Educação

Há 3 dias, um certo jornal de Lisboa manipulou uma votação que eu tinha postado no superbraga.com, para tentar desestabilizar um dos nossos jogadores. Não é nada de novo, mas fico a pensar se pusesse uma votação perguntando qual dos jornais desportivos tem pior reputação entre os adeptos de futebol, qual seria o vencedor.

Não tenho dúvidas que o mesmo jornal iria ganhar pelas suas inverdades acerca do que se passa na liga. As nossas imprecisões são os seus títulos. As nossas notícias raramente fazem uma coluna pequena. E não é necessário dizer que desisti de ler este jornal há alguns anos, quando percebi que durante vários dias por semana nem se davam ao trabalho de ter uma coluna acerca do Braga.

Educação é a chave para o jogo. Durante anos as estruturas que envolvem o crescimento com sucesso de um clube estavam escondidas por detrás dos 3 clubes que manipulam a população, fazendo-as acreditar que é um desperdício apoiar outros clubes. Escondem os problemas desta manipulação de toda a gente que não fala a língua portuguesa. Uma nação pequena esconde-se por trás da sua língua natal e as únicas fontes das agências noticiosas, como a Reuters e companhia, estavam sediadas em Lisboa e que através de notícias habilmente orquestradas, frenéticas e tendenciosas passavam uma imagem diferente da realidade para o mundo lá fora.

Mesmo depois da revolução as forças do poder mantiveram esta sólida tendência de manter o mundo (des)informado.

Querem saber mais? Quem é o repórter da CNN para o futebol nacional e internacional? Pedro Pinto. E qual clube apoia? Adivinharam. Na revista “World Soccer”, quem escreve acerca da liga portuguesa? Pedro Pinto. O mesmo. “Four Four Two” tem um correspondente online chamado Sérgio Santos. Outro adepto do autodenominado maior clube do Mundo. Segui o Sr. Santos e corrigi-o inúmeras vezes em pequenas coisas, com a finalidade de mostrar ao mundo a pobre representação da nossa liga. Parece que alguém me ouviu.

Educação é certamente necessária.

Educação. O Sr. Jorge “The Special Two” Jesus.

Alguma coisa passou ao seu lado. Será que vai ser o único treinador a durar dois anos no Benfica desde a Revolução? É engraçado como o seu trabalho ainda está nas mãos do Braga e da equipa revolucionária do António Salvador. Se ele não ganhar o campeonato no Benfica, a derrota é muito mais pesada do que seria no Braga. Domingos. O homem que veio do nada para treinar uma equipa construída com base em excelentes negociações.

O Real Madrid mostrou na semana passada que, não obstante a quantidade de dinheiro gasto, não há garantias de sucesso! A não ser que a Taça Lucílio seja um sucesso… Nas palavras do “Special Two”, “só se for na playstation”.

J.J. já deixou fugir 700 mil euros esta época e pode ver mais uma enorme soma de dinheiro a escorregar-lhe por entre os dedos se não ganhar no sábado. E ficou com o seu balanço bancário mais leve quando traiu o seu ex-patrão e os adeptos da sua antiga equipa.

E os seus actuais patrões, que lhe oferecem um pote de ouro (se tiver sucesso) são os mesmos que lhe roubaram a sua dignidade, de tal forma, que até falou da sua playstation. De facto, especial. É uma questão de educação.

A revolução do Braga começou. O campo de batalha está preparado. Os Guerreiros do Minho vão lutar pelo Guerreiro tombado (Vandinho) que foi apunhalado pelas costas num acto de cobardia.

Revolução não é vingança. É a voz do povo que quer mudar e reeducar.

Época vale mais 5 mil sócios…

Não há número que António Salvador não faça crescer. Os feitos da equipa profissional são sobejamente conhecidos. A facturação da SAD também dispara todos os anos (10,6 milhões de receitas extraordinárias nas contas deste época), mas, no campo social, este Braga também é muito diferente do passado. A legião cresce todos os dias.

