Real Sociedad News

Antoine Griezmann The Teen Sensation!

2009-08-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

Before i begin my update i would like to offer my deepest sympathies to the family, friends and team-mates of Espanyol club captain Daniel Jarque who died after he suffered a heart attack following a training session yesterday. My thoughts are with them at this sad time.

Moving onto the title of this update only a couple of weeks ago hardly any Real Sociedad supporters would have heard of Antoine Griezmann since he was in the youth set up and yet to even make the step up to Sanse however with 4 goals in 2 pre-season friendlies he is the talk of San Sebastian. The 18 year old French left winger has impressed everyone who seen him in the games against Anaitasuna and Barakaldo and he is very pleased to be given the chance to impress - "I am very pleased. Clearly i would like to stay with Real Sociedad but I am conscious that I am a youngster that is doing the pre-season with the first-team. I do not believe that have a place in the first team." So where has he came from? The answer is he arrived 4 years ago after a talent scout in France called Eric Olhats seen the potential in him to bring him to the youth setup at Real. Martin Lasarte was keen to keep everyone's feet on the ground by saying he does not want to push any of the youngsters training with the first team before they are ready and clearly thinks Griezmann has alot to do before he is ready to be seriously considered for the first team - "Converting four goals in 90 minutes is not a bad thing. We are in the presence of a good project, but only that", he declared.

Griezmann is in the Real squad to play their 3rd pre-season friendly tonight against newly promoted Tenerife at the Estadio Los Cuartos. The game will be a great test for the lads as they look to keep the momentum going in the build up to the Real Madrid game. After this they play Eibar on the 12th August then Real Madrid at Anoeta on 15th August. The big team news is Imanol Agirretxe has recovered from injury and should play tonight. Real Sociedad squad -

Bravo, Zubikarai, Dani Estrada, Mikel González, Labaka, Ansotegi, Sarasola, De la Bella, Xabi Prieto, Elustondo, Markel, Zurutuza, Illarramendi, Rivas, Johnatan Estrada, Griezmann, Nsue, Agirretxe and Viguera.

Real Sociedad Transfer Updates

2009-07-29T03:07:00.000-07:00

In this update i would like to report on the latest recruits to join txuri urdin this summer so far.

Firstly the man to replace the departed Castillo in the left back position will be Alberto de la Bella who signed from Sevilla Atletico. The full back spoke this week of his surprise in San Sebastián at the passion the fans in the street have for the club and the fact the entire city has a massive desire to be in the top flight again. He also stated he wasn't coming to the club expecting to be first choice in the left back position and mentioned Iñigo Sarasola will provide good competition for him. He also feels the disappointing season he had last year getting relegated will have improved him as a player and is confident this will be a great year. After seeing him in action last season on a couple of occasions i believe Real have a very solid player and am looking forward to seeing him improve in a Real Sociedad shirt.

Next up is striker Emilio Nsue who has signed on loan for the season from Real Mallorca. The 19 year old spent last season on loan to CD Castellón and scored 7 goals in 38 appearances so should bolster the strikeforce after we were light in that department last season. He is a Spanish under 21 international and has represented Spain at various youth levels. His father is from Equatorial Guinea and rejected the chance to play for the national team choosing to represent Spain instead.

I updated a couple of weeks ago about the prospect of Uruguyan sriker Carlos Bueno joining and the move is now much closer with the club expected to finalise his contract and the player to complete a medical in the next few days. The player is in Spain at the moment which is another positive sign but won't train with his new team-mates until a deal is done. Imanol Agirretxe has spoken about the exciting prospect of having having healthy competition for places up front next season with the prospect of having himself, Borja Viguera, Emilio Nsue and the possibility of Carlos Bueno being very healthy for the club.

Three players from Sanse (Real Sociedad B) expected to make an impression this season are Iñigo Sarasola, Iosu Esnaola and Borja Viguera and all are desperate to do well if featured during the pre-season friendlies. As mentioned earlier Iñigo Sarasola will be hoping to give Alberto de la Bella competition at left back after making his debut 2 years ago while Chris Coleman was Manager but barely featured under Lillo. Viguero is a promising striker and has done very well for Sanse over the last couple of seasons.

Xabi Castillo Now Joining Athletic Bilbao?

2009-07-12T01:06:00.000-07:00

After it seemed almost certain Xabi Castillo would be joining Racing Santander its been reported in the Spanish media that Xabi Castillo could make a sensational move to Athletic Bilbao and follow in the footsteps of Iñigo Díaz de Cerio. Athletic are looking for a left back and have been linked with Manchester City's former Real Sociedad full back Javier Garrido and Osasuna's Ignacio Monreal although from speaking to some Athletic fans the general opinion is Monreal would be the preferred option. Saying that reports are saying Athletic are in advanced talks with Castillo and could announce the signing any day as current left back Mikel Balenziaga isn't really ready for the first team yet and there has also been rumours Real Sociedad could take Balenziaga on loan as part of the deal - we will see!

Another player that could eventually be wearing the white and red of Athletic Bilbao is Mikel González. His contract expires next June and Real are miles away from agreeing a new deal. This has alerted Athletic to the possibility of signing him for free next summer as the lure of Liga BBVA football and better money dangles like a carrot over the central defender. The only other player not to have signed a new deal is full back Carlos Martínez however a deal will be done once Real have finished their dealings in the transfer market this summer.

Real Sociedad will kick off the 2009/10 season away to Las Palmas on 30th August after the fixtures were announced yesterday. The full schedule can be found at Soccer Spain.

Real Sociedad Could Move For Carlos Bueno

2009-07-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

Spanish newspaper Marca have reported new coach Martín Lasarte could make Carlos Bueno the man to fire Real Sociedad to promotion next season. Like Sebastian Abreu before him, Carlos Bueno is a Uruguayan International striker with 27 caps and 16 goals to his name. The forward currently plays for Peñarol in his native Uruguay netting 10 times in 14 games for the club he started his career with. In his first spell he scored 73 times in 135 games before trying his luck in Europe with Paris Saint-Germain. This move didn't work out well for him where he barely featured at all only making 12 appearances and not managing to score at all. He was then loaned to Sporting Lisbon for the 2006-07 season and although he struggled to make an impact again, he did manage to score 4 goals in 20 minutes in a February 3, 2007 match against C.D. Nacional in which Sporting won 5-1, this after only playing the final 30 minutes of the game! If reports are to believed then both clubs are keen for a deal to be done and are deep in negotiations. I will of course update as soon as their is any news of a deal being done.

Another striker that Real have been linked to today is Rubén Castro. The Deportivo de La Coruña striker spent last season on loan to SD Huesca and scored 14 goals in 41 games and was pivotal in their efforts to avoid relegation. There are other teams however that are also chasing the player including Elche, Murcia, Cadiz and newly promoted Zaragoza and Xerez so competition for the player is big.

The club were hoping to be parading Johnatan Estrada as their first summer signing but this has been delayed due to the player not receiving his visa yet. I understand the deal is done and dusted and the player only has to follow formalities so it shouldn't be long before he is paraded to the fans.

The video below shows the 4 goals Carlos Bueno scored in one match for Sporting Lisbon.

Real Sociedad To Play Real Madrid

2009-07-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

It was announced yesterday that star studded Real Madrid will visit Anoeta on 15th August to honour the centenary of Real Sociedad. It has also been revealed the visitors will not be charging a penny to play in a fantastic gesture to the cash strapped club and any much needed money raised will be kept by Real Sociedad. Real Madrid have agreed to bring a full strength squad to San Sebastian so hopefully the likes of Kaka and Christiano Ronaldo will feature. It could also potentially see the return of former favourite Xabi Alonso as he is heavily tipped to make a move to Real Madrid sooner or later. No doubt he would receive a warm reception after many happy years with the club during which he was idolised by the fans.

In other news its been reported Xabi Castillo's next club could be Liga BBVA side Deportivo La Coruna after their coach Lotina expressed a desire to sign him. The players contract expired on June 30th so is free to join who he likes but until recently it was Glasgow Celtic who were favourites to sign the player. Lateley English club West Bromwich Albion had thrown their name into the ring.

Díaz de Cerio Joins Athletic Bilbao

2009-07-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

Iñigo Díaz de Cerio was unveiled as a Athletic Bilbao player today after his Real Sociedad contract officially ended yesterday and has signed on for 4 years with a 50 million euro buy out clause. The player thanked Athletic Club for trusting him after having been sidelined for most of the 2008-9 season due to an injury. It will be a bitter pill for Real fans to swallow with the deep rivalry between the two clubs but Iñigo was keen to show his appreciation to his former club at his press conference. He says he has only "words of gratitude" for Real and tried his best for the club from day one. He said he had joined a very important club in the Spanish League and it was important to be at a club with economic stability - something Real lacks. "I am 25 years old, I am in a key moment of my career and this presented me the opportunity to return to First Division, with the added incentive of the European competition. The economic theme weighs a lot, the sports one also, and the personnel, because I am going to be able to continue in the Basque Country with the family". He went on to say he wasn't sure yet if he would be ready to return to action at the start of the season but is ready to be patient and not rush things as he looks to avoid any setbacks with his injury.

In other news midfielder Gorka Elustundo has been talking about his excitement for next season as he looks to put an injury ravaged season behind him. Martin Lasarte has made it clear Elustundo will be a massive player for Real Sociedad next season. "I go very happy on my holidays, because I have felt again like a footballer. After many months of suffering, I have been able to help the team and I have not noted any inconveniences. Already I am excited about the pre-season. The renewal of my contract until June 30, 2013 has been the perfect cherry and a reason more to return in July with a lot desires".

Elche 1-2 Real Sociedad

2009-06-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

A last minute winner from comeback kid Gorka Elustundo ended Real Sociedad's season on a high and gave Coach Lillo a good end to his tenure after the bitter disappointment of failing to get promotion. Incredibly the win means that txuri urdin finished with more points away from home than at the Anoeta - something that will need to change next season for sure. Both sides struggled to find any fluency to their game in the first half as the stifling heat took its toll. Elche took the lead on 41 minutes through Santos and it was a weary looking Real side that trudged off the pitch.

The second half was only 2 minutes old when a lively Agirretxe scored at the second attempt to cap an impressive season from him. In the final half an hour the game opened up and both teams had chances to score the winner but it was if the script had been written for Elustundo to score the winner after enduring a nightmare season through injury. On 89 minutes he scored and looked delighted with it. All the players rushed to congradulate him and rightly so as he not only completed a full 90 minutes he looked very assured throughout the 90 minutes and will be a huge player for Real next season if he can stay fit.

Elche: Willy Caballero, Oscar Rubio, Zubiaurre, Olmo, Amaya, Acciari, Usero Santos (Fernando Niño, 90 mins), Dani Benítez, Miguel (Saul, 79 mins), Rubén Pérez (Wakasa, 60 mins)

Real Sociedad: Ramirez, Gerardo, Carlos Martínez, Mikel González (Ansotegi, 80 mins), Castillo, Ros, Elustondo, Moha (Alain Eizmendi, 68 mins), Xabi Prieto, Marcos and Agirretxe (Viguera, 85 mins).

