That's the second 2-0 home win in a row in La Liga and our third win in four games in all competitions. Not too shabby!
Once again, it's important not to get carried away: just like Murcia a fortnight ago, Athletic were very poor. At lesat they came with something resembling a wing-based, attacking 4-4-2, but they seldom used it as Getafe strolled to a 2-0 first half lead.
Javier Casquero opened the scoring after 10 minutes, Kepa Blanco setting the midfielder up, and Javi duly took advantage of a goalkeeping error from Gorka Iraizoz to make it 1-0.
Uche should have made it 2-0 a few seconds later; he was to do so, eventually, but it was a long time in coming. Nobody knows that more than him, of course, but Ikechukwu Uche must be delighted to have got his first Liga goal for the club, and his first overall in the Primera since May 20th.
Like much else at Geta, it was down to Ruben de la Red, who won the ball and scooted past Aitor Ocio before setting the Nigerian up for the finish.
Athletic rallied a bit in the second period, but it was clear that Getafe had done enough to win. There was to be no repeat of the 4-2 loss at Mallorca: this time, the lead had come to stay.
The Azulones remain in the relegation zone, but now it's on mere goal difference...
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Getafe - Athletic Bilbao
Things are just now kicking off at the Alfonso Perez in Round 9, and this is a game that Getafe really have to win.
The lineup:
Abbondanzieri; Pallardo, Mario, Cata Diaz, Licht; Pablo, Casquero, de la Red, Sousa; Kepa, Uche.
I assume that's the make-up of the midfield, anyway; Marca claims that Pablo's playing defensively but I would have thought that he's out on the right.
In any case... AUPA GETA!
The lineup:
Abbondanzieri; Pallardo, Mario, Cata Diaz, Licht; Pablo, Casquero, de la Red, Sousa; Kepa, Uche.
I assume that's the make-up of the midfield, anyway; Marca claims that Pablo's playing defensively but I would have thought that he's out on the right.
In any case... AUPA GETA!
Sunday, 28 October 2007
Racing Santander 2 - 0 Getafe
A brief update for this one - I've been out of town for most of the weekend in order to attend a pagan festival centring on the worship of the statue of Desperate Dan in Dundee - to inform the readership of what they already probably know: Geta lost at El Sardinero.
Not for the first time, either; indeed, our Azulones have something of a habit of losing in Cantabria, and today was no different.
As Marca somewhat dramatically put it, "Eurogeta can't stand the Liga," and that does seem to be the case as Geta struggled to do anything with their embarassingly vast percentage of ball possession.
I've yet to see highlights of the game, so whether the problem really lies in the invention, I don't know, but from reading Marca's text commentary, I'd have to ask whether or not Uche really fits Laudrup's style of play, as he does seem to pass up a few chances each game, be they half chances or otherwise.
There's no point in crying over spilt Guiza but it remains to be seen where the weaknesses in the squad really lie - and let's face it, they are weaknesses. A 2-1 win over a beleaguered Spurs side who really should have at least equalised can't paper over the cracks.
Still, it's important to keep perspective. Despite flailing around in the relegation zone with five points, there are small signs of improvement, and Cata Diaz has proved quite a find to replace Alexis.
But to be in this position come December would be disastrous. The improvement needs to start anew, right now, in time for Wednesday's visit from Athletic. The Bilbao side drew 0-0 at home to Betis in the 'Nytol Invitational' on Sunday; without getting too cocky, this is a team that we should beat.
Not for the first time, either; indeed, our Azulones have something of a habit of losing in Cantabria, and today was no different.
As Marca somewhat dramatically put it, "Eurogeta can't stand the Liga," and that does seem to be the case as Geta struggled to do anything with their embarassingly vast percentage of ball possession.
I've yet to see highlights of the game, so whether the problem really lies in the invention, I don't know, but from reading Marca's text commentary, I'd have to ask whether or not Uche really fits Laudrup's style of play, as he does seem to pass up a few chances each game, be they half chances or otherwise.
There's no point in crying over spilt Guiza but it remains to be seen where the weaknesses in the squad really lie - and let's face it, they are weaknesses. A 2-1 win over a beleaguered Spurs side who really should have at least equalised can't paper over the cracks.
Still, it's important to keep perspective. Despite flailing around in the relegation zone with five points, there are small signs of improvement, and Cata Diaz has proved quite a find to replace Alexis.
But to be in this position come December would be disastrous. The improvement needs to start anew, right now, in time for Wednesday's visit from Athletic. The Bilbao side drew 0-0 at home to Betis in the 'Nytol Invitational' on Sunday; without getting too cocky, this is a team that we should beat.
Thursday, 25 October 2007
Tottenham Hotspur 1 - 2 Getafe
It could be a pub quiz question in future: what was Martin Jol's last game in charge of Spurs?
