Barca Blaugranes - Off-the-radar: Barcelona moments#GraciesTitohttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47187/barca-fave.png2017-03-14T15:28:17+01:00http://www.barcablaugranes.com/rss/stream/104489112017-03-14T15:28:17+01:002017-03-14T15:28:17+01:00Ferdinand Daučík - the best manager ever in Spain
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<p>Sarthak Kumar talks about Ferdinand Daučík and his achievements in Spain</p> <div trbidi="on" style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr">Most know the story of how László Kubala arrived in Spain to play for Hungaria, a team made up of refugees fleeing the various Communist regimes of Eastern Europe. Hungaria played a series of friendlies against Madrid Select XI, a Spain XI and RCD Español and during these games, Kubala was spotted by Josep Samitier, then chief scout at CF <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/">Barcelona</a>. Kubala was offered a contract and joined CF Barcelona in 1950.<br> <br> But there's another story in there that often goes missing. The team also included his brother-in-law, Ferdinand Daučík - Ladislao Kubala married Daučík's sister, Anna Viola Daučík, in 1947. Ferdinand had come to coach Hungaria, and as part of the deal that brought Kubala to Barcelona, Ferdinand became the coach of the team.<br> <br> Ferdinand coached what was arguably the greatest Barcelona side in history. A team consisting of Nicolae Simatoc, Kubala, Velasco, Ramallets and Joan Segarra took Barcelona to win 5 different trophies in 1952 - La Liga, the Copa del Generalísimo, the Copa Latina, the Copa Eva Duarte, and the Copa Martini Rossi. Barcelona would also win consecutive La Liga-Copa del Generalísimo doubles in 1952 and 1953.<br> <br> It was more than just trophies though - it was also the time Barcelona became a symbol of the Catalan freedom of expression. On a rainy Sunday of 1951, the fans left the stadium after a 2–1 win against Santander by foot, refusing to catch any trams - in support of a tram strike happening in Barcelona - which surprised the Francoist authorities and made CF Barcelona represent much more than just Catalonia - many saw the club as a staunch defender of rights and freedoms.<br> <br> Ferdinand would then leave in 1954 after clashes with players, and joined Atlético Bilbao (yes, that's what it was called), where he would go on to win the 1955 Copa del Generalísimo, as well as another La Liga-Copa del Generalísimo double in 1956. They even reached the quarterfinals of the European Cup in 1957 - losing 6-5 on aggregate to Manchester United.<br> <br> In 1957, Ferdinand would join <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.intothecalderon.com/">Atlético Madrid</a>, lead them to second place in La Liga - qualifying for the 1958-59 European Cup - reach the semifinals of the Cup, draw 2-2 on aggregate after two legs and lose a replay 2-1 (they would have gone through if away goals was a thing then). He left in 1959.<br> <br> He would go on to take <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/real-betis">Real Betis</a> to the semifinals of the Copa in 1961, take newly promoted Real Murcia to a 12th place finish in the 1963-64 La Liga, keep <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/sevilla">Sevilla</a> in mid-table the following season, win the Copa for a fifth time with Real <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/zaragoza">Zaragoza</a> in 1966 while at the same time come fourth in the league, and there is still a decade more of achievements to talk about.<br> <br> Took an Elche side that was bottom of the league after 15 games under Di Stéfano and guide it to a quarterfinal place in the Cup as well as an 11th place finish in 1968, take newly relegated Real Betis to a 7th place finish in the 1968-69 Segunda, take newly promoted Sant Andreu to a surprise 8th place in the 1969-70 Segunda, took newly promoted <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/espanyol">Espanyol</a> to an 11th place finish in the 1970-71 La Liga, took Sant Andreu to another eight place in the 1973-74 Segunda, led newly relegated <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/levante">Levante</a> to the promotion playoffs of the 1974-75 Tercera (losing 2-1 on aggregate to Alavés).<br> <br> And the only blip in his career will be the time he took charge of Sant Andreu for a third time in 1977, and get relegated from the Segunda. And even that was only because they lost on the final day to Calvo Sotelo 2-1, a match that would directly decide which team went down, which meant Sant Andreu dropped from 16th to 19th*.<br> <br> He's been a success with big teams and small teams. He's been a success with newly relegated teams and newly promoted teams. He's even been a success outside Spain - he took the newly formed Toronto Falcons to respectable 4th and 3rd place finishes before the club folded.<br> <br> He wasn't too shabby as a player - he came runner-up with Czechoslovakia in the 1934 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-cup-2014">FIFA World Cup</a>.<br> <br> And he wasn't too shabby as a manager either.<br> <br>
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*If you still don't think Ferdinand Daučík is the best manager in Spain, you'd be happy to know that Sant Andreu, one of the most historic Catalan teams, has never come back to the Segunda since.</div>
https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2017/3/14/14921996/off-the-radar-ferdinand-daucik-the-best-manager-ever-in-spainSarthak Kumar2016-01-27T14:00:31+01:002016-01-27T14:00:31+01:00Off-the-radar: Kidnapping the title - Quini
