This morning Levante unveiled two new signings. Ivan Ramis, and Aiden McGeady have joined the club within the last 24 hours. They have arrived from Boca Juniors in a deal that sees Alejandro Gomez head back to Argentina in a straight swap.Parfitt took the time out to introduce the new players, and also explained why he has made a change in transfer policy with the latest set of recruits.

Before that though, he had a few words about the outgoing Alejandro Gomez; “I would like to place on record my thanks to Alejandro. He was one of the first players I identified when I came to Levante, and although it took a little while to bring him in from Atalanta, I was delighted to secure his services. Unfortunately he never really got going for us, and I know that he was as disappointed with his time here as we were. That said, we wish him well, and hope that heading back home to South America will enable him to find his best form again.


As for the new boys, here they are.



Ivan Ramis – “He will be the replacement for Manuel Freidrich who is set to retire at the end of the season. I have been searching around for a centre half for a little while, and will also be giving young Matt Miazga and Birama Ndoye an opportunity to impress before the season is out.”

“I expect Ivan to come in and do well when he is given the opportunity. It will also be good for the fans to see another Spaniard in the side. I know they were disappointed that most of the original Spanish contingent were moved on, so hopefully Ivan can become something of a terrace hero.”


Aiden McGeady – “I think Aiden still has plenty to offer, and the fact that Alejandro Gomez has now followed Robert Snodgrass through the exit means that we were in danger of becoming a little bit light in that area of the pitch. Aiden though has plenty of tricks in his repertoire and again, as with Ivan, I would expect him to have the fans warm to him very quickly. Again though, he will have to be patient and wait his turn. Bart Ramselaar is currently in possession of the shirt that Aiden will wear, and Japanese youngster Hideki Ishige is also going to be given a few outings during the run in.”



It was also announced that Alberto Gillardino is undergoing a medical at the club today, and should be in the stands tonight. This signing was seen as something as a surprise by most in attendance. The Italian striker signs just a few days after Samuel Eto’o and Hungarian International forward Adam Szalai.


Parfitt said “As soon as I became aware that Alberto was available, I dived straight in. You can never have too many strikers at the club, and firepower has been something we have struggled with all season. I will now have three top strikers at the club, and the strength in depth that we have been missing is suddenly there.

With Alberto following Samuel and Adam last week, the pressure on Clinton N’Jie is relieved. The young lad has been brilliant this season, he has played the lone front man role for most of the season and been feeding off scraps in all honesty, but he has still got 7 and is the top scorer. Now though, he can relax a bit more which can only be good for his game.”


Following the introductions, Parfitt was asked about the change in recruitment policy.


“I have spent this season generally targeting players that are no more than in their early 20’s, as we are not in a position to pay big money for top players, so we are therefore a little short on
experience. I feel this has shone through too often this season, and so the opportunity to bring in a group of players who have been there and seen it all before had to be grasped. This is not a complete turnaround however, I shall still be looking to bring in players that I believe can develop and improve with us, and hopefully stay for many seasons at the club and bring it some success.


The youth cup has seen some great performances from some of our youngsters, despite the fact that we were knocked out at the group stage. It is a competition that I really have enjoyed though, and we will certainly be looking to take part again next season.


That will therefore have a bearing on the signings we make between now and the start of next season as some of the youths will be moving into the senior squad at the end of this season. As a result, we will need to find some replacements.


I would still like to get two or three in to the first team squad for next year, but I would also see those as being players that fall more into line with the under 25 policy rather than the more streetwise end of the age scale. With all the new players that have come in this week, along with the likes of Gareth Barry, Adriano and Sylvain Distin already at the club, we should have more than enough experience to help the younger lads along.


There will be a few more who follow Alejandro out of the door between now and the end of the start of next season as well, and I hope to have a squad that will be capable of competing at the top end no matter if we are in division 4 or 5 next season.”


As the press conference came to an end however, the age old question of Parfitt’s job once again came up. The club are struggling at the foot of the table, and last season only managed to get above the line at the bottom with a few games to go. The man himself has taken the club to his heart though, and defended his position passionately before rounding on other bosses and suggesting they should be more concerned than him.


