Osasuna-Elx, 13 years later in First Division

 

Good afternoon, dear Osasunists! Today is Friday and our weekend starts with the match of our loved club. We know that the timetable for the games of the season is a nightmare for every club, but in my opinion this time, 9 o'clock in the evening, isn't as bad as playing on a Monday at night, by the time you get home is Tuesday early in the morning!

After four games and four lost games in the beginning of La Liga, Osasuna is in danger and there is a need for a victory. The club fired out Mendilibar when they lost the three first games, but even the known saying : " a entrenador nuevo, victoria asegurada" didn't work with Osasuna, and they lost against Getafe last Sunday with the new coach Javi Gracia. 

The visitor is a new club in First Division, Elche, but if I call memories of my childhood I can remember my football album of 1973 with stickers of Elche F.C. They got promoted last year, and they have the same urgency as Osasuna do, but there is a tiny difference: they already got three points from three draws.
 
Osasuna players need a victory as they need our support. It is known that El Sadar is a difficult stadium for the visitors because the supporters, and not only Indar Gorri, push up very hard without any rest. The stadium and the supporters must lead the players to their first three points.

As we said Osasuna have played against Elche for 20 times in history. There are more victories on the Mediterranean side (8) than on the Reds' (7). There were five times the match ended with a draw. Last time they confronted was 13 years ago and Osasuna won ( 3-1 ) when they were in Second Division.

 Probable kickoff teams:
-       Osasuna: Fernández; Damiá, Lotiés, Arribas, Oier; Puñal, Gato Silva; Sisi, Torres, Armenteros; Riera
-       Elche: Herrera; Albácar, Lombán, Suárez, Botía; Márquez, Pérez; Fidel, Coro, Gil; Boarkye

GORA OSASUNA!AUPA ROJILLOS!

Real Zaragoza-Osasuna, the season-course starts

Good morning, dear Osasunists and followers! After a long summer break, we start a new season with a derby against Real Zaragoza, our estimated-hatred "neighbours" in the south. There have been four games before and Osasuna only got one point out twelve, and that was last Sunday against Mallorca. The football season has just started, but our team is under many doubts from the supporters, though many football journalists say that Osasuna play a good game. Today is a good moment to show their best and cheer up their supporters and hooligans in Zaragoza. Hooligans!!! That is a main problem for both chairmen, in Zaragoza and Pamplona. After the nationalists debate in Catalonia and some riots in AUgust, it is supposed to be a clushing afternoon in Zaragoza between Ligallos and Indargorris. THere will be many people to watch the match: families, children,.... football lovers! And I hope nothing wrong happens and police officers don't have to take part in the event! Talking about football itself, Osasuna got points in their last four visits to La Romareda stadium, and last year it was a draw ( 1-1 ). If we talk about today players in Osasuna, Mendilibar can use any of his players in the team except for Llorente, who was sent out last game against Mallorca, Patxi Puñal who got a penalty of three games and some injured like Beltran. Kickoff teams ZARAGOZA: Roberto; Sapunaru, Alvaro, Paredes, Abraham; Apoño, Movilla o José Mari, Romaric o Zuculini; Edu Oriol, Postiga and Montañés. OSASUNA: Andrés Fernández; Oier Sanjurjo, Arribas, Miguel Flaño, Nano; Annan, Timor; Cejudo, Armenteros, Sisi; y Kike Sola. GORA OSASUNA!AUPA ROJILLOS!