O diagnóstico da SAD foi traçado há alguns anos: a maioria dos bracarenses não tinha no Arsenal local o clube preferido. Diagnosticada a doença, passou-se ao tratamento, que progressivamente vai resultando em cura, com especial relevo para os resultados apresentados nos últimos dois anos: no final de 2007/08 o clube tinha 16 500 sócios. Hoje tem 24 153, mais 19% do que os 20 294 do final da época transacta, a melhor de sempre em matéria de competições europeias. Se o número continuar a crescer proporcionalmente à forma como tem acontecido desde Agosto, os responsáveis deste departamento prevêem que se filiem mais 1300 associados até ao final de Maio. No total, mais 5000 do que há um ano atrás. São estes recordes os frutos de uma época inteira a lutar pelo título.

O marketing bracarense, liderado por Rui Romeiro, encetou uma série de iniciativas para solidificar o braguismo. Como é difícil fazer os bracarenses mais antigos esquecerem as paixões por Benfica, FC Porto ou Sporting, a aposta faz-se entre os mais jovens. Os jogadores da equipa profissional já visitaram duas dezenas de escolas nos últimos 18 meses para distribuírem autógrafos, simpatia e presentes. No fundo, propaganda à marca Braga entre aqueles que, com tenra idade, ainda não têm clube definido.

O resto dos resultados confirma o sucesso da estratégia: há este ano mais mil lugares anuais vendidos e o Estádio AXA regista, em média, mais 3300 espectadores do que a temporada passada por jogo.

Números do crescimento arsenalista

Sócios | 46%

É este o acréscimo de associados em relação ao final da época 2007/08, a pior da geração António Salvador. Mas ainda estamos a dois meses do fim da actual…

Lugares anuais | 32%

Os 7767 lugares anuais vendidos representam quase um terço do universo arsenalista. O ano passado eram apenas 6813, mais 500 que em 2007/08.

Visitantes | 3250

Serão os adeptos presentes na Luz, no próximo jogo, noutro recorde do clube em jogos fora. Este ano, o Braga já teve mais de mil adeptos fora de casa seis vezes.

Espectadores | 14 mil

A média exacta de espectadores é 13 800, mais 3300 que em 2008/09. Em 2007/08 chegou-se aos 15 600, mas o fim desta época pode ajudar a igualar.

Jovens | 7 mil

Os sócios até aos 14 anos não pagam, mas garantem que a mística será reforçada nos anos vindouros. São 6900 no total: futuro assegurado

Recorde do AXA | 30 186

Nunca como no Braga-Marítimo, de entrada livre, houve tanta gente no AXA. No recorde, participaram mais 34 adeptos do que a lotação oficial do estádio: 30 154.

in ojogo.pt

Education…

 

3 days ago a certain newspaper from Lisbon manipulated a poll I had posted on superbraga.com to try destabalise one our players. It is nothing new but I wonder if I put a poll up wondering which sports newspaper had the worst reputation amongst football supporters what the result would be. No doubt the same newspaper would top the poll for its trashy and often mistruths about what goes on in the league. Our misrepresentations are their headlines. Our real news rarely makes a small column. Needless to say I gave up reading it many years ago when I realised that several days a week they couldn’t even be bothered to have a column on Braga. This week they can’t get enough, obviously.

Education is the key to the game. For years the structures that involved building a successful club were hidden to all bar the three clubs who manipulated the population into believing that it was pointless supporting anyone else. They hid the problems of this manipulation from anybody who didn’t speak the Portuguese language. A small nation hiding behind its native tongue and the only media sources to Reutuers and Co. were from Lisbon through a carefully orchestrated frenzy of over selective teams which everybody would understand to be the truth in the outside world. So therefore after the revolution the powers in charge kept these solid and trustworthy avenues(in their minds) to keep the world informed. Want to know more? CNN reporter on Portuguses and international football… Pedro Pinto… What club does he support? You guessed it.. World soccer magazine… Portugusese League writer… the same Pedro Pinto… Four Four Two.. online writer The Portugeezer aka Sergio Santos… another fan of the so called biggest club in the world… I’ve followed Mr. Santos around correcting him often at every little turn if only to show others of the blatant misrepresentation of our league. Education is certainly needed.

