SC Freiburg : Keeping The Dream Alive

No, the title of the article wasn’t meant to be based on the cheesy tune by Münchener Freiheit: “Keeping The Dream Alive”, but it’s apt for the remarkable year that SC Freiburg have had.



As the saying goes what a difference a year makes. At the 2011 winter break Freiburg were a shambles with only 13 points, disharmony in the dressing room and a chorus of fat ladies warming up the vocals to signal their end in the top division. In an unusual step for Freiburg they sacked the manager Marcus Sorg and on December 30 they appointed Christian Streich.

Finally Papiss Cissé who had been their leading goalscorer and focal point was finally sold to Newcastle in January for €12 million which was their biggest ever transfer fee. In addition to selling Cisse, there was a clearout including Japanese international Kisho Yano and former captain Heiko Butscher.

Turnaround

It wasn't an easy start for Streich as it took time for the players to understand what he wanted and demanded from them. The turning point last season was the 0-0 with Bayern Munich, this installed the self belief in the squad who were then able to continue their remarkable turnaround playing some excellent football and finished last season on 40 points which was 9 points clear of Hertha Berlin in the relegation playoff spot.


SC Freiburg

Freiburg's club philosophy of developing youth, an excellent scouting network, playing attacking and technical football gave them the name "Breisgau Brazilians" was founded under Volker Finke who was a legendary figure of the club as manager from 1991-2007. Finke's long gone but many things he built up and the essential philosophy still remains. Streich has taken what Finke built, adapted it to modern times and imposed his own personality and interpretation with outstanding results so far.

Streich has been with the club since 1995 mostly as the youth manager. He fully understands the SC Freiburg football philosophy and is putting into practice. Once he took over he changed the formation to 4-4-2, but it's not so rigid as it would be in England where tactical flexibility for the most part is a dirty concept.

When they have the ball there is plenty of movement up front, the forwards will drop back and the attacking midfielders will push forward with Makiadi being the glue. In defence they play a very intensive pressing game compressing the space the opposition have as little space as possible, so they can hit well on the counter when the opposition turn over the ball.

Streich has achieved two big coaching scalps this season. He ended Felix Magath's run at Wolfsburg, the only people that miss him are the shady agents as he was always up for a deal. The second victim was Huub Stevens of Schalke after the 3-1 defeat.


Streich takes down another coach

This season they have the second best defensive record behind Bayern, though from the goal they conceded against Schalke last week this would be hard to believe. Streich asks a lot from his players in this demanding system, since the self belief in the squad is so high they will do anything for him. This creates the pleasant problem of competition for places within the team.

As enjoyable it is to watch Freiburg play and succeeded in spite of having one of the smallest budgets in the Bundesliga. Half the enjoyment is watching Christian Streich on the sideline during the matches, lets say he puts the stereotype of robotic German to the sword. Raphael Honigstein called him the Breisgau Bielsa . As much as there are similarities there are clear differences. Bielsa doesn't have a section of the local newspaper dedicated to his weekly sayings.


Christian Streich Shuffle

Streich of the Week

Streich is a cult figure with the Freiburg fans and this isn't surprising with some of his comments. An example where it's all about the team which deflects the pressure of him is this quote. In reality there could be a whole blog dedicated to Striechisms. "The team doesn’t have to win. We only need to die sometime. But we don’t need to win.” Resurrection


The Badische Zeitungs description of Streich is perfect. He is a football philosopher, genuine, authentic and a total cult hero. The fact the comments are made in a strong Markgräflerlander dialect makes them even more unique. Here is the link to Striech of the week. The first one "Where is the mustard" and the last one about the good and the rubbish about football on TV. Streich of the Week

Europa League

Freiburg have a new set of challenges after their excellent start to the season. It will be interesting to see whether they get some new players from other clubs or they promote from the youth team. They have made the quarter finals of the Gerrman Cup and have drawn Mainz which is a winnable match for them, especially since Bayern and Dortmund have drawn each other in one of the quarter finals.

Currently they are in the Europa League spot with 26 points and would be a brilliant achievement if Freiburg were able to finish within the Europa League positions it would be richly deserved after all the work Striech and the team have done. Since Streich has taken over in 36 matches he has won 16, drawn 11 and lost 9 with a 44.44% winning percentage which is outstanding with a small tea,.

