The morning after the night before, River Plate are being forced to adjust to life as a Nacional B institution. J.J. López is gone as manager, and might leave the club altogether. Ramón Díaz, who watched the game on television in Miami, has offered to take charge in the second division. Juan Pablo Carrizo returns... Continue Reading →
Bad luck, or karma? River Plate relegated for the first time in their history
Sunday afternoon was bright and sunny in Buenos Aires, but there's a metaphorical black cloud hanging over the Estadio Monumental as, against what everyone expected back at the start of the Apertura, the unthinkable has actually come to pass: River Plate, the most successful club in the history of Argentina's domestic league, are relegated. They'll... 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 →
Boca Juniors vs River Plate: how to watch, & who to watch
The 2011 Torneo Clausura edition of one of the world's biggest football derbies kicks off in an hour and a bit, with River Plate traveling south to La Bombonera to take on Boca Juniors in the superclásico. Boca have been in better form in recent weeks but River, challenging for the title whilst also battling... Continue Reading →
In the nineteenth episode of Hand Of Pod, me, Dan, Seba and Dan greet a couple of special guests to preview this Sunday's superclásico in La Bombonera. Samuel (no, not Sam) is our tamed River Plate fan, and the four of us try to keep him from attacking Boca Juniors fan Ariel. The team discuss... Continue Reading →
On Monday, Diario Libre reported, in their first ever edition, that River Plate playmaker Erik Lamela had been bought by a management group, and is to be sold on to a European club at the end of the season (possibly Juventus). I've written a profile of Lamela, and a bit on why River haven't had much... Continue Reading →
The eighth episode of Hand Of Pod looks at the ongoing feud between Carlos Tevez and Argentina's national team coach Sergio Batista, as well as taking in our thoughts on the Racing vs Boca Juniors clásico last Saturday and much more besides. You can get it, as ever, on the HOP blog, or subscribe on... Continue Reading →
A youngster leaves Argentina, and a legend returns
It's been a week of big name moves in Argentina's footballing landscape, with three of the deals in particular standing out. On Friday it was confirmed that Diego Buonanotte will move from River Plate to Málaga of the Spanish First Division at the end of the season (he'll remain at the Núñez club for the... Continue Reading →
Ariel Ortega leaves River Plate
River Plate legend Ariel Ortega on Monday confirmed his exit from the Núñez club, remarking that he'd felt 'uncomfortable' ever since J.J. López was given charge of the giants on the eve of the superclásico against Boca Juniors. A few days ago, López informed Ortega that he didn't fit in with his plans for the... Continue Reading →