So another season is finished and ultimately its been a very poor one to say the least. Too many times (especially at home) the team looked, at best, average. Marcos and Prieto looked dangerous down the flanks but too often the final pass let them down. The injury to de Cerio certainly never helped matters and his replacement Necati wasn't the goal machine us fans expected him to be but he can't be faulted on his commitment to the cause, its just a shame he couldn't have scored more than one solitary goal and he would have been a fans favourite for sure. Boukary Dramé was a strange signing from Lillo for me cos i'm sure he must have seen him play before taking him on loan. I believe (and i could be wrong) he only started 1 game for the club all season which beggars belief in my eyes. I can only assume he was rubbish in training since i never actually seen him play!! I will be following the comings and goings with great interest during the summer as these will be key to our chances next season. With Abreu gone im particularly looking forward to seeing who Martín Lasarte brings in to get the goals next season. If readers of this site hear or see any tranfer rumours over the next couple of months please feel free to post them as i will no doubt miss some of them!!

I would like to end this post by revealing who i think has been player of the seson - Sebastián Abreu! With 11 goals in 18 games he gets my vote with his all action displays and key goals. His magnificent hat-trick against league leaders Xerez was outstanding and the highlight of the season for me. If anyone doesn't agree with this choice then again, please post a comment. Martín Lasarte was officially presented to the media and fans today and i personally have high hopes for him next season. I hope he can get us out this league at the 3rd time of asking and get us back with the big boys where we belong!

Colombian Jonathan Estrada To Sign

2009-06-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

Its yet to be officially confirmed but Millonarios left sided midfielder Jonathan Estrada will be heading to San Sebastian at the weekend to sign a season loan deal to join the club next season with an option to make the deal permanent after that. With Martín Lasarte not due to take the reigns until July 1st its clear he is already working in the background as he was coach of Estrada at Millonarios in 2007. At 26 years old he is a powerful midfielder who, in his two years with Millonarios, managed 7 goals in 79 games. He has been capped for Columbia at Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 level. The last Columbian to play for Real Sociedad was John Viáfara (2005-2006) during a loan spell from Portsmouth. The video below gives a glimpse of what to expect!

Real Sociedad 1-1 Levante

2009-06-17T07:37:00.000-07:00

Real Sociedad were unable to give the home fans the victory they wanted as they bid farewell to coach Lillo and the players who were playing in their final tie at Anoeta before they move to pastures new. It turned out to be a very entertaining game with plenty of chances for both sides (see highlights below). Levante took the lead after Xisco Nadal took advantage of slack play before running into the box and squaring for Rubén to tap into an empty net. The Real Sociedad equaliser came from Abreu with a cool finish after being set up from Estrada. Zubikarai was given a straight red card after running from his box to clear but caught Rubén as well as the ball so their was never any doubt the referee was going to send him off. Toño Ramírez replaced him in goal and would go on to pull off some stunning saves and do his reputation no harm at all.

In the second half there were plenty chances for both teams and Abreu was guilty of missing two great chances to score and win the game. A particular highlight of the second half was the appearance of Elustundo who came on for the last 25 minutes. He received a rapturous applause form the home support after eight months out and its great to see him back! Abreu was also was brought off on 65 minutes and said his farewell after it was revealed he will be joining Greek side Aris Salonika next season. Abreu had became a fans favourite in his short time at the club but it was no secret he would be moving on escpecially since it was announced Lillo would be leaving. Two players who have yet to say they are leaving is Claudio Bravo and Xabi Prieto. Interest is reportedly high in both players with Real Madrid apparently leading the hunt for Bravo. The most likely to leave is Bravo but Prieto has come out to say it will take something very strange to make him leave and said he is focused on Real Sociedad. Whether this is the case during the summer remains to be seen but his love for the club is clear to see.

Real Sociedad: Zubikarai, Gerardo, Carlos Martínez, Labaka, Sarasola (Elustondo, 65 mins), Rivas, Ros (Ramirez, 39 mins), Estrada, Moha, Agirretxe and Abreu (Necati 65 mins).

Levante UD: Manu, Molinero, Ballesteros, Rhodes, Angel, Miguel Perez, Samuel, Larrea (Iborra, 60 mins), Pina (Rubén Sánchez, 63 mins), Reuben, Xisco Nadal.

Rayo Vallecano 4-1 Real Socoedad

2009-06-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

Regular followers of Real Sociedad news will be familiar with the ritual of me taking a few days to update a match after Real Sociedad have suffered a defeat but the fact its now Thursday reflects the pain i felt after the thrashing Rayo dealt out. Things didn't look good after only 3 minutes when Amaya gave Rayo the lead. Things got worse on 13 minutes when Diamé doubled the lead. Real were looking like a very poor team and Lillo's 4-5-1 formation was looking like a very poor choice with Agirretxe looking lively but never looking like troubling the Rayo defence. Agirretxe did pull one back on 31 minutes as the midfield started to get more of the ball.

Any hope of a second half comeback was dashed on 48 minutes as Piti put the game out of reach and the misery was compounded on 76 minutes when Llorens killed the game. Viguera was given a run out for 20 mins as a substitute for Necati after a good season for Sans (Real Sociedad B) so at least that was promising. With promotion hopes now over we must now look forward to next season and hope for much better things. Whats for sure is with the likes of Real Betis and Recreativo joining us in Liga adelante it will be another battle. Rivas has come out in the last couple of days and said he wants the team to win the last two matches to give Lillo a good send off but with nothing to play for it remains to be seen if the Real Sociedad faithful will turn up in their droves to see the Levante game on Sunday. Lillo has revealed he was ofered a contract extension in February which came as a slight surprise to me considering we weren't exactly ripping up the league at that time!

Rayo Vallecano: Cobeño, Tena, Amaya, Llorens, Yuma (Albiol, 73 mins), Diamé, Michel, Jofre (Collantes, 57 mins), Piti, Pachón (Sáez, 77 mins), Rubén Reyes.

Real Sociedad: Zubikarai, Gerardo, Carlos Martínez, Labaka, Castillo, Rivas, Ros, Prieto, Marcos (Moha, 56 mins), Necati (Viguera, 70 mins)y Agirretxe (Estrada, 77 mins).

Lillo To Leave - Prieto Next?

2009-06-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

At a press conference this afternoon it was confirmed by President Aperribay that Coach Lillo will leave the helm at the end of June and the man to replace him is Uruguyan Martin Lasarte. Aperribay thanked Lillo for the "great work" he had done for the team but ultimately his failure to get into the top 3 has cost him. Lasarte is a coach associated with putting his faith in youth and will take over the reigns on 1st July.

Big news in Spain at the moment (apart from the possible Kaka move to Real Madrid) is the talk that bitter rivals Athletic Bilbao may be set to put in a bid to sign Xabi Prieto. Its been reported Aperribay may struggle to keep the player who will of course be tempted by the prospect of swapping the Liga adelante for the Liga BBVA and of course european football. Only time will tell if they do come in with a bid but it will be bad news for Real Sociedad fans with striker Iñigo Diaz de Cerio already leaving to join them after his contract expires in the summer.

Real Sociedad 0-2 Cordoba

2009-06-02T14:57:00.000-07:00

Real Sociedads hopes of promotion were ended at the weekend after losing 2-0 at home to Cordoba. Been too disgusted to update and the highlights are below for those that want to see the damage being done although it has been a poor season all round and drastic changes will need to be made in the summer as far as i'm concerned. Lillo isnt the man to lead the team and with the club being linked with current Swansea boss Roberto Martinez, (it will never happen) it needs a new man to come in and shake things up!

Salamanca 0 -1 Real Sociedad

2009-05-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

Real Sociedad will head into the final month of the season with a glimmer of hope for promotion after a very impressive win over Salamanca in a game where the winning margin should have been higher. An Imanol Agirretxe goal on 35 minutes was enough to win the game but unfortunately Zaragoza won again which means we are still hoping for a miracle. A home game against Cordoba awaits next Sunday so another win would keep the pressure on the top teams so for now the dream is still alive - just!

UD Salamanca: Biel Ribas, Gañán, Catalá, Pelegrini, Botelho, Dañobeitia (Álvaro, 77 mins), Bustos, Salva Sevilla, Paulo Sergio (Akinsola, 54 mins), Quique Martín and Miku.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Castillo, Gerardo Rivas, Markel (Ros, 19 mins), Moha (Estrada, 78 mins), Prieto (Marcos, 71 mins), Necati and Agirretxe.

Real Sociedad 1-0 Albacete

2009-05-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Real Sociedad kept their slim hopes of promotion alive yesterday after an own goal by defender Mainz in the 90th minute gave Real a slender 1-0 victory when it looked like being another disappointing result for the hosts. The highlights can be viewed in the video below.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Carlos Martinez (Gerardo, 28 mins), Labaka, Mikel González (Ansotegi, 56 mins), Castillo, Rivas, Markel, Moha, Prieto, Marcos (Necati, 60 mins) and Abreu.

Albacete: Jonathan Lopez Tortosa, Mainz, Tarantino, Peña, Iker Begoña, Ibon, Xavi Jimenez (Mario Navas, 83 mins), Alberto, Jaime (Alex Perez, 88 mins) and Diego Costa (Tocha, 90 mins) .

Real Sociedad vs Albacete Team News

2009-05-15T04:45:00.000-07:00

Real Sociedad go into Saturdays game with Albacete knowing nothing less than a victory will do at Anoeta as they hope Zaragoza can slip up at home to Celta Vigo and close the gap on them to 5 points. Real have the same squad from last weeks 2-1 win over Alicante (see goals below) to call upon but one surprise is the call up to the first team squad for young midfielder Javi Ros. He featured in the 31st of December friendly against Eibar but this will be his first experience in the squad for the league. Lets hope Real's shakey home form can be a thing of the past on Saturday and show the league Real deserves to be in Liga BBVA with a comfortable win!

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defense: Carlos Martinez, Gerardo, Labaka, Mikel González, Ansotegi Castle.

- Midfielders: Xabi Prieto, Estrada Rivas, Markel, Ros, Marcos, Moha.

- Forwards: Abreu, Necati, Agirretxe.

Necati Happy With Goal But Not The Draw

2009-05-08T02:06:00.000-07:00

Turkish striker Necati Ates spoke to the press yesterday and spoke of his relief at finally finding the back of the net for Real Sociedad but admitted he wasn't happy the goal only resulted in a draw. He said he was very grateful to the fans for the support they provide. Necati has had a long wait to get his goal after being a prolific goalscorer for Galatasaray but his hard work has finally paid off and hopefully it can be the spark for more.

Imanol Agirretxe revealed although the league table isn't looking to good for the club he hasn't given up on getting promotion. He feels if Real can win all the remaining games then they will have a chance and they are not prepared to give up on their dream yet.

Real face an away trip to Alicante on Sunday knowing anything less than a win will virtually end their season.