Freiburg are a template for many smaller clubs on a tight budget to follow, excellent scouting, investing in youth development and giving these players an opportunity to grow as players. It's important that they have an identity and a philosophy which they believe in irrespective of size. Streich the philsopher has done this and is keeping the dream alive.

Wigan : The Next Phase

Momentum and confidence if these were commodities, then their share price would be higher than rhodium. When a team or an individual has momentum they hold onto it for as long as possible and to ensure the decline isn't as steep. The other side of the equation, losing becomes a habit leading to a lack of confidence and momentum which lowers morale and is difficult to arrest the slide without major changes in personnel and attitude which take times to adjust.

At the end of last season Wigan Athletic were one of the few teams who didn't want the season to end when it did. After a poor start where relegation was looking likely, they turned it around playing some high quality passing football and getting results eventually surviving comfortably relative to their positon at Christmas.

On the back of that form, the question was Wigan: Where To Now? . Finally Victor Moses was sold to Chelsea, where his career will stall as he needs playing time at this stage of his career not get saddle soreness from warming the bench. Wigan should have held out for money but the best part of business this season was retaining Roberto Martinez as manager especially after the annual silly season speculation on his future.

Not quite there

Wigan's start to the season has been mixed. As with Roberto Martinez sides they tend to struggle early as they incorporate new signings into the specific system that Martinez wants Wigan to play. Naturally it's easier to get adjusted to the Stoke City or West Ham where the ball bypasses the midfield and a chimpanzee with minimal training could fit into their systems. Once the players get used to it, then we have seen the results for the Latics.


Roberto Martinez

Of the five league matches so far, only the Stoke City match at home would classify as 2 points thrown away. Wigan had more than enough chances to bury Stoke, but that's the old Wigan disease of not converting chances, it only takes a defensive lapse to be punished. The first 15 minutes against Chelsea and last half against Man United were poor. Defensively they lost their shape and discipline, this is the easiest part of the game to get right, yet the most neglected. No, it doesn't mean having 10-0-0 but it's about reading the play and having good decision making.

What the season has confirmed so far that the gap between the starting 11 and the squad players needs to close. Yes, the two League Cup wins which the reserves have shone has been positive though it's at a lower level.

Depth

Watson and Gomez should never start together, yet they are among the first subs to used. Gomez while he has good technique his decision making is poor, he passes when he should shoot and vice versa. With he and Watson the passing tempo is so slow than the Over 45s pub team could get men behind the ball. Wigan are at their best when the tempo is varied and not so narrow which was a problem against Fulham, a team they've also struggled with.

For all the stick he gets Alcaraz not being at the centre of defence is a big loss. It took him time to adjust to the EPL , once he adjusted, his partnership with Caldwell flourished and his presence helped Caldwell in other areas. Yes, can tinker in other areas but Alcaraz/Caldwell are the best defensive combination which leads on to the new recruit Ivan Ramis. There have been some differing views on Ramis, it was down to him that Chelsea scored their two goals so early, he got a bath and tough introduction into the league. Yes, he defended like Harald Ramis in that match and the price tag at the time was high. It'll take time for him to adjust and think eventually he will do so, currently he has a way to go.


Franco Di Santo

A few things Fulham match showed was that Wigan miss Franco di Santo. Never thought that I'd say that and mean it. Yes, I have been pretty critical of di Santo previously, he was one along with Beausejour who wished last season hadn't ended when it did. He gained confidence from that, while he'll never score plenty of goals he can hold the ball well, has good technique and his presence has helped Kone settle in quickly. Di Santo/Kone has shown promising signs of a fruitful partnership which is something Wigan has lacked previously.

When di Santo wasn't there, the attacking options were poor with Beausejour just hitting crosses and hoping for the best. Kone needs the ball to feet to be most effective and di Santo is a perfect foil. Ryo Miyaichi and Callum McManaman showed some positive signs in their cameos against Fulham. As the season progresses, hope they will get more opportunities and develop as Wigan need pace and width to stretch the defences to create space for Maloney, Kone and di Santo.


