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In the 2003/04 season, Señor Vicente del Bosque restored Real Madrid to what many believe is its rightful position at the peak of the Primera Liga ladder. A lot of that was credited to Alessandro del Piero, but the Spanish club allowed him to return to Italy with Juventus, who interestingly sold him almost immediately to AC Milan. Only £4.9 million was spent on former player, Guti, and continuing unrest amongst the important players like Raúl and Roberto Carlos threatens to upset Real Madrid’s new campaign. Still, it would hard to go past Real Madrid being capable of defending its league title while making a good fist of the European Champions’ League.<P>Señor José Carlos Granero at Real Sociedad, like many of his rivals and colleagues, was unable to spend a lot of money adding new blood to his squad over the summer. So, once again, the club’s fortunes will turn upon the performances of Brazilian international midfielder Rodrigo, Lithuanian international Edgaras Jankuaskas and striker Joseba Llorente.<P>Finishing fifth last season and missing out on a Champions’ League place by goal difference was not quite good enough for the fans of Sporting GÃ*jon, and they will demand a better approach to the new campaign. Of course, finishing fifth does ensure participation in the UEFA Cup, and with the addition of former Cartagonova goal machine Stan Collymore to the squad, there is considerable depth in attack. Undoubtedly, Peter Madsen and Da Silva will lead the lines this season again. But there is also strength down the spine of the side, with Barselleta’s influential play in midfield and Sergio marshalling the defence. Once again, Sporting should be there and thereabouts, and a top three position is not beyond them.

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Valencia lost the unhappy John Carew to Torino but replaced him with the boy-wonder, Javier Saviola. Guus Hiddink’s £17.75 million investment in the 22 year old Argentine international is the biggest proclamation of Valencia’s determination to seize the title this year. Supporting Saviola is compatriot MartÃ*n Palermo and Spanish international Vicente, while Hugo Leal and Zlatko Zahovic remain dangerous players. In defence, club captain Gaizka Mendieta remains Valencia’s most important player. But all Valencia’s fans will expect a much better performance than the seventh place they gained last season. The focus will be on how the young Argentine striker will cope with the challenge of scoring goals in the Primera Liga, but if he can start banging them in immediately, Valencia may well surprise many people and grab the title from beneath the noses of the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.<P>Down at Villarreal, the focus as always will be upon Argentine play-maker/forward, Walter Gaitán. Still unsurprisingly uncapped by his country, Gaitán remains the club’s best chance for achieving success this season. Spain’s national goalkeeper, Javier López Vallejo, also calls this club his employer but beyond those two players, there is seemingly a worrying lack of quality in the squad. The biggest off-season transfer was the £3.4 million capture of Yugoslav midfielder, Dragan Drasim, from Atlético Madrid, but there is little hope that Villarreal can improve upon twelfth from last season.<P>Real Zaragoza has been very quiet on the transfer market, with only the addition of Compostela’s Marcos Vales bringing smiles to the faces of Zaragoza’s fans. Instead, the manager, Señor Fernando Castro Santos, has concentrated upon reducing the average age of his squad with the likes of Hierro, Ander Garitano and Santiago Aragón all being given free transfers. But one worries that Real Zaragoza will only tread water this season, and given that they finished only 14th last season, this may not be good enough for the fans of the club.