Real Sociedad 2-2 Celta Vigo

2009-05-03T01:10:00.000-07:00

Real Sociedad missed out on a fantastic opportunity to close the gap on the leaders after Zaragoza and Tenerife played out a 1-1 draw. Real found themselves 2-0 down in the first half after goals from Dinei (7mins) and Ghil (38 mins). Real pulled a goal back on 59 minutes after Abreu slotted home a penalty after Peña had handled in the box. Peña received a straight red card for the offence. Celta were reduced to 9 men after Dani Abalo received his second yellow card and Real went all out attack. They got the equaliser on 86 minutes through Necati Ates and Anostegi could have won it in injury time but in the end they had to settle for a draw. More bad news followed when it was revealed Mikel Aranburu, who was injured late in the game, suffered a fracture of the fibula in his right leg but will not require surgery. It will mean he will more than likely miss the rest of the season. Only a miracle will see Real return to the top flight as we really needed to win this one.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Estrada (Necati, 55 mins), Rivas, Aranburu (Agirretxe, 78 mins), Moha, Xabi Prieto, Marcos Abreu.

Celta: Falcón, Edu Moya, Ruben Pena, Lake (Dabilo, 91 mins), Jonathan Vila, Renan, Jordi, Dinei (Fajardo, 73 mins) and Ghil (David, 82 mins).

Huesca 1-2 Real Sociedad

2009-04-30T11:25:00.001-07:00

Real Sociedad picked up a brilliant win at the weekend over Huesca to keep the club in the promotion hunt. A fantastic goal by Abreu in the 1st minute (see video below) was doubled by Aranburu in 31 minutes. Huesca pulled a goal back through Camacho but Real held on despite losing Markel to a red card in the 56th minute. An home game against Celta Vigo awaits on Saturday.

SD Huesca: Eduardo Garcia Toral, Dorado, Corona, Ripa, Helguera (Jokin Esparza, 73 mins), Camacho, Nico Medina (Jonan, 67 mins), Ripa (Edu Roldán, 83 mins), Ruben Castro, Roberto .

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Gerardo Rivas, Markel, Aranburu, Xabi Prieto (Moha, 86 mins), Abreu (Agirretxe, 63 mins) and Marcos (Castillo, 91 mins).

In other news striker Iñigo Díaz de Cerio revealed earlier in the week he won't be renewing his contract when it expires at the end of the season as he wants to play at the highest stage at this point of his career. The favourites at the moment to sign him are Atletico Bilbao but the player has denied he is ready to sign for them.

Huesca vs Real Sociedad Team News

2009-04-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

Xabi Prieto admitted to the press yesterday that the club need to win the remaining nine games if they are to have any chance of promotion and few would argue. Coach Lillo will take a 17 man squad to play Huesca tomorrow afternoon in a must win game. Boukary Dramé had to withdraw from the squad due to injury and Carlos Martinez is suspended after picking up 5 yellow cards. Mikel González returns to the squad after serving a suspension. Come on boys you can do it!!!

Squad for Huesca match :-

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Mikel González, Gerardo, Labaka, Ansotegi Castle.

- Midfielders: Xabi Prieto, Markel, Rivas, Aranburu, Estrada, Moha, Marcos.

- Forwards: Necati, Abreu, Agirretxe.

Real Sociedad 1-2 Tenerife

2009-04-23T08:08:00.000-07:00

Hello there and apologies for the lack of activity over the last couple of weeks. You will no doubt have noticed i haven't been posting very often but this has been down to me not having access to a computer rather than losing interest in this site. I know there won't be much of a demand for the highlights from last weekends game but the video is below anyway. The defeat was a crushing blow to Real Sociedads hopes of promotion and only a victory will do now on Sunday against Huesca.

Eibar 1-1 Real Sociedad

2009-04-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

Real Sociedad could only manage a 1-1 draw against local rivals Eibar this afternoon in a disappointing match that Real Sociedad will feel they should have won.

Real took the lead on 8 minutes when a cross from Xabi Prieto was headed on from Abreu and Aranburu arrived late in the box to fire home as he has done on many occassions already this season. After the early strike Real struggled to control the match as play swung from end to end. The most lively player for Real Sociedad was winger Marcos but too often the wrong passes were played.

Early in the second half Real started to dominate more and Aranburu went close with a drive from outside the box. Markel and Rivas were dominating the midfield but you could sense Eibar were dangerous on the counter attack and a one goal cushion wasn't enough. On 82 minutes disaster struck as Eibar were awarded a penalty. Markel who had came on for the hosts on 70 minutes was fouled by Mikel González and Alan made no mistake from the spot. González was red carded for the fould after picking up 2 yellow cards. With the game nearing an end Real pushed for a winner and Abreu had two fantastic chances to win the game but failed to take them. Necati Ates almost got his first goal for the club deep into injury time but was denied.

A home match against high flying Tenerife is next for Real Sociedad and its now a must win game if they are to keep the promotion dream alive.

SD Eibar: Zigor, Aitor, Añibarro, Biel Medina, Raúl, Txiki Lombraña, Alan, Carlos Rubén (Codina, 72 mins), Arruabarrena (Beltrán, 63 mins), Sutil and Ballesteros (Markel, 70 mins).

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Rivas, Markel, Aranburu, Xabi Prieto, Moha (Estrada, 69 mins), and Marco Abreu (Necati, 86 mins).

Real Sociedad 0-0 Gimnàstic

2009-04-04T11:42:00.000-07:00

Real Sociedad and Gimnàstic drew 0-0 this afternoon as Real were denied their fifth straight win. Both teams had chances to win the match but the best chance was missed by Sebastián Abreu as his penalty kick was saved by Rubén Pérez just before half-time. The penalty was awarded after Mairata was deemed to have handled the ball. Zubikarai should be very happy with his display as the keeper was forced into some fantastic saves. All in all i think both teams will be fairly happy with a point as either team could have won this and no-one really deserved to lose. Real Sociedad visit local rivals Eibar next week when hopefully we can get a victory and get the momentum going again.

Real Sociedad: Zubikarai, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Gerardo, Markel, Aranburu, Sergio (Agirretxe, 45 mins), Xabi Prieto, Abreu and Marcos.

Gimnàstic: Rubén Pérez, Campano, Medina, Mairata, Mingo, Jose Mari, Diop, D. Bauzá, Jandro, Víctor Casadesús and N'Gal.

Castellón 0-3 Real Sociedad

2009-03-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Real Sociedad made it four consecutive wins with a 3-0 demolition of Castellón and confirmed their status as genuine promotion candidates. Real showed from start to finish they were the dominant team and only seven minutes were on the clock when they took the lead. Carlos Martinez set up Xabi Prieto after a brilliant pass from Sergio and Prieto swept the ball home with an easy finish. Prieto almost made it 2-0 shortly after but his effort hit the side netting. Real Sociedad were now looking more and more dangerous but Zubikarai had his reflexes tested before Marcos went close. For the last 15 minutes of the first half Real were happy to keep the ball as they probed for openings.

The second half started as the first had finished with Real looking comfortable on the ball and it was clear a second goal was needed to kill off the hosts. On 63 minutes Carlos Sanchez was picking the ball out of his net again as full back Xabi Castillo ventured forward and crossed for Imanol Agirretxe to head home. Real only needed to wait six minutes to add a third and make the win emphatic as the lively Marcos stole the ball off the defender and beat the keeper clinically. Real Sociedad continued to look lively until the 90th minute as Lillo pushed on his team from the touchline. At full time the players celebrated a convincing victory and made a very decent Castellón side look very average in their own back yard.

Real Sociedad will welcome Gimnàstic to the Anoeta next Saturday as they will look to make it five victories in a row and with Bravo and Abreu returning for that game I certainly wouldn't bet against them doing it with the form they are in. Its hard to believe it was only a few weeks ago i was almost writing Lillo and his troops off but they have turned it around - and how!

Castellon: Carlos Sanchez, Rafita, Dealbert, Mora, Baigorri, López Garai, Mario Rosas, Arana, Omar (Salas, 84 mins), Perico (Nsue, 66 mins), and Ulloa.

Real Sociedad: Zubikarai, Carlos Martinez, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Castillo, Rivas, Aranburu, Marcos (Markel, 80 mins), Sergio (Agirretxe, 59 mins), Moha (Estrada, 72 mins) and Xabi Prieto.

Castellón vs Real Sociedad Build Up

2009-03-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

Coach Lillo gave his weekly press conference today and revealed he isn't obsessing about league positions and is concentrating soley on his next objective - beating Castellón. If Real Sociedad are to win on Saturday they will need to do it without Claudio Bravo and Sebastian Abreu who are both away on international duty. "If there is no law that says that they were going to win, there is no law that says that without them we will not do so. They are the same odds." Lillo also declared he has full faith in Zubikarai who will deputise in goal.

There was more bad news today for midfielder Gorka Elustundo as it was revealed he suffered a partial rupture of the internal lateral ligament and medial ligament in his right knee in training yesterday. This latest injury will rule him out for the rest of the season. Although surgery is not required he can undergo current cell therapy treatments to speed up the recovery but i'm sure fans will share my hope for a speedy recovery as his season has been ruined by injury this year.

Earlier this week a Spanish newspaper reported that Iñigo Díaz de Cerio had signed a pre-contract agreement with bitter rivals Athletic Bilbao but on Tuesday President Jokin Aperribay met the press and denied this - "I have no confirmation. For now, the talks remain open. We have already stated that Diaz de Cerio and Xabier Castillo have offers from Real and we are waiting for answers".

Real Sociedad 2-0 Girona

2009-03-22T11:38:00.001-07:00

A crowd of 19,177, the highest attendance of the season so far, witnessed Real Sociedad's third straight victory by two goals to nil and move them within five points of third place.

Girona set their stall out to defend straight away as they looked to make themselves very difficult to break down. The home side had to be very patient as chances in the first half were few and far between. Ansotegi was unlucky with a header from a Marcos corner as the first half passed without many efforts on goal.

Marcos had a volleyed effort that went well over the bar as Bravo continued to be a spectator and fans started to wonder if it was going to be their day. The first goal came after a cross from the left by Prieto was cleared by José but only as far as Mikel Aranburu who hit it first time past Ponza in goal - spark wild celebrations. The second goal came shortly after when Segio placed a free-kick past the helpless Ponza and the home fans could start dreaming of promotion again. Girona mounted a late rally but the defence stood firm. Necati and Marcos could have added a third late on but the final whistle sparked wild celebrations as the players were clapped from the field.

This was an excellent victory for Real Sociedad make no bones about it. A few weeks ago the team looked devoid of attacking ideas whilst also looking vulnerable at the back. The team now look like they are playing with great confidence and hunger and you always felt after the first went in that another would follow - not something thats happened too often this season. Its Castellon away next weekend and with a bit of momentum going now it can't come soon enough.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Markel, Gerardo, Sergio (Moha, 82 mins), Aranburu, Xabi Prieto (Estrada, 87 mins), Abreu (Necati, 76 mins) and Marcos.

Girona: Ponza; Jose Serra, Igor, Amantegi (Arnal, 86 mins); Matamala, Manga (Xumi.65 mins), Dorca; Raúl (Gabri, 65 mins), Igor Felipe.

Real Sociedad vs Girona Build Up

2009-03-20T06:05:00.000-07:00

Coach Lillo gave his weekly press conference this morning and the message was cautious - "We are going to play Girona and see what happens". He was keen to point out that there are still many points between the teams in the promotion places and Real Sociedad but he is happy the supporters hope has been restored after the last two victories. On the opponents for Sunday's game he added - "It will be very difficult to win. Girona are very determined and are always well organised so its important to never lose focus during the match and let them create chances".