Education. Mr Jorge ‘The Special Two’ Jesus. Something that seems to have passed him by. Will he be the first manager since the revolution to last two years at Benfica. It’s funny how his job is still in the hands of Braga and Antonio Salvador’s revolutionary team. How he earns less than he did if he is not a winner at Benfica. Domingos the man that came from nowhere to manage a team built on excellent negotiations rather than try to buy the league championship as Benfica have. Real Madrid showed last week. No matter how much money you spend it does not guarentee you success. Unless a Taca Lucilio is success. In ‘The Special Two’s’ own words….”only if on the playstation”. Jorge is already down 700,000 this season and could see another huge sum slip through his greasy hands if he loses on Saturday. His former employer who he betrayed and ended up losing his bank balance, but got so much joy from its supporters and players. After all you’ll never meet Ronaldinho and get his jersey from AC Milan under friendly circumstances managing Benfica. And is new employers who offered him a pot of gold (if successful) yet last season they robbed him of his dignity to such an extent that he ended up talking about his playstation! Special indeed. It’s all about education.

The Braga revolution has begun. The battlefield is set. The warriors of minho are fighting on behalf of a fallen warrior (Vandinho) taken by a knife in the back by a fighter not willing to fight a fair fight. Revolution is not revenge.It is the voice of people that want change and re-educating.

Braga 47 – Why I’m a Braga fan…

Over the past few weeks I’ve seen various excellent articles about why people are Braga fans so this being one of the most important weeks in my life as a supporter I’ve decided to give you a different perspective on why I support Braga and how we can change the ideas that are ingrained in so many peoples heads.

In September 2002 I went to my first Braga game. We won 4-2 against Sporting. Coincidentally it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut also..I was hooked fromthe moment I entered the stadium. But my love for the club grew because of many things and not only the football. In my first year in Braga I was constantly annoyed by bi-clubistas that asked me what my other club was when I responded ‘Braga’. There insistance that everybody followed a second club only increased my dislike for the supposed ‘big three’. At first it was Benfica fans that caught the majority of my rage. If when asked about their football club they answered Benfica my response was either ‘so you don’t like football’ or  ’So.. you are one of the six million that don’t like football’. I didn’t particularly dislike Porto or Sporting until their fans started making remarks about Braga.

In Ireland you support your local team. There is no buts. Why would you stupidly send your hard earned money to a club hundreds of kilometres away and never see the benefits. If you were stupid enough to support a team outside your locality you would be ‘marked’. Insults about your intelligence would follow you for the rest of your life. People talk to me about the mentality of supporters. Family tradition. It almosts seems to me that although the revelution happened over 30 years ago families have held onto certain beliefs(such as football) and they cannot be spoken against. A good friend of mine Sr Antonio is a case example. He dislikes me talking bad about Jorge ‘the Special Two’ Jesus. He is a Benfica supporter with a costela for Braga. His son however is a fully fledged Braga fan. The mentality is slowly changing in the city. Pride is returning or growing. When I was a teacher and worked in freguesias in different parts of Braga and Pavoa de Lanhosa I often wore my Braga top. At first the children were sceptical. They had grown up in a sheltered environment and more often than not their parents had worked the land and had little more to cheer about than when one of their ‘big three’ teams won something. This was one of the few moments of excitement they could bring to their children. My perspective was that you should be proud of their city and not support a club from another city because their freguesias would never gain from it. Through education children can believe that there is indeed a future and for most of them that future lies in Braga. I had one student about 8 years old called Pedro. After the first day I wore my Braga top he asked me my club and was so proud that I was a Braga fan that he wore his Braga scarf to every class I attended. Through a little education many of the kids started paying more attention to Braga. A little education goes a long way. Catarina a friend of mine is an adult. Her father is a Benfica fan. Her mother and sister are Sporting fans. When I first met Catarina she was a Benfica fan. For the seven years or so I constantly bombarded Catarina over the fact she supported a team from a different city to the detriment of her own. Not purely due to my influence(although I would like to claim it) Catarina is now a fully fledged Braga fan. A little education goes a long way.