Osasuna-Zaragoza, another derby with history

Good afternoon, Osasunists!Today we are living another derby at The Reyno de Navarra stadium. By the way, the other day I heard that the sponsor is going to retrive the support to Osasuna!Is it going to rename the stadium to my loved EL SADAR?
Anyway, as I said Zaragoza is back to our home. And I am very happy, moved by this visit. As I always say I have relatives in that city and we always lived our rivalry with a lot of respect and humour. There was never hate or anger in our comments or actions. Our feeling was the love to our team.
The most of the content of this article is from an article in a newspaper in Zaragoza that is about the origin of the hatred relations between both supporters'main groups: Indar Gorri and Ligallo. Both are unpopular in Zaragoza and Pamplona, but I think most of the citizens in both cities appreciate the other team, or not??? ( have a look to my link about the likes and dislikes in football )
Osasuna and Zaragoza play another game in First Division after some years in Second Division. This confrontation was quite a sense of a festivity and joyful day and now is another one in the season, and perhaps with a sense of scare and doubtness to cross the frontier. There is no passsion or joyness in the stadium,with a mixture of red and white colours in the same side of the stadium. On the contrary, there is HATE, INSULTS, AND UNRESPECT TO OTHER'S BELIEFS.
This is a story about how it started 20 years ago. By the way, I was there. Now, as many Osasuna and Zaragoza supporters, I do not go with my team to Zaragoza. I can't show my Osasuna shirt there and my family either!

There are only memories of good times that will never come back. There won't be songs between both supporters groups. I was not born, but Osasuna was in the presentation of the former stadium of Zaragoza F.C., Torrero, in 1923. And Osasuna also inaugurated the Romareda stadium in 1957. And, of course, the "maños", the familiar and friendly way of calling the people from Zaragoza, came to Pamplona in 1967 to inaugurate El Sadar.

When Osasuna got promoted in 80's there were about 7,000 people from all Navarra to visit Zaragoza a match day. And when Zaragoza visited Pamplona it was normal to see many people in white and blue in our city.

But everything changed in October 1987, when a bottle hit Roberto's head. It was, maybe, an isolated action that generated the birth and growth of a radical group in Zaragoza, Los Ligallo, and another in Pamplona, Indar Gorri.

The match between Zaragoza and Osasuna was on 4th October 1987. Perhaps, some of those people who generated the radical group started that action and, as some others in Osasuna did the same in other stadiums in Spain, and there were police officers in the stadium, there was a non-expected and unfair action against Osasuna supporters in La Romareda, when we didn't start it. Everyone in Osasuna club supported us and then it began a relationship of love between Indar Gorri and the club.

There have been some gestures to change this feeling, from the clubs and the teams, but radical supporters will never be the same. There are strong political ideas to split them, but perhaps, after Thursday's good news thing may change too, and there is an insult "ceasefire" in the stadiums!

I hope one day I will see it, like Thursday's news about ETA.
Finally, this is a video for all Osasunists, but overall for Mendilibar. This is the love of Osasunists to our team!
Gora Osasuna!Aupa Rojillos!

Osasuna-Real Sociedad, a missed derby for so long!

(Thanks for this picture, César Oroz )
Hi Osasuna supporters,

Is there football this evening?
Shakespeare said: "To be or not to be, that is the question". We could swap it for: "football or not football, that is the key".

It's three weeks since La Liga started. There has been a destitution in Second Division ( Tenerife's coach, Arconada ). They didn't win a match out of four. What is different from Osasuna?

Some people would say "category". Probably they would be right, half right, as Tenerife is struggling to go back to first division, and Osasuna is supposed to avoid relgation ( That's the main goal every season, as chairman and coach repeat constantly ).

What is happening with Osasuna? Are they worse than last year? It's said that this team is better than last year, but it's also said that most players are quite mature compared to other teams ( see how Real Madrid and Barça players are younger than Osasuna's ). It's also proved that first matches for Osasuna were with difficult stronger teams ( Villareal, Real Madrid, Mallorca- included two away confrontations ), but it's supposed to see a more motivating way of playing on the field and more effectiveness towards the goal.

Today Osasuna plays against Real Sociedad, a historical team just promoted from Second division ( winner of the Second Division 09-10 ). Last weekend they played against Real Madrid and the mass media agreed to say they deserved to beat the "madridistas" at Anoeta. They could even be the leaders at this time. So what are Osasuna options this evening?

Honestly, I think Osasuna should start playing as they know, do all their best, but in the end I think they will lose, because as I said at the beginning of this season the problem is on the coach. Camacho is not motivating enough for this team and main supporters, not only the so called hooligans of INDAR GORRI do not support the coach or the chairman, either. There's an urgent search of identity of Osasuna roots, and Camacho is not part of Osasuna, an outsider!

Anyway,...AUPA ROJILLOS! GORA OSASUNA