Arouna Kone

So far the season hasn't been bad for Wigan, but they need to improve their home form. The squad players have to take their opportunities when offered. Controlling the tempo when in possession was vital to their revival, not just pedestrian passes which do nothing except build up possession stats.

Saturday's match against Sunderland is an important one even at this stage of the season. Hopefully they remember the positive memories of the fixture last year where they did the football a world a favour and helped Steve Bruce get sacked. More importantly a win here can create positive momentum in the pursuit of an improved final league position.

Manolo Preciado - Always With Us

Football as a sport attracts the most headlines sometimes it's positive, others negative. At times it's a small section of fans misbehaving and a greater section of administrators caring about themselves to detriment of the sport. Constructive criticism is valued, if it wasn't then the football world would be full of sheep without questioning anything.

Thankfully this piece is about the positive aspects of the sport and remembering a larger than life character Manolo Preciado who was given an emotional tribute by both Racing Santander and Sporting Gijón this weekend.

Racing and Sporting with Preciado's family.


Manolo Villarreal shirt signed

June 5 was a big day for Villarreal when they announced Manolo Preciado as their manager who would take them back to the top division. The next day on the eve of presenting Preciado to the press, the Cantabrian died of a heart attack which shook the football world in Spain from clubs and fans alike. Yes, it's been a few months since that day and the tribute wasn't written at that time due to personal issues, plus laziness which would not have given the due respect he deserved.

For those not familiar with Manolo Preciado he was a tough defender played mostly with Racing Santander who he later managed on three separate occasions once the B team and twice with the A side. Besides Racing Santander he also worked with Gimnastica, Levante, Murcia.


Manolo the Player.

Preciado was responsible for bringing Sporting Gijón back into the top division in his second season. He was the longest continous serving manager with Sporting Gijón lasting 6 seasons before being sacked after a poor start in 2011/2012. In spite of this he was and still loved in his adopted city of Gijón.

Apart from keeping Sporting up on a shoestring budget. Preciado's best ever achievement was defeating Real Madrid 1-0 at the Bernabeu which ended Jose Mourinho's 9 year undefeated record at home with the teams he has coached. Still remember de las Cuevas's goal like it was yesterday and the last one he scored more about that wonderful day for sportinguistas Sporting Gijón's greatest day .




Manolo at Sporting

There was a bit of bad blood between Mourinho and Preciado which was started by "The One" criticising Sporting for fielding a weakened side against Barcelona. Preciado kindly told him to shut up, sit with the Sporting ultras. and called him a "canalla" very hard to translate this word but scumbag comes close. After Sporting defeated Real, they sorted it out like men. Mourinho went into the dressing room and shook Preciado's hand. After his death Mourinho came out with some special comments "He had everything I like in people and sportsmen: character, honesty and the courage to fight on.

Why was there such an outpouring of emotion at the news of Preciado's death within the respective football communities. As sport has become more professional it has bought in the age of pampered primadonnas, showponies, don't talk to me unless my agent gets 20%, inflated salaries and players who think perspective is something you buy in a supermarket.

Preciado was definitely his own man, very honest, spoke from the heart and someone that many could relate to on an individual which explains his popularity. He suffered a lot of tragedy in his life his wife died of cancer, one of his sons died in a car accident and last year his father died after being run over. Naturally he wasn't perfect but through his character and strength of personality during these difficult moments made it easy to identify with him.


Preciado Hall of Fame

Racing Santander and Sporting Gijón have close links the more cynically minded would say they extend to some shared results of convenience in recent times to preserve their status in the top flight before relegation. Preciado who was a Racing Santander member (sardinero) through the playing and coaching links, but he was very much loved in his adopted hometown of Gijón. Only the petty minded individuals would fail to see that he belonged to both sides.

It hasn't been easy to find good videos of the homage at Sardinero but representatives from the all the teams that he played for and coached Gimnástica, Levante, Mallorca, Murcia, Villarreal were represented. At the 55th minute of the match both sets of fans applauded for the whole minute the number representing the age which Preciado died.

As per usual the match between the two sides was a draw this time 0-0. Both teams were poor at least Sporting finally have a point after 3 games, the result was fair as they were as bad as each other. Football and the result were secondary to homage from both sets of fans to Preciado.