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<p>Sarthak Kumar looks back at the 1980-81 season, when Barcelona's most important player was kidnapped.</p> <p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>March 1, 1981. Quini left the Camp Nou feeling proud of himself. A six goal routing of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/hercules">Hércules</a> CF, without reply, and he had produced the goods twice. The humble and noble Asturian was the league’s top scorer. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/">Barcelona</a> knew that, even though they were second and two points behind <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.intothecalderon.com/">Atlético Madrid</a>, if they won all their games they would win the title.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>The table read, after 26 matches: Atlético 37, Barcelona 35, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/valencia">Valencia</a> 32, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.managingmadrid.com/">Real Madrid</a> 31, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/sporting-gijon">Sporting Gijón</a> 31, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/real-sociedad">Real Sociedad</a> 31.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>Quini left the stadium alone in his car - a Ford <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/granada">Granada</a> - and drove home. He planned to go to the El Prat airport later to pick up his wife, Maria Nieves, and children, who were returning from Asturias. At nine o’clock, Maria called Quini and told him that she was about to board the flight. They agreed that Quini would wait at the airport for them. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify">Quini lived in <i>Gran Vía de Carlos III</i>, a community that lies on the superfast <i>Cinturón de Ronda</i> highway - the second longest street in Spain and one of the few without traffic lights. It was just a ten minute drive to the airport.</p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>Quini never reached the airport.</span></p>
<p align="center"><b>*****<br></b></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"> </p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>March 3, 1981. It is reported that the morale of the Barcelona players was shattered and workouts were minimized due to nervousness and sadness.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>March 5, 1981. Bernd Schuster, one of Quini’s closest friends, refuses to play against Atléti. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>March 8, 1981. Atlético Madrid defeated Barcelona 1-0, a game that Barcelona were widely expected to win. But that was before Quini disappeared. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>27 matches in, and the table was: Atlético 39, Barcelona 35, Sporting Gijón 33, Real Sociedad 33, Valencia 33, Betis 31, Real Madrid 31.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>March 15, 1981. UD Salamanca, relegation threatened, bottom of the table and six points from safety, beat Barcelona 2-1. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>28 matches, and Barcelona are slowly losing ground: Atlético 39, Barcelona 35, Real Sociedad 34, Sporting Gijón 33, Real Madrid 33, Valencia 33.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>March 22, 1981. Barcelona are held by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/zaragoza">Zaragoza</a> 0-0 at the Nou Camp. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>29 matchdays, and Barcelona’s title chances hang by a thread: Atlético 40, Barcelona 36, Real Sociedad 36, Valencia 35, Real Madrid 35. Sporting Gijón 33.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>March 25, 1981. The kidnappers demanded a hundred million pesetas to be deposited in a bank account in Switzerland. Nicolau Casaus, vice-president of Barcelona, went to Geneva to oversee the operation. The cooperation of the Spanish and Swiss law enforcement agencies helped uncover the owner of the account, despite the the traditional secrecy in Swiss banking. Victor Manuel Diaz Esteban, an electrician, was the criminal and was captured en route to the airport while catching a plane to Paris. He confessed that Quini was being held in Zaragoza. At ten in the evening, the police successfully released the player. </span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify">He also revealed that Quini h<span>ad been held at gunpoint and forced into a DKW van.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>March 26, 1981. At two-thirty in the morning, Quini, along with the police chief of the Aragonese city, arrived in Barcelona to the cheers of thousands of fans, visibly exhausted.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>March 29, 1981. The exhausted Quini didn’t make the trip to Madrid. Barcelona looked exhausted too - a 3-0 defeat was the end of their chances.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span>After 30 games: Atlético 40, Real Sociedad 38, Real Madrid 37, Valencia 37, Barcelona 36, Sporting Gijón 35.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span><i>While Barcelona had collected one point, Real Sociedad had won 7, including a 3-1 defeat of Real Madrid. And the title was theirs at the end.</i></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span><i>Barcelona finished 5th, and didn’t even make it to the UEFA Cup - they settled for a UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup spot.</i></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span><i>After his release, Quini had good words for his captors and withdrew all accusations against them, although Barcelona decided to proceed with the case and asked for thirty-five million pesetas compensation. After all, it had cost them a league title.</i></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" align="justify"><span><i>The ruling, issued on January 15, 1982, sentenced the accused to ten years in prison and five million pesetas was granted to the player.</i></span></p>
