Yeah all I am saying is if you have a chance of winning the League, so do we. Don't forget that. Although I think Man Utd will still win the Title.
Much Lovable Side Of Football - Great Read.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6302665.stm
Part of story:-
Ecuadorean footballer rebuilds village
Judy Fladmark
BBC News
De la Cruz sends money home every week
A South American footballer playing in the English Premiership is spending his high salary not on fast cars and big houses, but on rebuilding an entire community where he grew up.
Ulises de la Cruz, who plays at Reading, was born in the Afro-Ecuadorian village of Piquiucho.
It is a three-hour drive north of Quito, the capital, nestled high in the Andes mountains, close to the Colombian border.
Ramshackle homes are perched on the hillside at the top of the Chota Valley beside the PanAmerican highway.
It is like stepping back into a little piece of Africa. Along with the vibrant culture, there is poverty.
Jobila Jorga lives in a two-room shack with her extended family of 12. She says Ulises "is the only one who cares".
"The government has done nothing to help us, we have been ignored by the authorities.
"He has provided a fresh water supply, it prevents disease spreading. We used to get fungus on our skin because of the dirty water."
Football success
The 32-year-old defender explains: "The 2002 World Cup, when Ecuador qualified for the first time, financed the 18km of water pipes and a treatment system.
"The 2006 World Cup in Germany, when we reached the second round, was important because the success means I can finance a new sports and community centre, now under construction."
Poverty is widespread in the Chota Valley
His priority for the 200 families is education. He has provided hundreds of books, a new roof and a playground.
Each day, 100 primary school children receive breakfast and lunch at school, courtesy of the Ulises De la Cruz Foundation.
Health, too, is a big concern.
Cramped living conditions means disease spreads easily.
He has built a medical centre and has been sending money to pay for a doctor, a dentist and a nurse at the clinic.
Dr Camillo Burbuano says Ulises has been doing "what the government should be doing".
De la Cruz is planning to build 40 new homes. The executive director of the foundation, Julio Cesar Larco, says building will start next month.
It's not just about football, the players have to study every morning before practising in the afternoon, it's about developing individuals to improve their chances of a better life
But the biggest project under way is the sports centre. It is being constructed against the dramatic backdrop of the Andes mountains.
His mother, Edita, keeps an eye on where the money is spent.
The defender calculates he sends about 10% of his salary each month back to Ecuador, sometimes several times a week.
There is also the big capital expenditure - like $200,000 for the sports and community centre.
A lack of recognition
Despite providing 11 players for the national football team in the past two World Cup finals, the community feels it is not getting any recognition or help.
De la Cruz's best friend is Agustin Delgado, a forward for Ecuador who used to play for Southampton. They grew up together.
Delgado set up a football academy in Juncal, next to Piquiucho six years ago. Seventeen graduates already play for two of the top teams in the country.
De la Cruz wants to create opportunities for children
The playing pitch is a large area of scrubland, just dirt and stones, either side of the vast Rio Chota road bridge with traffic thundering overhead.
Two hundred and fifty boys aged eight to 20 defy the conditions to play.
The technical director, Jose Carcalen, says: "The players are special because they face such hardship but work even harder to escape poverty. It's not just about football, the players have to study every morning before practising in the afternoon, it's about developing individuals to improve their chances of a better life."
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God Bless his Soul
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