I love Braga because of the people. I love football but it is also due to the many supporters who don’t have a second team that has made my resolve even greater to spread the word and write about Braga. International magazines, International press and even what is written on UEFA and FIFA websites are dictated by what is said in Lisbon. Disparaging remarks are common. The big and small clubs only exist because of the media. Mentality amonst the have nots is slowly changing thanks to the fantastic work of Antonio Salvador and his directors along with the increasingly visible results on the football pitch. Websites such as Maisfutebol and ZeroZero continue to feed the small minds through blasting them with ‘the haves and the have nots’ theory. Braga is slowly breaking this theory up and throwing it out the window. The book that was written over 70 years ago and only read by Belenenses and Boavista is being read by teams with dreams such as Braga.

My small part is a blog in English to educate those who have forgotten their roots and also to grab the attention of new supporters. To educate people outside Portugal is important. Especially in English as most Portuguese written rubbish in the national press rarely makes it past the borders. Most people would never have heard of the golden whistle had their not been objections to Porto’s entry into the Champions League. The scandalous refereeing decisions that we have all suffered over the years and which were cleverly covered up by the Lisbon lead media. Decentralisation which has happened in most european countries has still yet to happen in Portugal. But it will happen sooner or later. Because football is a central issue that seems to revolve around peoples lives Braga winning the league or continuing to trouble the forefathers of football wil actually help not only to begin decentralisation but also give other clubs hopes of actually winning something or a sense that they are playing football on a level playing field and not one that heavily favors what part of the country your football team comes from. Education is the key…

Braga 48 – New and updated

Jorge Jesus… sucka

When we play saturday we will play our A-team.

Will Jorge Jesus win the league?

Most of the newspapers print rubbish that is untrue..

But they don’t realise…. Braga is the new New York of Portugal…

Braga 50… 10 reasons why I wont watch the Lucilio Cup final.

'Another reason to turn the TV off'

1. I support Braga and don’t want to listen to commentators talking about their ‘Benfica’ or their ‘Porto’.

2. No matter what happens the papers will write the same rubbish that we are used to.

3. I wish both of them could lose..

4. I don’t want to have to listen to Jorge Jesus before and after the game.

5. The League cup has already become a third rate trophy where even teams like Braga play their second string squads(versus Sporting and Leiria) because its become less important than a league position. If teams had more possibilities of a better league position they would also rate it as a third rate competition.

6. I won’t be picking the team in Lisbon next week. Domingos will be. I have no need to watch it.

7. I’m washing my hair(thats always a good excuse!)

8. In 2 hours I could do a lot more interesting things… I’m not gonna waste it on that shit…

9. The game next week is more important to Benfica. They will probably field a second string squad tomorrow to avoid injuries so it won’t be a true reflection of the team we will play next week.

10. Who really gives a shit about watching two teams that are helped constantly by referees and the media… Not me… I wont be watching it..

PS… Until this season I rarely watched Benfica or Porto games. I only watched them hoping to see them drop points. No points can be dropped tomorrow so theres no point watching it..

Jorge Jesus lookalike…

'Style Council'

Some names just roll off the tongue and others you just stop trying to pronouce after about 20 failed attempts. Mirko Dubroja is certainly a name you probably haven’t of before and you probably wont remmeber it either. He’s the president of Serbian football team FK Vojvodina who finished 2nd in the Serbian top division last season edging Red Star Belgrade (Estrela VErmelho) into third. This guy looks anything but a President. he could be a fading Rap star, a gangster or from any other profession(not that a gangster is a profession) but you would never think he was the president of a professional football team. He has a startling resemblence to Jorge Jesus with his flowing white hair and could be a distant cousin but I very much doubt it. Aparently he’s done some jail time too.

Ok now its time for some fun. the guy wears some great outfits. Not of my personal taste but then who knows who is giving him tips on  what to wear.

