Are we getting greedy? Having gorged on last weeks feast of a win over Castilla lips were being licked and appetites were at an all time high but there were only crumbs on offer for CD Tenerife in this 0-0 home draw with La Roda. The visitors played a spoiling game and went away thrilled with a hard erned draw but Tenerife, even with a lack of punch up front, should have sewn it up in the first half.
Once again we learned to appreciate Kiko in his abscence, suspended after another booking last week. Coach Garcia Tebar changed the playing pattern to accomodate a fit again Loro who tucked in just behind Perona, that left the midfield weak with no Zazo to back up Marcos and there was no target man to threaten the big defenders from Roda. Kike Lopez and Raul Llorente made a lot of openings down the left but they fizzled out before testing the away keeper.
After 20 minutes CDT lay siege to the Roda goal with four straight corners but each time Loro’s ball in was wasted and cleared away easily. Kike Lopez timed another perfect run and cut in from the wing with the ball but there wasn’t a white shirt in a position to finish with a goal. It got worse in the second half as Roda sensed a point was theirs to take if they just held tight. Tacon came on for the ineffective Bravo and Zazo for the tired Loro, neither made a difference to the overall picture. Aridane was added after 70 minutes, we could have done with him earlier, the 11,365 crowd had been in good voice from the start and tried to lift the players but Roda players were going down and the slightest touch and stopping the flow of the game.
Aridane had a penalty claim, the ref wasn’t impressed, at the other end Razak came to the rescue with two assertive takes from the head of Chupi. For the last five minutes Roda brought on the giant Torre up front, he looked like he could flatten all before him but Razak had the measure of him and charged him down while taking the ball cleanly. Perona needs one more goal (and promotion) to get a new contract but it wasn’t coming today. Four minutes of injury time didn’t offer a late winner and Tenerife were left to wonder how they didn’t convert any of their 17 corners into a goal.
It’s a team game football and at CD Tenerife the fans are a vital part of that team. This 3-1 home win over Real Madrid Castilla really proved the point as the fans responded to a rallying call after last weeks shock defeat, and the players responded with a gutsy, passionate performance that had the entire 13,400 crowd purring.
It was a tough build up with injuries and suspensions and fate added another late blow with Loro failing his fitness test. All the peñas (fan clubs) put on a dazzling pre match display of tifo and banners and it kick started the on pitch action as Chechu cut in down the right and crossed the ball just out of reach of Kike Lopez. Kiko and Perona were linking well up front but there were early signs that Tenerife couldn’t rely on any help from the ref, he seemed to have a blind spot for fouls on home players. Perona had a strong chance after 15 minutes but scooped his shot over the bar.
Castilla had plenty of skill and broke well down the right to carve out a 19th minute goal for Juanfran. Tenerife came back strongly, Kiko should have done better when the visiting keeper spilled the ball but he should have already passed to Perona unmarked at the post. There was no mistake a few minutes later when the ball broke to Perona and he glanced the ball in the net with his head to square the game. Just after the goal Kiko got booked, that will rule him out for next weeks home game. Just before the break Kiko showed his worth with a nice lay off to Zazo but the midfielder couldn’t convert the chance.
Castilla began the second half strongly and Denis went close with a shot that looped over the bar as Razak advanced. The Ghana keeper was having a steady debut although he needs to work on his kicks in training. Aridane came on for Kiko as Tenerife went in search of the win spurred on by the constant roar of the crowd. The ref was dishing yellow cards out to the home players but missed most of Castilla’s heavy challenges. It was that man Perona again who hit the net for a deserved lead after 67 minutes and Tenerife were good value for it. Ruben Rosquete came on for Chechu as the ref showed his true colours, Razak tried to take a goal kick but was impeded by a Castilla player, then when he got room to take the kick the ref booked him for time wasting. There was worse to come, Joselu tried to pick a fight with Tenerife’s physio as he walked back around the goal and then floored Cristobal with a two handed push to the chest, strangely it only produced a yellow card.
The game went into injury time but our nerves were saved by a raid on the Castilla goal that ended with a Kike Lopez goal slotted in from an acute angle. It was no more than Tenerife deserved, every player and every fan did their job and coach Garcia can now boast five wins in his six games. This was Tenerife at their best, even the fans copping a free view from up in the flats were dancing with joy.
