The Lunatics have taken over the asylum

By: Armando | February 17th, 2009

Ramon Moya, ex-manager of RCD Espanyol released a statement that the problems facing Espanyol today (having lost so many points and staring the spectre of relegation in the face) started many years ago and that the fault lies squarely on the heads of theblanc-i-blau players.

• The responsibility is on the players, because it does not seem to interest them that there is a trainer. Miguel Angel Lotina or Ernesto Valverde blanquiazul had conflicts with the players. It can’t be that Mane lasted six matches, Márquez eight and now the players come out saying that the present trainer is the best one. It is necessary to be more serious than that and to mark a line. I am an españolista and I do not want to see the day that Espanyol gets relegated to the Segunda, but hope that this is the last season in which the players rule.”

It’s an indictment all right. If it were an isolated stretch of games or a particular trainer’s methods, but it seems from an outsider’s perspective that the club (or I should say the players at the club) are incapable of being directed from without. They concede easy goals, many on set-pieces or from corners. They leave wide open breaks for the opposition counter-attack. They make stupid mistakes, it seems they have a sending off in almost every game. They have no unity of purpose in attack, very few players harry or harrass the opponent’s possession, and ultimately they are way too reliant on the form of three players: Luis Garcia, Raul Tamudo and Ivan de la Pena.

Now I’m not going to character assasinate my club’s best players. Tamudo and Lil Buddha are genuinely hurt (or so they’ve said) but both have been lingering around for fitness. Luis Garcia has had an off year but it could be that the onus is squarely on his slight shoulders and he can’t bear the brunt of the attack all by himself. The club is at a financial crossroads, a new stadium about to appear, and as I’ve said on Forza Futbol that a regional club like Espanyol (or Real Sociedad before) in this sort of financial climate will find it very hard to immediately come back up if relegated. These players, the ones that stand accused of mutiny or running the club themselves, need to take a stand. The club need results and quickly or else the real possibility of an extended stay in Segunda lingers with the immense albatross of paying for a luxurious new pad on the wages of a second rate competition.

It’s up to them. They have the trainer they want, maybe not the one they deserve, but if this Pochettino experiment doesn’t work, hiring a former colleague (someone they clearly followed on the pitch), then they’ll find themselves in an unenviable position: blamed for the relegation of a proud club with great support and one that had a bright future ahead of itself.

btw, we lost again. To Sevilla. By two goals conceded to Kanoute. Now on to the derby match at the Camp Nou and then Real Madrid followed by Villareal. We need points from games we shouldn’t be getting points in. Are we this year’s Levante?

Category: Espanyol Team News

Tags: Espanyol Team News

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• Isaiah |  February 17th, 2009 at 7:59 pm

  
  
  

  You’re not this year’s Levante until you stop paying your players.

  You haven’t done that yet, have you?

  Why Espanyol is tanking sort of sounds like why Valencia tanked last year. Only Pocchetino can’t resurrect the team because he doesn’t have the manpower or the talent thanks to a fairly silly transfer policy that hasn’t really born much fruit of late.

  And yeah, what the hell happened to Luis Garcia this year?

  Posted from United States

  

• Mando |  February 17th, 2009 at 9:01 pm

  
  
  

  Isaiah, if you think that last year’s Levante debacle is a one-off, then you need to open your eyes. Even a big club like Valencia is having a hard time paying their players in this market. Last year there were loads of clubs in the top 3 divisions who were in danger of folding from lack of revenue. In a real sense the only clubs that are recession proof in Spain are Real Madrid and Barcelona. Espanyol are tanking because they’ve funded a brand new state of the art stadium with their own money and they haven’t been able to play the market like they should and Luis Garcia is sh*te because he works best playing of a Tamudo or de la Pena who have both been hurt.

  Posted from United States

  

• Isaiah |  February 17th, 2009 at 10:37 pm

  
  
  

  I wasn’t suggesting that Levante was a one-off, but that to be “a Levante” that’s sort of a prereq, in my mind. Levante were probably good enough to stay up last year had they paid their players and given them an incentive to actually go out and perform well for their club. Valencia has been in dire straits financially for a long time now thanks to about the worst business model in the world and the unlucky breaks that can happen along the way to even the biggest clubs. They overplayed their hand, I think, and are going to be forced to sell major assets (Villa, Mata, etc) in order to pay off debts/salaries.

  Espanyol, I think, has the players to survive, even now, but there’s just something going on in the locker room and it’s possible that Moya found out what was going on, but I do think you’re right that it’s the injuries (and to such important players as Tamudo and de la Pena) that have caused the majority of the problems.

  Or perhaps that’s not what you’re suggesting at all and I need to learn how to read.

  Posted from United States

  

• Mando |  February 18th, 2009 at 9:57 am

  
  
  

  No Isaiah, that’s exactly what I’m saying, but it’s not just something we’re dealing with. Valencia dealt with it last year too, at times even Barcelona and Real Madrid have had player revolts, but this one seems to be more than just your average one. Something happened last year around January after the break and Espanyol have not been the same since.

  Posted from United States

  

• ajani |  February 21st, 2009 at 5:22 pm

  
  
  

  hey Mando, just wanted to say you guys were fairly good today (although it was more us and the ref really sucking haha), and de la Pena was on freakin fire. so enjoy this (while you can…lol) because it’s not every day Espanyol wins vs. Barca. have yourselves a party tonight

  Posted from United States

  

• Mando |  February 21st, 2009 at 6:29 pm

  
  
  

  Puhleeze, enough with the ref sucking and Barca were less than perfect. You’ve been on a knife’s edge for a loss for the last three weeks, we kept Messi and Alves from running amok on our left flank and we exposed your weakness: your defense. We had two shots on goal and we put them away. Visca l’Espanyol.

  Posted from United States

  

• ajani |  February 21st, 2009 at 7:09 pm

  
  
  

  okay…didn’t see that coming, but okay…hope you enjoyed your win?

  Posted from United States

  

• Andres |  February 21st, 2009 at 7:53 pm

  
  
  

  From a madrid to espanyol fans : thank you very much your team seem come through for us , here is to hoping you beat barcelona plenty more times
  HALA MADRID!!!

  Posted from United States

  

• Brian |  February 21st, 2009 at 8:24 pm

  
  
  

  yep many thanks to espanyol, you did the job two years ago and you’ve done it again today. Hope you guys stay up. HALA MADRID!!!

  Posted from Australia

  

• Mando |  February 22nd, 2009 at 11:42 pm

  
  
  

  To Ajani, yeah I guess I did enjoy the win, sorry the comeback came on a little strong. To the Madrid fans that think they’ll get me to thanks them back, sorry but we’ve got a game on next week. We’ve got a relegation battle on, looks like our squad’s getting healthier, and I expect we’ll come out strong against you lot as well. Visca l’Espanyol

  Posted from United States

  

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