Cruel to the hopeful one

This weekend was full of hope. After watching the FA Cup final I went to the beach. El Tunco is a surf town with not so nice beach, but a good laid-back atmosphere and plenty of drinks, and I was in a good mood as I enjoyed watching people, reading and cold beers. In the evening I watched the final of the Salvadoran Championship, where my adopted Salvadoran side of Alianza destroyed Municipal Limeño 5-0 to take the Salvadoran title.

For me this was buildup for what I really wanted to celebrate: Brøndby taking the Danish League title! 

The Danish league has been awfully close, but with last day, all Brøndby had to do was win at home against AGF, and they would be champions. In the meantime, FC Midtjylland were playing their rivals of Silkeborg (recent winners of the Danish Cup), and had to win, and hope that Brøndby did not win.

I was perhaps too optimistic, but I felt that Brøndby could not lose this at home, with the support of the best fans in Denmark, and having played a great season.

9 AM I sat in a restaurant by the beach, ordered breakfast, and started watching the match live on the "OneFootball" app.

And it all started so well...

Brøndby went ahead 1-0 on a header by the defender Rasmus Lauritsen, and in the meantime Silkeborg went up 0-2 against FC Midtjylland. The title felt so close!

But then things started falling apart.

The same Rasmus Lauritsen missed a clearing and scored an own goal, making it 1-1, which was the score at halftime. "Ok", I thought optimistically, "FC Midtjylland losing, and second half to score a second, things cannot go wrong!".

But they did.

 Within 8 minutes of the second half, FC Midtjylland had scored 3 goals and were ahead 3-2. The title was now with them if Brøndby failed to score! We were all nervous as the unthinkable happened, and Tobias Bech brought AGF ahead 1-2, and suddenly the title was two goals away.

We were all hoping when Sebastian Sebulonsen equalised for Brøndby with 25 minutes left. 3-2 would give Brøndby the title, and we all pushed the team forward. 

But football is like life: cruel to the hopeful one. Instead of 3-2 for Brøndby, AGF scored a third by Patrick Mortensen. At this point I lost hope, but kept watching, and Brøndby received a penny of hope when Silkeborg equalised for 3-3 in Midtjylland. This meant that if Brøndby managed to get 3-3, they would be champions!

I never really believed in it, even though there were some chances. And as the match ended, thousands upon thousands of Brøndby fans all over the world had our hearts broken. 

What do you do when hope is destroyed? When darkness descends over your life, and you feel there is no way forward? 

There is no shame in crying and expressing your disappointment. Just remember to raise your head, be proud of your team, and look forward to the next season where we will again stand together behind the team!

Forza Brøndby!

And to console myself in this deep pain, I will have beer (gravøl), and make a steak on my bbq.

Brøndby Nummer 1

I watched the top match in the Danish League between FC Copenhagen and Brøndby on my little Mobile phone, in my office, at 6 AM as the gorgeous sun was rising over San Salvador. Of course I was a bit multitasking, but managed to be disappointed when Peter Ankersen brought FC Copenhagen ahead at the end of the first half, when I thought that Brøndby had otherwise played well, holding possession, but unfortunately without creating the necessary chances.

At the same time the best fans in Denmark were making a lot of noise in Copenhagen!

Second half started with FC Copenhagen holding the ball more, and even creating some chances, and I started to begin to think it may not work when I happily shouted goal, as Mathias Kvitgaarden made a great counter run towards goal, cut off a defender and placed the ball in the far corner. A great goal! And 1-1 would be a good result for Brondby to keep first position before FC Midtjylland was to play.

But last seconds of the match: a high pass into the area by Jacob Rasmussen towards Sean Klaiber, who perfectly first-timed the ball into goal and a fantastic 1-2 victory for Brøndby in Copenhagen!

The victory put Brøndby 5 points clear of FCK on top spot, and as FC Midtjylland lost to FC Nordsjaelland, they are 2 points clear as well.