Clowns are a key part of Carnaval season, normally in red wigs and baggy pants but CD Tenerife players and fans were dismayed to find one with a referee’s shirt and a whistle. It’s difficult to imagine how a match official could be so bad in every aspect of his job but this guy was hopeless right from the off but despite everything CD Tenerife showed great character to grab a late 1-0 win over Getafe B.
The run of three straight wins and Santa Cruz Carnaval fever put us all in an expectant mood, crowd costumes were as colourful and imaginative as ever and a lively start saw Chechu cut in from the right to squeeze his shot off the post in the first minute. Perona only lasted seven minutes before going off injured, his replacement Kiko had one of his worst game, putting two headed chances wide and struggling to make any real impact. Loro has been an inspirational play maker but he was closely marked and bundled over repeatedly by the visitors with no protection from the ref. Despite that blind spot, the ref reacted to every over dramatic fall and writhing response from Getafe, all very frustrating.
The second half started with Getafe growing in confidence and taking the game to Tenerife. As CDT worked their way back into the play Kiko couldn’t break through the visiting defence and Chechu’s early raids fizzled out. Kike (below) was a little terrier but he also picked out for close attention, a 60th minute mugging left him on his back but was ignored by the ref. Coach Garcia Tebar tried to inject some urgency into the attack by bringing on Aridane for Marcos but he was unconvincing. At the other end Getafe went close, flashing a shot just past the post. Tacon was the last change, replacing the fading Chechu, just after a loose ball fell perfectly for Kiko but his footwork was slow and clumsy and the chance was wasted.
Aridane found the target but was called offside then Kitoko went down with a bad injury and was helped off and down the tunnel with no hope of return, early reports suggest a groin problem will sideline him for the rest of the season. The ten men became nine after 82 minutes, Tarantino already had a yellow but went out of his way to foul his opponent and paid the price. The game was still up for grabs and spurred on by the 9,424 crowd Tenerife pushed for a winner and were rewarded with an 88th minute penalty that Loro converted. Garcia and the Getafe coach had a flare up with the ref and both got red cards, just for good measure he even gave one to back up goalie Razak – poor bloke hasn’t even played any league minutes yet.
The ref conjured up six minutes of injury time, long enough to deny a Getafe goal amid heated exchanges that saw Seiz and Hugo join the early shower club. Tenerife hung on for a just win and as the ref slinked off the party kicked into top gear among the fans, I was nearly suffocated between the large false breasts of a large chap wearing a bright wig – what a way to go. The aftermath of this extraordinary game will be felt in next weeks team selection headaches, but having overcome such adversity CD Tenerife deserve their reward of two free days to sample the delights of Carnaval.
It was a gamble changing coach a few weeks ago but so far it’s hand shakes all round at CD Tenerife as Garcia Tebar saw his side win 1-0 at Coruxo to make it three wins in his first three games. The new players brought in during the January transfer window have given the club a boost and it’s full steam ahead with the top four promotion play off spots seeming more obtainable.
Tenerife dominated the first half at the neat and compact Coruxo ground, Raul Llorente was doubtful with a bad back but filled the left back slot and even shrugged off an early slam to the floor. Kike Lopez and Luismi Loro were buzzing and Perona was unlucky to see his 17th minute header flick wide of the home goal. Ferran Tacon made himself at home on the left wing and even had the ball in the net only to see it called for offside. Coruxo managed a rare attack but Pablo Sicilia hooked the ball clear from a position of danger.
The 25 th minute goal was a classy little number, Loro mesmerised three markers before laying off the ball to Chechu (top) to tap into the net. Chechu showed his worth at the other end with a well timed intervention to halt the other Coruxo chance but should have done better in front of the home net when Kike set him up from the right. Instead the midfielder chip ped the ball up to Tacon (below) who’s header was cleared at the foot of the post.
CD Tenerife sat back a bit in the second half and Coruxo had their best spell. Zazo came on for Tacon and later Kiko for Kike and the big number nine was soon in the action. Kiko couldn’t quite reach a stray long ball and soon after turned well to get a shot in but a defender blocked the way. Coruxo had their best chance from a free kick in a dangerous position but hit the ball high over the goal. Ayoze replaced Perona as the game went into the last five minutes and the points looked safe but there was a late scare as Llorente made a wild lunge of a tackle and his second yellow card saw him sent off. Even in injury time Tenerife could have doubled the score if Kiko had won a race to the ball with the keeper. Llorente will be missing for next Sundays home game with Getafe B but with CDT back on track the fans should return in even higher numbers.