Step forward Getafe, for it was Super Geta that inflicted on him his final defeat as Tottenham boss, winning 2-1 in a close-fought and very, very nervy game at White Hart Lane.
In truth, the London outfit were on top for much of the encounter, particularly during the second half, but Getafe showed opportunism and character to pick up three vital and historic points in the UEFA Cup Group Stage.
All that said, Getafe started by far the brighter side, which made it a shock when Jermain Defoe made it 1-0 for the hosts 19 minutes in. The striker got on the end of a bobbling header from Berbatov and hit past Ustari for the lead.
But the ever-classy Ruben de la Red equalised just two minutes later, his former Real Madrid teammate Esteban Granero crossing in for the youngster.
The remainder of the first half was largely even but, as the second began, it was all Spurs.
Defoe, Malbranque, Berbatov - they all tried their luck, but against the run of play, Getafe managed an unlikely goal, and one that would end up sealing the three points.
It was former Atletico Madrid prodigy Braulio who jinked the ball home with precocious arrogance, the vastly-improved Cortes' right wing cross seeing the striker beat his marker.
Pato Abbondanzieri, on for Ustari at half time, was all at sea for the closing stages, and more than once Spurs might have equalised.
But somehow the ball stayed out, and the small band of traveling supporters were on hand to witness Getafe's second European victory in three matches and, one might say, by far their most impressive in terms of results.
GETAFE POR SIEMPRE!
Step forward Getafe, for it was Super Geta that inflicted on him his final defeat as Tottenham boss, winning 2-1 in a close-fought and very, very nervy game at White Hart Lane.
In truth, the London outfit were on top for much of the encounter, particularly during the second half, but Getafe showed opportunism and character to pick up three vital and historic points in the UEFA Cup Group Stage.
All that said, Getafe started by far the brighter side, which made it a shock when Jermain Defoe made it 1-0 for the hosts 19 minutes in. The striker got on the end of a bobbling header from Berbatov and hit past Ustari for the lead.
But the ever-classy Ruben de la Red equalised just two minutes later, his former Real Madrid teammate Esteban Granero crossing in for the youngster.
The remainder of the first half was largely even but, as the second began, it was all Spurs.
Defoe, Malbranque, Berbatov - they all tried their luck, but against the run of play, Getafe managed an unlikely goal, and one that would end up sealing the three points.
It was former Atletico Madrid prodigy Braulio who jinked the ball home with precocious arrogance, the vastly-improved Cortes' right wing cross seeing the striker beat his marker.
Pato Abbondanzieri, on for Ustari at half time, was all at sea for the closing stages, and more than once Spurs might have equalised.
But somehow the ball stayed out, and the small band of traveling supporters were on hand to witness Getafe's second European victory in three matches and, one might say, by far their most impressive in terms of results.
GETAFE POR SIEMPRE!
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
Squad For Spurs Trip
The official club website has had the squad details for the UEFA Cup match at Tottenham Hotspur up for over a day now, but I was too lazy to put it up here until this point.
Here it is, anyway:
Here it is, anyway:
Goalkeepers: 1. Ustari; 13. Pato.
Defenders: 3. Cata Díaz; 4. Belenguer; 12. Licht; 19. Signorino; 21. D. Cortés.
Midfielders : 7. Mario Cotelo; 10. De la Red; 11. Sousa; 15. Nacho; 16. Albín; 22. J. Casquero; 25. Granero; 26. Juanfran.
Attackers: 9. Braulio; 14. Manu; 17. Kepa.
As usual, Laudrup's put together a midfield-heavy squad; then again, the actual playing squad simply is midfield-heavy.
Cosmin Contra's still out at the back, but the big news is that Franck Signorino's finally made it into the pool. I don't know if he'll displace Licht at left-back or not, but it's good to have an option there.
Celestini's been left out, but both Granero and de la Red are in the squad, while Albin could potentially play up front at a push.
But, above all, there is no Uche. He's hardly been prolific so far this season but that's a very notable omission; true enough, two of the other strikers are young guys, but do they really have the burst of pace that Ikechukwu has?
Assuming we're not pinned back into our own half by an ill-timed Spurs revival, we'll find out tomorrow night.
Defenders: 3. Cata Díaz; 4. Belenguer; 12. Licht; 19. Signorino; 21. D. Cortés.
Midfielders : 7. Mario Cotelo; 10. De la Red; 11. Sousa; 15. Nacho; 16. Albín; 22. J. Casquero; 25. Granero; 26. Juanfran.
Attackers: 9. Braulio; 14. Manu; 17. Kepa.
As usual, Laudrup's put together a midfield-heavy squad; then again, the actual playing squad simply is midfield-heavy.
Cosmin Contra's still out at the back, but the big news is that Franck Signorino's finally made it into the pool. I don't know if he'll displace Licht at left-back or not, but it's good to have an option there.
