Villarreal

comment by Clockwork Red: Jadon and the Argonauts (U4892)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by De Post Bijna Man (U1270)
posted 1 second ago
comment by Dyron Daal (U1734)
posted 1 minute ago
Atletico could easily knock City out, so we would all be supporting Liverpool against the Spanish 3.
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Viva España
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Atletico Madrid have been a sort of lifelong second team of mine for a few days.
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Same, despite utterly despising them both, I've always wanted Atletico and Villareal to win in Europe since March this year.

I know it's only vaguely connected to this post (he played at the Bernabeu and scored a hatrick in Munich) but came across this video again today and it always makes me laugh - https://twitter.com/classicshirts/status/1248627136161701888?s=20&t=BqlXAidxGpEoqwDrpbzq7A

gotta get past benfica first fellas?

comment by InBefore (U20589)
posted 3 minutes ago
gotta get past benfica first fellas?
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True, but I think two goals is just too much. Can’t see Benfica doing much.

I think Liverpool fans have now reached the stage where they're thinking of reasons their team cannot win. That happens when you're at the top.

When you're on your way up, and can more easily lose games, a lot of fans tend to overrate their team.

They'll brush Benfica aside tonight I imagine and they'll also have too much for Villarreal in the SF.

I have watched Bayern a fair bit of late going back from their exit from last years CL and to me they don’t look anywhere near the force they have been in previous years.

Granted they look good in their own league. But not at a higher level.

comment by Luke Combs (U3979)
posted 3 hours, 32 minutes ago
relatively small club from a tiny town of only about 50 000
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This is a bit like saying Manchester United are from a town of 250,000 people...

Villarreal is a suburb of Valencia.
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it's about 50 miles north of Valencia !

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 3 hours, 15 minutes ago
comment by Luke Combs (U3979)
posted 1 hour, 2 minutes ago
relatively small club from a tiny town of only about 50 000
__________________

This is a bit like saying Manchester United are from a town of 250,000 people...

Villarreal is a suburb of Valencia.
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It's not. However, Villarreal is 7km away from, and basically merges into, the larger town of Castellón de la Plana, which has a population of 174,000. The total urban area is something more akin to Norwich: still an outlier in the late stages of European competition.
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While that's true, Castellón is the provincial capital and has its own team, which last played in the top flight in the 1990s. At that point, Villarreal had never even played in the 2nd division, let alone the first.

I suppose nowadays plenty of people from Castellón will be driving over to see them, but as recently as 25 years ago most of them would've scoffed at the idea of heading out to Villarreal for a game.

And though the Roig family has been crucial to all that, the club has always been carefully run, it hasn't just bought its way through to its current position.

Comment Deleted by Site Moderator

comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 1 hour, 56 minutes ago
comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 3 hours, 15 minutes ago
comment by Luke Combs (U3979)
posted 1 hour, 2 minutes ago
relatively small club from a tiny town of only about 50 000
__________________

This is a bit like saying Manchester United are from a town of 250,000 people...

Villarreal is a suburb of Valencia.
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It's not. However, Villarreal is 7km away from, and basically merges into, the larger town of Castellón de la Plana, which has a population of 174,000. The total urban area is something more akin to Norwich: still an outlier in the late stages of European competition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

While that's true, Castellón is the provincial capital and has its own team, which last played in the top flight in the 1990s. At that point, Villarreal had never even played in the 2nd division, let alone the first.

I suppose nowadays plenty of people from Castellón will be driving over to see them, but as recently as 25 years ago most of them would've scoffed at the idea of heading out to Villarreal for a game.

And though the Roig family has been crucial to all that, the club has always been carefully run, it hasn't just bought its way through to its current position.
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My (Google Maps / Wikipedia based) knowledge of the area defers to yours, IOAG!