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21st of August 2004<P>Crikey, that took a long time! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] Time to get back to the football, as we have a match to play against Bayern München to come this afternoon.<P>Friendly – Cartagonova v Bayern München<P>This turns out to be a terrible match for us. Not the score – we actually draw 1-1 with Morán opening the scoring only to have Roque Santa Cruz pulling it back with about 15 minutes to play. But in the first half, José Redondo motions to the bench for emergency assistance to limp off the pitch. He goes straight into the rooms. And a minute after scoring the goal, Morán falls over and clutches at his foot. He joins Redondo on the physios’ tables, and the news is bad for both – Redondo broke a toe and will miss three weeks, while Morán twisted his ankle celebrating his goal ( [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif" alt="mad[/IMG] ), so he is out for a month. Hence, both miss the trip to Moscow to play Spartak in the return leg. Maybe both have heard things about Moscow that I haven’t?<P>Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Vidal; Lacruz, Filipescu (Moya 84), �lvarez (Jaliens 59), Ballesteros; Michel, Couto (c) (Gibbens 84), Rufete (Vucko 59); Morán (Miranda 65); Redondo (Esposito 24), Kokmeijer (Esnáider 84).<P>Bayern München (4-2-4): Kahn (c); Backer, Frank De Boer (Bermúdez 59), Kuffour (Maier 59), Babbel; Scholl, Jeremies; Kily González, Santa Cruz, Rebrov (Élber 59), George (Zickler 52).<P>Final score: Cartagonova 1:1 Bayern München
MoM – Fernando Morán

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Surprisingly, Kew Jaliens gets a call-up to the Dutch squad, joining Keith O’Neill, Jurica Vucko and Iulian Filipescu as full internationals in their respective squads. Francisco �lvarez is selected in Spain’s U-21 squad.<P>22nd of August 2004<P>Barcelona gains the early-season psychological advantage over great rival Real Madrid by thrashing them 3-1 in the Spanish Super Cup’s first leg in the Santiago Bernabéu.<P>European Champions’ League – Third Qualifying Phase, 2nd leg: Spartak Moskva v Cartagonova <P>Holding a 4-1 lead on the first leg means that we’re under no pressure to score any goals in the return fixture, while Spartak needs three clear goals to take the tie on away goals. So if we can defend well enough, we’ll make it into the lucrative group stage. Lacruz commits a foul early, picks up a booking, and gives Vidal an early preview of what his next 90 minutes will consist of – stopping Spartak scoring, as Simão thunders a free kick into his safe hands. On 21 minutes, Simão hits the post with a fierce drive with Vidal well beaten, and I start chewing my nails. Kalinichenko hits a long-range volley on 34 minutes that just clears the bar, but we gain a measure of good fortune when Kuzmin idiotically pushes away Esposito in front of the referee who without hesitation orders him from the field! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="smile[/IMG] At half-time, I congratulate the players on their sterling performance to defend the lead, and I tell them that after another 45 minutes of that, we’ll be mixing it with the big boys. But I also get into the ear of Filipescu, who has had a poor first half and needs to pick up his game in the second.<P>Spartak almost gets the start they need to the second half when Bezrodny leaves Lacruz and Couto for dead before curling a delicate shot towards the top corner. Vidal scrambles across to push the shot away, but only into the path of Bezrodny. Vidal clips him as the Russian tries to side-step him, and he falls over theatrically in the box. I hold my breath… no penalty! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] God must truly be smiling on us! Fifty-four minutes into the match, Esposito has our first shot, but he hasn’t got the radar set correct and it flies well wide. Three minutes later, I drag off Filipescu for Jaliens who immediately picks up a yellow card for a tough tackle on an opponent. Parfenov gives away a free kick and Vucko tests the reflexes of the under-utilised Filimonov who doesn’t lose concentration. Kokmeijer gives us a reminder of how dangerous he was in the first leg when he breaks free of his marker’s attentions and blasts a drive towards the top corner, only to see Filimonov get across to turn it away. But as the minutes tick by, we can see the Spartak Moskva players lose their motivation and hope and we’re able to close out the match to earn a 0-0 draw and passage into the Champions’ League proper! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] Vidal is deservedly man of the match.<P>Spartak Moskva (4-4-2): Filimonov; Vlasov, Khizaneyshvili (Rada 57), Kuzmin, Parfenov; Tikhonov (c), Khokhlov, Kalinichenko (Agic 73), Simão; Shirko, Bezrodny<P>Cartagonova (4-1-2-1-2): Vidal; Lacruz, Filipescu (Jaliens 57), �lvarez, Ballesteros; Couto (c); Michel, Rufete; Vucko; Esposito, Kokmeijer.<P>Final score: Spartak Moskva 0:0 Cartagonova
Aggregate: Cartagonova 4:1 Spartak Moskva
MoM – Iván Vidal