Still long way to go, but if Brøndby is to win the league, this could be a hugely important victory, and I happily shouted at Klaiber’s goal and colleagues told me to be quiet, but I don’t care!

Forever blowing bubbles

 I identify with West Ham's song "Bubbles": fortune is always hiding.

Last Sunday I was at a beautiful beach in El Salvador. After a morning walk on the beach, at 7 AM, I went online to watch the match between my dear Brøndby against our arch-rivals, FC Copenhagen, over a delicious cup of Salvadoran coffee. Brøndby has started the season well and could, with a victory, take first spot in the Danish football league, ahead of the Copenhagen side.

It looked good for Brøndby when they went ahead by Josip Radosevic, but Diogo Gonsalves equalised for FCK following a serious mistake by Henrik Heggheim in defense. It was so frustrating when things looked so good.... Then, I celebrated alone on that beach as Ohi Omoijuanfo scored for Brøndby following a great build-up.

2-1, and it looked as Brøndby could do it, although FCK started putting pressure. They put on the 17-year old Swede, Roony Bardghji, who with six minutes left of the match scored twice for FCK, and gave them a 2-3 victory and myself a big disappointment.

Lately it feels everything has been like this match: sometimes doing great things, but then fucking it up completely by being thoughtless. And when things are going well and you start to think that you may succeed, things just go to hell in the end...

Forever blowing bubbles.

Top Ten Teams of 2021

In terms of football, 2021 has been a strange year with many leagues being won by unexpected teams, as well as harsh competition in the European top leagues, including national team tournaments (as well as Olympic games). So, while not easy, the following is my personal list of top 10 football teams that have made an impression of me in 2021:

10) Union Saint Gilloise: This side from the Brussels neighbourhood of Saint Gilles were promoted to the Belgian first Division after 48 years. And this season the underestimated side has taken everyone by storm, and as the year ends, the side is leading the Belgian first division ahead of Club Brugge, and are dreaming of a title that they have not taken since 1935. 

9) Brøndby: I am a Brøndby fan, so I won't hide my subjectivity here. That said, it was not only a personal delight that they took the title for the first time in 16 years, but more broadly it was positive to see another team being able to challenge the two dominant teams of Danish football, FC Copenhagen and FC Midtjylland.

8) Denmark: This was the year to again support Denmark. The Danes not only qualified for the 2022 World Cup in awesome style, but most memorably won hearts of many fans during the European Championships, where they played great football and with spirit after the near-tragedy of Christian Eriksen in the first match against Finland. Denmark made it to the semifinals, losing to England on a controversial penalty, but the Danish team proved yet again that in football, winning is not the most important thing.

7) Inter Milan: Many sides that had not won the league for a long time broke their spell. In Italy, Inter Milan had not won since 2009, and broke Juventus nine-year dominance to take their 19th Serie A title under the management of Antonio Conte (who in the new season changed to Tottenham). Under the new manager Simone Inzaghi, they are also ahead in the Serie A at the end of the year, and have also progressed to the Round of 16 of the Champions League, where they will face Liverpool.

6) Lille OSC: With the money and players that Paris St. Germain have available, it is difficult for any other team to challenge the giants for the title. Indeed the Parisians have won the title seven times in the past eight years. But the season 2020-2021 was won by Lille, managed by Christophe Galtier (who for the new season went to Nice), with a team that combined young talent and experienced players, but who most of all proved yet again that in football you don't (necessarily) win by just having a bunch of well-paid superstars.

5) Italy: Italy won a very entertaining and competitive European championship tournament (delayed one year due to COVID) in the final against England at Wembley, ruining the party that the English appeared to have planned for (and sadly many Englishmen proving sore losers). In my personal view this was the best Italy I have ever seen. It has been happening for some years now (I would say the 2012 Euros), but Italy has finally abandoned its infamous catennaccio, and have been great to watch. They have struggled in the World Cup qualifiers, but hopefully they will make it to Qatar.