<p align="justify"><i><span>He waived it off.</span></i></p>
https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2016/1/27/10835986/off-the-radar-kidnapping-the-title-the-story-of-asturian-striker-quiniSarthak Kumar2016-01-19T11:35:25+01:002016-01-19T11:35:25+01:00Off-the-radar: David against Goliath
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<p>Round of 64 of the Copa del Rey, Barcelona being held at bay. Sarthak Kumar narrates the proceedings.</p> <p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span><i>The Republicans vs the Nationalists. The government vs the rebels. Left-wing vs right-wing. Democracy vs monarchy. Liberal vs conservative.</i></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span><i>It was the Spanish Civil War, and Figueres had to decide.</i></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span><i>The Catalans, the Basques, the Asturians, even the Galicians were mostly with the Republican government to fight the rebels led by Franco, but Figueres had to decide.</i></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span><i>140 km from <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/">Barcelona</a>, in the north-eastern reaches of Catalonia, as close to France as possible, a conservative town had to choose whether to side with - or against - its overwhelmingly liberal province.</i></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span><i>Figueres had to decide.</i></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span>The floodlights were on, the </span><span>Estadi Municipal de Vilatenim</span><span> was packed. Nine thousand fans had come, armed in white and blue balloons, to watch their third division team play against Barcelona.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span>Every Barcelona player had a football - blue with streaks of red - which they would then proceed to kick to a grateful crowd. Grateful for the footballs but also for the football that was going to be played.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">UE Figueres are Catalan - they even use the Catalan <i>Unió</i> instead of the more popular Spanish <i>Unión</i> in their name. But it didn’t matter when Barcelona were around.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span>This wasn’t just Goliath they were playing against - these were players who had cost billions. Saviola (5 billion pesetas), Andersson (1.5 billion), Geovanni (3.5 billion) and Rochemback (2.2 billion) all started the game that night. Throw in the likes of Pepe Reina, Xavi, Puyol, Fernando Navarro, and Marc Overmars, and what do you get?</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;">An amazing team. No, not Barcelona - UE Figueres were all over <i>them</i>.</p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span>Fernando Navarro and Puyol were expected to attack on the wings but ended up overrun. Pepe Reina was expected to stand in goal but ended up making fingertip saves. Xavi was expected to dictate the tempo but ended up losing it altogether.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span>Barcelona were expected to score goals, but ended up not having a single shot on target in the first half, and just another from open play in the second. And Figueres had still somehow not scored, having bombed Barcelona’s goal from every angle imaginable.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span>Barcelona were not scoring, and a man from Barcelona, donning the no. 6 shirt, wasn’t allowing that. No, not Xavi - Arnau Sala Descals, captain of UE Figueres.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span><i>Bombs. Everywhere. The rebels were spreading destruction throughout the city. Figueres was facing the consequences of siding with the Republican government.</i></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span>In the first minute of extra time, from the center of the pitch, a diagonal ball was played to the right-wing. Kali Garrido, the number 10, the 29-year-old striker with more goals than anyone else in the squad, and with the pedigree of having played in the second division - professional football - with Eibar, was waiting there, marked by Andersson, but couldn’t get his foot on the ball.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span>Seconds later, Garrido gets the ball at his feet from Arnau. Pepe Reina comes out. Andersson is somehow running towards Kali. Puyol is too far away. And just before </span><span><i>anyone</i></span><span> can get to the ball, Garrido takes his right foot and chips the ball over </span><span><i>everyone</i></span><span>. Nobody had a chance.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span>On the 7th of November, 2011. Barcelona didn’t have a chance.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span><i>Thousands fled the country, seeking refuge across the border in France. Amongst them was Manuel Azana, the President of the Republic.</i></span></p>
<p dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;"><span><i>Figueres was the last place the Republicans would ever meet.</i></span></p>
https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2016/1/19/10787234/off-the-radar-figueres-and-barcelona-david-against-goliathSarthak Kumar2016-01-02T08:00:01+01:002016-01-02T08:00:01+01:00Off-the-radar: The struggle of a goalkeeper