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For our troubles, we’re drawn in a tough group, with Bayern München obviously the favourite to advance. But Monaco and Panathinaikos won’t be easy to defeat, particularly on the road. But we are rewarded financially with UEFA depositing £1.8 million into our account.<P>Fernando Couto’s international career is not over, as Portugal names him in the squad to meet Croatia in a fortnight.<P>27th of August 2004<P>Two goals in fourteen minutes are enough to allow Porto to sink Barcelona in Monaco this evening.<P>29th of August 2004<P>Primera Liga – Game 1: Cartagonova v Alavés<P>We kick off our league campaign against a club we thrashed 4-0 in the corresponding fixture last season. When Michel feeds Esposito on 5 minutes and the Italian striker forces Dudek into a fine save, I think a repeat could be on the cards. When Rufete’s corner is thundered home by Michel on 15 minutes, I’m even more confident. But the eleven, all of whom played against Spartak last Wednesday, seem a little reticent about building on the goal and it takes Kokmeijer to try his luck on 40 minutes to wake up the crowd who had fallen into a doze in the hot weather. Sequeiros tests Vidal’s reflexes a moment later, but fortunately, he is still awake and denies Alavés an equaliser close to the break. <P>After the break, Kokmeijer has two chances to extend our lead, but he blasts both shots wide of Dudek’s goal. Even Michel can’t hit the target on 60 minutes when fed by Lacruz and I’m growing anxious on the sidelines. Wisio is allowed to break free and he crosses dangerously into the box where Sequeiros out-jumps his marker and heads, thankfully, at Vidal. My heart is finally settled with nine minutes to play when Lacruz sends a great ball through to Esposito, who uses his pace and dribbling skills to clear the Alavés defence before sending a shot whizzing into the far corner! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] Only now do I relax with the points clearly in the bag. But Javi Moreno keeps us on tenterhooks when he fires at Vidal, only for the keeper to turn it aside.<P>Cartagonova (4-3-1-2): Vidal; Lacruz, Filipescu, �lvarez, Ballesteros; Michel, Couto (c), Rufete; Vucko; Esposito, Kokmeijer (Esnáider 89).<P>Alavés (4-2-4): Dudek (c); Wisio, Mayo, Sandy, Lara (Contra 79); Castaño, Gabsi (Patri 67); Figueroa, Iván Pérez (Moreno 56), Sequeiros, Epitié.<P>Final score: Cartagonova 2:0 Alavés
MoM – Mauro Esposito

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Barcelona rubbed it into Real Madrid’s face, defeating their rivals 2-1 in the Nou Camp to take the Spanish Super Cup 5-2 on aggregate.<P>News that George Clegg of Sunderland and formerly Manchester United is on the market sends me into action. I fax Sunderland a £2.5 million bid for the impressive midfielder and when Billy Davies informs me that my bid has been successful, I personally fly to the north of England to talk a deal with the player. I bring some ‘doctored’ pictures with me of the facilities that await him – it shows a space-age stadium with excellent training facilities reminiscent of Real Madrid, rather than Cartagonova! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif" alt="wink[/IMG] I coolly deflect questions about the true state of the facilities that Clegg’s agent has reputedly taken from the Internet. Can’t believe everything you read on that thing! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] He wants to be an important player and then demands an unbelievably low £775/week! I almost choke on my tea when I hear his agent outline that demand. Then I hear the trade-off – an absurdly low release clause of just £700,000. I’m willing to increase his wages to approximately £3,000/week, but only if he agrees to a min. release clause of £5 million.<P>30th of August 2004<P>It doesn’t take the young English midfielder long to make up his mind. Just as I’m about to board my plane back to Madrid, my mobile rings. It is Clegg’s agent, informing me that his client is delighted to agree terms. “Excellent,� I say in my perfect English. “I’ll see him on the 15th of December. You do know how to get your client to Cartagena, don’t you?�<P>“Cartagena!� splutters the oily agent. “I thought he was going to Mallorca! He wants to go to Ibiza! He loves the beach!�<P>“Oh, we have that, mate,� I say amusedly. “It might be a little black and sticky, but there is a beach… somewhere around, anyway.�

