note the attitude of Rafa Benitez, commenting on Wenger's testing proposals, in this article. "The Gunners boss believes that current urine testing is not effective enough but fears that it would need all parties to agree to test blood samples and he’s not sure that the desire is there. “When you have doping control at UEFA they don’t take blood they take only urine. “I asked many times in Geneva. First of all, sometimes you have to wait for two hours after the game [to provide a sample]. “It could be much quicker with a little drop of blood and you could go much deeper into control. “I hope we don’t have a big problem with doping but we have to try to find out and to see how deep we can go into control.” The Blues boss believes that there have been improvements to the system in recent years and thinks it would be difficult for blood samples to happen. “It’s complicated to talk about that,” Benitez said. “The doping control has improved every year and we’ve continued improving. “It’s not easy to say that you do this or that.” Very illuminating!! Edited March 22, 2013 by kni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winter of '63 Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 (edited) Barcelona was hoaching with Jags fans last weekend...though with the planning skills which will no doubt mean that I fail to get tickets for the Ramsdens Cup Final tomorrow, I was flying home as the game was kicking off on Sunday evening. I did have the slightly surreal experience of watching the League Cup Final in an Irish Bar in Barcelona with my Jambo supporting travelling companion...I felt her pain but was rooting for Danny Lennon's St Mirren You can't fail to marvel at Barcelona's football but with the disparity in resources, their games tend to resemble the Harlem Globetrotters against their stooge team rather than a genuinely competitive match. I see Deportivo are in financial difficulties - I'm sure it was their fans who had a banner saying "We don't want to be like the Scottish League"...a League which only two teams can win and who soak up all the media attention and money. I've seen the reports about Dr Fuentes before...hope he spills the beans. The coincidence of Spanish sporting success in various sports against the historical trends has been commented on but I'm sure the likes of the change in Rafael Nadal's physique in his late teens was entirely down to hard work in the gym. Edited March 22, 2013 by Winter of '63 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kni Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 Really? I was there too! I've been to there for quite a few games over the last couple of years (including 2 Clasicos) & it was very, very subdued last Sunday. I think there were a LOT of tourists there & I know a lot of the members didn't bother because it was the day of the marathon & transport was pretty poor. The atmosphere on the Clasico days is like nothing I've ever witnessed - really hairs on the back of the neck stuff. Still, some cracking football & some nice goals. Probably the most impressive thing was the pitch - like a bowling green. Imagine how many goals the Jags could score in our division on a pitch like that?!? Oh, and their away strip for next season is a BELTER! http://www.thasoccer...02947876818.jpg I'll buy one! Cracking strip and I hope that Joma has seen it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spanish Jag Posted March 22, 2013 Report Share Posted March 22, 2013 (edited) An Economics teacher from the University of Barcelona wrote a few years ago an article about the financial situation of Spanish football stating that he saw no more than 10 seasons of football being played before global bankrupcty would come. He was asked again a few months ago and he said that he´d been too optimistic. Halving that number of seasons would have been more accurate. Edit: I see the teacher is mentioned in the Guardian article. Edited March 22, 2013 by Spanish Jag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jagsfan58 Posted March 23, 2013 Report Share Posted March 23, 2013 (edited) When in Barcelona, you are better off going to see these guys... http://en.wikipedia..../UE_Sant_Andreu http://uesantandreu.cat/web/ Could be a good shout. I was looking to take in the Espanyol - Valencia game in a few weeks time and see Sant Andreu are at home that weekend. Love Barca's football but if I was buying a strip then would be happier to support the 'One team is Barca' http://www.sant-andr...marreta2012.htm Edited March 23, 2013 by Jagsfan58 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.