Welcome back señors and señoritas for part 6. Things were looking rosy at the end of part 5 as we were 2nd in the league and our UEFA Cup quarter final tie with Schalke 04 was finely poised at 1-1 after the 1st leg. So let us continue…

It’s St. Patrick’s Day and the Guinness is flowing in Gelsenkirchen, and I’ve told the boys then can go out for a pint if we win. We’re without the injured Urzaiz, so Perez starts as he’s no longer cup tied. Larrazabal replaces Lakabeg after suspension. Schalke are without suspended star striker Michael Goosens who has 17 goals this season. The match doesn’t start ideally as the hosts take the lead against the run of play to lead at half time.

Schalke get a 2nd goal on 52 minutes but I’m still confident of getting a draw. Loinaz is off for Arregui on 55 minutes. We’re creating good chances but receive a sucker punch as Eijkelkamp gets 2 goals in 7 minutes and it’s game over. It’s going to be hard to pick myself up for my post-match interview. The board quite rightly say it’s a poor result.

So with the European dream over, we must pick ourselves up and concentrate on champions league qualification. 15th-placed Mallorca are in town for our 1st home game in 3 weeks and we’ll be looking to inflict something similar to the 5-1 drubbing we gave them last time.

We start brightly as we so often do, but despite dominating the early exchanges, Mallorca score with their 1st attempt and we trail at the break. Alkiza is having a mare so He’s off for Arregui and that substitution seems to help as Loinaz equalises on 64. Pérez is also not having his best game so on comes Goikoetxea on 75, but it finishes with honours even. The board aren’t happy with this result but Real Madrid draw again to spare our blushes.

Another home game as we welcome rock-bottom Salamanca, managed by Andoni Goikoetxea, A.K.A. “The Butcher of Bilbao” and hopefully we’ll give him something to beef about. Rios returns from suspension and Urzaiz from injury, and Arregui starts after impressing against Schalke, with Alkiza on the bench. We’ve only won 1 of our last 5 matches, and need to find some form with some big games ahead.

We’re ahead on 12 minutes after a Guerrero penalty, but are caught napping from a corner after just half an hour and it’s 1-1. Loinaz isn’t playing well, so I bring on Alkiza. It looks like another disappointing result and as I’m cursing my wasteful forward line, up pops Etxebe with a last-gasp winner to give us an unconvincing but vital win.

A bit of news from England, which will surely delight Jeff Stelling as Hartlepool win the windscreen shield. Unbelievable scenes, Jeff!

We’re back on the road, and face Bobby Robson’s Valencia, who’ll be desperate for a win being surprisingly close to the relegation zone. Last time we met, we completed a remarkable turnaround, winning 3-2 from 2-0 down. Alkiza is back in for Arregui. It’s a goalless 1st half, and despite our 5 shots on goal, Zubizaretta has been saving everything and has a rating of 9 at half time.

Ortega likes scoring against us and after his brace last time and strikes on the hour. We keep plugging away and deservedly equalise through Loinaz on 73. There’s a frantic end to the match with chances for both sides, but it finishes 1-1. If not for Zubizaretta, we would have easily won, and he rightly gets man of the match. He is a basque boy though, and I’ll definitely be looking for his regen when he retires.

The result costs us as Deportivo win to go 2nd on goal difference, but we have a game in hand on them. Real Madrid also win so they’re just a point behind us now.

Next to visit are Celta Vigo, who are 12th in the league. We lead after an uneventful 1st half thanks to Alkiza. Just after the hour Etxebe doubles our advantage before Moisés pulls one back 10 minutes later. But Etxebe has the smell of goals in his nostrils and fires in 2 more in the space of 4 minutes to complete yet another hat trick and secure the points.

That was our game in hand and we’re back to 2nd. Barcelona suffer a rare loss to Atletico Madrid, so we gain a bit on them. The board are again delighted with my performance, and I should think so too seeing that I’m managing the team and writing a blog at the same time!

Terrible news as Etxebe is out for a couple of weeks with a back strain. It was only a matter of time until he hurt his back after carrying the team for so long. It’s an international break though, so hopefully he’ll only miss 1 game.

Off to Espanyol now, who some might say have over performed as they sit 6th in the table. Star striker Esnaider is back from injury, but they’ve not won in 5 matches, so they’ll want to put that right. The only change is Ziganda in for Etxebe.

