We needed a win however ugly it was and this 1-0 home victory over Elche was a real minger. Neither team looked good and the referee was a clown with no control at all over the game. CD Tenerife are now off the bottom of the Segunda division and with fellow strugglers Nastic coming to call next Sunday there’s a chance to put a run together.
The day started well with a visit to the new CD Tenerife shop Soy del Tete in CC Fañabe Plaza. Nikki and Chris have worked hard to get it ready and with a nice spread of food laid on and a large cool box of beer the mood was jolly as many of the Armada Sur gathered. All the new CDT strip is in and lots of related leisure wear as well as Armada Sur gear. They open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm and will be pleased to see you.
On to the main event and Josmar Zambrano was given his first start after a couple of impressive cameos after making late substitutions. From the start Elche looked like spoilers, their players went down at the slightest brush with a Tenerife player and the referee fell for all their theatrical rolling around. Josmar showed his skills beating 2 defenders and just failing to connect with Nino. The 18 year old always looks good on the ball but will have to learn to deal with the close attention his talent will attract, Elche set about roughing him up at every opportunity and the ref let them get on with it.
Palanca put in a testing cross that the Tenerife defence scrambled away and Prieto lost the ball to Linares who shot just wide much to the home fans relief. Josmar came close to getting his first goal but was foiled by the keeper and then in a farcical act Acciari clattered into him and then fell over himself and tried to milk it. CDT finished the first half stronger, Nino had a clear chance but Elche cleared it for a corner. Josmar was replaced by Juanlu after 54 minutes and linares continued to be the main threat from the visitors, he looked to be through on goal but Sergio made a brilliant save, tipping the ball up one handed and then grabbing it.
The CD Tenerife defence looked a bit better, Luna was back to something near his best form but a booking for Beranager means he will miss the next game. Former home player Angel shot wide for Elche just before Kome made way for Omar. Prieto did well to clear with a well timed header but it looked destined to be a bore draw. The big change came after 80 minutes as Natalio joined the action in place of Alvarez. His impact was almost immediate, pouncing on a rebound from a Juanlu shot to score and send the 16,000 crowd into raptures.
When your star striker Nino is out injured, your bottom of the division, and your 2-0 down away, coming back to draw 2-2 your entitled to greet the result like a win. CD Tenerife showed great character and coach Mandia was rewarded for brave substitutions in hopefully the turning point of the season. Nino’s leg injury is a big blow and may keep him out again next week, Mandia went with Iriome in the main forward role but the big experiment was putting Melli just in front of the central defensive pairing of Luna and Prieto.
The move seemed to work in the first half and Beranger even looked better, putting in some strong winning tackles. Omar went close after 5 minutes and Juanlu (above) had a good run on goal before being bundled over. Sergio was strong as ever in goal, he made a great 2 handed punch clear as he was fouled by a Cordoba player. Their first touch let Tenerife down several times but they created a few good opportunities and Iriome did a decent job of leading the forward line. Melli showed his worth winning a couple of aerial clashes and at half time 0-0 was a fair reflection.
The referee turned the game 5 minutes into the second half awarding the home side a weak penalty, the ball was headed clear after an attack when he blew his whistle and pointed to the spot. It took me three replays to spot some holding, the only possible reason for the call but very harsh. Luque scored at the second attempt, maybe the sign of a guilty conscience as the ref ordered the first scoring shot to be retaken. The second goal came 5 minutes later, poor marking maybe but brilliantly taken by Charles with an overhead bicycle kick.
That second goal went in as Mandia was about to bring on Natalio and Kome for Omar and extra defender Melli. Natalio finally looked the impressive player we had been promised when he joined in the summer, his first touch went just wide of the goal. It could have been 3-0 though as the defence opened up and Cordoba scored with a free header but the alert linesman flagged for offside. Kome got in on the act and set the ball up for Mikel Alonso, the midfielder curled a sweet shot past the home keeper to spark the revival. Tenerife were dominating the possesion and hungry for another goal, Josmar came on after 83 minutes and again showed what a bag of tricks he is. Natalio capped a much improved personal display by riding 2 tackles before placing the ball wide of former Tenerife keeper Navas. Despite keeping the pressure on, a win was just beyond Tenerife but a well deserved point.
