Just to introduce myself: I live in Houston, Texas and am currently about to enter my senior year of college and plan on attending law school after that. Other than Athletic, my favorite teams are Tottenham Hotspur and Houston Dynamo. I hate Manchester United and Real Madrid. My favorite television program is House, favorite color is yellow, I suppose and….ah, who cares- enough about me!

Anyway, much has happened in the world of Athletic Club Bilbao since November 15, 2008. The team got on a few hot streaks, and ended up finishing much better than expected at that point in the season. Los Leones reached the final of the Copa del Rey, falling 3-0 to Barcelona. I will call a moral victory on that one; Barcelona was basically an unstoppable force and reaching the final showed much potential that, frankly, I didn’t think the team had in ‘em.

There is some recent news as far as players go as well:

The club offically presented former Real Sociedad striker, Iñigo Diaz de Cerio, as a member of the team. It’s nice to see the team go for a decent player not from the lower leagues for once and it appears that they value the player, giving him a four-year contract with a buyout clause worth 50 million Euros(!). Oh, and did I mention that he was free? If he can return to his pre-injury form, he should pair well with Llorente up front. Also, his signing makes it very unlikely that Ion Velez will be sticking around- but I don’t think I’ll miss him much.

As far as current players go, Fernando Llorente appears close to extending his contract until 2013. I heard rumors that other teams were interested in him (Barcelona and Bayern Munich) and, while I would love to see him have success at a larger club, Athletic need him on the team- it seems like he was “the man” for each win last season.Tiko and Lafuente have terminated their contracts and Athletic may be interested in Joseba Llorente. I will miss Tiko and Lafuente and wish them the best luck, but neither was really extremely valuable to the team. I would like to see J. Llorente on the team, and it would be nice to have the depth of the two Llorentes plus our new boy de Cerio as striking options.

This may have been a lot to handle for just one post, but much has happened since the last posting. I will try to stay active on this blog and will do my best to post at least once a week. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope to keep writing for a long time!

Take a look at our writing guidlines here, and if you think you’ve got what it takes then send an email to daryl[at]theoffside[dot]com and let me know why you’d be brilliant.

Likes: I was happy to see goals galore - Andoni Iraola (our top scorer - don’t laugh) with a pen, Ion Velez got his first goal in the Primera and Fernando Llorente scored again. We need some consistency from our big fella upfront. (On a side note - I was a little surprised that he was called up by Del Bosque to the national team. I am not sure if he has the mental stamina to be an international, but kudos to Fernan. I remember when he played in the under 21s alongside Cesc Fabregas.=)) Oh and I liked the fact that our team did not give up and fought back for a point. Tenacity!

Dislikes: Our defense is still very suspect and still crap. We are missing Amorebieta big time and Ustaritz looks shaky. It’s great that we are trying to attack more, but the gaps in the back are just scathing. Oh and I didn’t like the fact that Aduriz got two assists against us. Sorry, it’s going to take a season for me to get over the whole Aduriz transfer fiasco.

Cut to the chase - we need to start winning games before it’s too late and a large gap starts growing at the bottom of the table. This weekend’s game against Osasuna looks very promising. David Lopez returns to play against his old team. Let’s hope he scores and provides some fabulous crosses. I know it’s early, but this is an extremely important game and this win could mean safety. Let’s face it, we are stuck with Caparros. We can’t afford to bring in a new coach and to continue to pay the man a salary. The team keeps improving but at a snail’s pace. We are just missing that balance in attack and defense. I still feel we have the players to stay up. We just need to get on a good run of games.

It’s a pseudo Basque derby and so this game will be dog eat dog, a true battle royal. We need to play like this is a final and maybe this time, luck will be on our side.

PS - We made it to the next round in the Copa Del Rey! YES!

Round 9 and we only have 5 points. Last season at this time, we had 10 points. The previous season where we just missed relegation, we had 7 points. What to think? I think we need a change on the top and fast! Caparros and Macua need to go. There is no Plan B, and quite frankly, I think the players are not listening anymore.