Alkiza opens the scoring after half an hour but Benitez hits back to make it 1-1 at the interval. Ziganda is struggling so I swap him for Arregui. Rios gets injured on 52 minutes, so on comes Lakabeg as I’ve no backup defensive midfielders. Urzaiz gives us back the lead on 64 minutes. There’s a late scare as Esnaider is clean through in the last minute, but thankfully fluffs his lines.

I’ve never seen Real Madrid perform so poorly, they lose to Real Oviedo although they still have a game in hand on us. Deportivo draw with Merida to put us 5 points clear in 2nd, and we learn that Rios is out for a few weeks with a fractured wrist.

Oviedo beat us 1-0 last time, so I don’t want them doing the double over us. Their defence frustrated us that day, but Abel Xavier has joined Atletico Madrid, so hopefully that makes them weaker. Viktor Onopko was man of the match in that game but oddly starts in midfield. Etxebe is only 70% fit and with Atletico Madrid coming up, I decide not to risk him. Garitano replaces Rios, Urzaiz is in for Ziganda and partners Loinaz up front, with Perez coming in on the right wing.

I must credit my opposite number, Jose Antonio Camacho, who clearly knows what he’s doing playing Onopko in midfield as he assists Espanyol’s opener. I’m used to seeing Etxeberria on the score sheet, but not my goalie, who scores an own goal on the hour. There’s a glimmer of hope 5 minutes later as we seemingly pull one back, only for it to be disallowed. It finishes 2-0 and Oviedo have definitely been our bogey team.

The board think it’s a very poor result, and we even get a “Shock Defeat” news flash, so this result is big news. We remain 2nd by 2 points. Barcelona are officially crowned champions, so congratulations to them, and also to Schalke 04 as they retain the UEFA Cup, at least we went out to the winners.

I literally have no words for this…

2 massive matches back to back now, starting with Atletico Madrid, and our blue away kit gets a rare outing. After a poor start to the season, Atleti have climbed to 5th and the last time we met, we came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2. Etxebe is 84% fit but starts, and Urzaiz comes back in, albeit out of position to replace Guerrero.

A goalless 1st half, but Atleti have been much the better side. We look to have taken an unlikely lead on 64 minutes, but when the commentary said that Molina was helpless to stop it, I should have known it would be disallowed. We finish the match strongly but Atletico have been wasteful so a stalemate is probably the right result despite a combined 28 shots on goal from both sides.

Deportivo win to leapfrog us in to 2nd. Oscar Alkorta returns from injury just as we’re preparing for a midweek trip to Betis, for which we are unchanged.

It’s a lively start and Luis Perez fires us ahead after 18 minutes and we lead at half time. Larrainzar gives away a penalty on 64 minutes, which Fernando converts and we’ve barely time to regroup as Betis score a 2nd from nowhere 3 minutes later. Loinaz is poor again, so is replaced by Ziganda. Patrik Andersson is sent off on 74, but we can’t make the extra man count and Betis get their 3rd. Urzaiz gets injured to cap a terrible day, and it’s a poor result according to the board.

Urzaiz is out for a week, which is familiar as I recall being without him, Guerrero and Rios at the beginning of the season. Billabona is also added to the injured list for a week.

Real Sociedad are 9th, and a win for us will guarantee a top 4 finish, which would be an improvement on last season’s 6th place, plus I’m still bitter about them knocking us out the Copa Del Rey and want revenge. Lakabeg replaces Billabona and Urrutia comes in for Urzaiz.

Etxebe gets us off to the perfect start on 11 minutes, and Perez nets 10 minutes later. We’re playing well so I don’t make any changes at half time. Alkiza makes it 3 with his 8th goal of the season and Etxebe wraps things up with his 2nd of the match on 65.

The win keeps us 3rd as Deportivo win and Real Madrid draw yet again, against our next opponents, Valladolid.

A couple of bits of other news as Wimbledon rediscover their crazy gang spirit to beat Leicester in an unlikely FA Cup final, and Juventus beat Real Madrid to win the Champions League.

Despite our terrible defensive record this season, Larrainzar, Alkorta and Rios earn a place in Spain’s World Cup squad, but I cannot believe that Etxebe has not had a single cap this season, but who am I to question Mr. Clemente?

There are a couple of outstanding games to catch up this week before the season finale at the weekend. Deportivo miss the chance to go 3 points ahead of us as they lose to Betis, and Real Madrid win to go level on points with us and Deportivo.

So the scene is set for a dramatic final day. Find out how what happens in the final instalment next week!