Next Sunday CD Tenerife are at home to Elche at 5pm but in the morning Nikki and Chris will be welcoming all to the opening of the new shop Soy Del Tete selling CD Tenerife kits and merchandise plus Armada Sur shirts. It’s in the CC Fañabe Plaza and will be open from 11am to 2pm, see you there.
Anyone know a good marriage guideance councillor? The relationship between fans and club at CD Tenerife is going through a very rocky patch, the frustration was clear to see in the 1-1 home draw with Numancia in Santa Cruz. The Frente Blanquiazul peña (fan Club) held a first half strike, leaving their area clear and refusing to sign and shout as a pitch side banner appealed to the players “Earn Our Support”. Many fans didn’t agree with this move and tried to boost their own vocal support but although the enthusiasm was there, without the usual focal point it was sporadic and short lived.
At least all the media attention in the preceeding week would have left the players in no doubt of their responsibilities but their response was half hearted. For most of the first half Nino was left gazing up at the constant high balls that were pumped vaquely goalwards, a crazy tactic that gave the little lone striker no chance. Coach Mandia shuffled the pack again, this time bringing Prieto in for Melli in the heart of defence and adding Natalio to play just behind Nino. Tenerife had chances, Hidalgo was through on the keeper who went down rolling thetrically as they clashed. Then there was an incredible sequence when the ball just wouldn’t go in the visitors goal despite desperate lunges from Hidalgo and Natalio who had the keeper beat 0nly for Lopez to clear on the line. Numancia took the lead just after the half hour from a counter attack with Flaño netting from a cross cum shot.
With the arrival of half time the vacant area behind the goal filled up and the second half opened to a rousing reception but the protest hadn’t achieved its impact on the players and certainly hadn’t motivated them. Things were a little better in the second half, Iriome and Julio Alvarez came on for Hidalgo and Natalio but too often Tenerife moves fell apart. Omar joined the action and nearly brought an instant response as he fed Nino who missed the target. Numancia were nothing special but did the basics well, Tenerife looked unsure in key areas and Beranger is an accident waiting to happen at left back.
Finally some joy as Tenerife pressured the Numancia goal and a scramble saw Mikel Alonso get the final touch just ahead of Prieto. With nearly ten minutes left there could have been a grandstand finish but Alvarez underlined the lack of discipline in the team by talking his way to a red card. The referee made an awful call and Alvarez wasn’t shy in letting him have his opinion, but despite being booked and told to cool it, he carried on tearing into the ref and out came the red.
A draw was generous to Tenerife, the dissenting voices in the 16,110 crowd had plenty to complain about and we were left wondering, where to next. Culebras the former Tenerife defender, inexplicably allowed to leave in the summer, ran to the Grada Popular end after the whistle, threw his shirt to the crowd, clapped and then held his arms across his chest in the sign of the Tenerife cross to show he still has a deep affection for CDT. If only a Tenerife player could have shown such class, a small gesture like that might have helped to heal the wounds that are growing deeper by the week.
This really is getting worrying, another poor display as CD Tenerife were outplayed away to Barcelona B, going down 3-1 with glaring problems in defence and a lack of attacking options. There was an early taste of things to come after 5 minutes when Bertran was skinned and Luna cleared the danger after some hesitation. Alonso put the ball in the home net only to see it ruled offside, the replay showed it to be a close call with the player looking level with the defender. Barcelona came back with a strong break, Nolito chipped the ball through a huddle of static CDT players and found Sorianno who finished crisply. Sergio had to make a great finger tip save from Roberto and at the other end Hidalgo made a good run but ran out of places to go.
Nino was again trying to be provider and scorer, Sergio set up a quick counter attack that forced the home keeper to come out and block Nino and the little striker popped in another shot a few minutes later. The Tenerife defence looked paper thin, Beranger was hopeless at left back and Melli a waste of space in the centre, even captain Bertran was looking unsteady. The second goal came 6 minutes before the break, Beranger was French fried and a cross flashed across the goalmouth behind Sergio finding Nolito who struck it well.