Mixed emotions hardly begins to cover what the last week has been like for CD Tenerife fans. A week ago we couldn’t have imagined that we would be following a 2-1 away win in Conquense by packing into a church to mix tears with laughter as we said goodbye to Andy Glover, or Twat Hat as he was affectionately known. At least fate, if you believe in it, had the decency to deliver a rare away win, I’m sure I could hear the clink of a glass and a trace of Andy’s Sid James laugh as the final whistle blew.
On a rock hard frozen pitch, bereft of grass, another new era was begining for the team, Calderon had been sacked and new coach Garcia Tebar took his place in the dug out, latest new sigining Luismi Loro made his debut up front just behind Kiko Raton. Chechu had the best early chance but fired wide after 10 minutes, a few minutes later he threaded a long pass through to Kiko who stretched but couldn’t get his foot to the ball. Maybe that effort gave the big forward an injury, he was replaced by Aridane after 20 minutes and his first touch was a well plaved header from new boy Loro’s perfect pass.
Loro looked classy and left back Raul Llorente (above) continued to impress after his eye catching debut in last weeks home defeat. Sergio had little to do in goal but just before half time he had to be alert to a shot that swirled in the icy cold wind. The Tenerife keeper followed up with a decisive take of the ball on the edge of the box as Ruano closed in. The second half opened well as Chechu took advantage of some slack home defending to make it 2-0. Loro had a clear penalty claim but the referee wasn’t having it and within two minutes Tarantino was sent off for his second red card. Medina was brought on for Chechu and resumed his old place in the heart of defence.
New coach Garcia soon discovered the facts of life when the customary jitters set in, Vinuesa grabbed the first decent home chance of the second half to reduce the arrears and alarm bells were ringing. Ten man CDT did well to hang on but had to thank Sergio for two more outstanding saves, one in the last seconds of injury time. Plenty for the new boss to work on in the week as he tries to instill his own ideas, at least the win put Tenerife back up into the fourth promotion play off spot.
Back at the church there was a good turnout as at the Santa Cruz crematorium on Friday. Andy enriched so many of our lives, however bad the games, and there were many shockers, he could always crack us up with a well chosen word or another of his endless filthy bad taste jokes. The coffin and the urn had no connection with the Andy I knew, for me his spirit will always be there in the Heliodoro stadium, any bar where we watch an away game, and most of all in some fantastic memories of a great friend.
Say Hello Wave Goodbye was playing over the speaker on the Armada Sur bus when we heard of the inevitable sacking of coach Antonio Calderon. It just about sums up our record with coaches (and shows how old we are) but this has been coming for weeks and a disasterous first half ending in a 2-o deficit sealed Calderons fate, even a fight back before losing 3-2 at home to Sporting Gijon B couldn’t gloss over the glaring problems out on the pitch.
Nothing is ever quite clear at CD Tenerife, who really picks the team, young midfield prospect Abel (above right) was a shock recall to midfield and looked like a headless chicken. I suspect even he was surprised to get the call up, it came as he was looking for assurances about his future at the club, clearly a political selection to keep him sweet, handed down from sporting director Cordero or even President Concepcion. Why is Medina playing at right back, and Tarantino at centre back, both had poor games, it’s worrying when the normally consistent and assured Medina loses the plot. Atleast Raul Llorente (above left) looks a classy new addition at left back. How does Chechu keep getting picked, his crosses from the right were sloppy and off target and Mendy tortured Tenerife down that flank.
Abel lost the ball just before the opening goal after 23 minutes and Guerrero had no problems with the static defence before giving the visitors the lead. There was no effective midfield for Tenerife, the ball did get up to new forward Aridane several times but his control on the ground is shockingly bad, of course top scorer Perona was dropped to the bench – work that one out. Then after 34 minutes it got much worse, Muniz struck a pin point free kick and Sergio was late to the ball and it beat his outstretched hand at the top corner. The shouts for Calderon to go rained down and after Tarantino picked up a yellow card there was a chorus of support for the return of Ayoze to the middle of defence. Pablo Sicila had his work cut out mopping up at the back and it was all painful to watch.