Celestini's been left out, but both Granero and de la Red are in the squad, while Albin could potentially play up front at a push.
But, above all, there is no Uche. He's hardly been prolific so far this season but that's a very notable omission; true enough, two of the other strikers are young guys, but do they really have the burst of pace that Ikechukwu has?
Assuming we're not pinned back into our own half by an ill-timed Spurs revival, we'll find out tomorrow night.
Sunday, 21 October 2007
Getafe 2 - 0 Real Murcia
Finally, a Liga win!
Marca reports that Getafe took to the pitch with gusto in an attempt to end their terrible run of form, but that Murcia contained them perfectly well for the first half without managing to threaten at all themselves.
It was only early in the second that Geta found some cutting-edge. Kepa Blanco opened the scoring after 54 minutes as he latched onto a Ruben de la Red cross to produce a great finish.
Casquero added another five minutes later, but Geta sat back after Kepa was sent off with 23 minutes to go for a needless kick at Alvaro Mejia.
Still Murcia could produce nothing, and Getafe deservedly won 2-0.
A clean sheet - excellent. A home win - double excellent. A sending off? Well, it could be worse, it could have been a more vital player than Kepa. But fair play to the ex-Sevilla kid; he started the season dreadfully but apparently his goal here was something special. Hopefully he'll come back from suspension stronger.
But let's not get carried away. Marca is quick to point out that this was Murcia's worst showing of the season by far, and for a side that failed to beat Levante, that's got to be saying something.
The Azulones remain in the relegation zone, but they're now four points clear of bottom spot and just two off the safety zone.
Marca reports that Getafe took to the pitch with gusto in an attempt to end their terrible run of form, but that Murcia contained them perfectly well for the first half without managing to threaten at all themselves.
It was only early in the second that Geta found some cutting-edge. Kepa Blanco opened the scoring after 54 minutes as he latched onto a Ruben de la Red cross to produce a great finish.
Casquero added another five minutes later, but Geta sat back after Kepa was sent off with 23 minutes to go for a needless kick at Alvaro Mejia.
Still Murcia could produce nothing, and Getafe deservedly won 2-0.
A clean sheet - excellent. A home win - double excellent. A sending off? Well, it could be worse, it could have been a more vital player than Kepa. But fair play to the ex-Sevilla kid; he started the season dreadfully but apparently his goal here was something special. Hopefully he'll come back from suspension stronger.
But let's not get carried away. Marca is quick to point out that this was Murcia's worst showing of the season by far, and for a side that failed to beat Levante, that's got to be saying something.
The Azulones remain in the relegation zone, but they're now four points clear of bottom spot and just two off the safety zone.
Saturday, 20 October 2007
Squad Unrest, Or Podiatry?
The likes of Marca report that the squad had a private meeting in the dressing room prior to the Friday training session, leaving coach Michael Laudrup waiting alone on the training pitch for almost an hour.
As one user of Supergeta.com put it, the Dane was left tapping his feet "with a face like sour milk" as the first team players discussed a way out of their current predicament, emerging late for training only after their business was complete.
The Madrid media, needless to say, pounced on the story, prompting a club official to respond.
The official party line is that training was delayed by the visit of a podiatrist to the camp.
Quite why the manager would be forced to wait outside while his squad's little piggies were checked for irregularities wasn't made clear but, in any case, a couple of first team players have seemingly already said that there was no anti-Laudrup content in their rendezvous.
Be that as it may, from this fan's perspective, it's still not a good sign...
As one user of Supergeta.com put it, the Dane was left tapping his feet "with a face like sour milk" as the first team players discussed a way out of their current predicament, emerging late for training only after their business was complete.
The Madrid media, needless to say, pounced on the story, prompting a club official to respond.
The official party line is that training was delayed by the visit of a podiatrist to the camp.
Quite why the manager would be forced to wait outside while his squad's little piggies were checked for irregularities wasn't made clear but, in any case, a couple of first team players have seemingly already said that there was no anti-Laudrup content in their rendezvous.
Be that as it may, from this fan's perspective, it's still not a good sign...
Squad For Murcia Match
Geta have announced the squad for tomorrow's home game against Real Murcia:
Goalkeepers: 1. Ustari; 13. Pato.
Defenders: 3. Cata; 4. Belenguer; 12. Licht; 21. D. Cortés; 23. Tena.
Midfielders: 6. Celestini; 7. Mario Cotelo; 10. De la Red;
11. Sousa; 15. Nacho; 20. Pallardó; 22. J. Casquero; 24. Granero.
Attackers: 9. Braulio; 14. Manu; 17. Kepa; 18. Uche.
Defenders: 3. Cata; 4. Belenguer; 12. Licht; 21. D. Cortés; 23. Tena.