Athletic has completed the fearsome foursome run with nary a point. We attack with pace and verve during the first half, but fall to pieces in the second half. The defense is a tactical mess. Now Gorka in goal is looking quite shaky. And what about Susaeta, who was a creative force last year? Caparros says the kid is out of form. I say that the coach has disenfranchised the player and messed with his mind.

So it’s not looking good. Athletic needs to get on a good run and fast!

The next games until the winter break:
Mallorca away (ya think Aduriz is going to have something to prove???)
Osasuna at home (a six pointer)
Deportivo away
Numancia at home
Racing away
Sporting at home
Betis away

All doable, if we can start playing as a cohesive team. But all extremely tough games for the Leones who are out of sorts and every single opponent is fighting for survival.

Ya gotta keep dreaming and keep the faith, for now…

DAVID VS GOLIATH?

Two guys having a coffee break in a crowded café’… One of them support the Los Leones and the other is a fan of the Blaugrana.

Ramzi: “Hey Elisa How is it going in the Basque Camp? ”

Elisa: “Well, Athletic continues the fearsome foursome run. This time they face FC Barcelona at El Catedral, what used to be called the Fortress. Athletic has gotten off to a very slow start with only five points and two losses in their last two games., What about the Catalans? “

Ramzi: “Barcelona is on the way up! Did you see our come back against Espanyol? Betis? Shakhtar? Did you see how we smashed Atletico Madrid?! We are the best! Who is next? Athletic Bilbao? We will have ANOTHER SCORING CARNIVAL NO DOUBT! Hm… that’s the atmosphere in the Barca camp…and that’s exactly what makes me worried… the over confidence Virus is filling the air! The way you talk about athletic make it feel as if its time to pack the bags and prepare for a relegation battle? Already?!”

Elisa: “Well no, it’s still early days and if you recall last year, Athletic started off extremely slow, but went on a dynamite run after the Winter break, so now is not the time to panic. Yes the socios are upset, they expected Europe, a solid start (after a loooong pre-season) and the return of the Copa del Rey. They are all still possible, but the play on the pitch needs to improve, here and now. The team needs to play as a cohesive unit and when the going gets tough… you know the cliche.”

Ramzi: “ Yes I know, Elisa, May be that’s why I think Barcelona need to take this game seriously, No doubt Athletic can’t match the quality of the Catalan giant, not at the moment anyway, but what about Numancia? In brief this game must be taken seriously or else…The guys of the Basque are well known for their dedication and fighting spirit, they will not welcome Barcelona with chains of roses, Nah… This is not Hawaii! This is San Mamés, if you know what I mean… Barcelona will play against a team that has a point to prove after a bad start of the season, a team that may play a very defensive game and count on counter attacks, yea…Barcelona worst scenario”

Elisa: “Here’s our record at home against the Catalans:

2007-08 1-1
2006-07 1-3
2005-06 3-1
2004-05 1-1
2003-04 0-1

OK nothing stellar, but we do have a fighting chance of making it a game. Rumor has it that Pep may rest Messi, due to the long flight from Argentina and upcoming Champions League games, and apparently Xavi’s hurt, but ya never know. They have a solid team with an extremely deep bench and they are on fire.”

Ramzi: “Even though Barcelona usually does not enjoy a nice come back after international break, but it will not be the case this week. I have all the confidence that Barcelona can win this game, REALLY win it– another scoring carnival! But that will only happen if we saw another copy of that wild performance we enjoyed against Atletico, how do you think Athletic will play their cards?”

Elisa:”Well its Joaquin Caparrós’ 50th game with the team and he hasn’t come out with a squad yet, because well, it’s murky. The head honcho is unsure of his midfield. Javi Martinez looks like he is recuperating quite nicely and may be available for this weekend’s game. But sheesh, he was supposed to be out for three to four weeks due to a knee injury. Easy now, the kid is not superman! Joseba Exteberría, El Gallo, looks like he has recovered as well. But I would assume that both players will start on the bench and only brought in if needed.

