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Málaga<P>In
Yuji Nakazawa (25 y/o, JAP 25 caps, 2 goals, D C): from Verdy for £30,000<P>Out
None<P>Barcelona<P>In
Massimo Donati (22 y/o, ITA 2 caps, AM RLC): from Atalanta for £7.75 million
Fernando Varela (24 y/o, ESP, M R): from Real Betis for £400,000
Antonio Prats (32 y/o, ESP, GK): from Real Betis for £3.3 million
Carles Puyol (25 y/o, ESP, D R): from Mallorca for £2 million
Juan Sebastián Verón (28 y/o, ARG 65 caps, 20 goals, AM RLC): from Lazio for £28 million<P>Out
None<P>Villarreal<P>In
Igor Jáuregi (29 y/o, ESP, DM LC): from Real Sociedad for £325,000
Francisco Javier Hernández (21 y/o, ESP, S C): from Levante for £240,000<P>Out
Javier Gracia (33 y/o, ESP, DM C): to Melilla for £170,000
Jihai Sun (26 y/o, CHI 20 caps, 1 goal, D/M LC): to Real Betis for £675,000
Jaime (31 y/o, ESP, DM C): to Sevilla for £600,000

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Alavés<P>In
Marco Sandy (32 y/o, BOL 95 caps, 6 goals, SW/D C): from Sevilla for £375,000
Patri (30 y/o, ESP, AM/F C): from Sevilla for £525,000
Chito (28 y/o, ESP, AM L): from Nástic for £575,000
Sergio Lara (25 y/o, ESP, D/DM R): from Nástic for £400,000<P>Out
Txejo (24 y/o, ESP, D R): to Bermeo for £35,000<P>Osasuna<P>In
Ricardinho (27/o, BRA 2 caps, DM LC): from Cruzeiro for free
Guillermo (30 y/o, ESP, D RC): from Getafe for £240,000
Fernando (32 y/o, ESP 2 caps, AM LC): from Deportivo for £375,000
Walter Coheio (26 y/o, URU 6 caps, M C): from Nacional (URU) for £275,000
Fernando José Porto (29 y/o, ESP, D C): from Ponferradina for £150,000<P>Out
José Vicente Lledó (32 y/o, ESP, D C): to Hércules for £1.5 million
Raúl Iturralde (23 y/o, ESP, M C): to Avilés for £85,000<P>Athletic Bilbao<P>In
None<P>Out
None<P>Mallorca<P>In
Sergio Castillo (28 y/o, ESP, M/F LC): from Valencia for £700,000
Carlos Aguilera (34 y/o, ESP 9 caps, D R): from Strasbourg for £250,000
Alberto Lopo (23 y/o, ESP, D RC): from Albacete for £675,000<P>Out
Carles Puyol (25 y/o, ESP, D R): to Barcelona for £2 million
Alejandro Campano (25 y/o, ESP, M RC): to Vecindario for £90,000

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Continuing the story from down the Spanish way!<P>Real Zaragoza<P>In
None<P>Out
None<P>Espanyol<P>In
Jesús (27 y/o, ESP, GK): from Atlético Madrid for £375,000<P>Out
Alfredo Argensó (29 y/o, ESP, GK): to Hércules for £875,000<P>Extremadura<P>In
Robert (31 y/o, ESP, DM R): from Jaén for £85,000<P>Out
Poli (26 y/o, ESP, D L): to Novelda for £800,000
Iker Urraca (24 y/o, ESP, D/DM C): to Binéfar for £240,000
Rubén Pastor (27 y/o, ESP, D/M L): to Sevilla for £1.5 million<P>Real Vallodolid<P>In
None<P>Out
The manager<P>Tenerife<P>In
Yiyi (27 y/o, ESP, GK): from San Fernando for £65,000<P>Out
Sergio (26 y/o, ESP, GK): to Novelda for £775,000<P>Atlético Madrid<P>In
Raúl Valbuena (28 y/o, ESP, GK): from Albacete for £750,000
Pierre Wome (24 y/o, CAM 13 caps, D/DM LC): from Bologna for £1.1 million
Manuel Pablo (27 y/o, ESP 1 cap, D R): from Deportivo La Coruña for £975,000<P>Out
�ngel Luis (33 y/o, ESP, D/DM R): to Castellón for £200,000
Jesús (27 y/o, ESP, GK): to Espanyol for £375,000<P>Elche<P>In
José Manuel (30 y/o, ESP, DM R): from Deportivo La Coruña for £950,000<P>Out
None

