Skip to main content

Positives from the Cádiz game? No. (13th March, 2017)

Zero.

Rayo had zero shots on goal. None. Zilch. Na-da.

Meanwhile, Cádiz had a shot cleared off the line, a misplaced back-pass that should've gone in but was miraculously saved by Paulo Gazzaniga, and a deserved goal scored after a through ball that split the defense while at the same time nutmegging Antonio Amaya - and that was just the first 36 minutes.

They then also hit the post and generally expose Rayo time and again, while Cádiz's goalkeeper made zero saves - 37-year-old Alberto Cifuentes barely moved the whole game.

With this result, Rayo are now 21st out of 22 teams, joint-bottom, and just generally out of ideas. Creating chances isn't the problem - Rayo and Cádiz both had nine shots. The problem is when Patrick Ebert, the attacking midfielder, is shooting from 25+ yards while Manucho barely even tries to make a run. In a 2 vs 3 situation. 

Pablo Clavería came on for Trashorras at half-time, with Jordi Gómez being replaced by Miku, essentially playing with five attackers and asking Clavería to cover the entire midfield area.

What's troubling is that Rayo played better after that. 

Some women's football news - Rayo are 7th in the 16 team league, which means they qualify for the Copa de la Reina. They beat 8th place Santa Teresa 2-0, which means the gap between qualifying for the Cup and not is now seven points. I have to say, the pairing of Natalia Pablos and Sheila García is proving to be deadly - they scored both goals, and Rayo have won four of their last five games. Plus. Natalia's signing was amazing - the few rare occasions where a homegrown player once whisked away actually returns.

Also, Rayo Vallecano may not even be the only men's team in Vallekas that is threatened with relegation. Rayo B are three points from safety, which means they could drop into the regional leagues, something that hasn't happened since 1988.

And, to top it all off, Luis Yáñez - the general manager - delivered a press conference basically said that he wouldn't tolerate anyone who called him shit. 

Wanna dance, you piece of shit? 

You created the marketing ploy of reduced ticket prices for the unemployed (a majority of residents in Vallekas are unemployed). You marketed Paco Jémez paying for Carmen's rent as something the club did, when clearly that was not the case. Forget Presa (and that's calling for a lot), there should be banners saying "Yáñez Vete Ya".

Oh, and by the way, Yáñez was signed from Málaga in 2012, a club he spent four years at while it was bought by Qatari sheikhs - the literal opposite of Rayo. In 2010, he created the consulting firm Yesan to help Córdoba get over credit payments. 

He might be doing that for Rayo very, very soon. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ismael Urzaiz and Salamanca. A 22 team La Liga. Trust and Víctor Casadesús (9th June, 2017)

Salamanca traveled to Albacete to compete for promotion to La Liga with an impossible task on their hands. They had to overturn a 2-0 deficit away from home, against a side that entered La Liga's relegation playoff spots on the final day, and who had scored 44 goals in the league - just four less than Salamanca themselves. As the clock ticked towards the 90th minute, Salamanca were winning 1-0 yet in danger of losing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Born in Tudela, Navarre, Urzaiz began his professional career at Real Madrid's B-side, making his debut in Segunda División in 1989. Despite being a successful youth international, he did not make any La Liga appearances for the first team (however, he did play one game against Odense BK, in the 1990–91 European Cup). Urzaiz spent the 1991–92 season on loan at Albacete Balompié, making his top flight debut when he came on as a substitute against Athletic Bilbao in October 1991. In early 1993, he was loaned to Celta de Vigo

Non-league Incider: St Helens Town 3-0 Atherton Laburnum Rovers

Last game: 8th August: Dulwich Hamlet 2-1 East Thurrock United The previous day, I was blown away by my first ever football match experience. Dulwich Hamlet impressed me, but what impressed me more was the journey. The travel to the stadium was just as enjoyable as the football itself. I had caught the groundhopping bug. There were no games scheduled for the 9th of August. There was one, near Wigan, and all I had booked earlier was a refundable bus ticket from Manchester Airport leaving at quarter past midnight. I should have refunded it. This was a mistake. This whole day was a mistake. I was only slightly hungover from the previous night, but that was nothing compared to this feeling of loss - I couldn't handle the fact that there was a game happening. And I wasn't too far away. Just three hours and a bit. They'll fly by , I thought. I was in autopilot. Something within me made me get up, grab a bag, and get out the door. This wasn't me. I wasn't trave

Non-league Incider: Cray Valley Paper Mills 4-4 Punjab United Gravesend

Last game: 9th August: St Helens Town 3-0 Atherton Laburnum Rovers After ripping up my groundhopping calendar, mostly because I was determined to avoid overnight travel, and partly due to other commitments, there was a period of time where non-league football took a backseat. But that period did not last long. Because of course it didn't. Secretly, I'd loved travelling over ten hours back-and-forth to watch some 10th division football. And this was 9th division football in London. When I had gone to East Dulwich exactly a week back , I had commented on how the amount of graffiti struck me as I watched from on board a southeastern train. I was going the exact same way, but much further this time - then I had stopped at Denmark Hill, now I would have to go six stations further. The graffiti I had thought was so emblematic of south London quickly disappeared, as did the tall buildings desperately cluttered together. We, and by we I mean me, were going to the suburb