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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Mon 11 Dec 07:04
Girona is not a name many football fans outside of Spain would come up with, if they were asked to name 10 La Liga clubs. Last night`s sensational - but well deserved - 4-2 win away to Barcelona, saw this relatively small club climb back up to the top of the table after 16 rounds. They are not poor by any means, having the same backers as Man City, but nor are they on a par with the traditional big hitters immediately below them in the table.
This article in the Guardian is a few months old but gives a bit of history and background before their meteoric rise;
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2023/sep/28/girona-la-liga-top-first-time-history-spain
Time for Sid Lowe to provide an update.
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: LochgellyAlbert
Date: Mon 11 Dec 09:51
Only famous for its airport in the 70`s!
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Topic Originator: veteraneastender
Date: Mon 11 Dec 10:39
When I first went to the Costa Brava there was no airport in the area - had to fly to Perpignan in France and bus it over.
The construction of the airport was a big deal for their tourist industry.
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Topic Originator: The One Who Knocks
Date: Mon 11 Dec 10:45
GG you`ve went and ruined that for me. I was very much aware of the incredible sight of seeing little Girona sitting above Real and Barca at times this season but I had no idea they were just another club pumped up on middle east oil money. The fairy tale has lost much of its magic for me now.
And although my eyes were open
They just might as well be closed
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Topic Originator: bigdonnie
Date: Mon 11 Dec 10:50
wonder if they can do a leicester and win the league good for a change its always real or barca
donald mcneil
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Mon 11 Dec 11:02
Quote:
The One Who Knocks, Mon 11 Dec 10:45
GG you`ve went and ruined that for me. I was very much aware of the incredible sight of seeing little Girona sitting above Real and Barca at times this season but I had no idea they were just another club pumped up on middle east oil money. The fairy tale has lost much of its magic for me now.
☹️☹️☹️
Sorry, TOWK, but that`s rather ironic, coming from a Man United fan. Without wanting to take anything away from Sir Alex fantastic achievement during his career at OT, do you not think that the fact that he had the biggest budget in the EPL was a significant factor in his success?
Put it another way, do you think Fergie would have won anything like the number of titles and trophies he did, had he been appointed as manager of, say, Brighton or Bournemouth?
Whether we like it or not, money talks. The richest clubs buy the best players and normally hire the best managers, too. Man United have the money but have failed to replace Fergie with a manager of similar ability. I remember you pouring scorn on my suggestion that United had missed the boat by failing to bring in either Pep or Klopp. Incidently, I don`t think either of those would have won the EPL or CL with Wolves or West Ham.
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: The One Who Knocks
Date: Mon 11 Dec 12:34
That`s what I`m getting at. I thought it was plucky little Girona, punching way above their weight through a combination of canny signings and upcoming young players. A bit like Leicester managed. Now any success will just be to the benefit of a sports washing exercise.
And although my eyes were open
They just might as well be closed
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Mon 11 Dec 12:55
Quote:
The One Who Knocks, Mon 11 Dec 12:34
That`s what I`m getting at. I thought it was plucky little Girona, punching way above their weight through a combination of canny signings and upcoming young players. A bit like Leicester managed. Now any success will just be to the benefit of a sports washing exercise.
Ah, so you didn`t get the irony of your post, then? 😉
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: Dave_1885
Date: Mon 11 Dec 13:06
Will the City Group need to sell one of them if they both make the CL next year?
Not sure on UEFAs rules on dual ownership anymore…..
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Topic Originator: dd23
Date: Mon 11 Dec 13:15
Talking of Sir Alex, the former East Stirlingshire chairman said of him, “I don’t think he’d have had the success he did have if he’d stayed with us”.😂
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Topic Originator: TommyR
Date: Mon 11 Dec 15:25
Quote:
GG Riva, Mon 11 Dec 11:02
Quote:
The One Who Knocks, Mon 11 Dec 10:45
GG you`ve went and ruined that for me. I was very much aware of the incredible sight of seeing little Girona sitting above Real and Barca at times this season but I had no idea they were just another club pumped up on middle east oil money. The fairy tale has lost much of its magic for me now.