Club captain Mikel Aranburu spoke yesterday in the press room at Zubieta after a training session which seen a large turnout of fans due to the good weather and holiday. He made it clear the squad is very determined to continue the winning run against Girona as it could provide a platform to go onto bigger things. He also pointed out a victory is essential to keep the pressure on the team thats in third place.

After Markel penned a new contract last week it now looks like full-back Xabi Castillo won't be following in his footsteps just yet. He has revealed talks have ended for the moment - "I have always said that my dream is to continue here, but what I value most is the ability to move forward in my career".

I would like to apologise for the delay in obtaining the match highlights for the Xerez match but they can now be viewed under Saturdays match report.

Vote For The Centenary Home Shirt

2009-03-16T13:40:00.001-07:00

Real Sociedad are giving fans the opportunity to vote for what next seasons home shirt will look like. There are three to choose from so simply click on the link below and choose one. I think its a fantastic idea so grab your opportunity to become a fashion designer for 60 seconds and help make the team fashionable next season!

Click here to vote.

Xerez 1-3 Real Sociedad

2009-03-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Please do not adjust your screen settings because the scoreline above is correct dear readers - Xerez 1-3 Real Sociedad! Real Sociedad have picked up a MASSIVE three points against top of the table Xerez thanks to a magnificent hat-trick from "the madman" Abreu and for the first time in ages Real Sociedad fans around Spain and the world will have a spring in their step for days to come. Lets make no bones about it, any kind of victory is priceless at the moment for the txuri urdin but what makes this one stand out compared to others was it lookes like something has finally clicked and the hunger and passion was tangable from the players.

The first half started like a victory was a million miles away as after only 11 minutes Momo was given plenty of space to set up Bermejo for the opening goal. At this point Real fans would have been forgiven for thinking a cricket score was on the cards as Xerez have been very impressive this season and in games gone past if they score first, they normally go on to win in some considerable style. The Real Sociedad character was about to be tested big time and it was time to stand up and be counted in the League - welcome the Marcos and Abreu show! On 28 minutes Marcos set up the first of what would become a hat-trick of assists by passing to Abreu to beat Chema low into the net. The next goal was always going to be massive as a goal for the hosts could flood thoughts of self doubt into the minds of the Real Sociedad players and Luque went close but was denied by Bravo. With half-time approaching Marcos crossed perfectly for Abreu to header home and score at the perfect time. As the players came off for half-time the players had a spring in their step and so they should.

The second half was only 5 minutes long when Real Sociedad fans had to start rubbing their eyes as another cross from Marcos was clinically finished by Abreu to claim the match ball and now anything was possible! Real Sociedad were now playing like a team possesed and Marcos came close to getting the goal he deserved then Abreu was denied his fourth of the day by Chema. On 72 minutes the hero of the hour Abreu was replaced by Necati Ates and given a rapturous applause by the away fans after the shift he put in. The last minutes of the game passed without any real threat from a now deflated home team as the defence stood firm and dealt with anything that came their way. When the full-time whistle went the joy on the players faces was clear to see but rather than with relief like on so many other occasions it was now with a spring in the step like they finally discovered how to play like we all knew they could.

Only 2 weeks ago the season looked almost over but this latest win has put us straight back into the mix for promotion. A home tie against Girona awaits us next week where another win will make the top three look over their shoulders very nervously and with Abreu hitting top form and showing his Spanish doubters what he can do its a game i can't wait for.

Xerez: Chema, Francis Silva, Aythami, Mendoza, Rios, Moreno (Calle, 70 mins), Luque (Antoñito, 58 mins), Momo, Bermejo and Sarmiento (Abel, 58 mins).

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González (Castillo, 57 mins), Gerardo, Markel (Rivas, 57 mins), Aranburu, Sergio, Xabi Prieto, Abreu (Necati, 72 mins) and Marcos.

Xerez vs Real Sociedad Team News

2009-03-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

Real Sociedad face table topping Xerez tommorow and a victory would be a huge confidence boost for the squad to take on as they look to climb the table and get back to chasing the promotion places. Diego Rivas and Xabi Castillo return to the squad at the expence of suspended Moha and Boukary Dramé, the latter of which dropping out of the squad after a massivley disappointing season so far. The last meeting at the Anoeta between these sides last October finished in a goalless draw but so far in the league Xerez has managed 48 goals compared to Real Sociedad's 26 so there is no doubt it will be a difficult game.

Squad for tomorrows match -

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Castillo, Carlos Martinez, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Labaka.

- Midfielders: Marcos, Aranburu, Markel, Sergio Estrada, Rivas, Xabi Prieto.

- Forwards: Necati, Abreu, Agirretxe.

The club has successfully won the appeal to have Xabi Prieto's yellow card recinded after he was booked for diving in last weeks game. The Appeals Committee decided, after viewing a tape of the incident, that Prieto had in fact been fouled and so hadn't dived as the referee had thought.

Real Sociedad 1-0 Sevilla Atlético

2009-03-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

Real Sociedad picked up a prescious three points against Sevilla Atlético thanks to a 82nd minute winner from Mikel Aranburu and kept the promotion dream alive. No-one can doubt Real Sociedad merited the victory as it was a very one sided affair however it must be a concern that they made hard work of a team well below them in terms of quality and at times it looked like they were devoid of any attacking ideas much to the discomfort of the home fans.

The first real chance of the game came from the visitors when a Coto shot had Bravo at full stretch and he had to be alert to stop Fali scoring. The two aforementioned players were a handful for the defence and Ansetogi and Mikel González were kept on their toes. The theme of the match seemed to be the home team playing really well and passing was assured and confident but when they arrived in the final third they ran out of ideas. The best chance of the first half fell to Abreu after some great play by Prieto but his powerful shot was saved well by Ruyales.

In the second half Sevilla Atlético barely got out their own half and Bravo in goal could have had a nap in the changing rooms for all he had to do. Aranburu tested Ruyales with a header before Abreu also had an effort denied. The goal finally came in the 82nd minute when Moha had a fantastic run down the left and played it to Prieto who passed first time for Aranburu to fire home. The relief on the players and fans was understandable.

At the final whistle we had to be happy with the victory but the fans would have left the stadium with the feeling Real Sociedad should definitely have won by a bigger margin as Sevilla Atlético were there for the taking. A massive match awaits next week with an away trip to top of the table Xerez and unless the team are more rutheless in front of goal then i know who my money will be on but for at least another week the dream is still alive.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Gerardo (Necati, 67 mins), Markel, Aranburu, Sergio, Xabi Prieto, Marcos Abreu and (Moha, 70 mins).

Sevilla Atlético: Ruyales, Ismael, Gallardo, Redondo, Rios (Ramirez, 55 mins), Coto (Pukki, 46 mins), Barranco, Valiente, José Carlos, Fali and Mohammed.

Real Sociedad vs Sevilla Atlético Team News

2009-03-08T01:59:00.000-08:00

There are two changes from last weeks squad as Carlos Martínez and Boukary Dramé replace the suspended duo of Rivas and Castillo. As expected, striker Aggiretxe has fully recovered from his tonsilitis and is in the squad.

Squad for Sevilla Atlético match:-

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Dramé, Carlos Martinez, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Labaka.

- Midfielders: Marcos, Aranburu, Markel, Sergio Estrada, Moha, Xabi Prieto.

- Forwards: Necati, Abreu, Agirretxe.

I would like to have a special mention for 4 lads from the English town of South Nutfield in Surrey called Paul Murray, Howard Fine, Chris Sherriff and Jon Fenn who have made the special trip to San Sebastian for todays crucial match. Paul Murray is a subscriber to this blog by e-mail and has very kindly said he will pick up a match day programme for me and post it to me. Hope you are having a great trip so far and hopefully the boys can get the 3 points this time (Paul advised they went to the Numancia 1-0 defeat last March)!

Agirretxe Touch And Go For Sunday

2009-03-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

Imanol Agirretxe returned to training this morning after missing the last two days through tonsilitis and revealed - "I'm eager, but we must be cautious. I'll see how the body responds in training thats left. I think I will, but you never know." He appeared to be running well on the pitch today and in the gym so Lillo could still consider him for the squad.

Coach Lillo gave his weekly press conference this morning in preparation for Sundays visit of Sevilla Atlético and is still confident Real Sociedad can mount a challenge for promotion. He said the dream is still there but doesn't want to underestimate the visitors considering their only victory this season has come at the expense of Real Sociedad. He also dismissed any talk of the pressures he is facing in this difficult time and said - "What matters is the Real, not me."

Boukary Dramé Could Get Chance

2009-03-04T01:25:00.000-08:00

With Xabier Castillo suspended for this weekends match against Sevilla Atlético after picking up 5 yellow cards the left back slot is up for grabs and could see a rare start given to Boukary Dramé. The Senegal International is on a season long loan from French outfit FC Sochaux but a mixture of injury and Castillo's fine form have left the player looking on from the sidelines for most of the season. Dramé recognises he has to be patient - "I can not do anything other than wait for the opportunity".

Sebastian 'El Loco' Abreu has revealed he still believes Real Sociedad can push for promotion and says and knowing the importance of what is at stake, "you can not throw in the towel until its lost". He also said the players are suffering just as much as the fans just now - "We are not aliens, but also suffer. We are indebted to them for the support we are getting. Watch as we were welcomed in Vitoria, after a defeat, when I am used to the contrary in my land".

Abreu has scored 3 goals so far in his 6 appearances for the club and will be a huge player this weekend as anything other than 3 points is unthinkable just now.

Alavés 2-1 Real Sociedad

2009-03-01T03:42:00.000-08:00

Real Sociedad's hopes of promotion this season all but disappeared yesterday after losing to rivals Alavés. This is the team of course who defeated Real in the final game of last season at the same venue to end the promotion dream and they have hit a hammer blow again. Things looked rosy in the first half as both teams battled hard and looked hungry for the win. On 39 mins Marcos swung in a cross from the left and Abreu powered a header past the keeper. In the second half Real Sociedad barely looked troubled as Alaves started to control the match and have most of the ball. It wasn't until the 65th minute when Javi Guerra scored from a corner you got the sinking feeling that this wasn't going to be Real Sociedads night again. As the game moved into the final five minutes the thought of losing 3 games in a row was unthinkable but when Almirón scored on 85 minutes from another corner the nightmare became a reality.

Another late goal. Another defeat to a team we should be beating. Another good performance with nothing to show for it and now 1 point from a possible 12 in the last four games. Its difficult to pinpoint exactly what has gone wrong. Perhaps Coach Lillo just isn't the man for the job. Its unlikely he will be replaced at this stage of the season but something is going wrong. The defence seem to lose all concentration in the final 10 minutes of games and forget the basics of defending. He persists on giving Necati Ates game time but its looking ever more possible the striker will go all season without a single goal. Off-field turmoil obviously hasn't helped and too a degree it must affect the players but something needs to be done quick to stop the freefall in the league. The players need to get psyched up for one final push. Next Sundays home tie against Sevilla Atletico must be looked upon as a cup final and every game after that and if a run of victories can be put together then there is still hope, and when you have hope anything is possible.

