For the unitiated, [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Manuel_EsnalMané[/url is a 58-year-old Basque former Mallorca, Levante and Athletic Bilbao manager who is perhaps most famous for leading Alaves to the 2001 UEFA Cup Final against Liverpool. However the following season they were relegated to the Segunda and he hasn't really hit those heights since then.

He's got an uphill task dealing with one of the most porous defences in La Liga. They really haven't recovered from losing Zabaleta and Riera.

thanks sir

can't believe you didn't mention his time at lleida!


by the way, starting to regret going for sevilla and atletico to win league w/o barça, madrid!
pablo piatti still playing well though

Almeria suffering a bit of a slump though. Squad lacks depth IMO and they dearly miss Felipe Melo who is undergoing a hit-and-miss first season at Fiorentina. Just goes to show what a fantastic job Emery did there. They've got options up front with Negredo and Piatti in good nick so they should score enough goals to stay out of the relegation scrap.

Speaking of Unai Emery, according to Marca his current club's financial woes persist, apparently they are facing some rather large loan repayments to Bancaja by the end of the year which could paralyse them financially.

luckily for them theyve got some big names who arent as good as a few clubs may think they are.
id flog a few of them to clubs like newcastle, spurs, liverpool

i today's paper that valencia need to find €50million by the end of the year.
villa to be raffled off in january?

Apparently Manchester Citys new owners were willing to pay Iker Casillas' buy out clause of £128 million and pay him just under £230,000 a week for his services. Only for Iker to turn it down!



Thank god.

Also Huntelaar has signed for Real Madrid until 2013 (Think it was then), and will Join Madrid on 2nd January.

he's a lifer


madrid buying yet another crock. won't be fit till end of january

Aye, Imo Real need a striker with pace. Would love Eto'o back but theres more chance of hell freezing over!

Real will probably sign Di Maria in January, too.

They need a right winger IMO, not a left winger. Another left back is needed, too.

Said before Gael Clichy would be a really good signing if they could pull him away from Arsenal. Heinze seems to be on his way to Liverpool.

New centre half needed too. Canavaro is past it now. Pepe is too inconsistant and Garay I don't see starting for Madrid next year just yet.
Also reckon Metzelder will end up back in Germany.

So for me a new left back, central defender and pacey striker.
Carzola would of been a terrific buy if they got him and is playing really well at Villareal.

I'm going to get accused of rose-tinted spectacles here but I beg to differ - he's more than ready. He's exactly what they need, a calm, mature and intelligent presence at the back. Real wouldn't have spent £9m on him just to continually farm him out on loan/let him fester in the B team.

He and Pepe are the future central defensive pairing, and it was supposed to be Ramos on the right and Marcelo on the left but obviously that's not clicking.

Gago had another shocker at the weekend, he really is poor. They need De La Red back in rude health pronto.

I'd be surprised if Liverpool signed Heinze, unless it was for peanuts, I can't see Rafa splashing the cash on a past it, ageing Heinze.

We've been heavily rumoured with defenders Mathias Jorgensen and Aislan.

So unless Heinze was available for next to nothing, then I can't see many big sides going for him.


As for Garay, I think he's more than good enough to play at Madrid. I doubt whether he and Pepe will work together, I like Pepe but he seems to play too much, he makes things harder than he should and he often pays the price. Garay is only young, although he's mature, I still think they need an organizer, somebody better than Cannavaro, though...