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In other news, the Spanish FA announces the draw for the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. We’re drawn to play Real Oviedo in Oviedo for the first leg. I consider this a good draw, with Real Oviedo struggling in 15th position in the Segunda Liga.<P>In the evening, Football365.com praises Fernando Morán’s recent form, saying that the midfielder has played the best football of his career in recent games. I agree that his performances have been of the highest standard recently.<P>18th of January 2004<P>Recreativo likes the look of Javier Margas and considering the Chilean defender is out of contract at the end of the season, its manager decides to approach the player about joining Recreativo for next season.<P>Primera Liga - Game 19: Sporting Gijón v Cartagonova<P>This is going to be a tough match as Sporting is one place above us on the ladder and boast the talent of the likes of Claude Makelele, Rivarola, Peter Madsen, Albano Bizzarri, Da Silva and MartÃ*n Rivas. But while I have respect for these players, my own players don’t seem to as Redondo and Couto put themselves about in the early stages. Then Rufete and Collymore combine to set up José Redondo after 12 minutes and the striker smashes home his fourteenth goal of the season with his left foot! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] Madsen almost puts Sporting back on level terms sixty seconds later, but that just about wraps it up for the first half.<P>I congratulate the players on their good first half performance and I hope they can bring the same level of concentration to the second half. So when Makelele concedes the corner three minutes into the second half and Michel heads home Rufete’s brilliant corner I’m very happy! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="smile[/IMG] Then when Esnáider and Redondo set up Collymore and the veteran striker heads home our third goal of the match, I’m extremely delighted! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] But it wouldn’t be Cartagonova if we didn’t concede at least one goal so ten minutes after Collymore’s goal, Farinós gives Sporting Gijón a lifeline when he heads home Pablo Amo’s cross. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif" alt="frown[/IMG] That might have been in the script, but I don’t count on Óscar Ã�lvarez being sent off after picking up his second yellow card of the match. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif" alt="mad[/IMG] I immediately take off the tiring Esnáider for the fit-again Lacruz to bolster the defence. But the wall crumbles and allows Rivarola to stick home the free kick to give me a heart attack. The defence creaks and groans every time Peter Madsen and Da Silva get the ball, and the Danish striker hits the post deep into injury time. I’m praying for the final whistle and after Arnau saves magnificently from Rivarola’s hot strike, it comes!<P>Sporting Gijón (1-2-5-2): Bizzarri; Crosa; Ettien, MartÃ*n Rivas (Otero 65); Brandán (Rivarola 72), Farinós, Makelele, Mario (c), Pablo Amo; Madsen, Da Silva.<P>Cartagonova (4-1-2-1-2): Arnau; Moya, Filipescu, Ã�lvarez, Ballesteros; Couto (c); Michel, Rufete; Esnáider (Lacruz 78); Redondo, Collymore.<P>Final score: Sporting Gijón 2:3 Cartagonova
MoM - José Manuel Redondo

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20th of January 2004<P>Tomorrow’s opponent, Elche, is dead last in the division and for that failing, the Elche chairman fires his manager, Miguel Rubio. I like that! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG]<P>21st of January 2004<P>Primera Liga - Game 20: Cartagonova v Elche<P>On a cool, dry evening in front of 17,964 fans we host the bottom side, Elche who is rudderless after sacking its manager just yesterday. It’s pretty much one-way traffic for the entire match but wouldn’t you know it? We can’t find that all-important breakthrough. It takes until 70 minutes to finally score when substitute Paulo Miranda scores his first goal for the club with a fierce shot that cannons into the top corner of the Elche net. That’ll do us, but we should have done better.<P>Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Vidal; Lacruz, Filipescu, Ballesteros, Tetteh; Oliver, Couto (c), Rufete (Miranda 62); Morán; Redondo, Collymore.<P>Elche (5-3-1-1): Mora (c); Matito, Hélder, Manusovich (Chico 54), Sarasúa, Xavi Roca; Isach, Solaun, José Manuel; Toñito (Guiberguis 48); Nino.<P>Final score: Cartagonova 1:0 Elche
MoM - Koldo Sarasúa<P>This is the ladder after the twentieth game in the league:<P>