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2nd of September 2004<P>I’ll be able to off-load Roberto Sosa in the winter as he agrees terms with Pescara, rejecting the offer from San Lorenzo. I’ll receive, in total, £650,000 for the Argentine striker, as he returns to Italy: Roberto Sosa (29 y/o, ARG, S C): 4(2) apps, 5 goals, 1 assist, 1 MoM, av. rate: 7.67.<P>3rd of September 2004<P>Francisco �lvarez is selected in Spain’s match against Austria, helping the Spaniards defeat Austria 3-0 in Vienna.<P>4th of September 2004<P>Iulian Filipescu appeared for Romania, but came back home disappointed with his country’s 2-0 loss to Finland.<P>7th of September 2004<P>Francisco �lvarez continues to impress for Spain’s U-21 side as he did well against the Poles. Spain won 3-1.<P>8th of September 2004<P>Now I’m experiencing the frustration all club managers do when their players come back from international matches with injury. Kew Jaliens made his debut for Holland against Denmark in Amsterdam, but lasted only 17 minutes before he was carried off on a stretcher. Louis van Gaal, to his credit, phones me directly after the match to tell me the bad news. My defender will miss up to two months with a torn groin muscle. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif" alt="mad[/IMG] At least the Dutch went on to defeat Denmark 3-0, but it isn’t the debut Jaliens would like to remember, I’m sure.<P>At least there is better luck for Filipescu – he helps his country draw 1-1 with Russia in Moscow. Couto shows there is still life in those old legs as he turns out for Portugal against Vucko’s Croatia. Couto plays 63 minutes before being substituted while Vucko sits the whole match on the bench. They drew 1-1 in Lisbon.<P>Keep smiling! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG]
Dixie Flatline

Raptor

We'll keep smiling alright [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG]<P>Still catching up again, but time for a thumbs up I feel. Even after all these seasons, the story is still top class [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="smile[/IMG]<P>You know there's a UCMS applications thread out there right? [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif" alt="wink[/IMG]