So there are two rules of thought for the starting 11 - 4-5-1 or 4-4-2? Here we tinker again! Athletic has had a lot of problems with a holey defense, so a 4-5-1 could be the way to go. But the goal production has also proved an issue, so there is an argument to go with the old 4-4-2. Athletic needs to impose a very physical game, clog the midfield and pathways. If you allow Barça to play their fast passing game, well… game over. Frankly, I would be happy with a point or a low scoring loss, no more embarrassing 4 nil games puleeze.

Here’s the potential line up with 4-4-2: In Goal - Iraizoz, In Defense - Iraola, Aitor Ocio, Amorebieta, Balenziaga. In Midfield - Gurpegi, Orbaiz, Yeste, David Lopez Upfront - Susaeta or Gabilondo and Fernando Llorente

For 4-5-1: In Goal and Defense no change, In midfield move Susaeta back on the right wing and play Llorente upfront as the lone striker.

There are other iterations, I can go on. Most probably Caparrós won’t make up his mind until match day. I feel that Athletic needs to go with experience especially upfront and in midfield. That’s why Ion Velez and Iturraspe are not listed above. Being a fiscally prudent club with a very strict Basque policy makes it very difficult for the club to be successful. The key is to play as a collective unit with a system or strategy that picks at the weaknesses of each opponent. I don’t think that we are there yet, but I see the potential. Let’s go at the Cules with some high balls and some very physical play. Still, I don’t think we have a chance in hell of winning the game. I just want a respectable result and an inspired battle, what about Barcelona?”

Ramzi: “Its easier to guess the lottery numbers Elisa, Pep is an unpredictable coach, specially for a game that introduce a champions league week, so don’t blame me if I became more confusing while trying to figure out the right selection, but let’s make an attempt to read how pep and co do the decision making and pick their starting eleven.

Ramzi moving the coffee cups aside and opening a roll of papers on the table, While Elisa move his eyes around the place ,I don’t know this guy, what the hell is he doing?!!

The typical, automatic, theoretical –put any other weird description you want – selection is:

Valdes, Alves, Puyol, Pique, Abidal – Busquets, Xavi, Hleb – Messi, Eto’o, and Iniesta.

In the perfect world this is the selection recommended, seal a result then make your substitutions getting Caceres in for Puyol to rest the captain for the Champions league game, or for Abidal to figure out how he can perform on the left, and then use Bojan to save Messi batteries for the following battles.

But some factors will shake that up, first, it may be too early for Hleb to start, the Iceland could have been the player who take Hleb role then, but again, Gudi is not ready - injured- and pep may give the priority for the players who had no international games to play, or came back earlier than the others, and based on that, he may pick Rafa Márquez, and Seydou Keita, as starters instead of Puyol/Abidal and Hleb.

Touré Yaya came back early too but has picked up a minor injury in the internal meniscus of his right knee. It is not yet known whether the injury is serious enough to cast any doubt on his presence in the game at San Mamés on Sunday – as mentioned on the Club official site… So if he is ready he may take Busquets place.

Tactically, if Bojan or Hleb started the game instead of Messi, we will have no tactical changes, the same 4-3 -3 with Bojan playing as a second striker beside Eto’o, Iniesta on the left and Alves running on the right flank.

What about my favorite selection? I will be more unpredictable than pep, and in the photo below is a sample of the Offense selection that may work for this game, keeping in mind that Messi played two internationals in South America and may be there is a risk of using him from the start.

As for the defense, when losing the ball Alves bounce back to do his role as right back, the trio Puyol, Pique and Marquez are appropriate for this game, they will form a solid back line but most importantly they will have their saying to cause threat through set pieces – corners – which may prove being the key to unlock Athletic defensive game. But if Pep wants the two fullbacks to go forward instead of having three central backs, then Abidal is a starter. Offensively, If Hleb is not completely fit, then Keita will be the guy for the mission, unless if Pep wanted an Ultra offensive game using Iniesta in the middle and Bojan as a third striker, even though knowing that Bilbao fans are well known for putting lot of pressure on the visitors, its better to start Bojan on the bench”

Elisa: “Oh and a last minute referee change. Mejuto Gonzalez got injured during the International play, so Undiano Mallenco will be the man. Don’t worry, even though he is a Basque ref, Athletic will still get no favors.”

