Oh, hello. It's been a while, as it normally is. I shan't bore you with more promises of more frequent updates this time, I'll just post this one and we'll see what happens next, shall we? The Argentine Primera kicks off a week on Friday, and it will do so without Juan Román Riquelme, who's finally... Continue Reading →
In the ninetieth episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, Dan and Joel preview the 2013 Torneo Final, which kicks off with Unión hosting Arsenal de Sarandí on Friday evening. We discuss Fernando Gago's move to Vélez Sarsfield - easily the most spectacular signing of the summer - and what Vélez's chances are of retaining their... Continue Reading →
Now Riquelme wants back in at Boca Juniors. I give up.
After hearing for the last couple of days that Juan Román Riquelme had agreed terms with Tigre and just had to let the club work out a deal Boca Juniors were satisfied with before playing for the club he's always supported, Monday night brought an entirely different revelation. After Boca's 2-1 loss to River Plate... Continue Reading →
Riquelme says yes to Tigre, but will Boca let him go?
Saturday has brought news that's been expected for some time in Argentine football; Juan Román Riquelme, who announced he wouldn't be playing for Boca Juniors again in the wake of their defeat in last year's Copa Libertadores final, has agreed terms with his local club Tigre (of whom he's a lifelong fan), defeated finalists in... Continue Reading →
Vélez Sarsfield transfer coup as Fernando Gago joins, & Riquelme talks to Tigre
The Argentine transfer window hasn't closed yet, but on the last day of registration for European clubs, one big name did arrive in the Primera, and it's a good 'un; current Argentina international Fernando Gago wanted a move home because his wife, the former tennis player Gisela Dulko, is due to give birth later this... Continue Reading →
Some summer transfer tales
January has been dominated, in Argentina, by two things, as usual; the utterly meaningless and deeply tedious 'Summer Tournaments' organised by sponsors to sell tickets to friendly matches (often involving one or more of the Big Five) to locals and holiday-going porteños in other parts of Argentina, and summer transfer rumours. Two of the most visible... Continue Reading →
The twenty-ninth episode of Hand Of Pod is, as the milkmaid said to the parson, quite a whopper. That's largely because Sam, Australian Dan and Seba have not one but two rounds of Torneo Apertura matches to look back on, as well as River Plate's historic debut in the Nacional B (second division). There's more,... Continue Reading →
Riquelme returns to Argentina’s domestic squad
Alejandro Sabella has named his first squad as Argentina manager, in preparation for a pair of friendlies against Brazil next month. The matches, before anyone gets too excited, will feature only players from the domestic leagues of the two nations, so this is not a return to the proper national side; but for the first time in... Continue Reading →
Apertura 2011: Boca thrash Unión and champions Vélez get their first win (video)
The second round of matches in the 2011 Torneo Apertura began on Monday with an easy away win for Arsenal de Sarandí against newly-promoted Atlético Rafaela, and concluded with Boca Juniors' first 4-0 win in nearly a year and a half, against Unión de Santa Fe. In between, Vélez Sarsfield brushed aside Banfield 3-0, and... Continue Reading →
For the 20th episode of Hand Of Pod, Sam, Dan, Dan and Seba welcome special guest Asli Pelit to the show. Asli's a Turkish TV presenter who was at La Bombonera to see Boca Juniors beat River Plate 2-0 in Sunday's superclásico, and as well as giving us her impressions of that game, she also... Continue Reading →
Hasta El Gol Siempre 