Just posting this to annoy DTLW, which i am sure you will agree is a valid ambition. Celta Vigo returned to the top flight last season and replaced their manager (sound familiar). This match will be a memorial match for a previous player, Quinochio. Our GK coach, Toni Jiminez, played with their manager in Olympic Gold winning Spanish side in 1992. OK, i will leave DTLW to fill in the relevant details. Saturday 3rd August. 7 pm BST. Stream - http://www.crtvg.es/deportes/directo/canle/evento1
please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image KICK-OFF: 19:00 BST Onto the fifth game of pre-season for Saints. But this one is a little different. What is the El Trofeo Memorial de Quinocho? The Quinocho Memorial Trophy, or el Trofeo Memorial de Quinocho to use its Spanish name, is an annual memorial trophy. It is played to commemorate the service and death of Joaquin Fernandez Santomé, or 'Quinocho', as he is known by the fans. Quinocho gave the club ten years of service between 1953 and 1963. Born in Vigo, Quinocho was a local hero, serving the club as player, manager and director. During his spell as manager he led the club to promotion to the Segunda Division in the 1980/81 season. He later led the club in five promotions to the top flight in 1975/76, 1977/78, 1981/82, 1984/85 and 1986/87. He met a tragic death, when on the 20th of October 1988, he was stabbed to death. A gang of robbers broke into the club offices in Vigo in search of the President, who was planning to move the team to San Sebastian (this being the destination of the train in the train crash last week). Quinocho stood up to the men and offered resistance, trying to prevent them from carrying out their plan. It was at this moment that they stabbed Quinocho, and left him for dead. He had a public funeral in the city of Vigo, and the streets were flooded with fans. This season provides the 18th edition of the memorial game, during the previous 17 years, Celta Vigo have won on 15 occasions. The two defeats both came against Portuguese opposition, in the form of Paços de Ferreira in 2010 and Vitória de Guimarães in 1997. Saints will become just the 2nd team from English soil to compete, following in the footsteps of Wigan Athletic, who contested last year's trophy. Celta Vigo ran out 1-0 winners on the day. The competition started in 1995, with Celta Vigo defeating SD Compostela by two goals to one. Since then the reputation of the competition has grown, with the likes of Real Betis, Athletic Bilbao, Olympiakos, Sporting Braga, Real Valladolid and AS Roma all taking part. The trophy is normally televised by a Spanish TV group in Vigo known as 'TVG'. Who are Celta Vigo? Real Club Celta de Vigo, or simply Celta Vigo, are a Spanish football club who were formed 89 years ago, on the 23rd of August 1923. The club came about after a merger of two local sides, Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna. The club is known by the nickname of 'Os Celestes', which means 'The Sky Blues'. The club was voluntarily formed by the two major clubs of Vigo in order to compete at a higher level. This move came about due to the Basque sides in the Spanish Championship being the bane of their lives as they could not topple them to achieve at a higher level. The move was politically-charged and was pushed by local media and eventually the campaign fell at the feet of the two clubs. From here they decided it was in the best interests of all within the city of Vigo to have a football club that represented them all. Arguably the best phase in Celta's history came in the late 90s and early 00s. The club converted itself into a major force and cemented a reputation as a top six side. In fact in the 2001/02 season, the club did not drop below 6th place all season. To recall the names of some players from this time, I will go with: Pablo Cavallero, Claude Makelele, Aleksandr Mostovoi, Mazinho and Benni McCarthy. Their success and squad during this period earned them the nickname of 'EuroCelta' from the Spanish press. After finishing 4th in the 2001/02 season, the club qualified for the Champions League. The next season, during the Champions League campaign, they reached the last sixteen before losing out to Arsenal. However, this season saw them finish second bottom in La Liga, and they were relegated. They returned at the first time of asking, finishing second in the Segunda Division. They qualified for the UEFA Cup the next season by finishing 6th. The next season saw relegation again, as the club finished 18th in La Liga and narrowly avoided administration. This was to signal a five-year absence from the top flight. In 2012, Celta Vigo returned to La Liga. Last season, Celta survived on the final day of the season, finishing in 17th. Their 37 point total defeated Mallorca's total of 36 after Mallorca won 4-1, but Espanyol failed to draw the required result against Os Celestes. The club has since lost star striker Iago Aspas to Premier League outfit Liverpool. Where do they play? The Estadio Municipal de BalaÃdos, or simply 'BalaÃdos' as it is known, has been home to the club since 1928. Construction began in 1925 as the new club recognised needs for a new home. It has since experienced two expansions, in 1967 and 1982, before a renovation in 2004. The ground holds 31,800 spectators, so is not too dissimilar in size to St. Mary's. The stadium comprises of four stands: Tribuna, RÃo, Gol and Marcador. It is owned by the Council of the City of Vigo. Os Celestes are the only tenants, and always have been. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image What are the club colours? Celta Vigo wear sky blue shirts with white socks, and a variant of sky blue or white socks. please log in to view this image The Club Anthem The club does not have an official anthem, but two popular and traditional songs invented by the fans include 'Always Vigo' and 'These Fans Won't Leave'. Match Details The game will be played at Celta Vigo's home of BalaÃdos in Vigo, Galicia. The game is a 19:00 BST kick-off on Saturday the 3rd of August 2013. In local time, that is 20:00. Celta will be in their home strip of sky blue and white, whilst Saints will be wearing their new black Adidas away kit for the first time. Once again, hope you found this useful/interesting.
No way! I've just spent the last 40 minutes researching and writing the full match preview for this Memorial game. As soon as I clicked to publish, I see Fran did one in the mean time.
Anyway, just went downstairs to stick some chicken in the oven. Had to check Fran hadn't already put one in there, mind...
There's already a thread for this FFS. I thought this would provide some new insight but Fran's has WAY more information. Delete this please mods!
I was busy typing up the thread and reading a book I have about Spanish football teams etc. So didn't see yours at all. It's all about the quality...
I think I'm going to do the diplomatic thing and merge the threads. Wish me luck as I keep forgetting how to do it..!