Manolo always with us

There should be an annual event between Racing and Sporting honouring Preciado, whether it's junior or senior level the Copa Preciado would be fitting after what he did for both clubs. The football stunk but this was the rare occasion where football fans came together to honour and appreciate a man who was such a part of their history without the pettiness.

Wigan: Where To Now?

There are some things that require patience to get the full benefit, but this quality tends to be rare in these times of the instant gratification generation and speed of information sent and processed.

In the Season Preview for Wigan Athletic."I predicted a position of around 13th-15th is possible, anything higher would be a bonus or having to fight on the last day would be stagnation" Both of these objectives were achieved, the last three matches of the season all being wins and providing very different feelings. Newcastle where it was such a joy after a few idiot fans and their manager Alan Pardew had been stirring during the week and were thrashed with scintillating football. Blackburn was tense, but such a relief when survival was guaranteed and Wolves was party time.


Before

This season has been such a contrast, some poor and dire performances in fact before January these were the most commonplace with the odd good showing in between. In all areas it was poor, the midfield wasn't creating any opportunities for the forward, not even holding the ball which is something they have been good for. Up front only goals Franco di Santo was scoring were off deflections, Rodallega poor and Connor Sammon couldn't escape the reel. This was putting pressure on the defence which were making basic errors and general poor decision making within the squad.

Attack wise they were impotent it seemed like they were stuck in last season mode when in doubt pass it to Charlie N'Zogbia see what he can up with. Yes, it was a team effort just most players not playing well at the same time apart from Diame and Al Habsi, others had their moments just not many of them.

After

It's important to remember the poor and difficult times at the start of season, as not to get too caught up with the hype of the great finish and revival of the season. The Wigan Revival has been great to watch seeing the transformation of the team with no confidence, not wanting the ball to one dominating Man U, Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea (blind officials notwithstanding) with their possession football, off the ball movement, mixing it up going wide and in the middle.


Great Day


Tactically it took Roberto Martinez some time to get the tactics and formation he wanted with the players that he has. The 3 at the back was able to use Jean Beausejour down the left and Boyce down the right to the best of their attacking abilities and they drop back in defence to make it 5 at the back. Beausejour and Maloney have been instrumental in the creative side since Wigan lack a goalscorer they were able to get contributions from all over the park. Fortunately there weren't many injuries during this period. Martinez was able field a stable side and this is the situation managers’ love when it's because of the high quality play and not through a lack of viable alternatives.



Wigan's recovery and survival this season has been admirable as there was no panic from the club, no knee jerk reactions into sacking Martinez and they stuck to their principles of playing good football. It's very similar to another one of my favourite sides SC Freiburg, a small club, that plays excellent football, not great finances but they did it their way Resurrection . There are places for these kinds of clubs within football world. It's important that what was achieved at the end of the season with the results and style of football doesn't come to nowt.


Future

What happens in the summer is vital for the development of Wigan Athletic as a club. It can go in many ways so it's better to deal with the negatives first.

There are advantages of being a small club, players and managers can develop in a quieter environment without the spotlight on them, as they learn their trade, make mistakes and learn from them which doesn’t happen at the bigger clubs as expectations are different. Naturally the flipside to this, as soon as a Wigan player has a good season then they automatically become a transfer target for bigger sides. This is just par for the course and the way football operates.

Hugo Rodallega, Mo Diame, Gohouri and Kirkland are all leaving on free transfers, personally it would have been better if Diame was kept unless they turn Sammon into a defensive midfielder because he isn't scoring goals. Now with the silly season is here the big transfer targets are Victor Moses and Roberto Martinez which are interesting and annoying at the same time.

Victor Moses aka The Saviour is a big talent who has done well this season but in reality he is still too raw to move to a big club at the moment. His agent like most agents don't care about their clients just to take the biggest cut for themselves at the expense of finding clubs that can further their clients’ football development. Yes, Moses has great pace and can beat a man easily, while he has improved his decision making on the field it's still poor and the final ball isn't there. It would be better for him to stay for 1-2 seasons get the rougher edges out of the game, and then get the big move to a decent team unlike say Charles N'Zogbia for example.