Ramzi: “Good luck, Elisa, I think you will need it “

A big thank you to Ramzi from fcbtransfers.blogspot.com for sharing the duties and discussing our teams - cross blogs!

My grandmother would have done more vs Sevilla. This team lacks confidence. The Basques lack the will to attack and take chances. There’s no cohesion nor a belief in the team or themselves. I blame President Macua and Caparrós. Our transfer business was abysmal to say the least. Why oh why would you get rid of Aduriz and stack all the pressure on Llorente, Velez and Extebe? Extebe is getting older and injury prone and Velez is too rough around the edges. We needed to open the bank for one quality Vasco, but no. So we do our best with players, new to la Primera, who are having a difficult time cutting it. And now midfielder Javi Martinez is injured and will be out for a month. ARGH!!

Next up is an on fire Barça in San Mamés. It looks rather bleak. Too many pre-season games have taken their toll. The purpose of pre-season is to build form and fitness. Frankly, I don’t see either right now. Can we get a point at home? Can we call up the rivalry and animosity that normally festers when we face the Cataláns? Well we oughta be starting something and fast or we need a new leader to lead the team and the club. How long can we endure the suffering before the levee breaks? Maybe until Xmas.

Let’s hope that last week’s thrashing was a rude awakening. Let’s also hope that there are three other teams that are worse than Los Leónes. We’ve got to take each game one by one, but the fans and players are feeling very low. We were supposed to build on last year’s success. We were supposed to solidify our position in the league and challenge for the Copa Del Rey and possibly Europe. Well time to get pragmatic and grind out the results. The future is now.

El Gallo, translated by yours truly, from the official press conference:

My dream has always been to play for 15 years with Athletic. I will play my last professional year free, as a thank you to the club and all that it has give to me. My years with Athletic have been great for me and my family. It’s not a question of football, Athletic has changed my life. My daughter is Bilbaína and I will continue living in Bilbao. I am not trying to set a precedent. We are in a professional world and everyone should be able to defend their rights and contracts. For me this is a personal gesture, nothing more. (When asked about his future) I would like to coach at the club is some capacity, but I have not had discussions yet with the club.

What a class act! In the modern day, who would have believed such a gesture? I’m speechless.

Ex-Athletic Players Taking the UEFA Cup by Storm!

In other news, kudos to ex-Athletic Goal Keeper, Aranzubia with 3 fine saves in the UEFA Cup penalty shoot out. Deportivo La Coruña beat Bergen Brann and has advanced to the next round. Nail biting stuff!

Kudos also to ex-Athletic Left Back, Asier Del Horno, who equalized against Marítimo and helped advance Valencia to the next round, in the UEFA cup. Quality strike!

January Transfer Window Rumors

Athletic is still circling about La Real Sociedad’s Iñigo Diaz de Cerio. A 24 year old striker to boost up the goals??? We shall see.

Onwards to our Big Club Run… First Rival Sevilla… Frente Athletic!

Caparrós decided to tinker in the midfield and change the line up that drew against Recreativo midweek. In came Orbaiz, Gabilondo, and Yeste. On the bench sat Javi Martinez, Susaeta and Gurpegi. Yeste and Orbaiz both had terrific games, clinical passing and distribution by both mids. Athletic didn’t just rely on the high balls, they played the game on the ground and creative numerous opportunities.

I really felt optimistic that we were going to take all 3 points. Yes, I sound like a broken record. We had countless shots on goals, oh, ever so close, which is why the result is so painful. Getafe’s goal keeper, Jacobo was on form. He had some tremendous saves, especially on set pieces. How did that not go in??? Credit to Jacobo, third choice keeper, who has stepped up to the plate, due to National team injuries to Pato and Ustari. This youngster is en fuego. But Athletic shoulda, coulda, woulda, but alas no!

When Caparrós took off Yeste, and brought in JaviMar, a key part of our attacking power disappeared. That said, Getafe delivered a wonder goal. Casquero with a cracker, caught Gorka off his line. Not sure if Gorka could do anything, even if he was better positioned, because it was a beaut and in the 86th minute to boot. 0-1 another loss at San Mamés.