“Look, this club is one of the smallest in all of the leagues. The chairman has given me no money whatsoever in all my time here. Every penny we have spent has been generated through player sales and bums on seats. The number of arses through the door isn’t very big though, so it is all about selling to buy. I believe in my heart of hearts that the job I have done here is better than anybody else would have done. Anybody else would have been relegated last season, but not me. Now I’m not saying that I’m the best manager, but as somebody once said, I’m certainly in the top 1. Done believe me? Well let’s have a look at the evidence.


DP I can’t believe hasn’t been deported by the Italian government. Juve, surely they should be up there winning everything with Madrid? I’d say at best it’s an average job being done there. Although to be fair, it’s better than the job being done by some of the other’s.


Look at somebody like Beddows at AC Milan. Genuinely, Bolt, my neighbours pet tortoise would do a better job. If I was him, I’d be shitting myself. I’d spend every waking moment looking over my shoulder and expecting the mafia to kidnap and brutally torture me before disposong of my body. Honestly, with the garbage being served up, and with the passion of the fans in Milan, I can’t believe he hasn’t ended up like that policeman in Reservoir Dogs.



Broon is another one. Good lad, but no bottle. He’s come in to a top job with the Fanny Bashers in Turkey, and his ass has gone immediately. Whining and moaning, trying to get himself out of a big job and into a little one because he can’t handle the pressure. Well let me tell him something. The pressure at the bottom is even bigger. Can’t take it? On your bike then sunbeam.


And that Roy Keane at Real Madrid. We went there in the youth cup, and there he is walking around like Billy Big Bollocks. A youth team that is stronger than my first team, and what happens? I’ll tell you what happens. I get my boys set up perfectly, out manage him, our goalkeeper puts in a 10/10 performance and we got a draw that should have been a win. He might be winning some of the pots, but with that side I’d win all the pots. You want to know how easy it is with that squad? Even Beddows might get 4th or 5th with that side, and maybe Broon would get them to a cup ¼ final.


Whose that new lad at Celta Vigo too? Ryan Chisholm. What the feck is he doing? Joins with the club challenging to get out of the league through the sunroof. Puts in the changes he wants to make, and now they are challenging to get out of the league through the basement. Only there because Beddows got him the job. Out of his depth like Nemo going over the drop off. Watch out son, you'll be in a tank soon.


Bonnie Prince Michael William. Did the job at Inter. Tried to at least, but bottled it like Broon is now. Couldnt take it with all the big boys, so now his royal ass is in Belgium, mingling in the division 5 mid table. Jeez, if I was him id be hanging my crowned head and crying royal tears of shame.


And Sevilla. Bottom of the league with that squad? If I had that squad, we’d walk the title and smash everybody like the Hulk smashing the Black Widow. Come on Jamie Alldridge, get your finger out of your backside man. You are embarrassing the rest of us Spanish sides..

Honestly, when we get sorted and climb the leagues, i'll love it when we beat these boys, love it.”


Are these prophetic words from a football wizard? Are they just the insane ramblings of a madman who is finally cracking under the pressure? Time will tell, but one thing is for sure. Parfitt loves Levante like he loves Lana Del Rey. Maybe today’s outburst today is a reaction to the club being bottom of the league, or maybe it’s a reaction to the police enquiry after lovely Lana filed complaint against him for stalking. Who knows, all we can say is that Levante are deep in the mire, but if passion alone is enough, they will be ok.

Sport Lisboa e Benfica

Future should be bright in Lisbon

Tomorrow night Bayern Munich of Division 1 take on Dynamo Moscow of Division 4 for the first piece of Silverware of the season. Bayern go into the game as 1/3 favourites to win in 90 mins and 1/10 to lift the trophy, with Dynamo a massive 13/2 to take the trophy back to Russia. But having knocked out the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool & Barcelona along the way, Sherief & his merry men will be scared of no-one. A number of Top100 Managers have given their opinions on the final and are shown below…