Tenerife looked more positive as the second half began, Natalio put in a cross that just eluded Nino’s foot in front of goal and Mikel pulled a goal back unleashing a fierce shot that was helped into the net by a deflection. Omar replaced the tired looking Kome and although Tenerife created more chances, Barcelona delivered the killer blow. Beranger put out the welcome mat again on the left, Luna failed to clear and Carmona helped himself to make it 3-1. Hidalgo had a shot deflected over and then gave way for Josmar (pic) to make his debut, the Venezuelan youngster looked comfortable and set up a great chance with a skillfull pass but Nino couldn’t convert it. After last weeks step forward this was 2 steps back again, coach Mandia will have another busy week.
It was hardly a quiet day at the office for new CD Tenerife coach Juan Carlos Mandia, four sendings off, including his own dismissal from the dug out, yellow cards floating around like confetti, and all played out in a scorching 30 degree heat. This was much better from CDT, lots of effort and fight right until the finish, but poor finishing and a bizarre referee made it a frustrating 1-1 draw when they deserved more.
Mandia showed before the game that he intends to shake things up, in came Bellvis at left back for Beranger, Luna replaced the injured Sicilia in the heart of defence. Kome started in a more supportive role for Nino and youth defender Moreno was among the subs. With 16,145 fans cooking nicely on the terraces, Tenerife came out all guns blazing, Nino had a couple of early chances, his chip over the bar perhaps the best. Cartagena looked a poor side, going down at the slightest touch they tried to stifle the home enthusiasm. Hidalgo made a good run on goal but was crudely bundled over and Kome met the same fate and sent his free kick over the bar.
Nino rode as many tackles as he could and led the charge with little physical support, the visiting keeper produced a good block to prevent him opening the scoring. Then the game entered a bizarre phase as the referee boiled over in the heat, a second yellow card for Cartagena’s Sanchez saw him off and Mandia let the ref know what he thought of his poor performance and was banished to the stands. The referee had plenty more twists to add to the game in the second half as Cartagena stayed on their feet long enough to play a little football. The visitors took the lead after 62 minutes, Ricardo put his leg out in the box and former Tenerife player Moral made sure he went over leaving Toche to slot home the penalty. Mandia responded with three changes, Omar on for Kome, Juanlu for Hidalgo and Natalio for Mikel.
The response was swift, Juanlu put a good ball in from the right and Nino nipped in to level the game. Now the game was there for the taking, and Tenerife pushed forward in search of a winner. The Cartagena keeper, a steady defence and even the woodwork came to the rescue for the visitors, and coupled with some wayward finishing they held firm. The referee raised his ugly head again after 84 minutes giving Bellvis a second yellow card and his marching orders, then Herrero went crashing in on Julio Alvarez and joined the exodous from the pitch. So the rousing climax was played out with 10 CDT players on 9 opponents, and it wasn’t even a dirty game. Tenerife never gave up trying, Cartagena cleared off the line twice and deep into 6 minutes of injury time Natalio had the goal at his mercy but missed. Mandia will have plenty of encouragement and ideas after this draw, let’s hope the difficult away game at Barcelona B, live on Canal Plus, next Sunday will provide the first win of the season.
Here’s an idea for the next coach of CD Tenerife, skewer the back four on a long pole and operate them from the side of the pitch like in bar football, it seems the only way to keep our defence in some sort of order. Last night’s 2-0 defeat at Xerez was full of the same old problems of poor marking and slack passing, plus all the players looked devoid of any confidence on the ball.
Caretaker caoch Alfredo Merino made changes bringing Kome (pic)Â and Mikel into midfield to hopefully add some steel and Natalio played a wider role on the right. There was an early penalty scare after a clumsy challenge by Sicilia in the box but the Xerez player made a meal of his fall and that probably put doubts in the refs mind and he ignored their pleas. Sergio Aragoneses mopped up a free kick cleanly but just 21 minutes in a right side cross from Redondo found Jose Mari who had a free header to make it 1-0.
Nino ran for goal when a lay off to Natalio might have been a better option, and he was floored by Mendoza just outside the area but the free kick was wasted. The second goal soon followed Cordero easily shrugged off three defenders and placed his shot past Sergio’s outstretched hand. There were few chances for CDT, a late effort was headed off the line but at the busier end another defensive lapse saw Xerez break through on the left, thankfully Sergio saved and the ball went over the bar. The Tenerife keeper came to the rescue again after a clash of heads saw the ball break free to a Xerez attacker just before the break.
