30-12-1990 : A historical day for Osasuna

Good day, my dear Osasunists!

TODAY IT WAS THE DAY! A day like today, but 25 years ago, Osasuna made history in Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

I couldn't believe it! I was having dinner with my friends, I was 20 years old, studying at university and preparing our New Year's Eve. We weren't going to dress up as many youngsters did and do in Pamplona, but we wanted to celebrate a different New Year's Eve, and Osasuna gave us the excuse.

When we found out the score, we couldn't imagine the historical score: 0-4. We asked people to repeat the result several times, and when we arrived home we couldn't watch the match in any computer because they didn't exist, we couldn't connect with Internet or youtube to watch the highlights, because they didn't exist, but fortunately there are videos and the TV's channels could put the videos on the following day, and we celebrated, as Osasunists, an incredible New Year's Eve 1990.

There have been many good games ( and bad, of course, but now are irrelevant ) in the history of Osasuna, but after the Promotion in 1979/80 or the UEFA classification and games in 1984/85 and the following season with the European games at El Sadar, it was the most important in the Spanish League, which wasn't yet known as La Liga and stars like Messi or Ronaldo weren't born either.

As the slogan of the supporters of Osasuna says this season : VOLVEREMOS ( WE WILL BE BACK ) and the game against Sabadell last season is still in my memory, but 0-4 against REAL MADRID,...UFFFFF! IT IS THE GAME!

GORA OSASUNA! AUPA ROJILLOS!

Mirandes-Osasuna, a game for real supporters

Good afternoon, dear Osasunists!
Apart from the pure sport matters, it is clear that the huge influx of Osasuna supporters going to Miranda for a single football game after the last week events in Madrid and the bad results of our team in the last confrontations away and at El Sadar is a positive fresh breath of air for fans of FOOTBALL, in capital letters and real supporters, not for those who use a sport to get an excuse for their violence and frustration.

It is a good opportunity for the city of Miranda in Burgos that is suffering from an increase of unemployment and as many of their companies close down. Osasuna supporters have many friends in Miranda, like me, and though most people there support either Real Madrid or Barcelona F.C, apart from Alaves or Athletic of Bilbao, I am sure there will be a good atmosphere between both parts: supporters of Osasuna and Mirandes.

There will be around 1,200 Osasunists in Miranda this afternoon. Some will go by coach leaving early in the morning to spend a festivity day with the joy of following their team and passion, others will leave after lunch in their cars as Miranda is only one hour from Pamplona but everyone has a single reason to go to El Municipal stadium: to support their team, Osasuna, sing and feel our colours without a single idea of using violence to defend Osasuna!

It is the first team to take so many people to Miranda. Deportivo La Coruña fans, unfortunately famous last weekend, were 800, Athletic fans at semifinal of Copa del Rey were around 1,000, but neither Alaves nor any other team gathered that amount of people.

It is also important to listen to members of both fan groups, Jovenes Jabatos and Indar Gorri, that there is a great atmosphere and a warm welcome is expected from people in Miranda for Osasuna supporters.

Last time both teams played was 37 years ago, on 8th May 1977, and Osasuna won (0-1) thanks to a goal of Echeverria. Then, Osasuna plays against Mirandes at Anduva this afternoon to reinforce the idea of football against violence. As it is said: " I want to see a pure football game ".

Kickoff teams:
MIRANDES S.D. :  Razak, Kijera, Caneda, Corral, Aitor; Rúper, Álex García, Jordi Pablo, Carnicer, Igor Martínez, Urko Vera.

OSASUNA: Roberto, Javier Flaño, Miguel Flaño, Vujadinovic, Sisi, Kodro, Loé, Nekounam, De las Cuevas, Ansarifard, Nino.

GORA OSASUNA! AUPA ROJILLOS!

Numancia-Osasuna, a new opportunity for supporters

Good afternoon, dear Osasunists! Here we are again to motivate our supporters abroad and broaden our club fame. That is the main goal for any supporter who folloows their team to any city Osasuna plays. But this season Osasuna supporters come back home with a serious angry expression on their faces as the team either lose or get just a draw away ( three lost games in a row away ).

Osasuna only got two draws at the beginning of the season against Llagostera and Zaragoza and now Jan Urban, Osasuna coach, wants to win two games in a row after last week victory against Betis,- remember last season's memories. There is a possibility as he can play with his favourite team except for Loties or Sanjurjo, who are injured for a long period. Besides, next rival is La Ponferradina, andd there will be a problem with the National teams and the friend games abroad.

Anyway, after the good news from last weekend, when no one expected to win the game with 0-2 result at the end of the first half against Betis, we have the same feelings with the defensive area: we don't trust on them, and the team and supporters need it. We can't endure more games like that one, as Urban said.

Probable kickoff teams:
Numancia: Munir; Isidoro, Regalón, Juanma, Ripa; Antonio Tomás, Iñigo Pérez; Natalio, Julio Álvarez, Vicente; Braian Rodríguez.
Osasuna: Santamaría; Echaide, David García, Miguel Flaño, Cadamuro; Nekounam, Loé; Sisinio, De las Cuevas, Kenan Kodro; Nino.

GORA OSASUNA!AUPA ROJILLOS!

Osasuna and a new year for the blog

Good evening, dear Osasunists! Here I am again, and it has been a long time since I didn't write a blog article about Osasuna and its life in Second Division. I have to admit that it isn't easy to write about a club that day after day comes out with dark news about its futureand nobody there seems to handle and lead a new management. Besides, the former chairmen and their executive committees may not have to pay for their misfunctioning and how they led their club and their budgets.