☹️☹️☹️
Sorry, TOWK, but that`s rather ironic, coming from a Man United fan. Without wanting to take anything away from Sir Alex fantastic achievement during his career at OT, do you not think that the fact that he had the biggest budget in the EPL was a significant factor in his success?
Put it another way, do you think Fergie would have won anything like the number of titles and trophies he did, had he been appointed as manager of, say, Brighton or Bournemouth?
Whether we like it or not, money talks. The richest clubs buy the best players and normally hire the best managers, too. Man United have the money but have failed to replace Fergie with a manager of similar ability. I remember you pouring scorn on my suggestion that United had missed the boat by failing to bring in either Pep or Klopp. Incidently, I don`t think either of those would have won the EPL or CL with Wolves or West Ham.
This is entirely true, especially these days.
However, sometimes there is an exceptionally good manager who can work with a lot less.
Everyone forgets that Ferguson made his mark with Aberdeen. Granted the games moved on since that day but what he achieved with Aberdeen was nothing short of iconic.
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Topic Originator: kozmasrightfoot
Date: Mon 11 Dec 17:10
Just because they have the same ownership as Man City, it doesn`t mean they`ve been able to bring in a squad of world class players. It`s been similar to the Newcastle formula of gradually bringing in better players to improve the squad.
It`s also worth remembering that buying a player for 40 million today is like buying a player for 2 million ten years ago.
Hopefully they do a Leicester but I cannae see it.
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Topic Originator: Bandy
Date: Mon 11 Dec 19:05
There`s is nothing about Girona that`s comparable to Leicester. It`s another example of how a huge cash injection can massively improve the fortunes of a club. The way things are going, soon we`d be as well not bothering with the actual playing of the matches and just award the trophies based on balance sheets.
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Topic Originator: Buspasspar
Date: Mon 11 Dec 19:37
Girona`s annual wage bill is around £24 million .. compared to Barca`s £180 million
I don`t know how true but Girona have never spent more than £7.5 million on a player
When Leicester won the Premier in 2015/16 their wage bill was around £64 million
So if all above is correct then it is still indeed a fairytale .. I really hope they go on and win it
We are forever shaped by the Children we once were
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Topic Originator: jake89
Date: Mon 11 Dec 19:43
Quote:
Bandy, Mon 11 Dec 19:05
There`s is nothing about Girona that`s comparable to Leicester. It`s another example of how a huge cash injection can massively improve the fortunes of a club. The way things are going, soon we`d be as well not bothering with the actual playing of the matches and just award the trophies based on balance sheets.
It`s pretty much always been the case that the club with the biggest balance sheet will win or finish in the top half of a league. Take your point though that when it comes to millions (billions?) being spent that it becomes ridiculous.
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Topic Originator: Stanza
Date: Mon 11 Dec 22:52
My daughter used to work just up the road in L`Estartit so I`ve been to Girona a few times. It`s a lovely little city and well worth a visit in its own right.
Delighted to see the football club doing so well. Sid Lowe has actually written a later article about them than the one GG linked to, here it is from the 13 November edition. It makes sense to read the two articles together, and hopefully there will be a third one along soon!
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/nov/13/girona-and-their-boy-from-the-barrio-hit-new-heights-on-top-of-la-liga
Post Edited (Mon 11 Dec 22:55)
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Tue 12 Dec 06:46
That`s a superb read, Stanza, thanks for the link.
Girona do have a decent budget, the 12th highest in la Liga, according to Sid Lowe, but what they`ve achieved so far is quite remarkable and if they go on to win the league title, it won`t be far short of miraculous.
There are indeed some parallels with Leicester City. I wonder if Michel treats his players to pizza after every win.😀
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: Buspasspar
Date: Tue 12 Dec 15:34
Dilly Dang .. Dilly Dong GG
We are forever shaped by the Children we once were
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