The second half was worse, Tenerife hardly mustered a shot, Sergio ran out of his area to charge a Xerez player and picked up a yellow card and Omar and Iriome came on for Hidalgo and Natalio. The Tenerife players heads were so down it would have taken a lorry load of viagra to perk them up, the body language on the bench showed the depth of the current lack of confidence in the squad. Xerez were so cocky they tried a 40 yard chip late on that just cleared the goal, Mikel Alonso blocked a shot in front of goal and Nino picked up a yellow, his teams fifth of the night, as his exasperation showed.
The new permanent coach will have a huge job to do, CD Tenerife are in free fall, Cartegena at home next Sunday is going to be another tension packed game.
It was 50 years to the day since the official club hymn Tenerife Adelante was first performed but there was nothing to sing about after a late 1-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano in Madrid. Played quite well, could have won but the defence keep taking their Tenerife holidays, this time parting for another sloppy goal conceeded. There seems to be something missing from the new team, the drive, heart and team spirit that served us so well just isn’t in evidence and stories of dressing room arguments seem to reflect dissent in the ranks.
Coach Arcanada promised a more defensive line up but got an early blow when captain and right back Marc Bertran pulled out pre match with a leg muscle injury, Juanlu Hens dropped back but looked ill at ease and was run ragged all afternoon, Nino forced an early corner but Sicilia couldn’t find the net from the cross in to the box. Sergio made a nervous save and Nino made a half hearted appeal for a penalty after being bundled over in the box. Sergio came to the rescue after 23 minutes with a great save from an Armenteros free kick. Melli was doing well to hold a sometimes jittery Tenerife defence together.
Rayo had the ball in the net at the half hour point but the chip past Sergio was clearly offside. CDT held out well until the break and after the restart the home side seemed to be getting frustrated. Omar and Iriome were willing workers down the wings and Nino hussled away up front as always but the midfield lacked bite and lost possesion too often. Julio Alvarez (above) had another quiet game, he needs to start showing why the club were so pleased to capture him. Rayo started to produce more chances but luckily for Tenerife they kept hoofing them high over the goal. Iriome and Nino had decent chances but a draw was looking a good bet. Alas with just 4 minutes left the Tenerife defence was caught out, opening up like a yawning chasm to allow Juli to stroll in and score. To make the day worse, Las Palmas won 4-1 at home with their shoestring team to move into third spot while Tenerife are just third from bottom.
A 11.15 pm flight to the UK was a pain in many ways but at least it meant I got to see CD Tenerife start their season back in the Segunda Division at Girona on TV Canarias. What a let down it was, schoolboy errors that we thought were a thing of the past came back to haunt us.
Bar Antonio in Los Cristianos was strangely empty compared to last season for La Liga games, was it the drop in levels or the easy access this year on local TV? Anyway the terraces at Girona were also pretty sparese with just over 3,000 fans spread thinly. Hopes were high in the near 40 degree heat but after just 10 minutes David Prieto took a stupid and obvious tug on a Girona players shirt and the ref awarded a penalty that Jando easily despatched.
Surely just an early hiccup, Juanlu looked in good form down the right and hit the bar with a curving shot, Nino wasted a clear opportunity and from the resulting Girona break Luis Garcia had to charge out to deny the home side form doubling their advantage. Nino made amends with a well crafted goal after 37 minutes, he side stepped the Girona defence and blasted a strong shot straight through the mesmerised rearguard to level the scores. It was short lived, Bertran failed to cover a home break and Jando doubled his tally for a half time lead.
Tenerife started strongly in the second half, Omar saw his shot spilled by the home goalie and frantically cleared by the defence but from the corner Juanlu scooped the ball into the net with the help of a deflection. It was pretty even stuff now, Alvarez shot wide for CDT and at the other end Garcia had to block an oncoming charge. After 73 minutes former Tenerife player Kiko Raton was delighted to get his head to a corner which went in despite Garcia getting a hand to the ball.