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Thank you very much for the praise, Raptor. Sorry it's taken a couple of days to get back to you but I finally got my computer back from repairs and I needed a couple of days to 'settle' back into it! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="smile[/IMG] But it's the weekend, so I will keep up the writings (only if you keep up the readings! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] ).<P>Cartagonova comes alive!<P>11th of September 2004<P>Primera Liga – Game 2: Celta Vigo v Cartagonova<P>Back to what really matters – club football, and a dangerous visit to Vigo to play Celta, who are still no doubt smarting over the fact that we denied them Champions’ League football this season. Celta have rid themselves of the troublesome Edú but things aren’t peachy in Vigo, with important players like Andrés Olivera, Diego Ribera and Jesuli all unhappy about different things. Still, it doesn’t stop Ribera slaloming his way through our defence after just four minutes and bludgeoning a shot past Vidal’s gloved hands. [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif" alt="frown[/IMG] But we only need to wait eight minutes for an equaliser when strong pressure on the Vigo defence forced them to cough up the ball. It falls at the feet of Vucko who feeds Kokmeijer, and the Dutch striker opens his domestic account with a rasping, low drive! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="smile[/IMG] But Celta’s players are determined to lead into the break and Vidal makes a string of saves. But Esposito forces Mattias Asper into a fine stop on 37 minutes just to remind our opponent that we possess our own threat. Yet, we remain on the back foot and Ribera and then Jaime Quesada blast fierce shots at goal that are turned aside by the strong finger-tips of Vidal.<P>Things aren’t much different after the break, with Vágner testing Vidal early with a powerful header. I decide that strengthening the defence with Stubbs would be preferable to seeing Filipescu beaten time and again, but just as the Englishman takes up his position, Esposito signals to the physios for immediate assistance. Luckily, Redondo passed a fitness test in the morning and he replaces the Italian striker on 52 minutes. It is the turning point, especially after the referee rules out Quesada’s scoring effort for off-side on 71 minutes! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif" alt="eek[/IMG] That was too close and it sparks our forwards into life. Redondo tees up Kokmeijer only for the Dutchman to hit the side-netting so on 77 minutes, Redondo does it himself – taking Rufete’s cross in his stride, he dances his way through the Celta defence before slamming a drive into the top corner! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif" alt="big grin[/IMG] But it isn’t quite over yet as Ribera twice cuts our defence into ribbons with his dribbling skills late in the match but his full-tilt runs aren’t rewarded with a goal, thankfully.<P>Celta Vigo (1-2-5-2): Asper; SantamarÃ*a; Quique Ã�lvarez, Bravo (c); Fábio Aurélio (Numan 53), Schmildhalter (Jesuli 76), De Pedro, Vágner, Jaime Quesada; Olivera, Diego Ribera. <P>Cartagonova (4-1-2-1-2): Vidal; Lacruz, Filipescu (Stubbs 51), Óscar Ã�lvarez, Ballesteros; Couto (c); Michel, Rufete; Vucko; Esposito (Redondo 52), Kokmeijer.<P>Final score: Celta Vigo 1:2 Cartagonova
MoM – Diego Ribera<P>Two wins from two games is a good way to start the season and we are the early ladder leaders, although the rest of the league play tomorrow.

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12th of September 2004<P>Espanyol’s huge 5-1 victory over Real Zaragoza enables the Barcelona club to overtake us at the top of the ladder thanks to a superior goal difference.<P>14th of September 2004<P>Before I describe the action from our first group match in the European Champions’ League, let me take the time to quickly summarise what type of opponents we face in the first phase. <P>Bayern München is the punters’ favourite to take top spot in our group, Group B. Bayern’s fortunes turn on the performances of its formidable strike force, Norway’s captain, Christer George, Paraguayan international, Roque Santa Cruz, and Ukrainian international, Sergei Rebrov. Manager Ottmar Hitzfeld supports these jewels in the crown with players of the experience and calibre of Portuguese international, João Pinto, Dutch international, Frank de Boer, and German internationals, Markus Babbel and Jens Jeremies. It is an experienced squad, with an average age of almost 30, and there isn’t much that Bayern won’t be prepared for.<P>Cartagonova battled its way from the bottom division in Spain’s football league to fourth place and a spot in the European Champions’ League last season. And Señor Flatline is determined to make the most of the club’s opportunity to perform at the highest level in Europe’s club competitions. In José Redondo, he has one of the most prolific forwards in Spain, while club captain, Fernando Couto, is no stranger to the big-time occasion, playing for clubs like Lazio and Barcelona in his decorated career. <P>The Spanish club will be fighting it out with Monaco for that second qualifying position behind Bayern. Monaco, the club from the principality, always has the wages to afford some of the best players in France, but its performance in European competitions hasn’t been good, to say the least. Still, a strong defence and some quality midfielders, particularly former Parma winger, Johan Micoud, and Ludovic Guily should pose a particular threat to their opponents in this group.<P>Panathinaikos will hope that it isn’t in Group B merely to make up the numbers and any club that boasts a player of the talent like Mark Viduka is a club that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Greek club needed to defeat the gigantic AC Milan in the qualifying stages, and they did so with a magnificent 3-0 victory in the historic San Siro stadium. Any team capable of pulling off such a stunning upset is surely no easy-beats, and any club taking Panathinaikos lightly will do so at their peril.