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<p>Sarthak Kumar tells us more about a Copa del Rey clash in 2002 which became forever etched in history. </p> <p align="justify"><i>He could only lose. If Barça won no one would mention the goalkeeper. If it went wrong, he would get the blame.</i></p>
<p align="justify">Nestling within the southern parts of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/la-liga/teams/valencia">Valencia</a> lies the city of Novelda. A small population of twenty-seven thousand is garnished by a thriving marble industry. Apartment blocks from the fifties and warehouses give way to a casino and an old town hall.</p>
<p align="justify">And there's the Estadio La Magdalena, of course. A stadium that hosts Novelda CF, a team that has not, and will probably never, play in the professional leagues. But that didn't matter. It was the 11th of September, 2002, and Barcelona were coming to town.</p>
<p align="justify"><i>If he failed here, it would all be over.</i></p>
<p align="justify">The Novelda players came out for the warm up but they weren't really concentrating - after all they were playing against this eleven: Enke; Reiziger, Frank de Boer, Fernando Navarro; Rochemback, Gabri, Xavi, Gerard, Motta; Riquelme; Geovanni. You could feel the talent - the class - oozing from the Barcelona team.</p>
<p align="justify"><i>‘Tis the bane of a substitute keeper - out of rhythm, he suddenly had to prove himself. He came from a foreign country and now he had to play on a rugged pitch in an unpracticed team full of substitutes.</i></p>
<p align="justify">Bright daylight shone on the stadium even at 8 in the evening.</p>
<p align="justify"><i>Unlike his teammates, he is paralyzed with fear. His mouth is open, his eyes are wide.</i></p>
<p align="justify">Barcelona dominated possession as always, and were always a pass ahead of their Segunda B opponents. Riquelme played a pass in the attacking third into empty space and Geovanni made no mistake. 1-0. Five thousand fans applauded - it was a quality goal by quality players.</p>
<p align="justify">The first half went by, but the second half was no different. For nearly an hour, Barcelona dominated possession, and were a step above their opponents. On the left wing, a free-kick was awarded. Miguel Ángel Mullor swung the ball into the box. At the far post, an opponent was unmarked.</p>
<p align="justify"><i>He wanted to draw his defenders' attention to the lone man. But he couldn't. Silent, paralysed, he stayed on the goal-line...</i></p>
<p align="justify">26-year-old Toni Madrigal was in his best years as an established Segunda B player. A 187 cm tall striker with a deadly right foot, and an uncanny ability to evade his marker. This time, the marker was Dutch international Michael Reiziger, and the right foot he loved met the ball perfectly and one touch is all it took to draw the scores level.</p>
<p align="justify"><i>He stood frozen in front of his goal.</i></p>
<p align="justify">For fifty-eight minutes Madrigal had been grazing away at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/">Barcelona's</a> defenders, and this was his reward.</p>
<p align="justify"><i>When the ball was far away from him, he thought about the equaliser. It had been Reiziger's mistake, but why hadn't he come out? He should have gathered the cross, right?</i></p>
<p align="justify">Another free-kick. This time, the ball was fumbled but Rochemback seemed to have the ball under control. Mullor immediately stole the ball, and lobbed it into the box. Madrigal had sensed correctly that his teammate would get the ball, and had already started running towards Barça's goal. He had a split second's advantage, and de Boer - who was behind him - wasn't quick.</p>
<p align="justify"><i>He was stranded. He knew Madrigal would get to the ball before he did. The ball was buried in the net from twelve yards out. 2-1.</i></p>
<p align="justify">Three minutes later, when Riquelme equalised with a penalty, the feeling among the fans was mutual. The fight was brave, but Barcelona needed just a small window of opportunity and they would be through.</p>
<p align="justify"><i>He wanted to make things better, but he was gripped by the fear that whatever he did would make things worse.</i></p>
<p align="justify">On the left side of midfield, Novelda's captain - Cudi - had the ball. He loved crossing to the back post - and Madrigal knew that perfectly well. He sprinted diagonally towards it, trying to go for the header. De Boer went with Madrigal. The ball flew towards the six-yard line. And suddenly de Boer stopped.</p>
<p align="justify"><i>He was frightened. He didn't even take a step forward. And De Boer stopped too, perhaps scared of making a mistake himself.</i></p>
<p align="justify">Madrigal suddenly felt calm. He took his time. He placed his header so that it would bounce and spin unpredictably. It was a certain goal. Novelda's bench thundered because the fans were thumping the roof.</p>
<p align="justify"><i>De Boer stood in the penalty box and railed at him. A professional was humiliating a teammate on the pitch.</i></p>
<p align="justify"><i>He stood there, his face pale, eyes lowered, and didn't say a word.</i></p>
<p align="justify">There were still twelve minutes there but the game was already over. On the pitch, the fans celebrated their win and their hero: Toni Madrigal, a player who earned 2,000 euros a month, was the first player to score a hat-trick against Barcelona in the 21st century.</p>
<p align="justify"><i>He pulled himself away, went to sit on the bus, waited for it to drive off, for the darkness to swallow him up. </i></p>
https://www.barcablaugranes.com/2016/1/2/10684832/off-the-radar-novelda-and-barcelonaSarthak Kumar