Roberto Martinez

Naturally the club is the key and the one that needs to have the strongest structures as players and managers come and go. Since the revival now every club seems to want hire Roberto Martinez as their manager Aston Villa, Liverpool, Wigan Warriors, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Barcelona, WBA, The Orwell Pub for example. It's strange really it's like what has happened before the revival has been forgotten about with Martinez. It's the classic instant gratification and bandwagon of the month syndrome, it's not like he has taken Wigan into Europe and this comes from someone who has and will continue to back Martinez at the club.




It would be silly for Martinez to move next season. Naturally there are those who will argue got to strike when the iron is hot or he has taken Wigan as far as he can and they're entitled to believe this. Reasons as to why it would be silly for him to go to Villa or Liverpool at the current times, yes they are bigger clubs and he will move to a bigger club but timing is the key for any successful move especially in football. It's very difficult to rebuild a broken reputation as a manager look at Steve McClaren for example.

He is a young manager and it's taken 3 seasons for him to finally get the football he wants from his team, let’s see if Wigan can do it for the whole season so there is a challenge for him there. If he is able to achieve this then he can have nearly any attractive job he wants. There are close bonds with the club and the chairman Dave Whelan who does talk a lot of rubbish, even then he has his moments of clarity.

With Dalglish being sacked from Liverpool, Martinez is the bookies favourite for the job. Liverpool fans don't want him for the job, they want instant success and they won't give time to managers who aren't club legends. Yes, Liverpool is a big name club, they expect and want a big name manager. At the moment they're trading on past glories and the type of football Martinez wants will take time to implement. Can't see the fans having patience when the player struggle initially to adapt. Then there are the dressing room egos Martinez doesn't have enough of a ruthless streak to deal with people that want him to fail because he isn't one of them.

Ideally for Wigan Roberto Martinez would be with Wigan for another 2-3 seasons. The style of football will be entrenched, the youth teams should be playing this style and a replacement for Martinez can be found within the existing structure. There are successful templates for small clubs to follow Udinese are the ultimate example with great scouting, buy low, sell high make profits on player sales, play good attacking football and have achieved success despite their limited size and income streams.

On a smaller scale there are guys like Volker Finke, Foppe de Haan and Guy Roux use Google if necessary. These guys were long term managers at Freiburg, Heerenveen and Auxerre they set the template for how their clubs play attacking football through the ranks, excellent scouting, focusing on youth development. Their legacy to their respective clubs is assured and the clubs have survived in good and bad times, adapting to changing trends in the sport.



Kids are always honest

Whether or not Wigan can build upon their excellent finish to the end of season depends on retaining Roberto Martinez. Getting good replacements within budget that have the potential to suit the system, getting a loan deal from Man City since we helped them win the title. It's time for Whelan to start negotiating terms with Roberto Martinez and get it sorted quickly, better for the players, the fans and all concerned.

No matter whether Martinez stays loyal for now or succumbs to the instant gratification of the filthy lucre and fans who won't have patience if they aren't winning instantly. The club will always be bigger than any one person.

Wigan Athletic - Standing Together, Side By Side

These are interesting times at Wigan Athletic. Each club has different objectives for the season, some it's winning the title, others attempting to get into Europe and for Wigan it's preserving its status in the Premier League. The longer they preserve their status the more it irritates some members of the press, fans of other clubs and poor articles like this Reading Are A Better Fit Than Wigan In PL


Not so long ago, there were many Latics fans that thought that the 7 year stay in the Premier League was coming to end. The football was slow, pedestrian, the squad lacked belief. Fans were angry, Roberto Martinez has to go, the boo boys were having a field day with Jordi Gomez in addition to the usual tripe about the lack of Latics fans. It would please a lot of people Paul Merson, Robbie Savage, the usually well balanced Shaka Hislop called them a poor side. It's what you do on the pitch that counts, if not Leeds United would always be in the EPL cause they have big crowds.

Everything has a beginning and an end. In this context of the remarkable form turn around was the very poor match against Swansea was the beginning. Roberto Martinez was the man who set up the Swansea structure and style of football. They were getting a lot of positive press for their football and Brendan Rodgers added his own character to their side. After their 2-0 win, it was like they play the Wigan style of football better than Wigan.