4) Palmeiras: The Brazilian giants won the Copa Libertadores twice in 2021; due to the COVID delays the 2020 final was played in January, when Palmeiras defeated the fellow Paulistas of Santos 1-0. The 2021 final was played in November, and Palmeiras won again, this time 2-1 against Flamengo. Although they have not won a competitive Brazilian league since 2018, they are surely one of the best teams in South America at the moment.

3) FC Barcelona women: In a year where FC Barcelona's men have been poor, the women's side has been awesome, taking the first ever Womens' Champions League title for the Catalans in a final where they walked over Chelsea, winning 4-0. They are also totally dominant in the Spanish League, winning their third consecutive title, and while they excel as a team, they also have the best female player in the world in the form of Alexia Putellas. FC Barcelona could dominate women's football for many years to come.

2) Argentina: The organization of the Copa America was a mess. Originally it was to hosted by Colombia and Argentina, but at the last moment COVID prevented it from going ahead, and in the end it was hosted by Brazil, in a tournament that lacked the passion engendered by fans in its empty stadiums. Brazil were huge favourites to take the title, but in the final at the legendary Maracana an Argentinean side led by Lionel Messi won 1-0 and its first Copa America since 1993. It was also Lionel Messi's first title with an Argentine side that is also almost certain to qualify for Qatar with a team that could surely contend for the world title.

1) Chelsea: Chelsea did not start the 2020-2021 season well, but when they hired Thomas Tuchel to take over from Frank Lampard in January things soon changed and they went on to win the Champions League title in style, defeating Manchester City 1-0 in an all-English final. They also made it to the FA Cup final, nearly winning the double, but losing to Leicester only shows the high competitive level in English football. In the new season they continue playing well, but will have to fight hard for the title against Liverpool and Manchester City. They made it to the Round of 16 of the Champions League, only losing to Juventus to take second place in their group, and will be facing the French champions of Lille. Thomas Tuchel has done great work with the best midfielders in the world in the form of Ngolo Kante and Jorginho, but also impressive players in defense as Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, and the great Edouard Mendy in goal.

When spectators are redundant

FC Copenhagen faced the Danish champions of Brøndby today at home in a sold-out match, the first since the post-Corona reopening. However, expectations were disappointing as the newly arrived fans used the match to light smoke bombs and throw things at the players.

I hope FC Copenhagen and Brøndby both get huge fines for this behaviour, and on top of this FC Copenhagen should not be allowed to play with spectators for a number of matches.

In terms of football the match was intense. FC Copenhagen were leading 2-1 at halftime on goals by Jonas Wind and Davit Kocholava for the home team, and Tobias Børkeeit for Brøndby. All goals came following corner kicks, as did the second half equalizer for Brøndby by Sigurd Rosted, and both teams are looking weak in defense; hardly like the best teams in Denmark as they would like to see themselves. But as the match progressed Brøndby were inefficient while FC Copenhagen scored two more goals by Jonas Wind and Pep Biel, to take their 4-2 victory.

The defending champions of Brøndby only have 3 points after their first four matches in the league, and after having sold some of their best players from last season appear as a team that will struggle to hold and unlikely title in this season. In the meantime FC Copenhagen may appear stronger than Brøndby, but will certainly have to improve, specially in defense, to be a serious title-contender.

How I became a Brøndby fan

Recently Brøndby won the Danish league for the first time in 16 years. This made me happy, very happy, but also led to a reflection about why I support Brøndby; how did I become a Brøndby fan?

The first time I saw Brøndby play was in 1987, the year that Brøndby won their second Danish title, and were emerging as the dominant force in Danish football through the 1990s. This was in Ikast, a small town in central Jutland, which had a team that competed in the top Danish league. Now, you could consider that I was an Ikast fan; living nearby I went to many matches in Ikast, so it was the team I supported. That said, Brøndby was putting Danish football on the European stage, and that same year, 1987, Brøndby made it to the quarterfinals of the European Champions Cup only to be eliminated by the later champions of FC Porto.