Midfielders: 6. Celestini; 7. Mario Cotelo; 10. De la Red;
11. Sousa; 15. Nacho; 20. Pallardó; 22. J. Casquero; 24. Granero.
Attackers: 9. Braulio; 14. Manu; 17. Kepa; 18. Uche.
No real surprises there; it's great to have Cata Diaz back and Cortes is at least a natural right back, if not a great one, so the defence looks a bit better now.
But there's still no Contra and no Signorino, and no Pablito Hernandez on the right hand side of midfield. Injuries can't be blamed for all Getafe's problems but the lack of fullback support to the attack can't be helping, so the sooner Contra returns and Signorino makes his debut (to see if he's better than Licht), the better.
But there's still no Contra and no Signorino, and no Pablito Hernandez on the right hand side of midfield. Injuries can't be blamed for all Getafe's problems but the lack of fullback support to the attack can't be helping, so the sooner Contra returns and Signorino makes his debut (to see if he's better than Licht), the better.
Friday, 19 October 2007
LA LIGA: Getafe - Real Murcia
Getafe welcome Real Murcia to the Coliseum on Sunday afternoon for La Liga's 8th matchday of the 2007-08 campaign.
Los Azulones haven't won yet in the league all season, but Murcia are a team that they really should be able to beat.
Real Murcia, also known as Los Pimentoneros, were only promoted to the Primera this season, having last been relegated at the end of 2003/04.
It was that very same year that Getafe finished runners-up in the Segunda, taking them to La Liga for the first time: as such, it's been a long time since these sides met in a league match, and indeed this will be the first ever top-flight contest between the clubs.
But in terms of Segunda action, the teams last went head-to-head in 2002/03. The current Geta squad can take mixed omens from what occurred.
On Matchday 2, Murcia ran out 2-0 winners against Geta, but the Azulones got their revenge in Round 23, thrashing the visitors 3-1 at the Coliseum.
Curiously, of all the players who took part in these two matches for Getafe, only one remains in the first team squad now: Manuel Tena, although he isn't likely to start on Sunday.
Murcia's key dangermen this time around include Fernando Baiano, a big-money acquisition from Celta this summer, and Ivan Alonso, who finished their top league scorer last season in the Segunda.
They've taken 9 points from 7 games, Getafe having managed just 2.
The match kicks off at 17:00 local time this Sunday, 21st October.
Los Azulones haven't won yet in the league all season, but Murcia are a team that they really should be able to beat.
Real Murcia, also known as Los Pimentoneros, were only promoted to the Primera this season, having last been relegated at the end of 2003/04.
It was that very same year that Getafe finished runners-up in the Segunda, taking them to La Liga for the first time: as such, it's been a long time since these sides met in a league match, and indeed this will be the first ever top-flight contest between the clubs.
But in terms of Segunda action, the teams last went head-to-head in 2002/03. The current Geta squad can take mixed omens from what occurred.
On Matchday 2, Murcia ran out 2-0 winners against Geta, but the Azulones got their revenge in Round 23, thrashing the visitors 3-1 at the Coliseum.
Curiously, of all the players who took part in these two matches for Getafe, only one remains in the first team squad now: Manuel Tena, although he isn't likely to start on Sunday.
Murcia's key dangermen this time around include Fernando Baiano, a big-money acquisition from Celta this summer, and Ivan Alonso, who finished their top league scorer last season in the Segunda.
They've taken 9 points from 7 games, Getafe having managed just 2.
The match kicks off at 17:00 local time this Sunday, 21st October.
Welcome!
Welcome to the Peña Getafense Escocia (Getafe supporters of Scotland) blog!
This blog was started due to the distinct lack of news relating to Getafe CF in the English language. As such, I hope to update this every few days with brief news, and the occasional viewpoint, pertaining to Primera Liga club Getafe CF.
For now, here are a few handy links:
This blog was started due to the distinct lack of news relating to Getafe CF in the English language. As such, I hope to update this every few days with brief news, and the occasional viewpoint, pertaining to Primera Liga club Getafe CF.
For now, here are a few handy links:
- http://www.getafecf.com/ - Official club website (Spanish, small English section)
- http://www.elbotellin.com/ - Peña Getafense "El Botellín", a supporters' club with a very active forum (Spanish)
- http://www.supergeta.com/ - Another Getafe forum (Spanish)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getafe_CF - English-language Wikipedia article on the club (English)
- http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getafe_CF - Another Wikipedia article, this time in Castellano (Spanish)
- http://www.lfp.es/ - Spanish league website; good for Getafe fixtures, statistics, suspension info etc. (Spanish)
- http://www.uefa.com/competitions/uefacup/index.html - The official UEFA Cup website; Getafe compete in the 2007/08 edition of Europe's second-greatest cup competition (English).
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