Alaves: Bernardo; Caesar Almirón, Garro (Kalderon, 83 mins), Albacar; De Marcos (Igor, 76 mins), Astudillo, Emilio, Llorente, Javi Guerra Juanjo (Garitano 83 mins).

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Gerardo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Castillo, Rivas (Necati, 87 mins), Aranburu (Estrada, 62 mins), Xabi Prieto, Sergio, Marcos; Abreu.

Real Sociedad 1-2 Hercules

2009-02-22T10:47:00.001-08:00

Real Sociedad's hopes of promotion were badly damaged today after losing 2-1 at home to make it back to back defeats now and 1 point from a possible 9. The game got off to the worst possible start when Ruben Navarro gave Hercules the lead after only 58 seconds. He doubled the advantage on 63 minutes and a goal from Xabi Prieto 10 minutes from the end wasn't enough to salvage anything. Not doing a match report this week as i'm disgusted at the result and the highlights below tell the painful story!

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Carlos Martinez, Ansotegi, Mikel González Castillo, Xabi Prieto, Aranburu, Markel (Sergio, min.68), Moha (Marcos, min.68), Agirretxe (Necati, min.68) and Abreu.

Hercules CF: Calatayud, Exposito, Cesar, Sergio, Dani Bautista, Fernando Sales (Sendoa, min.75), Farina, Abel Aguilar, Tuni, Ruben Navarro (Ruben, min.77) and Tote.

Real Sociedad vs Hercules Team News

2009-02-22T02:28:00.001-08:00

The big team news for this afternoons crucial match at home to Hercules is the return to the squad of Moroccan midfielder Moha. Mikel Labaka will miss out after getting sent off last week in the defeat to Murcia and Elustundo is still continuing to improve in training but is still well short of match fitness.

Squad for Hercules match -

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Castillo, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Carlos Martínez.

- Midfielders: Marcos, Aranburu, Markel, Rivas, Sergio Estrada, Moha, Xabi Prieto.

- Forwards: Necati, Abreu, Agirretxe.

Iñigo Diaz de Cerio In Contract Talks

2009-02-18T11:44:00.000-08:00

Injured striker Iñigo Diaz de Cerio spoke to the press today and revealed he is in negotiations with the club about a new contract but warned "I have 20 years, I am 25 and I have to take a key decision in my career". With the clubs future still in the balance its obviously something the player has to take into consideration and admitted there are other offers for him but at the moment they are on the back burner. He also said he wants to play at the highest level possible so time will tell if his future is at Real Sociedad or not.

Sebastián Abreu also spoke to the press today and was in a highly positive mood about the future and says the players are also positive because there will be opportunities to climb the table in the future, starting against Hercules on Sunday at the Anoeta. Lets hope his optimism rubs off on his team-mates because he has has demonstrated so far in his short time at the club that he holds a huge presence in the squad and all his colleagues look up to him.

Real Murcia 2-0 Real Sociedad

2009-02-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

Real Sociedad lost in very cruel fashion as they lost two goals in the final minutes of the game after goals from Mejia (87) and Sikora (90)! Both teams went down to ten men on 78 minutes as Labaka was sent off for Real Sociedad and Ochoa was red carded for Murcia.

The first half started with both teams looking hungry for a win and Murcia were first to threaten when Capdevila swung in a perfect cross frome the byeline which Despotovic narrowly missed when he probably should have done better. Shortly after Xabi Prieto nearly scored directly from a free-kick but his cross came back of the cross-bar. Necati had a great chance when put through on the keeper but his control let him down - clearly a striker lacking in confidence. Despotovic was then denied by Bravo after great play with Capdevila. With the first half coming to an end Aranburu crashed an effort onto the crossbar.

The second half was a different affair with untidy mistakes creeping into play from both teams and it was the very impressive Serbian striker Despotovic who had the first real chance of the second half in the 67th minute when he robbed a defender before crashing in a shot that Bravo did brilliantly to save from close range. Labaka was then dismissed on 79 minutes for a second yellow card then barely a minute had passed before Ochoa was sent off for his second yellow of the game. When it looked like the game was going to end in a goaless draw Murcia scored out of the blue. The ball was cut back to Mejia who fired the ball passed a helpless Bravo. To rub salt in the wounds Murcia pounced again in the dying seconds when they hit Real Sociedad on the counter attack and the ball was swung into the Polish striker Sikora who controlled the ball on his chest and tucked the ball passed Bravo. With the team now down to 8th in the league the next game at home to Hercules is a must win game now if they are to stay in the hunt for promotion.

Real Murcia: Elía, De Coz, Mejia, Ochoa, Pena, Movilla, Marcinho (Bruno, 56 mins), Nunez (Sikora, 77 mins), De Lucas (Aquino, 34 mins), Capdevila and Despotovic.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Labaka, Castillo, Rivas (Sergio, 63 mins) Markel, Aranburu, Prieto, Necati (Abreu, 56 mins) and Marcos (Agirretxe, 72 mins).

Murcia vs Real Sociedad Team News

2009-02-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

The big news from the Real Sociedad camp is that defender Mikel González and midfielder Markel are back in the squad to face Murcia after missing last weeks game. Moha is suspended so will miss out and despite returning to training Elustundo isn't ready for first team action and will continue to build up his ankle. Sebastian Abreu and Claudio Bravo are available and fit after coming through international duty in midweek unscathed and will both fly directly to Murcia and train alone until their team-mates arrive. If Real Sociedad can win on Saturday they will become the first team this season to win three away matches in a row.

Squad for Murcia game -

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Castillo, Labaka, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Carlos Martínez.

- Midfielders: Marcos, Aranburu, Markel, Rivas, Sergio Estrada, Xabi Prieto.

- Forwards: Necati, Abreu, Agirretxe.

Real Sociedad 1-1 Real Zaragoza

2009-02-08T07:22:00.000-08:00

Real Sociedad looked to be on course to pick up a vital three points after Abreu had scored in the first half but a late goal from Ewerthon meant the points were shared.

The first half was a tight affair with Abreu going close with a header from a corner that the Zaragoza did well to save. Zaragoza also had their chances but Bravo was equal to them. On 39 minutes the home side increased the pressure and a headed clearance from a free-kick was nodded back into the danger area by Marcos and Abreu beat the offside trap and brought the ball down with ease before slotting past the keeper.

The second half was also very tight with Real Sociedad keen not to give anything away but also seeking the killer second goal. With fifteen minutes to go the away side threw on another forward to get the equilaser and with two minutes to go a ball was played through to Braulio but Bravo pushed the ball away before hitting the defender and the referee unbelievably gave a penalty when it was clearly a well timed challenge. This led to very angry scenes in the stands and on the pitch and Ewerthon kept his cool to blast the penalty home. Moha was red carded for his protests and on the final whistle the referee had to be protected as he left the pitch.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Carlos Martinez, Ansotegi, Labaka, Castillo, Rivas, Gerardo (Sergio, 85 mins), Aranburu, Prieto, Abreu (Agirretxe, 68 mins) and Marcos (Moha, 78 mins.

Real Zaragoza: Lopez Vallejo, Chus Herrero (Herrera, 56 mins), Pulido, Goni, Paredes (Caffa, 69 mins), Songo'o (Braulio, 78 mins), Zapater, Generelo, Jorge Lopez, Arizmendi and Ewerthon.

Sebastián Abreu Enjoying His Football

2009-02-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

Sebastián Abreu spoke to the press today and revealed he is loving his football at the moment and is looking forward to the massive game on Saturday against promotion rivals Real Zaragoza. He said a victory over Zaragoza would make a significant impact on the table and would make then sit in a much better position. He said the fact that they were just about to go into a phase where they will play a series of games against the high flying teams means the team has great focus and determination in what they want to achieve.

Coach Lillo also gave his weekly press conference today and the main focus of discussion was the importance goal difference might make at the end of the season for promotion and stressed how important it was for the team to fight to the end of matches - "It will be like winning a match by 3-0 or 3-1. That goal may cost the promotion".

Liverpool FC Lined Up For Centenary Celebrations

2009-02-03T14:51:00.000-08:00

Its being muted in Spain that Real Sociedad could kick of the centenary celebrations in the summer with a pre-season friendly against Liverpool FC in August. It would mark the return of fans hero Xabi Alonso who was a massive success at the club and the Premiership superstars would surely draw a massive crowd. The possibility of such a match taking place must be very real as both clubs have enjoyed close relations over the years. It would be an even bigger occasion if the club could also celebrate by winning promotion to Liga BBVA.

Las Palmas 0-1 Real Sociedad

2009-01-31T11:28:00.001-08:00

Real Sociedad picked up all three points this evening against Las Palmas after a penalty was converted by Sebastian Abreu in a first half which also seen midfielder Markel sent off.

The first 15 minutes passed with no real efforts on goal although play raged from end to end until Abreu was brought down in the area from a bad tackle as he looked to control the ball. He didn't mess about with the penalty and rifled it home to get off the mark for his new club. Las Palmas reacted by attacking with more purpose and Bravo in goal did well to stop a Pablo Sanchez effort. On 35 minutes the game changed after Markel was shown a second yellow card after a clumsy foul. Real could have went 2-0 straight away but an Aranburu effort grazed the post.

The second half was all about Las Palmas and their inability to get the equalising goal. For most of the second half they laid seige on the Real Sociedad goal but ultimately the home support were disappointed. Real always looked dangerous on the break and Mikel Aranburu went close with a header but it was the defence that take all the glory this time as they held firm and never gave the hosts a clear effort on goal. Relief was etched on the Real Sociedad's players at the final whistle and for one night at least we can enjoy seeing the blue and whites 3rd in the league. Bring on Real Zaragoza next week!

Las Palmas: Santamaría, David Garcia, rusty, Lopez Ramos, Dani López, Darin (Amaral 67 mins), German Nauzet, Jorge, Pablo Sanchez (Gerardo, 63 mins), Sergio Suarez (Saul 55 mins) Márquez.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Labaka, Castillo (Carlos Martinez, 87 mins), Markel, Rivas, Aranburu, Xabi Prieto, Agirretxe (Mikel González, 62 mins) and Abreu.

Labaka and Abreu Speak To Press

2009-01-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

Mikel Labaka spoke to the press today and reflected on what was a bit of a let off in terms of results at the weekend after the disappointing draw against Elche. Real Zaragoza lost at home to Rayo Vallecano and Salamanca could only draw against Hercules so Real Sociedad are still within touching distance of the top three. "Everyone is winning, both away and at home," said Labaka in the press room at the end of the first training session of the week.

Abreu spoke of his disappointment at not scoring with his header but praised the opposition goalkeeper for the save he made. He also spoke of his happiness at the reception he received from the fans as he made his first appearance - "I am very grateful. To come and have this show of affection gives me great pride."

Hopefully Abreu can start the game away to Las Palmas at the weekend and help fire Real Sociedad to victory as after that a massive home game against promotion rivals Real Zaragoza follows.

Real Sociedad 0-0 Elche

2009-01-24T14:29:00.000-08:00

Real Sociedad could only manage a goalless draw this evening at home to Elche as the the Elche goalkeeper pulled off some fantastic saves, especially in the second half. Agirretxe missed a glorious chance to score when he missed a first half penalty.