Disgusting

Wigan are one of the few sides that hold fan meetings where they can ask questions to Martinez, it was a credit to Martinez for fronting some angry people and no. it was not held in a telephone booth. In the 7 matches since the Swansea debacle, Wigan have gained 14 points from 4 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss and the loss to Chelsea was marred by officials who didn't know the rules and lacked functioning eyesight.

Form Reversal

What has changed in these 7 matches, if some visionary was able to bottle confidence as a commodity then it would be worth more than gold, oil, rhodium, saffron and truffles combined. It was no coincidence in the 2nd half of Norwich when Shaun Maloney made an appearance on the field. There were search parties out there looking for the diminutive Scotsman but when he came on he added more dynamism to the midfield than what Gomez was providing. Maloney's presence just in that half alone galvanised the team and it was the spark needed.



Wigan 1 Man U 0

The match with WBA will never be forgotten and also highlighted the old Wigan disease a lack of a goalscorer. Wigan so many chances and WBA had one chance and drew the match. Instead of getting down on themselves they were able to bounce back beating Liverpool at Anfield.


There have been so many highlights recently for a Latics fan. Normally they just assume the bend over position for Man United who have their way them. Not this time they got Man U a bit flat, but they outplayed them with brilliant possession football and as talented as Victor Moses is, his decision making skills are awful and you'd back the overs on whether he'll score or not. It should have been more and Taggart Ferguson was very complimentary to the team. After that they came out and beat Arsenal though Mr. Wenger was his sour self and forgets about the timewasting his team have done against Wigan.


Who are you kidding Mr. Wenger

Before these recent moments, the only highlight was beating Sunderland 2-1 away in which was Steve Bruce's last game, so Sunderland fans were happy as well. Considering Bruce is one of the main reasons that Wigan had so much debt which thankfully has been reduced over time.

Wigan as a unit with Al Habsi being brilliant in goal, the defence is settled and yes while they lack a goalscorer something that needs to be addressed in the off season. Previously when the passing was pedestrian, the players static, not making the runs for the passes to go into space. Now, the players want the ball to their feet, changing the tempo when needed and instead of being passive when it comes to scoring, they are sharing the goalscoring throughout the side which alleviates the pressure of not having a profilic striker. When di Santo and Gomez are scoring, then you know there is confidence in the squad. Everyone has lifted their game and are putting Roberto Martinez's tactics into place and now they're getting the rewards for playing good passing football.

This revival is very similar to SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga. Both are small clubs, play attractive football, have excellent young players that they know will depart eventually and need the transfer revenue.In January both were written off as relegation bound, but have managed to turn their fortunes around while sticking to their principles and backing their respective managers. Now they are in a position that their league status is determined by their own ability and not needing other results.


Roberto Martinez

While the Wigan revival from relegation fodder to potentially escaping the drop while playing entertaining football is good news. As usual there is a counter point to this with some destabilisation tactics within the press with an agenda. First of all the nonsense that Roberto Martinez is leaving the club at the end of season by the Daily Mail coming out on the day of the Manchester United match. Martinez has a rolling contract and as long as Diamond Dave Whelan is there, don't see him going anywhere just yet. Now it's Victor Moses agent stirring rubbish trying to get a better deal for himself and not caring about his client. A good agent waits for the right deal for his client where the style of football would suit them and no N'Zogbia isn't the example to follow.

Survival isn't guaranteed but the last four matches with Fulham, Newcastle, Blackburn and Wolves, it's not the hardest draw to have best of all destiny is their own hands, Martinez knows the job isn't done yet and if they survive this season it will be extra special since the recent death of Jack Sudworth for those who don't know if it wasn't for him, then there'd be no Wigan Athletic. Standing together side by side in good and bad moments.

Thanks for the memories Manolo Preciado, the relegation battle continues

Thanks for the memories Manolo Preciado, the relegation battle continues

Last week Sporting Gijón decided to sack one of the bigger characters in La Liga the Cantabrian Manolo Preciado who was the longest serving manager in La Liga. He took over at the club in 2006, leading Sporting back into the top division and kept them up them up for 3 seasons.

