11 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Independiente Rivadavia has to find a result from somewhere.
10 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Independiente Rivadavia has to find a result from somewhere.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Independiente Rivadavia have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
9 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Independiente Rivadavia has to find a result from somewhere.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
8 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Independiente Rivadavia has to find a result from somewhere.
One booking too many, and Fernando Romero sits out. Independiente Rivadavia lose him for the sort of avoidable reason that makes a manager's week longer.
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Independiente Rivadavia has to find a result from somewhere.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Independiente Rivadavia has to find a result from somewhere.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Independiente Rivadavia has to find a result from somewhere.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Fernando Romero and Independiente Rivadavia agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The shirt still fits. Julián Rojas is back at Independiente Rivadavia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
The shirt still fits. Juan Pablo Moreno is back at Independiente Rivadavia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
The shirt still fits. Ricardo González is back at Independiente Rivadavia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
The shirt still fits. Diego Acosta is back at Independiente Rivadavia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Nicolás Bolcato knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Red Bull Salzburg pay $9.9M, and the deal is done. The number reads well on a balance sheet; whether it reads well on the pitch is next season's question.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
The name of Sebastián Villa has come up in conversations Independiente Rivadavia were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
The deal that would have taken Bruno Méndez to Vélez has collapsed at the last stage, and he reports back to Independiente Rivadavia with a summer to forget and a season still to play. Nobody is saying which side walked away.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Bruno Méndez and Independiente Rivadavia agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Independiente Rivadavia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Agustín Rognoni and Independiente Rivadavia agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Qualification is secured, and next season the big floodlit nights are continental ones. For the players it is a stage; for the accounts it is a lifeline; for the supporters it is passports.
The name of Joaquín Vera has come up in conversations Independiente Rivadavia were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Independiente Rivadavia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Independiente Rivadavia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Independiente Rivadavia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Independiente Rivadavia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
A 3-2 win over Atlético Tucumán, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Independiente Rivadavia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Emmanuel Gómez Riga knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Independiente Rivadavia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
A 1-0 win over Gimnasia La Plata, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Emmanuel Gómez Riga knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
A 3-2 win over Rosario Central, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
7 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Independiente Rivadavia has to find a result from somewhere.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Independiente Rivadavia they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
6 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Independiente Rivadavia has to find a result from somewhere.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Independiente Rivadavia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Independiente Rivadavia has to find a result from somewhere.
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Emmanuel Gómez Riga knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Every touch is being weighed now, in print and everywhere else. Some players grow into that and some are quietly ruined by it, and nobody knows which in advance.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Independiente Rivadavia is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Godoy Cruz go through and Independiente Rivadavia go home, 2-3 the scoreline that did it. The dressing room will call the league the priority now, because that is what dressing rooms say.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Emmanuel Gómez Riga: 1 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
0-3 to River Plate, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ezequiel Bonifacio and Independiente Rivadavia agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Every debut is a small story about the future: Facundo Ortíz, 21 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
31 years old, every age group at this club behind him, and a borrowed player of much the same standard in front of him every Saturday. The parents in the stand have noticed, and so has every kid below him.
3 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Independiente Rivadavia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Independiente Rivadavia that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Independiente Rivadavia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
At 28 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Independiente Rivadavia have a decision that made itself.
In brief
The terracesThe press cannot get enough of Sheyko Studer
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 9 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 7 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Independiente Rivadavia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
In brief
The terracesEverybody has an opinion about Victorio Ramis
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Argentinos Juniors defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Independiente Rivadavia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Independiente Rivadavia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
The shirt still fits. Sergio Suárez is back at Independiente Rivadavia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
The shirt still fits. Cristian Marino is back at Independiente Rivadavia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
The shirt still fits. Gabriel Ponce is back at Independiente Rivadavia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
The shirt still fits. Bautista Molina is back at Independiente Rivadavia, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Work is signed off on a capacity of 11149. It is the sort of decision a club is judged on twenty years later, by people who were not there when it was taken.
A defender's mistake gets tidied up by somebody else; a goalkeeper's ends up in the net. He knew before the ball crossed the line, and so did everybody in the ground.
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Independiente Rivadavia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Public backing, and the sort that costs a manager something if it turns out to be wrong. Sheyko Studer has been told in front of everybody that the shirt is his.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Jano Franco and Independiente Rivadavia agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Independiente Rivadavia know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Independiente Rivadavia can pretend not to have heard.
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Qualification is done, and next season the floodlights come on for something bigger. A stage for the players, oxygen for the accounts and a passport for everybody else.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Sheyko Studer and Independiente Rivadavia agree another 5 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Diego Crego and Independiente Rivadavia agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
24 years old, every age group at this club behind him, and a borrowed player of much the same standard in front of him every Saturday. The parents in the stand have noticed, and so has every kid below him.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Independiente Rivadavia have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Independiente Rivadavia that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
A window away with the national side, and a shirt at Independiente Rivadavia that briefly doubles as an advertisement. A call-up flatters the player and the club that built him in the same breath.
Jeremías Ruiz is 34 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
A new face in his position, and José Florentín suddenly has to win back what he thought he owned. Independiente Rivadavia have promised nothing — clubs rarely do at this stage.
The best deals are the ones the accountants never notice. Laureano Puñet arrives at Independiente Rivadavia with his wages the only cost and something to prove the only clause.
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Israel Coll is 33 and has run out of things to prove. What he has left is where to stand, when to slow it down and what to say at half-time, and none of that is on a fitness chart.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Independiente Rivadavia, and both men came out saying it was fine.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Independiente Rivadavia have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Independiente Rivadavia have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
He is the name in every column and on every phone-in, which is a heavy thing to carry at any age. Some footballers thrive on it; others are quietly finished by it.
Nueva Chicago are out and Independiente Rivadavia go through, 3-1 the final word. The bracket opens up a little, and everyone allows themselves a look at it.
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Independiente Rivadavia have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 6 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.