Hi everybody, 
last 26th Februar I´ve been called by Frank to enjoy Top 100 but my gladness to participate was countered the team: Hellas Verona. Besides Inter and Juventus only one other team is very hated by Milan supporters: Hellas Verona. This is because Milan lost a couple of championships in the 70´s and 90´s playing away against Hellas and the rust is still vivid. I´m an old Milan supporter, or if you want, I´ve been Milan supporter for many years living 2 relegations in serie B in the 80´s. Since Berlusconi as Chairman started to use Milan to have more visibility through the brand, society and supporters for his personal/political reasons, my love for Milan has been cool off in the past 25 and more years. Almost frozen I would say.  Anyway when I got the invitation I thought …for 20-30 seconds if to deny or to accept. I had to say to myself that this is just a game and it won´t have any effect in me in the real life, like start to sympathize for them. Hellas Verona is in this year relegating in serie B and I´m fine with it, totally. I obviously accepted the role because was too big the gratefulness to be part of Top100 and then I saw the situation. It was desperate, to be generous.

Hellas was lying to the bottom of the 4^th division with only 5 points after 15 games, no victories, and a gap of 12 points to the safeness, with a goal difference of -36. I thought that the challenge was big (but very big!), still not impossible. The first thing to do was to improve the quality of the team and then give to the players my way to play, working on their heads, erasing step by step their average, studying the opponents, working hard and hope!.Since that day my team played 14 games and we are now 18^th, with 4 points to the safeness. We won 8 games, 1 tied and 5 losses but above all in the last 8 games we got 19 points. At least if we have to relegate to the 5^thdivision let´s do it with some dignity, isn´t? And above all if I safe Hellas maybe Milan will call me to manage the team next season. The actual Milan´s manager seems to be in big troubles there, not too far from the real life, I mean J


Until now I didn´t participate to the blog which I read every day. The official reason was because the team didn´t allow me to take part to the social event of Top100. We were so desperate that what could have I wrote? Now that we are not in the deep as before, the unofficial reason can come out.
I´m quite shy because I´m writing you in English. Most of you are of English mother tongue, easy for you to write eh? , it comes natural to you English write and communicate in English, isn´t? I imagine it. While I´m Italian, from Roma, living in Denmark with my lovely Danish wife Pia and I would be more comfortable writing you in Italian, believe me. We talk English at home, we do not use Danishor Italian which we could. She knows very well how Italians talk a lot with the body, the face, hands always in movement to explain, to clarify, to reinforce the verbal and I´m very emphatic man, I can´t just stand by. Furthermore sometimes happen that I use “Italenglish” at home, it consists of mixing two words of Italian or Latin origin and put it in English form for example: from “sorprendere” (to surprise) instead of “surprising you” I said “sorprending you”. Or instead of “sensitize” I said “sensibilize”, from “sensibilizzare” in Italian. Actually she understood the meaning even if I used two words that don´t exist. I hope I didn´t make many grammar mistakes here because as the old Latins were used to say “Scripta manent, verba volant” If I mistake when I write it will stay in the blog in my memory, a spoken word flies away…Here you are a good example of “Italenglish” (The Italian man who went to Malta)

 All the best,
Marco

It all started so well with so much potential this weekend as on Friday Afternoon a deal was struck with DP's Juventus which would see Spanish Magician David 'El Mago' Silva move to Leverkusen
in return for Son,Kramer and 6m.

Son's real life links to Spurs made his position at Leverkusen an uneasy one and Kramer would be missed however the chance to bring this 94 superstar to Germany was too good to turn down.



On Saturday evening we hosted Lokomotiv Moscow in the Youth Cup Quarter Final and we were blown away by the performance that Greg Owen's men put in over the 90 mins.
Better then us on every level saw them run out as 3-1 winners and left Leverkusen stinking the place out.
DISASTER!!!!!

Sunday rolled around and it was back to focus on the relegation battle and we entertained Keano's Dogged Madrid side, A side who we had drawn against twice in the youth cup.
We started brightly and took a 1-0 lead when Bellerabi scored just before HT.
But in the second half we had a bad 20 minute spell allowing Koke and Neymar to score and Madrid took a 2-1 win away with them.

To cap off a horrible weekend in Germany with 2 defeats leaving Noisys men staring Relegation in the face.