In 1989 I went to the Danish Cup final with my father. Ikast-Brøndby is a legendary match that ended 3-3, and only in extra time Brøndby ended up winning 6-3 (check it out on Youtube). This was a Brøndby side with players that would become legends: Peter Schmeichel, Lars Olsen, Kim Vilfort, John Faxe Jensen, Brian Laudrup..., and although I supported Ikast in that match, I was impressed by the club and the fans.

Soon after I moved to Spain, USA, and the reference point when living abroad increasingly became Brøndby, and less and less Ikast. In fact, Ikast FS ceased to exist in 1999, when it merged with Herning Fremad to form FC Midtjylland. By this time FC Midtjylland, a team based in Herning, was simply too far from my Ikast-memories, and although I sympathize with the wolves from Herning, I simply feel no connection to the side.

My attachment to Brøndby on the other hand only grew. As I moved to the outskirts of Copenhagen for university, a rivalry was emerging between Brøndby and the newly minted FC Copenhagen. For me Brøndby, the team that had already given me some memories became my natural choice among the many teams in the Danish Superliga. 

I went to Brøndby matches  once in a while (far from enough) and in 1999, when Brøndby qualified for the Champions League, I went to all matches against Bayern Munich, Manchester United and FC Barcelona. The first match, against Bayern Munich, remains a treasured memory, when Allan Ravn's memorable late kick gave them a victory against a German side that would make it to the CL final that same season (against Manchester United).

Although I increasingly spent time outside Denmark, I was in the stadium in 2002 against FCK, another memorable match, when a late equalizer by Mads Jørgensen effectively gave Brøndby the title. 

By this time there was no doubt that I supported Brøndby, and as I have moved from country to country over the last years, Brøndby has remained my point of entry to follow the Danish League. I have been hugely disappointed over the last 10 years, as the club almost went bankrupt (and I purchased stocks in the club) and as they have been unable to wrestle the two powerhouses of Danish football: FC Copenhagen and FC Midtjylland.

But a new title has come, hopefully more years of Brøndby giving us new memories, wherever we are in the world!

Brøndby Champions

Monday I was in the office, and listed eagerly to Danish radio as Brøndby took their first Danish title for 16 years after defeating FC Nordsjaelland 2-0. Despite a nervous start the victory never seemed in doubt, and every Brøndby fans has surely felt a sense of relief and eager victory. 

At least I did, as I alone in my office, lifted my arms in celebration, and held my head a little bit higher as I walked out of the office. 

And make sure of one thing: there are now some people even in El Salvador, that know about Brøndby´s triumph! 

Cheers!

Keep Attacking

 Last time Brøndby won the Danish title was in 2005 under Michael Laudrup as manager. Since then things have not been good as the club barely avoided a bankruptcy as other clubs, most notably FC Copenhagen and FC Midtjylland became the best clubs in the country.

The last couple of years Brøndby has been a title contender, but without luck for the club or the passionate fans.  This season the title race is proving particularly close, but it has always seemed that FC Midtjylland were one bit ahead in the title race. With one match left that has changed: ironically, the arch-rivals of FC Copenhagen gave Brøndby an opportunity to take first place by defeating FC Midtjylland. Brøndby "only" had to win away to AGF, from Aarhus.

Although Brøndby went ahead early, they suffered a red card and an equalizer by AGF, and things suddenly looked bleak. But deep into the second half Mikael Uhre scored a winner for Brøndby punishing a dreadful but fortunate mistake by an AGF defender. 

I did not watch the match. I am in El Salvador; I was at work, but put on the radio in the office, and must admit that I could hardly even pretend to work as the nervous second half advanced.

On Monday, Brøndby faces FC Nordsjælland at home. A victory will give them the title. So nothing is decided yet, although anything but the title would be heartbreaking for Brøndby fans all over the world, even in El Salvador...

