Torneo Clausura 2006

We don't use it, at least not in my circle, but it's quite understandable.

I'm almost sure that if the goal didn't have been called back (no se hubiera anulado el gol) chivas would've won by 2 or more. If the team doesn't score early, it has problems throughout.

Toluca's pace looks solid, but there's still 9 dates to go and in the mexican league that's an eternity (that lasts 2 months). I don't like Marioni but gotta hand it to him, he's looking as dangerous as his good tourney with Pumas.

Well, if Chivas doesn't win today against Tecos I will throw away every possibility of going to the Jalisco next weekend.

I might be faithful, but I need some evidence too.

You just missed a fine trip, el_pohl!

Anyway, I wich you Chivas luck against the hated chicken.

You can call me a conspiracy theorist, but here it goes.

1. José Ramón Fernández, the main critic of Hugo Sánchez, is dismissed from his post in Televisión Azteca, due to health reasons.
2. Justino Compeán, director of Necaxa, and long time employee of Televisa is named President of the Football Federation, by unanimous decision, including the vote of the owner of Televisión Azteca.
3. A member of Compeán team declares that the new head coach of the Tri must be "marketable". That is the FIRST quality they ask.
3. Necaxa hires Hugo Sánchez as their head coach.
4. Necaxa's incoming away games are against América and San Luis, both teams owned by Televisa. Their next three home games are against teams in the lower half of the standings: Tecos, Morelia, Tigres.
5. After those 5 games are played (and Necaxa gathers at least 10 points), it's time to "choose" the next head coach for the Tri. A unanimous decision arises: it's Hugo Sánchez.
Hmmmmm.

Let's wait 5 weeks, don't want this to turn into a 9/11-like thread. But it makes you wonder...



By the way, who would you like to be next NT coach?

We can't have "Vasco" Aguirre back, can we?
Actually, I don't mind Hugo.

But, as the classic Jesús Reyes Heroles said (and this is sports politics, even if tangled with business): "En política, la forma es fondo". Y no me gusta la forma.

El que espero este fuera de forma es Cuauhtémoc...

Vamooos Rebañoooooooo!

Woohooo!!! Y que celebración Bofo!

Espero que a Lapuente se le haya caído otro pelo de los 3 que le quedan.

What's your take on Tigres?

They have one of the biggest paychecks in the MFL, yet they've been mediocre at best for the last years. They buy good players but they don't play well together, I'd say they're the most inconsistent team in the league. I don't think Carrillo will make a difference.

Yet their stadium seems to always sell most of it's seats, is it just the economic power of los norteños?

Well, If I'm not wrong, they sell out "bonos" before the actual league begins, and that accounts for around 80% of the whole capacity... Why the people KEEP going... I just don't know. Probably Carta Blanca is cheap in "El Volcán".

Carrillo sux, his only big streak was when he kept Lapuente's seat warm some years ago in America.

Whats big news is the ADIDAS contract, whee!!! Compean's first big move. Money for everyone!

The Tigres administration should win the Nobel prize for stupidity, IMHO. They spend and spend and spend and their team never gets anywhere.

But if I was a footballer, I'd love to play with Tigres. Good salary, GREAT bonuses, a loyal supporting crowd... and I'd be playing cold-chested & working less than players on other teams.

Pinche torneo de mierda y pinche Guadalajara de mierda. Que ganen los Pumas, por los dioses!

Not our week, Pohl.
Your Chivas got a measly tie against one of the worst teams, and my Pumas received 2 beautiful goals from the Abhorred Ones
And things don't look good for Chivas next week, either.
BTW, where in the world is Jorge Vergara?

Y los americanistas de la oficina están absolutamente insoportables.

Maybe it's just me but I'd prefer Chivas to go back to the attacking mentality and lose more games than tie. As a fan the first thing I want to get out of watching games is entertainment and Chivas-Tigres was a borefest.

Also playing futbol dinámico pressing el area rival is always something to be proud of. Where's the Vergara promise of playing with that mentality? The only one he had accomplished.

Vergara is a footie ignorant, like the Tigres' owners, Néstor de la Torre and Frangie are running the show, and it's not going all that well but thanks to the mediocricy of the tourney we still have a very good shot at the liguilla.

Hey Báez! I wonder if Pumas will visit Tijuana Gallos in the next year, or maybe our team will go to C.U... mmm... I'll need to investigate.

J/K there

Well, Vergara also got rid of the multiple publicity in our shirt, but well... that changed a little bit. The offensive fuzz was cut when the team just couldnt score. And well... it was quite fun to see Oswaldo saving everything that came towards him. But the after watching Barcelona - Real Madrid, that game absolutely sucked.

Hey, Santos is the only one eliminated, woot!


PD. Marcelo Lippi? Marcelo Bielsa? Hugo Sánchez?

Give the team to Hugo. It's bound to happen and I'd prefer for it to be soon.

Lippi discarded himself. They say it's between Hugo and Gallego. I think it's between Hugo and Sánchez.

We all had a nice week 15. Now, a truly deeeeep question: ¿Torneo competitivo o equipos irregulares?

I'll be malinchista and say equipos irregulares.

I don't like the fact that 2 games remain and virtually everybody still has a decent shot at qualifying, I don't like the fact that Cruz Azul didn't win in 7 straight games and are tied for 1st place, that there shows what's wrong... basically the exact same conditions and the team looks like el superlíder for a while and then looks like Santos for another part of the season. That's inconsistency, had their losses been more spaced out, it'd be different.

On a different topic, I've been happy with how mexicans abroad have played, with the exception of Kikín, even De Nigris is doing ok.

Si, de hecho Jared acaba de regresar de una lesión - que nueva - y metió gol de nuevo entre camellos. Que onda con Giovanni? Como que su "hype" bajó un poco, o un mucho.

En el gol de empate del Chelsea la cagó Rafa, pero solo un poco.

Y en lo referente al torneo, prefiero mil veces tener algo un poco irregular/competido que tener un campeonato anual en el que a media temporada ya hay muchos equipos que simplemente no tienen nada a que aspirar, con 2 o 3 separados del resto. Aunque a veces creo que en México hay demasiados equipos Y jugadores campeones...

Estoy de acuerdo con Pantalones. Yo también prefiero competido a decidido desde antes, pero una cosa es competido y otra irregular... porque en la segunda, hasta los mediocres se cuelan (y conste que no sólo hablo de mis Pumas).

Lo del exceso de campeones me recuerda una propuesta que hizo de cotorreo Javier Sahagún cuando trabajaba en el periódico. Que hubiera 20 grupos de un equipo cada uno. Así todos son líderes de grupo. Que los 8 líderes con menos puntos se fueran a repechaje y para decidir 4, que se sumarían a los 12 clasificados directos en una liguilla que iniciara en octavos de final.

Mexicanos en el extranjero. Al éxito de Rafa se han sumado Salcido (en primer lugar), Pavel y Osorio. Me temo que Kikín no la va a hacer. Giovanni está muy chavito. Vela va muy bien. Galindo está desencanchado. Borgetti está viejo. De Nigris juega en un equipo patito (pero de que es hábil para colocarse, ni quien lo dude).
Los otros son mexicanos a medias. Iturriaga se siente gachupas, Franco siempre ha sido argentino y Neri Castillo es de la nacionalidad que diga su papá.
Nada qué ver con la gran cantidad de peloteros mexicanos en Grandes Ligas.