There was worse 2 minutes later, this time the other new central defender Melli made a hash of it with a soft attempted back pass that set up peragon to kill the game at 4-2. Let’s hope we can put it down to over confidence after an encouraging pre season campaign. Looks like there will be no early domination this season for CD Tenerife, and worse still the pios won a home as well.
A van (well minibus) full of lean mean mercenaries scorched their way up the motorway leaving overturned cars (one in the other lane) as they headed for the big city. Okay it wasn’t quite the A Team, just some of the Armada Sur off to Santa Cruz. After a few cancellations Mallorca were eventually announced as the opponents for this last pre season friendly, the big presentation game in the Heliodoro, a good test,, and one that CD Tenerife passed with flying colours during a convincing 2-0 win.
Many of the local bars, including our usual watering hole, were closed for a summer break so we made do with one of the small shops come bar just outside the top end of the stadium. A decent sized crowd was gathering and we were full of hope, and a few doradas, as we filed into the Grada Popular. The team line up was more or less coach Arconada’s strongest pick for the new season, only a week away now, Sergio Aragoneses was still recovering from injury and Luis Garcia (below)kept the goalkeeping gloves. The big interest was in debut signing Melli at the heart of a defence that has leaked goals in the last few friendlies.
From the start the game was played at a good pace with both sides getting chances, Omar and Nino both had sniffs for CDT and Garcia was given a stern examination. In the past his handling of high balls has made us cringe but he was confident and clean in the air and made some outstanding saves. Melli looked at home and was soon bossing his defensive mates around, that’s exactly what we need, a commanding leader, Prieto looked good as well alongside him and full backs Bertran and Beranger had solid games. Just before half time Natalio made it 1-0 from a Bertran cross, a well deserved lead.
The club did the same annoying thing as the last presentation game, left the lights off on the stadium surround area behind the seats, this made negotiating the steps fun and urinating on guesswork was the order of the day in the toilets. Anyway we all made our way back to our terrace spots with wet legs and hoped for better shooting from our players. Mallorca’s new Danish coach Michael Laudrup is still tinkering with his side but they still have most of the players that earned them fifth spot in La Liga. Tenerife were playing some good football, Hidalgo looked good in midfield and when Nino banged in a rebound from his partly blocked corner, it was no huge surprise.
Mass changes followed later in the game but CDT still offered plenty and Garcia made some more impressive saves to cap his best performance for the blanquiazuls. The win was warmly greeted by the crowd of 7,897 and after eventually escaping our underground car park we had a happy trip home with DJ General supplying some hot sounds from The Human League – the sad thing is most of us knew all the words.
With perfect timing new defender Melli arrived just in time to see CD Tenerife draw 3-3 away to Segunda B side Orihuela last night. The tall 26 year old has lots of La Liga experience and after losing his first team place, all parties involved negotiated a release from his contract, leaving CDT to sign him free on a three season deal. The draw came after a 2-1 defeat to Almeria on Wednesday night, also on the mainland training tour.
Almeria are a decent side and CD Tenerife only lost to a last minute penalty given away by youth defender Moreno. Iriome found the net after 36 minutes following creative play from Omar and Nino and Ulloa levelled after 78 minutes, that decisive penalty was also scored by Ulloa, right at the finish.
To be fair to CD Tenerife they atarted at Orihuela with Moreno again in the heart of defence and youth goalie Dani Mederos between the posts. The first half was all square and goals arrived late on, Natalio found the target after 61 and 70 minutes for a 2-0 lead. Aleo pulled one back after 79 minutes and Nino found his scoring touch after 82 minutes. Orihuela finished strongly with Santa Cruz and Aleo tying the game in the last five minutes. There was a cup at stake so penalties were brought into play, Nino and Juanlu fired wide and although young Mederos saved a spot kick Orihuela won.
Five goals conceeded in two games will concentrate coach Arconada’s mind on defence, he will be keen to see what difference Melli can make. We have had some good defenders the last few years but getting them to play as a strong defensive unit has been a constant problem, this will be one of the coaches biggest challenges.
On the plus side Mallorca have been confirmed as the opponents for the presntation game in Santa Cruz and it will take place on Friday 20 August at 9pm with season ticket holders getting in free. Sporting director Santiago Llorente says the club can make one more signing, a forward on a free. Not long to wait now, be nice to see meanigful games again. Vamos Tenerife.