FC Midtjylland grasping the title

 I don't have a way to watch Danish football in El Salvador. But I listened to the radio today as I have been grasping to the last straw of hope that Brøndby may take their first title since 2005. But FC Midtjylland has been one point ahead, and looked the stronger side as the Jutland team faced FC Copenhagen today. Ironically, a Copenhagen victory over FCM would give Brøndby a renewed chance for the title, and I must admit that I shortly hoped that FC Copenhagen would win. That said, as I heard in the radio that FCM got ahead 3-0 and were outplaying FCK, I was relieved that at least they were destroying Copenhagen (they ended winning 4-1) A lucky 1-0 victory would have been unbearable.

FC Midtjylland are now 4 points ahead of Brøndby on top of the league. There is still hope, but it seems most likely that they will again take the title. They deserve it, and are probably the most  ambitious professionally managed team in Denmark, and their hard work is rewarded. So a (premature) congratulations to FC Midtjylland, and will continue hoping for another season for Brøndby.

Never say never

Last week I was following the Danish league from El Salvador, hoping to learn that Brondby had ensured the Danish title. A win at home against FC Midtjylland would make it certain, while a tie would make it highly likely. But they lost at home to the team from Jutland, and so the ace was with the latter, and in the last two matches they did not disappoint, defeating first the defending champions of FC Copenhagen and finally defeating Horsens at home to take the title. Brondby, in the meantime, only managed two meager ties, and ends on a hugely disappointing second spot, after having led the league for most of the season. Their recent Cup title is only a small reward for a team that has been mediocre for many years, and not won a Danish title since 2005, and suddenly seems far from a new title.
I had been ready to wear my Brondby shirt and celebrate. Instead I chose a weekend with no football, not even the FA Cup final (won by Chelsea), promising myself that I would NEVER again watch football.
But next weekend is the Champions League final, so I will wait a bit to never watch football again.

Hoping for the first title since 2005

Last time my favourite team, Brøndby, won the Danish league title was in 2005. Back then, I was living in Ghana, but had returned on vacation and saw my favourite side take the title against Herfolge. Since then I have traveled the world, currently living in El Salvador, but Brøndby have not won a title since then, but have come through deep crises that almost saw the club disappear. The last few years Brøndby have been building a team to supersede the new "artificial" clubs of FC Copenhagen and FC Midtjylland (both are relatively recent clubs established in 1992 and 1999 respectively as mergers of more traditional sides. Since 2005 Copenhagen have won eight Danish championships and FC Midtjylland one). As a Brøndby fan I have been following it and hoping from afar, but not daring to really hope they could take the title despite them having had a consistent lead this season. While FC Copenhagen are no longer in the fight for the title, FC Midtjylland have been keeping up with Brøndby, so yesterday's match between the two sides was almost a final.
The match did not show in El Salvador....
But I was delighted to learn that after being down 2-0 in Herning Brøndby came back from behind and took a 2-3 away victory, and are now three-points clear at the top of the league.
Hope has become expectation, and I am ready to celebrate alone here in El Salvador!

Brøndby on top

Living abroad for many years I have had difficulty following Denmark’s greatest Club, Brøndby. Interestingly a Salvadorean colleague told me she had been in Denmark and said she had enjoyed going to football matches. I was too afraid to ask if it was FC Copenhagen or some other second rate Danish side, but she said: “Brøndby were so great”!
This made me happy, and how it seems to be going is making me even happier. Last time Brøndby won the league was in 2005, with Michael Laudrup as manager. Since then, things have been difficult, also as the club was close to bankruptcy and flirted with relegation. Only in the last couple of years things have begun looking up, and this season seems to have fully grown: they are top of the league, having both defeated the defending champions and runners-up. There is still a long way to go, but this is the best things have gone for years.
So let s dream!

