Relegation on a Plate!

Imagine if you will, a situation where Manchester United, Liverpool or Arsenal face a 2-legged relegation play-off against a team such as Hull or Cardiff, only needing a draw on aggregate to stay in the Premier League.....and losing! This is exactly what has happened to the famous River Plate, the most successful domestic team in Argentinian football history have been relegated to the Primera B Nacional following a 3-1 aggregate defeat to Belgrano de Córdoba. What makes this even more remarkable is that relegation from the Primera División is decided over the results of 3 seasons, a heavily criticised format which smaller clubs in Argentina believed was brought in to protect the bigger clubs such as River and Boca Juniors.

At the end the game had to be stopped 1 minute early and there were scenes of unbridled grief and anger. Fans rioted, most were in shock. The players were escorted from the field by police under siege from a barrage of missiles and a threatening pitch invasion. Water cannons were used to try and control the crowd and violence continued outside the stadium. It was a sad and disgraceful end to 110 years of continuous top flight football at the Monumental Stadium. According to the Argentian press over 65 people were hurt with 20 of those being police officers. A punishment by the Argentinian FA must surely follow. National newspaper Clarin stated that "No-one, absolutely no-one, will be able to forget this day." and that River had gone "From hope and euphoria to sadness and violence"
It was as if the heart and soul had been ripped out of the club, almost like a death. Argentinian legend and World Cup winning captain in 1978, Daniel Passarella, has been the focal point for this anger throughout the season. The current president of River Plate is under serious pressure to resign.

The Monumental Stadium, Buenos Aires

There is no guarantee that River Plate will come straight back up. The club is in serious debt, an estimated $19m (£12m), and most recently were forced to sell prize asset Javier Saviola and other young players. While there is no doubt that they will one day return this has been a sorry story in River Plates' proud history and judging by the fans reaction a spell in the second division might do them some good, there can be no excuse for the thuggery and violence that occurred and if they are not hit with a massive fine and/or points deduction, then that will intensify the belief that corruption still runs deep in South American football. As an aside this is a warning to big clubs around the world that you can take nothing for granted in football!

McCleish - From Hero to Villain

There are times in football when you just have to hold your hands up and admit to logic flying out of the window. Aston Villa fans were up in arms over the appointment of Alex McLeish from fierce city rivals Birmingham. There are few instances I can think of, of such a brazen move between local teams. McLeish has taken a big gamble in taking over the Villa hot-seat. If he doesn't start well the pressure will mount immediately. Some Villa fans are already talking in worried tones about the possibility of relegation under McLeish. He did after all take Birmingham City down twice in his spell there and seemed unable to focus Birmingham following their Carling Cup win over Arsenal back in February.

It's always difficult being the new boy

McLeish is not a man to cow down in the face of such vocal anger.
"Let me prove myself and I will win the fans over. I'm the man for this job." he said at the press conference signalling his arrival.
"Am I fazed by it? No. Have I had it before? Yes. I've got thick skin and I'm ready for the challenge." So, any thoughts Villa fans might have had of a u-turn have been quickly dispelled there. McLeish is a man on a mission, determined to grab this opportunity and provide Villa with the success their fans have long craved for. He has the backing of Gabriel Agbonlahor, but in losing Ashley Young to Man United he is already under pressure to bring in new faces to give the fans optimism for the new season, something which is in short supply at the moment. One fan claimed "He's not good enough for this club, if we've got ambition and direction in this club, we would not think about employing him." Another described him as "a joker" with several other fans threatening to 'boycott' Villa Park and not renew their season tickets. Good luck Alex!

This is just the start!

At 52 this is a big move for McLeish. If he gets it wrong here, it could be a crushing blow to his career. The one time Rangers manager has discovered just how tough life can be in England. Randy Lerner the Villa owner is also at an impass, you feel. These two men have staked a lot on this decision, and will have backed themselves into a corner if Villa don't start well.





5 mins before kick-off in McLeish's first game?

Having said all this and with all due respect to Birmingham, Villa have always been a bigger club, with better finances and pedigree. it's hard to see them following Birmingham into the Championship. Birmingham have suffered 3 relegations from the Premiership and like neighbours West Brom and Wolves are one of those classed as a 'yo-yo' club. There is no doubt they will be contenders to come straight back up next season.  More likely for Villa is a season of stability in mid-table and then we will see whether McLeish can really take them forward.