The first half was dominated by Real Sociedad and Elche only threatened on the counter attack with Bravo rarely threatened. The best chance came when Imanol Agirretxe was brough down in the box and a penalty was awarded. He dusted himself down to take it himself but blazed the shot over the bar. Marcos also had a chance to score but Willy saved his effort in style.

The second half continued in the same vain and on 56 mins Coach Lillo threw on Necati for Rivas and shortly after Real nearly scored from two corners. Firstly a powerful header from Labanka was saved by Willy then Martinez went close when he probably should have scored. On 68 minutes the home fans were on their feet to welcome the debut of Sebastian Abreu as he replaced Agirretxe and Abreu came close to finding the winner when he powered a header on goal only to see Willy save it fantastically. In the end a frustrating draw but Elche proved they are no pushovers and have been on a good run of form themselves so a point isn't the worst result in the world.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Carlos Martínez, Labaka, Mikel González Castillo, Rivas (Necati, 56 mins), Markel, Aranburu, Xabi Prieto, Agirretxe (Abreu, 68 mins) and Marcos (Moha, 82 mins).

Elche: Willy, Zubiaurre, Samuel Fernando Child Acciari, Saul (Rubén Pérez, 73 mins), David Fuster, Miguel (Bolado, 63 mins), Usero Santos (Cobo, 83 mins) and Rubio.

Real Sociedad vs Elche Team News

2009-01-23T04:14:00.000-08:00

The big team news ahead of Saturdays match at home against Elche is striker Sebastian Abreu is included in the eighteen man squad along with Markel who returns from suspension. Defenders Gerardo and midfielder Sergio miss out through suspension after they both picked up their 5th yellow cards of the season last week.

Squad for Elche match -

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Carlos Martínez, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González Castillo, Dramé.

- Midfielders: Estrada, Xabi Prieto, Aranburu, Rivas, Markel, Mark, Moha.

- Forwards: Necati, Agirretxe, Abreu.

Coach Lillo spoke to the press yesterday and said he was very disappointed for midfielder Elustundo after he had a relapse in his ankle injury and will face more time on the sidelines. Elustundo had been back training with the squad when it happened. He also spoke of how much more confident the team looked with the ball after hitting a bit of form and stressed how important it was to keep it going.

Sebastián Abreu Is Presented To The Fans

2009-01-19T11:40:00.000-08:00

Sebastian Abreu was greeted by over 300 fans yesterday as he was presented to them after signing a 6 month deal with the option of a further year after that. He spoke to the press and stated the reasons behind signing for 'txuri urdin' and said he was signing for the 8th most important club in Spain and the opportunity to team up with Coach Lillo was a big factor. He made it clear his target was to make sure the club gained promotion to the first division - the place it deserves to be. He was asked if he can be the hero of Real's rise to the first division - "The heroes are on television. I am a worker who comes to work more on the long-awaited dream of all the people of Real Sociedad and that from today is mine, first to climb the table. This is the centenary year and it would be fantastic to give promotion to the club."

He trained yesterday on his own but today met up and trained with his new team-mates. He had watched the victory over Levante on Saturday and admitted he had been surprised by some players - "I saw a very compact, highly concentrated team, with the strength necessary and with players who played very well and I am surprised, because although Juanma told me things i never had full knowledge of them." Abreu won't be able to wear his favourite number 13 shirt but will instead wear number 18 - "I hope the club sold many shirts with 18 on them and this number will be remembered for many happy memories."

The level of expectation is huge after this capture and the hopes and dreams of promotion may rest on his shoulders but he gives the impression he is very focused on what he has to do - score goals. If he does get the goals to fire Real Sociedad to the Liga BBVA then the fans might have a new hero to worship.

Levante 0-2 Real Sociedad

2009-01-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

Real Sociedad produced a highly polished performance to defeat ten man Levante two goals to nil with goals in either half from on form striker Imanol Agirretxe and Xabi Prieto.

The match started much like last weeks game with Real Sociedad in complete control from the whistle. After ten minutes Agirretxe almost gave the visitors the lead with a header but the effort was cleared off the goal-line. After that a Gerardo cross was almost diverted on goal by Ansotegi. Justice was done on 19 minutes when Marcos put in a fantastic cross from the byeline and Agirretxe came in at the near post to finish clinically. This made it three goals in three games and the in form striker is impressing the fans as he looks sharper with every game he plays. After taking the lead the fear was that Real Sociedad would try to defend the lead like they have done unsuccessfully over the last few weeks but this time was different. Real continued on the front foot and because of this they restricted Levante to long shots. Geijo went close with a long range effort that grazed the post. Things got worse for Levante when Xisco Nadal was shown a red card on 43 minutes after picking up his second booking.

Early in the second half the game was effectively killed off as a swift counter attack on 49 minutes seen Marcos feed Xabi Prieto for him to slot the ball past Mora with ease. The game played out with few chances for either side and the visitors could have went three nil up late on when Necati missed a good chance.

All in all a very pleasing result and hopefully this can give the team the confidence to kick on and win the next game at home to Elche.

Teams -

Levante: Mora, Cerra (Miller, 76 mins), Tena, Ballesteros, Angel, Xisco Nadal, Iborra, Pallardó, Jorge Pina (Gorka Larrea, 58 mins), Ruben (Del Moral, 78 mins) and Geijo.

Real Sociedad: Claudio Bravo, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Labaka, Castillo, Diego Rivas, Aranburu, Moha (Necati, 78 mins), Xabi Prieto, Marcos (Estrada, 87 mins) and Agirretxe (Sergio, 65 mins).

Sebastián Abreu Arrives In Spain

2009-01-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

Uruguyan striker Sebastián Abreu arrived in Spain this morning on a flight from Montevideo with his representative and will undergo a medical at the club tomorrow morning before being presented at a press conference in the afternoon. Despite looking really tired he mingled with fans and was happy to sign autographs and pose for cameras. It was already well known he would be signing for the club to boost Coach Lillos striking options and last week River Plate removed the player from the official website. It is reported he will be staying in a hotel tonight and following his future team-mate's fortunes on television this evening.

Levante vs Real Sociedad Preview

2009-01-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

The first team squad trained this morning in preparation for tommorow's game against Levante and the only change from last weeks squad is defender Boukary Dramé replacing the suspended Markel. It was though midfielder Gorka Elustundo might make the squad after being out injured but the game has come slightly too soon for him.

Squad to play Levante -

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Carlos Martinez, Gerardo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González Castillo, Dramé.

- Midfielders: Estrada, Xabi Prieto, Aranburu, Rivas, Sergio, Mark, Moha.

- Forwards: Necati, Agirretxe.

Coach Lillo met the press yesterday in the build up to the game and described the players this week in training - "We look phenomenal". After missing out on four points in the last two games he was expecting to have to talk tough to the players but hasn't found it neccessary. He went on to describe the Levante squad as being "highly qualified, compact and well-armed."

If Real Sociedad expect to be in the top three at the end of the season it important they start turning draws into wins and learning to kill off teams when in winning positions and tommorow would be the perfect time to start.

Darko Kovacevic May Have To Retire

2009-01-12T13:21:00.001-08:00

It is with great sadness that i have to report Real Sociedad legend Darko Kovacevic may have to retire from the game after being diagnosed with a heart problem that is likely to require surgery. The big Serb has flown to Spain for tests and could face an operation this week. Reports are suggesting doctors have discovered a narrowing of the arteries that will require angioplasty. I'm sure football fans thoughts will be with him during this difficult time. I have been a long time admirer of his striking talents and even had the pleasure to have met him when i visited San Sebastian while he was at his second spell at the club. He is no doubt remembered by Real Sociedad most fondly for the lethal partnership he formed with Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci in the 2002/03 season when the club narrowly missed out on winning La Liga coming second.

Check the video below of some fantastic memories of his time at the club!

Real Sociedad 1-1 Rayo Vallecano

2009-01-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

Real Sociedad had the heartbreak of missing out on a victory in the last minute for the second week in a row after Markel conceded a last minute penalty. Imanol Aggiretxe had given the hosts a first half lead and it looked to be enough to win but the game ended in disappointment again for Real Sociedad.

The game started in familiar fashion with the hosts taking a grip of the game straight from the whistle. On 17 minutes Anoeta was sent into raptures as Marcos looked set to score but a clearance from the Vallecano defender landed straight at Imanol Aggiretxe who finsished well. Not long after it could have been two as Prieto had a powerful effort well saved by the keeper. Rayo threatened to equalise just before half-time but Bravo was commanding at the back.

The second half had a different feel to it and it was Rayo Vallecano who had the better of the play as they sensed the home team again lacked the killer isntinct to put the game to bed. Coach Lillo attempted to freshen things by making three changes - on 60 minutes Moha replaced Sergioa and Necati Ates replaced Marcos but the away team stifled any attacks well. With the game moving into the final minute their was huge controversy as Diamé was very lucky to escape a red card having already been booked and straight after that Markel handled in the area and gifted the away side a penalty that Aganzo tucked away clinically. Markel was shown a red card to rub salt in the wounds. Another frustrating day for Real Sociedad fans who will now be praying a deal for a striker can be done before the next game against Levante.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Mikel González Castillo, Markel, Sergio (Moha, 60 mins), Aranburu, Xabi Prieto, Agirretxe (Estrada, 71 mins) and Marcos (Necati, 60 mins).

Rayo Vallecano: Cobeño; Coke, Salva, Tena, Collantes (Aganzo, 65 mins); Jofre, Diamé, Míchel (Manolo, 82 mins), Albiol; Pachón y Piti (Sousa, 46 mins).

Real Sociedad vs Rayo Vallecano Team News

2009-01-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

The first team squad completed training this morning ahead of tommorows big game against Rayo Vallecano. Coach Lillo has the luxury of naming the same 18 players that travelled to Cordoba last week. It was widely reported Uruguyan striker Sebastian Abreu would sign in time to join up with the squad but there has been no news yet confirming it.

Squad for tomorrows game -

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Carlos Martinez, Gerardo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel Gonzalez Castillo.

- Midfielders: Estrada, Xabi Prieto, Aranburu, Markel, Rivas, Sergio, Mark, Moha.

- Forwards: Necati, Agirretxe.

Lillo Confirms Interest In Sebastián Abreu

2009-01-09T06:32:00.000-08:00

Coach Lillo gave his weekly press conference this morning and confirmed press reports that he was interested in signing Uruguayan International striker Sebastián Abreu, a player he knows well from when he coached in Mexico. "El Loco" (The mad man) is a prolific goalscorer and is currently playing for River Plate in Argentina. He has played for numerous clubs in his career including an unsuccessful stint at Deprtivo La Coruna in the 90's where he was loaned out alot. Lillo confirmed the Uruguayan would cover the needs of the squad and praised his qualities but stressed he didn't want to talk in detail for fear of complicating the negotiations. Reports have suggested the 32 year old will fly to San Sebastian on Friday to complete a medical and will sign a contract until June 2009 with the option of a year more. He would be joining in good form having scored 12 goals for River Plate this season.