Now I could put it lots of photos but I keep laughing so I’m gonna upload some more later…

Physically and mentally capable…

With Benfica focused on their Europa League and Lucilio Cup Final matches Braga have been quietly planning their trip to Lisbon in 8 days. A training game yesterday against Vianense resulted in a 7-0 whitewash showing that the whole squad are fighting for a place in next weeks game. Benfica fans throughout the internet world are convinced they will beat Braga. They are so focused on a club that has not lost since 31st October last year, and are drowning in winning games, and the possiblity of winning on three fronts this season that they forget that the mental exhaustion caused by these gaems will have a detrimental effect on their players. Ok, so they play a great game and are very attacking, but what most of their fans seem to miss out on is the amount of mental energy they use up prior to and during these games. It’s an impossible thing to calculate but it’s there, and it can only be seen in following games. In last weeks game against Marseille we saw it in Aimar and Di Maria seems to have yo-yo form in which one week he plays really well and the following week he is nowhere to been seen. Tonight again, Benfica had to raise their game in a game that they outplayed Marseille but conceded the first goal. The pressure was on and they responded. Of course the initial lift of spirits with the equalising (deflected) goal led them to score another but the strain of having to come from behind also plays its part in the background that we don’t see. Once again on Sunday evening they will have to lift their game in the Lucilio Cup final against Porto. If there is bad blood in the Porto camp over the Hulk and Saparanu bannings then it will be clear to see on Sunday. Porto feel that they were cheated in their visit to Benfica in December and will be up for this game especially as they have failed as of recent in both the league and Champions League. A win is vital for Porto to put pressure on Benfica and Braga for the final 7 games of the season as they still have outside hopes of a Champions League berth. Benfica now have ten games to play and including tonights game against Marseille, by the end of the season they will have played 7 of their final 11 games(unless they win the their quarter final) in incredibly high tensity games. The six reamining games from the ten they will have to bring their A game to are.. This could increase to seven if the league has not been decided by the last day of the season when Benfica play Rio Ave. Should they qualify for the semi finals of the Europa League they will olay the second leg only three days before what could be a crucial game away Porto. This can only be good for Braga and all the pressure is thankfully in the Benfica dressing room.

Benfica’s 10 remaining games

Date	Name	Rest Period	Intensity	Grudge?	Home/away
21/03/10	Porto	3 days	High	Yes	Neutral
27/03/10	Braga	6 days	High	Yes	Home
01/04/10	Europa League QF	4 days	High	?	Unknown
04/04/10	Naval	3 days	Low/Med	No	Away
08/04/10	Europa League QF	4 days	High	?	Unknown
11/04/10	Sporting	3 days	High	Derby	Home
18/04/10	Academica	7 days	Low/Med	No	Away
25/04/10	Olhanense	7 days	Medium	Maybe	Home
02/05/10	Porto	7 days	High	Yes	Away
09/05/10	Rio Ave	7 days	High	No	Home

As Braga fans we all know how high intensity games can play on players and how they struggle to get back in the groove. Last seasons games in the UEFA cup were followed by tough games in the league where some players found it difficult to perform. We also saw it in the first half of the away game in Guimaraes this season after a mentally tough game against Benfica the previous week.

Benfica will have to do this nearly every game from now until the end of the season. Sooner or later they will crack. It has to happen. We will not go to Benfica with an inferioity complex which they seem to think we have. Domingos Pacienca has guided this team perfectly to this point with only the one slip up against Porto. We all make mistakes. One thing is certain. Domingos Pacienca is in every way equal to Jorge ‘The Special Two’ Jesus in mentally preparing his players. That defeat was probably a huge wake up call for many players and they all know we have to fight to the death in every game from here until the end of the season. They will know it’s very much up to Benfica to not lose the Championship as it is up to us winning it. Braga have a lot of things in their favour. Should they manage to leave Lisbon without losing(either winning or drawing) it will be a huge step for the club. They will need no mental preparation for the home derby game the following week. I reckon it will be the best home crowd of the season. The newspapers in the meantime will do their usual stuff. They’ve already speculated on Marcio Mossoro, Andre Leone, Eduardo and Domingos Pacienca. It’s nothing new and we are all used to the mass media in Portugal speculating about Braga players prior to what is now becoming a ‘super-classico’. Not many players will talk about it, but the ‘Vandinho Factor’ wlll play a huge part in the game in 8 days. His presence will be felt on the pitch even though he he wont be allowed to play. His unfair ban is still in the minds of the players as we recently saw Andre Leone’s t-shirt ’88′ after the Olhanense game. As Marcio Mossoro said in yesterday’s paper. We are not afraid. It is 11 against 11. They will be aware of Benfica’s fragilties. The drain of so many tough and high profile games. Fatigue will not be a problem for Braga after a two week interval between games. But for Benfica they have the prospect of a Europa League quarter final four days after they play us. The only thing we have to be aware of is the destabiling the mass media will attempt in the 6 days following the Lucilio Cup final.. Besides that we will enter the game with a warrior spirit and do everything to win the game.