Brøndby-Sønderjyske

It had been long time since I had watched a Danish league match until yesterday when I watched Brøndby play Søderjyske in the Danish league. None have a chance of winning the league, although it seems Brøndby is set for second spot. That said, neither side seemed that committed to the match: both teams are organized and physically strong, but having not watched Danish football for a while I could not help but notice the general lack of technical skills: very slow ball control and poor kicking technique was what characterized the match, in particular among the two goalkeepers, where Søderjyske goalie Lukas Fernandes cost a goal when he totally misplaced a kick. Frederik Rønnow from Sønderjyske, a player I had never heard about, will nevertheless always be remembered when I saw him make one of the biggest misses ever: in a totally open goal, goalkeeper away, he managed to miss the goal....
The match ended 1-1.

Brondby on a roll

In the Danish league Brondby defeated the number one team, FC Midtjylland, 0-1 in Herning. After a near bankruptcy and starting the league as dead last, the end of the year is finally bringing positive news for the fans of this beleaguered side. I am one of those fans. Who know? It may become interesting to watch the Danish league again!

First and second from below

Brondby has been in crisis for years now, and after the club was "saved" economically, they again had great expectations for the new season. But things have started horribly, and after five matches, Brondby is without a victory and bottom of the table. Things continue to look dim.
But more strangely, Brondby's arch-rivals and defending Danish champions, FC Copenhagen, are also without a victory and are second last. This week the consequence became that the Belgian coach, Ariel Jacobs, was fired, and new coach will become the Norwegian Staale Solbakken, who already coached the club to five titles, so expectations will be that he pulls Copenhagen up.
In the meantime the Jylland team with the uncharacteristic name of FC Midtjylland is leading the league with five victories in five games, and may already seem like a serious candidate for the title, although there is of course a loooooong way to go.

At least some things are like in the old days: Brondby and FC Copenhagen are again fighting for first and second place, albeit from below...

The poor men and the champions

I have not been able to watch Brøndby play the entire season, so it was perhaps in place that the match I watched was against the arch-rivals FC Copenhagen, in the match that could make the latter champions. 0-0 was enough to make the Copenhagen team champions with three rounds to go.
Deservedly.
In spite of the fact that I have not seen them play this season it was obvious that in spite of the spirit and fight that Brøndby played with, FC Copenhagen are the best side tactically and technically. Brøndby was recently saved from bankruptcy by a massive input of money by fans and supporters, and that is to be admired. That said, when the leadership of the club is talking about European football within a few seasons it seems like they have remained living on planet "Illusion". Tactically Brøndby plays a primitive type of football where high balls are kicked up to a tall (and talented) striker. Technically, the quality of the average player is no better than the lower clubs of the English Championship.
This is not a team that will play European football within a few seasons, so they should just concentrate on surviving, for now, and then on building up a new team by replacing the weaker players.

FC Copenhagen continues to be the powerhouse of Danish football. That they did not win the title last season (FC Nordsjaelland did) was largely a fluke, and the team that was created in 1992 won its 10th title, and the 9th since 2001. With a variation of strong Danish players and foreigners they remain the only team with possibilities to compete decently in Europe, and not get the thrashings FC Nordsjaelland received last season in the CL.
I am not an FC Copenhagen fan, but I recognize them as the strongest and most competitive team in Denmark, and the right chanmpions.