With regards to the weekends game against Rayo Vallecano at Anoeta he said they are a team of very high quality and expects a very difficult game. He singled out the midfield as being the strongest area of the team and in particular the creativity they have.
Below is a video of Abreu in action for River Plate recently-

Agirretxe Happy With Confidence Shown In Him

2009-01-08T02:23:00.000-08:00

Imanol Agirretxe has admitted he is "very pleased" with the recent confidence shown in him by Coach Lillo. Agirretxe hasn't had the best of times and nearly 4 years after he made his debut for the first team, its only now that he is getting more action after constantly being overlooked by previous managers. When he joined the club he found himself battling for a striker berth with Nihat and Kovacevic but after that he found himself watching from the sidelines. Indeed under Coleman's reign last season he only made two appearances in the first team. This season started in the same vain as Coach Lillo's preffered front two was Iñigo Díaz de Cerio and Necati Ates but the bad injury to de Cerio has meant chances in the first team has been more frequent especially since Necati has failed to score the goals expected of him. He now has two goals for the season with the goals coming against Castellón and Cordoba and with Real Sociedad desperate for a goalscoring striker and promotion, four years after his debut there has never been a better time for him to cement a place in the first eleven and I for one hope he does. Another goal in the weekends game against Rayo Vallecano would be the perfect tonic.

Cordoba 2-2 Real Sociedad

2009-01-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

Real Sociedad suffered the heartbreak of losing an injury time goal in this afternoons match as the game ended 2-2 when it looked like a vital 3 points were going to be gained. Agirretxe's goal in the 67th minute looked to have won it but Pierini equilased for the hosts in the 94th minute.

Real Sociedad started the stronger and took a deserved lead on 20 minutes when winger Marcos picked up the ball out on the right before cutting inside and unleashing a great shot past Mario in the Cordoba goal. After the goal Real Sociedad began to lose some momentum and Cordoba came back into the game. On 30 mins Arteaga was set up by Yordi to square the game.

In the second half Real found their momentum again and dominated but couldn't get past a determined defence. Cordoba could have taken the lead when Yordi was played through and rounded Bravo but Ansotegi got back brilliantly to block the effort and save a certain goal. The visitors took the lead on 66 minutes when Agirretxe, who replaced Necati ten minutes earlier, finished a brilliant move that involved Marcos and Aranburu. After taking the lead again Real Sociedad decided to sit on their lead and defended bravely and just when it looked like being a valuable 3 points gained Pierini rose after a cross came in to bullet home a header to send the home fans into raptures.

Teams -

Cordoba, Mario (Cristian Alvarez, 86 mins), Pierini, Gaspar, Ruben; Guzman Ito Endika (Asen, 75 mins), Arteaga (Jose Vega, 48 mins), Javi Flores; Yordi.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Carlos Martinez, Ansotegi, Labaka, Castillo, Markel, Diego Rivas, Aranburu, Xabi Prieto (Estrada, 91 mins), Marcos (Sergio, 88 mins), Necati (Agirretxe, 56 mins).

Cordoba vs Real Sociedad Team News

2009-01-03T05:20:00.000-08:00

The first team squad completed training this morning and the good news was that Necati Ates will be fit to face Cordoba and should lead the line. Other good news is Marcos is availble to play after serving his one match suspension.

Squad for Cordoba match -

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Carlos Martinez, Gerardo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel Gonzalez, Castillo.

- Midfielders: Estrada, Xabi Prieto, Aranburu, Markel, Rivas, Sergio, Marcos, Moha.

- Forwards: Necati, Agirretxe.

Meanwhile Coach Lillo has revealed he will be bringing in a striker during the January transfer window and already knows who he wants - "We know who could come, but we have not negotiated with anybody, because we do not know in what conditions we can negotiate".

Real Sociedad 1-0 SD Eibar - Friendly

2009-01-01T02:07:00.000-08:00

Real Sociedad defeated local rivals SD Eibar 1-0 in yesterdays friendly match in San Miguel thanks to a 62nd minute goal from young striker Imanol Agirretxe. As predicted before the match Coach Lillo played two different teams in each half and Lillo felt it was a very worthwhile excercise after the match.

The first half only served to remind fans just how lacklustre the forwardline has been lately with Necati Ates guilty of missing clear chances to score. In the 4 months he has been at the club he has yet to show the fans any glimpses of the goalscoring reputation he holds in his native Turkey and with it looking unlikely any signings will be made to bolster the frontline given the current economic crisis at the club, Real Sociedad desperately need him to start being more rutheless in front of goal.

The second half continues with a fresh line-up and Agirretxe replacing Necati up front and it was the youngster who scored the winner in the 62nd minute with a cool finish and will be a massive confidence boost for him. The match played out with Eibar looking for ways back into the match but Real Sociedad always looked the more likely to score. All in all a very worthwhile excercise before Sundays important away match against Cordoba.

Real Sociedad: Iturrioz, Gerardo, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Drama, Illarramendi, Sergio, Zurutuza Marcos, Estrada and Necati. In the second half: Zubikarai, Carlos Martínez, Labaka, Cadamuro, Castillo, Rivas, Aranburu, Ros, Prieto, Agirretxe and Moha.

SD Eibar: Asier, Añibarro, Raúl, Alaña, Yagüe, Txiki, Sutil, Lombraña, Cases, Carlos Rubén y Markel. SD Eibar: Asier, Añibarro Raul, Alan, Yagüe, Txiki, Sutil, Lombraña, Cases, and Carlos Rubén Markel. They also played Urzelai, Codina, Romero, Biel Medina, and Arkaitz Larrazabal.

President Apperibay Speaks To Press

2008-12-30T12:16:00.000-08:00

"Our challenge is the survival of the Real Sociedad". The sharp and straight to the point words from the Real Sociedad President today as he spoke to the press with Councilor Jesus Ruiz and the lawyer Jose Luis Martinez, an expert in bankruptcy proceedings. He began by stating three key messages he considers to be most important - economic survival, social cohesion and maximum support to staff and the technical team. He said the current economic situation with the club is "very critical". Looking on the brighter side of things he said it was one of the last opportunity's for unity and went on to praise the "tremendous efforts" made by the players in recent months, but asked them to fight for one more goal to advance to the First Division.

"Our challenge is the survival of the Real Sociedad, its economic and social regeneration," Aperribay said. He also announced a loss of 10 million for the year 2008-09 so "an urgent emergency plan" has been put into place. The club faces a massive challenge as it must pass a budget that will turn these losses into profits in order to keep with the agreement of creditors and avoid liquidation.

The press conference ended with questions from journalists and one of the key points to come out of it was Apperibay announcing no players will be sold in January and he will be looking to renew contracts for Castillo, Markel, De Cerio and Zubikarai.

Today final preparations were taking place for tomorrows friendly against SD Eibar. It will take place in the town of San Miguel and is designed to keep up the momentum and match sharpness ahead of the weekend game against Cordoba. Coach Lillo intends to play a different eleven players for each half and as such has called up 22 players -

Goalkeepers: Zubikarai, Iturrioz.

Defenders: Carlos Martinez, Gerardo, Labaka, Mikel González, Cadamuro, Ansotegi, Castillo, Dramé.

Midfielders: Estrada, Xabi Prieto, Rivas, Aranburu, Ros, Illarramendi, Mark, Zurutuza, Moha, Sergio.

Forwards: Necati, Agirretxe.

Squad To Return To Training On Monday

2008-12-27T03:18:00.000-08:00

With the Real Sociedad squad currently enjoying their festive break it will be back to business on Monday as the squad returns to training in preparation for the 4th January game away to Cordoba. To keep the players match fit they will have a double-session on Tuesday followed by a friendly against local rivals SD Eibar on Wednesday (new years eve. there will be no rest either on new years day as a morning training session is also planned. The squad are no doubt looking to carry forward the good form they were in leading up to Christmas and take it into the new year as all focus will be on promotion to Liga BBVA.

One player who will be returning to training later than the rest of the squad is Chilean International goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. He will hook up with the squad on January 1st as Coach Lillo allowed him to return home to Chile to be with his family over the festive period and took into consideration travelling time.

In other news striker Iñigo Díaz de Cerio has spoken to Marca.com and has revealed new President Aperribay has contacted him and declared he would like to start discussions on a new contract as the players current one expires in June - "my first option is Real Sociedad, but the club is in the greatest crisis in its history and will have to be see what happens". He also revealed his recovery is going well and that he is spending almost the entire day working on the machines at the gym.

With the current problems at the club it would be a massive boost if Iñigo Díaz de Cerio signed a new contract as he is a Real Sociedad man through and through and to lose him for no fee would be a huge blow.

Real Sociedad Has A New President

2008-12-23T13:57:00.000-08:00

it was announced over the weekend that Jokin Aperribay has replaced Inaki Badiola after recieving the majority vote during the first meeting by the new Board of Directors. News has been met with a mixed response as Badiola was very popular with the fans but Aperrinbay will remain for a maximum of two and a half years until new elections are held at the end of the bankruptsy process. The new President has already met with Coach Lillo and Loren. One can only hope Real Sociedad can make it through these tough times with the current economic problems that are happening and the fact they are in the 2nd division not helping matters.

Real Sociedad 1-0 Salamanca

2008-12-20T10:17:00.000-08:00

Real Sociedad beat Salamanca 1-0 this afternoon thanks to a goal in the 2nd minute of injury time from central defender Ansotegi to sent the Anoeta into raptures and finish 2008 on a massive high!

Salamanca started the match the more attacking of the 2 teams and twice Bravo was forced into making good saves. It was clear from the opening exchanges Real Sociedad had a massive amount of respect for the visitors but as the first half went on the home side started to get a grip on the game and began to dominate. Shortly before halftime Salamanca were dealt a huge blow when Botelho was sent off for a second bookable offence.

At the start of the second half Coach Lillo looked to take advantage of the extra man and brought on Sergio to replace Rivas to add an extra spark to the attack. Jorge Alonso had a good free-kick effort for Salamanca but apart from that it was all Real Sociedad doing the attacking. Agirretxe, Labaka, Aranburu and on two occassions Necati Ates all went close to scoring but couldn't find the net. Just when it looked like it would end in a nil nil draw the ball was lofted hopefully into the box and Ansotegi was the hero as he rose to head into the net to sent the crowd into raptures. The relief on the players faces was obvious to see and the victory now lifts the club back up into the mix for promotion places.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Gerardo (Carlos Martinez, 90 mins), Labaka, Ansotegi, Castillo, Rivas (Sergio, 46 mins), Bergara, Aranburu, Xabi Prieto, Estrada (Agirretxe, 69 mins), Necati.

Salamanca: Alberto; Castro, Carlos (Sito, 50 mins), Pelegrín, Botelho; Bustos, Jorge Alonso, Dañobeitia, Cohen (Luciano, 46 mins), Isaac (Toti, 82 mins); Miku.

Attendance - 17,132.

Real Sociedad vs Salamanca Preview

2008-12-19T04:56:00.000-08:00

The squad completed the penultimate training session this morning in preperation for Saturdays match against top of the table Salamanca. The good news for fans is Mikel González and Sergio return to the squad from injury's and captain Aranburu has finished his suspension. This means there is only room for two youth players to make up the 18 man squad with Agirretxe and Zurutuza taking the places.