Athletic deserved the win, but just couldn’t capitalize on their chances. And now the big team run begins. Will Athletic step up to the level of the teams and finally click and awaken? I hope so. Athletic played their best game this season against Getafe. Because of this, I have hope and still believe that team is on the cusp of gelling. The youngsters are looking very promising and it’s only a matter of time.

I know other fans blame the Aduriz transfer on the lack of fire power, as well as Llorente’s lack of confidence in front of goal. But, it’s still early days. Yes, Athletic will need to do the business soon, as we cannot afford losing 12 points to the big teams! Athletic has a poor record at the Sanchez Pizuan. I guess it’s time to break the losing streak!

On the news front, an official announcement is expected soon that Joseba Etxeberría will re-up for another year (until June 2010), but at half his current salary. The 31 year old is a pivotal leader and class act for the team. Who will fill in his shoes when he finally does decide to hang up his boots? No idea.

Caparrós played the same team that beat Valladolid at home, but it was night and day from the win last Sunday. Just plain slow, no creativity and UGLY. This is what happens when you have two very defensive teams. But Athletic should be better than this!!! Consistency, we need consistency! This is very worrying. I know it is still early, but Athletic doesn’t look like a top 6 team, let alone a top 10 team. Thankfully the promoted teams are pure crap!

On a positive note, it was great to see Orbaiz healthy again and getting some game time on Thursday. Yeste also looked dangerous off the bench and he didn’t have a hissy fit. David Lopez was true to his word. He had mentioned in recent interviews, that he was going to step up his game this year. He recognized that he had a crap year during his first year at Athletic and he is starting to produce. But Motm goes to Gorka, who kept us in the game with oodles of saves. Last year he was injured, but he is getting better and better with each game. We are going to need a top notch goalie with our lapses, heh!

And coming up this weekend, an extremely important game against Getafe at San Mamés. A must win situation, before the big team battles in October. (At last Athletic will be on TV!) Exteberría is doubtful after getting a knock at Huelva. Iturraspe, our young midfield diamond in the rough, has been playing with Bilbao Athletic, so most likely he will not be available. Garmendia and Murrillo are probably still out, but the core team is still in tact, thus far.

Can you believe it? Fernando Llorente will have completed 100 games with the game at Getafe. This many games with the first team, and he’s still only 23! Talk about Fernan dependent. Well, kudos to the big guy. He may dish out a lot of fouls, but he’s our big thug in the penalty box. Now he needs to celebrate the moment this weekend with a goal. Oh yeah!

The Umbro (Nike) kit deal is now finalized. $20M over 8 years to distribute our kit, beginning with the 2009-10 season. (Maybe the shirts will be more readily available now?) Nike wants to expand their presence in Spain. They also want to sponsor the team well into the inauguration of the New San Mamés, which makes perfect sense. Athletic will receive 2.5M Euros upfront, so more money in the coffers for President Macua to hoard.

I was incredibly impressed with our youngsters. Mikel Balenziaga, our new left back, created both of those goal scoring opportunities. He was my man of the match. The youngster’s crosses are amazing. Fernando LLorente finally got his groove on and opened this scoresheet for the Leones. Phew! Gurpegui and Javi Martinez were solid in the midfield and complemented each other well. David Lopez and Mikel Susaeta on the wings were class. I loved Susa’s Robinho-ish moves too. It was great to see everyone try to get in the act. Amorebieta had some nice attempts outside the box. Joseba Del Olmo’s inaugural game was very impressive as well. It’s ashame that Ion Velez’ goal was called offside. I thought the youngster scored. The only frustrating thing was that we had numerous attempts at goal and only two capitalized, plus we got a penalty that we had to do over. What’s new?

Yes, Valladolid had a very poor game, but their goal keeper Sergio Asenjo kept the score down. Classy player. I hope this is the beginning of a great run for Athletic and some solid play. Caparrós finally got it right. We’ve got 4 points now and Recre and Getafe this week. Gora Zurrigori!