Manolo in better times

With a club that has meagre resources, lack of income coming in from TV rights, having to sell their best players to survive. For Sporting their goals are pretty simple, preserving their status in La Liga, of course it would be great to say they could challenge for the title or European places but it’s delusional at best.

His best achievement was leading Sporting to defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, in the process calling Jose Mourinho a canalla, and like men they sorted it out afterwards, still a great moment.

Sporting Gijón 1-0 Real Madrid

Sporting had an awful start to the season with only 1 point from their first 8 matches, sure they played Atletico, Barcelona, Sevilla and Valencia in that time. Preciado had managed to turn it around with some reasonable results, while their position before the winter break wasn’t great there were no major indications of Preciado getting fired

After the winter break is where the heat was on Preciado, especially with the awful 5-1 loss to fellow relegation candidates Real Sociedad, it’s not like Sporting were playing Real Madrid or Barcelona in fact neither of those two sides had put 5 past Sporting in the last 2 seasons. This was the catalyst to Preciado’s sacking, football is such a results business and Vega-Arango delivered the final blow.

At the same time one has to look at the squad, there are a few good players there and they’re plucky, but Diego Castro was the inspiration last season and they haven’t been able to replace him. Miguel de las Cuevas hasn’t stepped up to fill the creative void. Sporting have usually been solid defensively, the manner of the recent defeats and poor defensive organisation is alarming.

Players are the ones who have to take responsibility for their poor performances. This was not all down to Preciado, you can’t have prime beef when you don’t have the best cattle. This is the problem even the critics of Preciado and others unhappy with the current position of the club, that the alternatives available aren’t likely to get any more out of the squad.

Thankfully Michel wasn’t appointed as the new manager, one he isn’t that good as a manager, two Marca keep pimping him out for any managerial vacancy and most importantly it’s hard to like a guy when you’re used to hearing the Michel Michel maricón chant.


Iñaki Tejada was the logical appointment, as he has been in the Sporting set up as an assistant under Preciado and former manager Marcelino. If he can preserve Sporting’s status in La Liga, then his reputation will grow and perhaps be a front runner to have the job for next season.

Normally when a club sacks a coach, the team normally win or play at a higher level. Huge surprise there as they are worried about their position in the side under the new guy, so they put in more effort and perhaps take responsibility for their performances which wasn’t happening previously.


Iñaki Tejada

Sporting will be frustrated with the 1-1 against Osasuna, sure it was an improved performance from the one against Real Sociedad then again it wouldn’t be hard to improve upon that. If confidence was a commodity then it would fetch higher prices than gold or truffles.

After taking the lead Sporting didn’t seize the initiative, they became conservative letting Osasuna back into the contest and they levelled with a good header. Once Osasuna levelled, they grew in confidence pressed harder for the second goal and it needed some good work from Juan Pablo who has been one of Sporting’s best this season to hold onto the draw.

Yes, there was the great goal from Trejo to steal the win against Malaga, but too many times they have conceded late goals to either cost them a draw or a win matches against Espanyol, Athletic and the clearest example Zaragoza.

Real test for Tejada is coming in the next 5 weeks up against Valencia, Atletico, Racing, Barcelona and Sevilla. Last season Sporting got excellent results against the better sides which secured survival earlier than normal, time for the players to have a good look at themselves and rise to the challenge.

Naturally I hope Sporting survive, but the same problems are still there and have been magnified. There is an overall lack of quality in the squad, sure Botia when in form is quality, Barral tries hard but de las Cuevas has to improve. Struggling to produce players from the youth academy, unsurprisingly when kids from Asturias are taken by better funded clubs, in addition to the lack of firepower and defensive issues, this will be a difficult situation to escape from.


Preciado Hall of Fame

Manolo Preciado has suffered enough in life, losing his wife, son and father, that being sacked by a football club isn’t the end for him. He did wonderful things for the club and very happy to hear that he will be a member of the club until he dies. It would be good if Racing Santander and Sporting Gijón could play for some trophy to be associated with Preciado considering his links to both clubs.

He will be missed by Sporting fans and neutrals alike who like different characters in a world that is homogenised by blandness within the sports world.