Changes had to come at half time, Abel went off for Nico and Medina went for Kiko Raton with Chechu dropping back to defend the right side. The wake up call made some difference, just a few minutes in and Kiko’s prescence helped to make an opening for Aridane to tap in for a goal. CD Tenerife showed a bit more fight and the final change, Perona for Ferran Tacon added more fire power. Nico was lively when he was fed the ball and after 76 minutes his determination earned a penalty, Perona was sharp from the spot and maybe we had a hope of getting out of jail.
It was a short lived and false hope, Guerrero took advantage of a rare slip by Sicilia and put the ball in the net – taxi for Calderon! As many of the 8,352 crowd streamed away new left back Llorente, easily the best home player, pushed forward again and unleashed a good shot that wasn’t too far away. The whistle came and we were left with the wreckage of another home game without a win, last one was 20 th November. Dare we hope that new midfield signing Luismi Loro from Elche can make a difference, dare we hope that a new coach can squeeze more out of the squad, and dare we hope that that coach (looks like Garcia Tebar) will have a free hand to pick his team. Stay tuned for the next gripping instalment.
It was a win, had to be a win, 1-o up at Vecindario and into the last seconds of injury time and then it happened, a corner, Futre got his head to it and Sergio’s punch just helped it into the CD Tenerife net for a 1-1 draw. What a sucker punch but the day was another glaring lesson in taking your chances, while Kiko’s head was displaying first half power but not accuracy Real Oviedo were winning 5-0 at home to Leganes to jump into third place.
There were changes again despite last weeks 4-0 away win, Medina was moved to right back to allow Pablo Sicilia to return to the heart of defence. Vecindario had the first shot of the game just over the bar after five minutes but after that Tenerife dominated the first half. Chechu from the right and Bravo from the left put in some perfect crosses but Kiko couldn’t get the headers on target. Bravo had a go just before the break running the ball down the left and forcing a corner, Chechu slung it in but again Kiko missed the target.
The second half started with a booking for Marcos that will rule him out of next Sundays home game. Vecindario born Aridane came on for Kiko after 60 minutes to a fair few boos. Ferran Tacon raided down the left but with noone closing in on goal he screwed his shot into the side netting. Perona came on for Chechu but it was Bravo who nearly broke the deadlock with a floated free kick that the home keeper punched clear. Kitoko showed great determination to win the ball and charged into the penalty area, an outstreched defenders foot brought him crashing down and Perona sent the keeeper the wrong way to score the penalty.
There was wild celebration in the stands from the 500 plus Tenerife fans but as the game went into four minutes of injury time Vecindario got a corner and as the ball came over Futre rose to head the ball, Sergio went to punch it away but merely helped it into the net, what a sickener. It was definately two points dropped and spoilt what would have been a perfect start to the new year.
At least two of the goals were gifts and Alcala had ten men for most of the game but this was a tremendous 4-0 win with the two transfer window signings playing a key role. The whistles and boos from the last home game in December hung in the air over the festive season and the departures of Josmar on loan to Venezuela and Luna full time to Ecuador left room to bolster the squad. In came Raul Llorente a 25 year old formerly with Alaves, he took over the left back role for this opening game of 2012, and Gran Canaria born 31 year old striker Aridane started on the bench.
Alcala had early chances but found Sergio Aragoneses at his agile best. At the other end the home keeper tried to stop Bravo taking the ball around him and pulled the CDT player down for a penalty and got sent off. Bravo slipped the ball past the keepers replacement for a 27th minute lead. Victor Bravo (above) was having an outstanding game and his shot just after the break was parried to Kiko who scored with a bit of help from both posts. Marcos Rodriguez came on for Zazo and within 10 minutes had made it 3-0 after another half hearted stop from the keeper.
New boy Aridane took to the pitch after 80 minutes and proved his worth with a well taken header from a Bravo cross five minutes later. A much needed boost for the confidence of players and fans, hopefully a draw at least at Vecindario next week and the numbers will be on the rise again for the home games. Tenerife remain third on 34 points behind leaders Castilla on 40 points and Lugo on 37, Oviedo are just behind in fourth but only on goal difference. Better but still a long way to go.
