Asterault, I think you didn't read OK te news about buying Rayo Vallecano. It was the owner of Rayo Vallecano who offered the team to the president of Atlético, but he refused to buy it.
Atlético, even in Segunda it's the third more important team of Spain, and sooner or later will be again in primera fighting for the league. The fourth team it's really far in number of supporters, championships and so on.. :p

Well I don't know what news you read, but I read 'OK' and here you can also:
http://es.sports.yahoo.com/010620/75/142vl.html

or here:
http://es.sports.yahoo.com/010619/63/141un.html

or here, where Rivero says no thanks:
http://es.sports.yahoo.com/010620/63/14472.html

Anchovy - do they play in a stadium there or is there a field they use at Old Man Pepe's farm?

I think they [Atlético] train against Begoña C.F. in Bilbao...and the field is definitely dirt (they only play on grass when they forget to weed). And those "classic" uniforms?

CaliBasco (who thinks the Atlético players and the Indiana Hoosiers ought to get together and swap pants and shirts)

Cali,

I was thinking more along the lines that they might want to trade with Indiana State Prison Their uniforms really are 1930ish at best.

Fortunately they aren't wearing high top American football cleats from the old days... or are they?

So much for my knowledge of futbol vs football American style, where a guy 6-2, 250 lbs is a runt.

Wolf (No comment!)

Well Asterault, your news is maybe a little bit different that what I read in Marca , but you can understand what you want. As you know the sport presse has to sell a newspaper each day so they write and write based in rumours. In your news we can read..
Según la cadena radiofónica....
I don't know if you remember when in the radio someone said that Atlético had sold his new promise F.Torres to Valencia, and then it wasn't true, all the rumours about buying referees, etc..nothing true, there are a lot of interests pro and against Atlético in segunda..
Your news also say :
La salida a la luz pública del interés del Atlético de Madrid por hacerse con el Rayo sorprendió al propio Jesús Gil.....es el Rayo el que se ha dirigido a nosotros".
"Es una locura que no consentiría nunca. Esto ya nos lo plantearon el año pasado, pero el Atlético de Madrid debe subir por sus propios medios. Esto es una barbaridad", dijo Jesús Gil.
So you can understand what you want, but I find easier to justify that you sell your team to pay the bills as otherwise it will go to Segunda B, than buying for being in primera as you have no justification.
Anyway, I hope that you will became Atlético supporter in Madrid.


[ 06-27-2001: Message edited by: Antonio ]

We now have to play in the stadium La Rosaleda, Asterault, because Pepe sold his finca. We tried it on the beach for a while but had to give it up when the players found they were put off too easily by the delicious smells of the sardines being cooked on the open fires of the chiringuitos.

But we will have an excellent stadium shortly as it is all being knocked down and renovated. It will probably look a lot better than those enormous blue canopies stretched over the seats behind the goals in your ground. And we can see the action, whereas your spectators must be nearly half a kilometre from the grass?

Hala Madrid!
Am I the only one supporting Real Madrid?

Ah you refer to the lovely Estadio Olimpico? At the top of the damn hill? That's because Espanyol sold their other stadium a few years back.

Difficult for them (Esp.) as Barça is in cahoots with the Generalitat and such.

Actually Castiza, you're not alone...there are many multimillionarios who support (and purchase) the players from Real (which, incidentally, is the name of ancient Spanish currency) Madrid.

CaliBasco (who wouldn't pay a "real" more than face value for any fútbol ticket)

If you're talking about top Spanish footy sides, can I just ask you all a question?

Who has just won the Copa del Rey? That's right - none other than the mighty Real Zaragoza!!! (Ok, so we nearly got relegated - that's life).

Any Arsenal fans out there? Remember Nayim from the halfway line?