Saving Brondby

I must admit that I have not followed the Danish league in detail for ages. Living abroad, with plenty of work and with outstanding leagues to watch in South America, North America and Europe, the Danish league falls a bit in the background.
And the fact that my favourite side, Brondby, has been at the bottom for a couple of years has not helped on the desire to follow the Danish "Super" league...
I therefore had to find out why I was being offered options on Brondby shares when I checked my bank recently. Turns out that the club, on the verge of bankruptcy, is trying to raise 60 Million Danish Crowns through an issuing of shares, where current stockholders receive the right to buy 13 new shares for every share owned.
Believe this: there are few worse investments than investing in a football club! So the stocks worth 80 Euros I bought in years ago was more an emotional investment; to have the feeling that I am still part of the marvelous community that Brondby fans are.
But should I support the stock emission to "save" Brondby and use my options?
The fans have made a webpage calling for fans to contribute so that the club can be "saved": redbrondby.dk. The site is to gather support for the stock emission, but it says really nothing of what "saving" means. Granted, it means that Brondby will not go bankruptcy, and thus not forced down to play in the lower divisions, something that no matter how you see it, will be a huge blow to the atmosphere and excitement of the Danish league. But it seems to me Brondby may go down to the second division anyway (currently they are swerving above relegation), and that to invest in the team may be like pouring water out of the Titanic with a teaspoon...
If I put money into the club, I would like to know what the club wants to do for the future. The team has not been working since Michael Laudrup left in 2006, and a pretty lousy management, sleeping on the misplaced grandeur of the past when Brondby was the "flagship" of European football, let the club be overtaken by petty sides from the middle of nowhere, such as FC Nordsjaelland, Randers and Horsens (!?!?).
I would want a management with their feet on the ground and with a realistic view about what Brondby can achieve over the next 10 years. Frankly, this has to include some hard things to swallow: we are unlikely to win the league in the near future. If we get to play European football we cannot expect to progress beyond the first round.
We are not the 90's Brondby any longer. Wake up.
On redbrondby.dk they include some famous people that support the club. I have never heard about any of them, except Jan Bartram, a great Danish player from the 1980s who had a rather short career. He is the only footballer I see supporting the club in these difficult moments, and I have to wonder where many of the legends of the club are: Michael Laudrup, Brian Laudrup, Peter Schmeichel, Lars Olsen, Kim Vilfort, Ebbe Sand, Marc Rieper, Allan Nielsen, Daniel Agger....? Legends from Brondby. What do they think about all this?
I am sure that with the talent school, infrastructure and fan-base, Brondby surely can be fighting for the title in the future. But it will take time and realism to rebuild what has been destroyed by lousy management over a long time, and I am not sure I am seeing this in the current "offer" to contribute money to them (which sounds so much better than the fact that they are actually begging).
So what should I do?

Good weekend

Barcelona didn't win, so now Valencia, after winning 1-0 in a difficult home match against Atlético Madrid, are second in the Spanish League, after Real Madrid. I know it does not matter much after two matches, but right now I can live with the illusion that it does: Valencia is on top!
One the 21st of September Valencia faces FC Barcelona. They will likely have the referee with them, as it does seem that besides Barcelona's and Real Madrid's awesome power in the Spanish league, the referees do have a tacit agreement about helping these teams to be even more superior.
But so far so good for Valencia.
Less so for the best club but worse team in Denmark, Brøndby, who has started in the bottom half of the Spanish league. However, today they managed to get a great victory against Køge, 5-0, and I really hope that this is what will change Brøndby's fortune. Anyway, hope is all that is left for the teams I support...

Another Brøndby flop

Last year Brøndby was eliminated from the Europa League in the most pathetic way, after being up, and then fucking it all up when it counted.
Now, this bunch of useless idiots have done it again, and this time against an even worse opponent than last season, the unknown Austrian side SV Ried. Brøndby had lost the first match 2-0 in Austria, but midway through the second half they were 4-0 up, and one step from the Europa league. But with two goals against the most useless group of talent-less pieces of shit, SV Ried managed to get 4-2, and qualify for this season's Europa League.
Brøndby used to be a flagship of Danish football. Now, it is a club run by incompetents, and a team without talent, spirit or discipline. Worthless

A very bad weekend

I was not expecting, but merely hoping that Brøndby could pull a surprise against FC Copenhagen. I spite of leading 0-1, it was not to be, and FC Copenhagen own 3-1. Then it was Valencia's turn to round off a bad weekend: at home to Sevilla Valencia needed a victory to keep ahead on third spot, but in a match full of both offensive and defensive mistakes (except by goalkeeper Guaita), Sevilla won 1-0.
I can't wait for it to be Monday...