Football is the main topic for me in this blog, apart from English topic to learn at school. And I am going to write article about football and Osasuna, but with other purposes and there will not be weekly article as I used to do when Osasuna was on First Division. One of the reasons is my difficulties to follow Osasuna and the timetables of the matches, and another one the structure of my articles with videos about past games which are not in any videoteca.

But this evening Osasuna and Tenerife play at El Sadar stadium and there is a large history of confrontations between both clubs. They are in a complicated situation in Second Division, which is very well known for the island team. Depending on the result tonight, Osasuna may occupy Tenerife post in the relegation posts of second division.

Osasuna must win this game after losing three games in a row and their forwards didn't score on them. It is the ninth game of the championship and there is a sense of urgencies in the supporters of our team. It seems that the defense is to be blamed as the statistics say Osasuna goalkeepers take two goals every game.

It is true that Jordan Loties and Oier Sanjurjo are injured, and Javier Flaño is sanctioned for tonight match, but the rest of the players must do their best to get over that situation. International players are back after playing with their National teams and the team must be the best one in the field.

Posible kickoff teams: 

Osasuna-C.D.Alaves, an old derby again but in another Liga

Good morning, Osasunists!

As you know I try to write an article every weekend about Osasuna and their match. It's about six or seven years ago when I started this blog for my students and everyone else who wanted to read articles about English culture and other subjects of interest related with English or not. But one of the main topics is football and OSASUNA, the best team in the world, not for their trophies or cups, but for the Philosophy and History as it is the only club, not a S.A. ( a business ) in Spain with the powerful Spanish teams Real Madrid, F.C. Barcelona, and Athletic de Bilbao.

Now Osasuna is in the Second Division, the poor football championship in Spain with many historic clubs which are surviving after a long ago relegation that may lead the club to disappear. This time Osasuna is ruled by a commission of experts who also belong to the club for several years and they will try to manage a short budget to achieve a dream: go back to First Division and stick to reality: a shortage of money to keep good players in the team.

For a beginning, Osasuna has got four points after two games in this division against Barcelona B and a former enemy in First Division with more problems than Osasuna, Real Zaragoza. Now there is another old friend visiting El Sadar: Alaves, a club from the near Vitoria, so it is an old derby in another minor Liga and Alaves was about to get relegated to Second Division B last season and probably about to disappear.

Jan Urban is the coach in Osasuna. A person who was in his job post last Sunday when few hours before he received one of the worst news for a human being: his mother had dead. He stayed with his men on the pitch and when they scored the goal for the draw we realized how much this team have suffered for a survival and the union of a good group of players and their coach team. This union must be the strenght of the club to achieve the main goal: First Division.

Therefore, Osasuna is ready! There is a perfect mixture of veterans and youths, of foreigners and locals from the youth team. Not only Riesgo, Flaño brothers, Nekouman, De las Cuevas or Sisi will be important for a successful match, but also the young David Garcia or Roberto Torres must add their new ideas and eager to win. We know there will be many obstacles and disappointments but we, the real supporters will be with you Osasuna.

And at this point I want to connect my first paragraph with this last one. When I read early this week in the local newspaper the article of one of my favourite students in Salesianos Pamplona and a real fan of Osauna: Miriam Osta, who wrote a sincere sensible article about her feelings with Osasuna and how her father tought her the love for the real, for the passion and for some colours. I know that she also has another human being love, Carlos, but the love for a club like Osasuna is more powerful than the human: RED IS A COLOUR, ROJILLO A FEELING LOVE( Rojo es un color, rojillo un sentimiento ). GORA OSASUNA! AUPA ROJILLOS!

Posible Kickoff teams:
Osasuna: Riesgo; Javier Flaño, David García, Miguel Flaño, Cadamuro; Nekounam, Merino; De las Cuevas, Roberto Torres, Sisi; Nino.
Alavés: Manu Fernández; Galán, Laguardia, Migue, Raúl García; Manu García, Toribio; Sangalli, Juli, Ion Vélez; Manu Barreiro.

Osasuna-F.C.BARCELONA....B, a race for a dream!

 
Good morning, dear Osasunists! Here we are again after our summer break and ready to inform about our loved team, spread the English culture and publish our students' articles!

When I was writing the title of the first entry of this season I started dreaming of players like Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Neymar,...but then I had to write a "B", as we are in the B division, we are playing in the B League and we are watching B players,...Osasuna is no longer in First Division, in the so-called "best League of the world" ( I don't agree ), or we are not enjoying with the game of players like Messi or Ronaldo.

Our first rival is FC Barcelona, but they are the youngsters of the powerful team of Barcelona who dream to play at the near stadium as they play at the Mini Stadi, but they dream of Nou Camp. The name of our League is Liga Adelante, an euphemism for a division as many clubs have a single opportunity to avoid fading out: Logroñes, Murcia, Sabadell, Albacete,...!

FC Barcelona B's coach is not Guardiola but he is one of his followers:  Sacristan who uses his players for their future in the first team of the club. Last season they finished third in La Liga Adelante and we must bear in mind that they cannot upgrade division!!

As the main team in Barcelona didn't play a good season in First Division last year, there may be changes in Sacristan's team. Thus, they didn't have good result in pre-seasons matches as many of the important players were used in Luis Enrique's team. Therefore, they lost in a match against another Liga Adelante's team: Llagostera.

Osasuna, on the other hand, want to go back to First Division as soon as possible, but there are many economical problems which have left a mark on us, their supporters, and we know they may have influence whitin the season. As we used to say last season, our main strength must be El Sadar and it is the key point for our return to First Division.

Another key point is a motivating coach, and I think that Jan Urban is the perfect one. He played for the team from the bottom to the top of the historical games. But we will see if the new players will give a plus for a team that was relegated to a division that no one wants to be.
GORA OSASUNA! AUPA ROJILLOS!