Be afraid Benfica, be very afraid… We are coming to play football…

It's not going to be a walk in the park...

Braga 51 – Conspiracy theories

Everyone loves a conspiracy theory… especially a football one. So I went looking on the internet for any and every angle..

51 days to go so the magic number is of course 51. So lets start…

Area 51. One of the most secretive and well protected places in the world along with North Korea who ironically have qualified for the World Cup this year. Last time I think it was 1966 the year they lost 5-3 to Portugal after leading 3-0.  Conspiracy? Portugal then lost to England in the semi-finals and then we had the did it or didn’t it cross the line in the final against Germany. So England won the 1966 final and if you live in Great Britain or Ireland you will never forget it because it’s replayed like a broken record and if thats not enough they keep releasing new records to remind us. Braga also won the Portuguese Cup in 1966. Conspiracy theory? I wont tell you who they beat on the way to the final Will Braga and England do it again this year.. Braga for the league title and England for the World Cup? You’ll get about 50-1 odds in the bookies if you fancy a bet… And Area 51… the restricted air space around Area 51 is known as “The Box” surely a football conspiracy as nobody can enter. Sounds like something from the famous football film ‘Escape to Victory’ with Sylvestar Stallone in goal… Yes an American in “The Box” who later became the greatest “Boxer” ever as “Rocky” Area 51 is also a haven for UFO and conspiracy theories including the alleged development of Time Travel and Teleportation technology. Now I could come up with many new theories but I wont! Not yet anyway!

PLANET 51 was a film released last year.. here’s a short exerpt from the plot

American astronaut Captain Charles “Chuck” Baker lands on Planet 51 thinking he’s the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders…like Chuck! Seems like it could easily be adapted to the Sagres Liga if you ask me! Chuck-Braga… Little Green(Encarnado) People-Benfica…. Planet 51-Sagres Liga…..Hmmm of course it’s a fantasy… There goes my conspiracy…

Here’s a guy that says playing football is against our nature.. this guy really takes the buscuit.. “Actually, the donkey would have a significant advantage over humans in soccer. It has four legs rather than two.  And smashing its head into a soccer ball probably would not cause any diminution of equine IQ. Soccer, then, would appear to be a game better suited to dim-witted quadrupeds than to human beings.” I’d love to see a game.. We would certainly get more people to watch a game than a Leiria V Naval game..

IMAGINE Honky Tonk Donkeys V Wonkey Donkey United Entrance fee : Three carrots

Here’s another guy saying all games are fixed(the lift certainly doesn’t go to the top floor) “The balls themselves are made of leather, as you may know, but on special occasions, eg; big matches, there have been some reports of the balls even having remote controls in them.”
Now I’m not a Brain Surgeon but he certainly needs his head tested..

Here’s a funny conspiracy theory I found on www.mirrorfootball.co.uk 

England 2-0 Scotland, European Championship finals, 1996
Leading 1-0 and seemingly coasting to victory, England could have been undone after conceding a penalty 14 minutes from time when Tony Adams felled Gordon Durie. Up stepped Gary McAllister, only to recoil in horror when David Seaman saved his spot-kick. TV replays later revealed a small movement of the ball just before the Scot struck it – and mentalist Uri Geller subsequently claimed he had been responsible for the deviation by willing the ball to move with his mind.

The absence of evidence is not evidence of a conspiracy!

Tomorrow: Taca Lucilio and why I wont be watching it..

Next Friday 26th March… Pre match Conspiracy Theories involving Braga