There’s something about Christmas that brings out the worst in CD Tenerife, we have had some stinkers in the past just before the break but this 2-2 draw with Marino de Luanco was one of the worst.
With current form described as wobbly at best, a strong performance was needed against opponents from a small village with just 5,000 inhabitants. The defensive mentality of coach Calderon has alienated many fans and even allowing for other festive distractions the Heliodoro looked well down on numbers, a mere 6,441 was the official figure.
The first half hour of play was awful, neither side troubled the goalkeepers and play was scrappy and lacking any direction. Tenerife finally managed a shot after 27 minutes from Kiko (top pic) but this and a Chechu effort soon after were easily dealt with by former CDT stopper Ponzo. Woken from their slumber, Tenerife started to show some good football and were rewarded after 33 minutes, a Bravo cross was met perfectly with a glancing header by Kiko and it was 1-0. The visiting keeper had looked confident but lost the ball after Zazo shot following another Bravo cross, Perona (above) was on hand to score his 7th of the season for a 2-0 lead at the break.
That should have been the springboard to a demolition of Luanco but the old problems came back for the second half. Tenerife looked happy to sit back on the lead and sure enough six minutes into play Titi put the ball past a hesitant Sergio to reduce the arrears. The confidence drained away and coach Calderon brought on Ferran and Marcos but they couldn’t make any impact and Meji on for Sergio Rodriguez a few minutes later was also a fruitless move.
The inevitable happened after 71 minutes, a break on the left ended with Arias scoring to level the game. Calderon was squirming on the bench as abuse started to fly his way from the frustrated crowd. Tenerife managed a late fight back, Bravo had his legs taken out from under him in the box but the ref didn’t give the obvious penalty. Bravo had a clear chance when Ponzo fumbled the ball but his reactions weren’t fast enough to reach the ball. Into injury time and Kiko could have got a penalty after being mugged in mid air by Ponzo and a defender but again the ref wasn’t interested. The final whistle brought a chorus of calls for Calderon to be sacked. Amazingly rival teams dropped points and Tenerife moved up to third spot but the problems remain and all eyes will be on our three wise men – Concepcion, Cordero and Calderon for some encouragement before Segunda B resumes in January with two away games.
Sports Director Pedro Cordero this week compared CD Tenerife to a salmon swimming against the current but this game was about two lost points, the ones that got away. A O-OÂ home draw against a free scoring Atletico Madrid B team isn’t bad but with leaders Castilla three goals down at half time Tenerife should have taken the bait and made up valuable ground.
Coach Calderon is too negative, he kept Kitoko in the centre of defence alongside Ayoze (pic) and brought back Medina after his one game suspension but played him in midfield with Marcos, leaving no place for the eager to attack Zazo. Tenerife were the better team in the first half but there were plenty of warning signs about their visitors strengths. Madrid are a big side and Pedro Martin up front caused plenty of problems, his chipped shot after 8 minutes just cleared the home bar. Bravo had a good early chance heading over after good work by Chechu on the right. Perona and Bravo both had further near misses but Madrid twice saw shots saved by the woodwork.
Medina and Marcos weren’t sparking many raids from CDT, it was mainly down to breaks down the flanks to cause a threat and Perona and Ferran couldn’t convert what came their way. Just before the break Martin had the home goal in his sights again but Sergio got a finger tip to the ball to turn it over but the generous referee gave a goal kick. At half time the buzz among the 8,920 crowd was about Castilla’s downfall but it didn’t act as a further spur to the players. Tenerife just don’t have the killer instinct and Madrid always knew they were in with a shout. Just after an Atletico chance went looping over the Tenerife bar, Calderon made a double change bringing in Kiko and Nico for Marcos and Chechu.
Kiko was a little rusty but added more threat up front and Nico’s speed was a useful addition.Sergio had more to do in this half and was as always superb, particularly after a Kitoko slip let Madrid through. Tenerife showed some late urgency, Kiko barely troubled the keeper with his weak shot and Perona got into a good position but was bundled wide by a visiting defender. Tarantino came on too late to make much difference, replacing Medina, and injury time was nail biting as first Kiko’s final touch let him down in front of goal and then play switched to the other end where Sergio again showed his class with a crucial save.