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23rd of January 2004<P>Javier Margas agrees terms with Recreativo. That’s nice.<P>A double blow strikes the club during afternoon training as Collymore bruises a rib challenging for a ball in a practice match while Iván Vidal’s stuttering season takes a turn for the worse when he twists his knee also in the same match. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif" alt="mad[/IMG] The goalkeeper will miss three weeks, while Collymore is doubtful for the weekend encounter with Tenerife.<P>Former Real Betis manager Fernando Vázquez is poached by Real Vallodolid from Sevilla to guide the club away from relegation. Good luck to him, I say!<P>25th of January 2004<P>Primera Liga - Game 21: Cartagonova v Tenerife<P>Three games in a week means there are some pretty tired bodies going around this Sunday morning, and I sit in my office musing over the first eleven. Eventually I manage to shuffle the deck enough to come up with eleven fairly fit players for the positions and I send them out onto the park hoping that we can do slightly better than we did against Elche last Wednesday. It takes us 27 minutes but we do break down Tenerife’s defence - Redondo is the provider for Michel and the winger snares his third goal of the season with a nice half-volley on the left foot. On 33 minutes, Redondo’s hot shot is too much for Ojeda to handle and from Rufete’s corner, the referee spots Mexican international right-back Omar Rodriguez fouling José Redondo. Despite the protests of Tenerife’s player, he points to the spot and the Cartagonova striker confidently puts it past Ojeda for a 2-0 lead.<P>We escape dropping a goal when Arnau recovers quickly enough to palm away Pedro Rafael Ojeda’s shot and then jump on the rebound before Chispa Delgado can get the ball to the unmarked Nan Ribera. We go through the motions in the second half which is enlivened only when Redondo’s goal on 76 minutes is ruled out for off-side. Tenerife finally comes alive properly inside the last ten minutes with Moisés and Pier testing Arnau with rasping drives.<P>Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Arnau; Lacruz, Filipescu (Moya 72), �lvarez, Tetteh; Michel, Couto (c), Rufete; Morán; Redondo, Esnáider (Gabrich 72).<P>Tenerife (4-4-2: Marcelo Ojeda (c); Alexis, Moisés, David Charcos, Rodriguez; Hugo Morales, Torrado, Lussenhoff, Nan Ribera (Dani 53); Pedro Rafael Ojeda (Pier 53), Chispa Delgado.<P>Final score: Cartagonova 2:0 Tenerife
MoM - José Manuel Redondo

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27th of January 2004<P>“Hey, guv’nor! Get in here! José is being interviewed on Sky!� So hollers Luis Sosa as I sit in my office after a hard day’s work casually sipping on a glass of scotch whiskey and reviewing training notes. I put the glass down, swing my legs off the chair and walk over to Sosa’s office. I see Richard Keys interviewing our star striker who I remember now asked for an early night from training to do this interview.<P>Richard asks him, “Well, José, you’ve had a terrific season so far - 15 goals in 21 league matches, 17 in 24. And you’ve been generous with sharing the spoils, because you’ve created six more goals. What do you put this down to?�<P>“I’d have to say that my teammates have been excellent setting up the chances just the way I like and I’ve been fortunate to be in the right place at the right time to knock them in,� says a modest Redondo. But Richard, the great journalist he is, presses the question, “But surely the manager must have something to do with it, doesn’t he?�<P>“Of course, Richard. Señor Flatline appreciates the value of a good striker and he spends a lot of time patiently instructing the team on making the right pass to feed myself and Stan. Plus we have coaches like Enzo Francescoli and Romário, who were great strikers in their day. How can I not help but become a good striker with coaching from these three?�<P>“So you would put down your great form to your manager?� asks Richard. José pauses a moment, as coached by our media liason officer, before answering, “Yes. I’d have to say that Señor Flatline has had a great influence on the development of my career. Two seasons ago, I was languishing in Deportivo’s ‘B’ side before I came to Cartagonova. Now people are talking about me being called up to Spain’s side. In my bedroom I have a Segunda Liga championship medal. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve all that without the influence of the manager. He has backed me all along the way and I’m glad I’ve been able to repay his faith so far. And of course, I want to continue doing that.�

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“What is your partnership with Stan Collymore like? He has openly said he wants to return to England. Does the fact that he has publicly made his feelings clear about your club and Spain in general make you play differently when the manager picks him?�<P>“No, Richard,� says Redondo slowly. “Stan and I are both professionals and we have a job to do. If the manager thinks that the club can succeed with both of us playing up front together, then we’ll do our best to work with each other. It wouldn’t be fair on the club, the players and the supporters if we didn’t work together. I have no problem with Stan and I hope he has no problem with me.�<P>“And your future, José?�<P>“Well, Richard, right now I’m concentrating on scoring goals for Cartagonova. We’re sitting in third on the ladder right now and I want to help consolidate our league position. Plus we’re still in the Copa del Rey and I think it would be marvellous for the fans and the club if we could continue our good run in that competition. Beyond this season is something I haven’t really considered, but I want to make it clear that I’m very happy at the club and I haven’t even thought of making a move.�<P>“Have you given any thought to representing Spain?� asked Richard. Redondo replies, “Well, it is always a footballer’s dream to play for his country and I’m no different. If the chance to play for Spain befalls me, then I’ll play with honour and pride in the shirt I wear.�<P>“Thank you very much for your time, José,� says Richard, obviously receiving the wind-up from the producer. Redondo smiles and says, “It’s been a pleasure.�<P>It certainly has!

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28th of January 2004<P>Copa del Rey - Quarter-Final, 1st leg: Real Oviedo v Cartagonova<P>Today’s opponent lies in 15th position in the Segunda Liga, but looking at the history books reveals that we have defeated Oviedo twice, but it has also defeated us twice, including a victory against us on the last day of the season. Emmanuel Petit has not been able to achieve the dream of promotion, but he is still a very important player to the side and the former Uruguayan international striker Juan González is still a dangerous striker. Boris has matured into a class defender and I think that Oviedo can still cause us some problems. I instruct Couto to closely mark Petit out of the game, while the defenders are meant to take care of Oviedo’s strikers.<P>Redondo tries to beat Dorronsoro early in the match but the keeper is equal to the task. On 17 minutes, the ball ping-pongs around our penalty box but we’re desperate enough to stop an Oviedo player having a clear shot at goal. Couto gives away a free kick just a moment later, though, and Petit almost gives his side the decisive break but for the fingertips of Arnau. Morán is the next man to test Dorronsoro with a rasping drive on 27 minutes. Then Ballesteros takes Lacruz’s pass in his stride and advancing far down the field, he breaks into the box but Dorronsoro manages to put his hands on the drive. The second half is a quieter affair with González’s shot the only chance until the last five minutes when Filipescu and Michel have chances but can’t break through.<P>Real Oviedo (4-2-2-2): Dorronsoro (c); Boris, Roteta, Rasovic, Helio; Iván Ania, Petit, Pulido (Geni 66), Amieva (Lourenço 86); Juan González, Roman (Foggarty 58).<P>Cartagonova (4-1-2-1-2): Arnau; Lacruz, Filipescu, �lvarez, Ballesteros; Couto (c); Michel, Rufete; Morán; Redondo, Collymore.<P>Final score: Real Oviedo 0:0 Cartagonova
MoM - Pedro José Dorronsoro

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31st of January 2004<P>In an attempt to boost its attempt to reel in the rampant Fiorentina, Parma has signed Real Madrid and Portuguese midfielder Luis Figo for £17.75 million.<P>1st of February 2004<P>Primera Liga - Game 22: Real Vallodolid v Cartagonova<P>We back up after our Copa del Rey game with a visit to Vallodolid to play the 19th-placed club. Filipescu’s suspension means Ballesteros moves into the centre of defence with Moya taking over at right-back. Gabriel Heinze makes his debut in place of the tired Lacruz. Oliver, given a huge recommendation by assistant manager Luis Sosa during the week, replaces the unfit Michel on the left of midfield. As expected, we easily control this match and Redondo makes it 1-0 on 39 minutes with his 16th goal of the season. If he was a little more accurate, we probably would have had more, but I’m happy with the 1-0 result which keeps us in third place. Our opponent has one shot at goal all day and Arnau does well to keep his concentration to stop it going in.<P>Real Vallodolid (4-4-2): César; Marcos, Herrero, Peña (c), Ibarra; Zapata, Juan Gómez (Bodipo 68), Doriva, Colusso; Pizzi, Guerrero (Vicente 68).<P>Cartagonova (4-1-2-1-2): Arnau; Heinze, Ballesteros, �lvarez, Moya; Couto (c); Oliver, Rufete (Miranda 72); Morán; Redondo, Collymore (Gabrich 72).<P>Final score: Real Vallodolid 0:1 Cartagonova
MoM - César<P>On the way back to Cartagena, I’m told that our match with Celta Vigo has been shifted to 28th of February for live television coverage. Peachy! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="smile[/IMG]