Yesterday Xabi Prieto spoke to the press and said the team was looking to put in another performance like they did last week against Albacete. Although it ended in defeat for Real Sociedad, he feels it was the best performance of the season and believes the team were unlucky not to win the match.

Squad for Salamanca game:-

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Carlos Martínez, Gerardo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Castillo.

- Midfielders: Estrada, Xabi Prieto, Aranburu, Markel, Rivas, Sergio, Zurutuza, Moha.

- Strikers: Necati, Agirretxe.

Necati And Aranburu Speak To Press

2008-12-16T11:49:00.000-08:00

Turkish striker Necati Ates spoke to the press today and announced - "I have the same confidence". He says he has full confidence in his game and isn't letting his lack of goals get to him. He even claimed he still believes he can score 15 goals before the campaign is over. In the last match against Albacete the striker had a few chances to break his duck but was thwarted with his efforts. He also said Albacete were lucky to win the match - "I couldn't believe it. It seemed that they had won a championship or something."

Midfield dynamo Aranburu also spoke to the press and said a win agains't table topping Salamanca is "very important if we want to cut the distance". Salamanca are currently 8 points ahead but would be cut to just 5 with a win. He went on to say he believes if the squad can stay clear of any more injuries then they are very capable of gaining promotion.

Albacete 2-1 Real Sociedad

2008-12-13T11:21:00.000-08:00

Diego Costa snatched an 89th minute winner for Albacete in this evenings match to win 2-1 and inflict a painful defeat on Real Sociedad. Indeed the defeat was all the more painfull considering how well Real Sociedad had played, especially in the second half and at the very least deserved a draw. Albacete took the lead on 16 minutes when a cross from Jaime deceived Bravo in goal and hit the back of the net after Mainz looked like he would make contact. Real Sociedad responce was excellent and Necati Ates went close on two occasions and were unlucky to go into the interval behind.

Early in the second half Real Sociedad got a deserved equaliser. A clever turn inside the area from Xabi Prieto ended with him squaring the ball for Marcos to hit home and Prieto should be very happy to assist another goal after he did the same last week for Aranburu. For most of the second half possession was even and play raged from end to end. Near the end Necat Ates could have fired in the winner however afer being played through on goal however his blasted shot was saved well by Cabrero in goal from a narrow angle. Then came the sucker punch. The ball was played into the Real Sociedad danger area and Markel tried to clear with a header only for it to skim off his head and into the path of Diego Costa who slammed the ball past Bravo to steal all three points. The evening got even worse for the visitors when the goalscorer Marcos was dismissed for his second bookable offence. The men from San Sebastian's great run has come to an end.

Albacete:- Cabrero, Kike, Trotta, Mainz, Pena, Kitok, Xavi Jimenez (Mark Navas, 73 mins), Verza, Alberto (Diego Costa, 46 mins), Jaime; and Merino (Belencoso, 80 mins)

R. Sociedad:- Bravo; Gerardo, Ansotegi, Labaka, Castillo, Markel, Rivas, Xabi Prieto (Aguirretxe, 80 mins), Marcos, Moha (Estrada, 87 mins); Necati.

Albacete vs Real Sociedad Team News

2008-12-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

The squad completed training this morning behind closed doors in final preparation for the away trip to Albacete tomorrow. The 2 hours was pent mainly focusing on tactical and strategic points. The eighteen man squad will have four places for promoted youth players - defender Esnaola, midfielders Illarramendi and Mutriku and finally striker Agirretxe. In particular Mutriku has been chosen as a replacement for the suspended Aranburu who picked up his fifth yellow card of the season last week. Carlos Martinez returns from his foot injury and although Sergio has returned to training he isn't ready to be included in the squad.

Squad to face Alicante:-

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Carlos Martinez, Gerardo, Labaka, Esnaola, Ansotegi, Castillo.

- Midfielders: Estrada, Xabi Prieto, Rivas, Zurutuza, Markel, Illarramendi, Moha, Marcos.

- Forwards: Agirretxe, Necati.

Coach Lillo Wants 6 Points Before Xmas

2008-12-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

Coach Lillo held his weekly press conference this morning after the penultimate Zubieta training session of the week. He admitted the squad was excited about the possibility if adding another three points against Albacete. Regards the squad for the match he is very happy Carlos Martinez has recovered from his injury and Xabi Prieto is ready to start from the beginning of the match. He said he believes in the 18 man squad and doesn't see the youth players as just fillers but rather players who can add an extra punch. In particular youth players Kitok, Jaime, Merino and Diego Costa.

Lillo also took the opportunity to defend the work done by Technical Director Loren after yesterdays comments from President Badiola (see below). "I work closely with him and i'm very proud to. He is very capable, knows what to do and puts the clubs interests above personal interests".

In other news a press-conference was held yesterday by Real Sociedad President Inaki Badiola where he called for the resignation of Mr. Ibargutxi, administrator for Real Sociedad. "It's hard to live with someone who is against us" said the president.
Also, after viewing pictures of some of the game between Malaga and Tenerife last June 15, Badiola said "we want to go to the end" on the issue of the alleged purchase of the game by the Malaga CF. He also raised issues he has had with Technical Director Loren. He revealed "recent signings in which he has overseen have not been as successful we thought." He also said he couldn't agree with Loren when it came to the issue of Mikel Alonso, who recently ended his contract with the club. He finished by saying Loren had participated in meetings againt the council - "If you're with others can not be with us." Time will tell if Loren is in his position for much longer.

Gorka Elustondo's Injury Latest

2008-12-09T04:32:00.000-08:00

The squad don't normally train on a Monday however with morale high in the squad and a very important away match on Saturday to Albacete the squad are preparing earlier this week to keep the momentum going.

The process of recovery from injury is going well a happy Gorka Elustondo declared yesterday as he returned to training with the first team squad. He did reveal to the press though that its a slow process and won't be rushing back in a hurry as he doesn't want to aggrevate it and make it bad again.

Turkish Striker Necat Ates also spoke to the press and joked about referee's by saying "Do they not want me to score goals?". This was with reference to the goal that was disallowed on Saturday and the fact he has yet to score for Real Sociedad - "If the referee has seen the images, he will be sick". He has also advised he feels "very happy when the team wins and when we play in Anoeta".

Real Sociedad 1-0 Alicante

2008-12-06T11:21:00.000-08:00

Real Sociedad remain unbeaten since October after a crucial win this afternoon against Alicante with a goal in the 64th minute from midfielder Mikel Aranburu. Spearheaded by a strikeforce of Necati and Agirretxe the home team started very strongly and had a series of dangerous corners cleared and a penalty appeal after ths ball appeared to strike a defenders hand but as the first half went on Real's attacks were becoming more timid despite dictating the play. The first half ended with a Necati shot that was saved by Unanue in the Alicante goal.

The second half started as the first ended with the home side continuing to probe for an opening. Agirretxe went close with a couple of efforts. In 58 minutes Real Sociedad made two changes with Marcos replacing Moha and Prieto replacing Estrada and it was Prieto on 64 minutes that set up Aranburu for the winning goal with a pinpoint cross that was duly headed in. Alicante not surprisingly went on the hunt for an equaliser and forced Bravo into two saves before Necati had a header ruled out for being offside although television pictures show the Turkish striker was clearly onside when the ball hit the back of the net. Real survived a late Alicante spell of pressure to earn three valuable points and climb up to 6th in the league.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Gerardo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Castillo; Bergara, Aranburu, Estrada (Xabi Prieto, 58 mins), Moha (Marcos, 58 mins); Agirretxe (Rivas, 71 mins) and Necati.

Alicante: Unanue; Blanco, Castells, German, Rubiales; Ismael, Abel Buades, Azkoitia, Catalá (German, 62 mins), Miñano (Peragón, 75 mins) and Pedro.

Attendance - 14,174.

Real Sociedad vs Alicante Team News

2008-12-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

The squad completed training this morning behind closed doors as final preperations for tomorrows game against Alicante were complete. As expected the 18 man squad will not include injured centre back Mikel Gonzalez so youth player Josu Esnaola has been called into the squad to cover with Ansotegi expected to partner Labaka in defence. Two other youth players included are Zurutuza and striker Agirretxe.

Squad for Alicante match:-

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Carlos Martinez, Gerardo, Labaka, Esnaola, Ansotegi, Castillo.

- Midfielders: Xabi Prieto, Estrada, Aranburu, Rivas, Markel, Zurutuza, Marcos, Moha.

- Forwards: Necati, Agirretxe.

Before the match tomorrow the team will commemorate Aitor Zabaleta by holding a series of events before the match as it will be the tenth anniversary of his death on Monday. Aitor Zabaleta, who was 28, was chased by a group of right-wing Atletico fans and then stabbed in the chest shortly before the UEFA Cup third-round, second-leg encounter in Madrid, which Atletico won 4-1 after extra time. Zabaleta was rushed to hospital, but died of his wounds nine hours later.

The players will wear t-shirts bearing his name before the match and will be followed by a minutes silence for Zabaleta, Ignacio Uria, a businessman shot dead on Wednesday, and Mikel Laboa, a popular singer and songwriter from Basque Country who died on Monday.

Lillo - "Our Aim For Saturday Is To Win"

2008-12-04T04:36:00.000-08:00

Cooach Lillo gave his weekly press conference this morning and revealed he wanted to only talk about the match on Saturday but revealed "I have many desires to know what has happened". This is with reference to the matter with Jesuli after the events of this week dominated the headlines but pointed out his one and only priority - "Our aim for Saturday is to win".

Mikel González is a doubt for the match and will undergo a fitness test this afternoon to see if he can play. Lillo revealed though if González was to miss the match he has full confidence in Ansotegi to replace him. He went on to say a victory is necessary if the club is to keep pace with the teams above them and if they were to fall more than seven points adrift of the promotion places it would be a worrying distance.

Spanish Federation Wants Prosecutors To Probe Match-fixing Claims

2008-12-03T13:54:00.000-08:00

The latest developments on the match fixing story that i posted yesterday is the Spanish football federation today asked prosecutors to investigate reports that players from second-division club Tenerife were bribed to lose a match to allow Malaga to be promoted to the top flight.

Meanwhile Sports Minister Jaime Lissaveztky declined to comment Wednesday, saying it was best to let judicial authorities decide first. Lissaveztky said the government and the Spanish league are working on a new law to help combat fraud in football. "We're determined to fight together against anything related to suspected corruption and which mars sporting values," he said.

With the story currently gripping Spain it would be easy for the players to get distracted but full back Gerardo spoke to the press this morning and announced "we are thinking Alicante, Alicante, Alicante - nothing more".

On the injury front there was good news as Xabi Castillo returned to training after being forced off at half-time during the Celta match. He should be fit for the weekends match and told the press "the point gained against Celta Vigo will be a good one if we win against Alicante, the way we get the victory is secondary at the moment whether it be a penaly or in the last minute, i do not care."

Jesuli Denies Match-fixing Allegation

2008-12-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

A story has been brought to my attention that has been gripping Spain over the last 2 days and i felt it my duty to report it here as it involves Real Sociedad.

In Monday's edition of 'El Mundo' newspaper it reported that former Tenerife midfielder Jesús 'Jesuli' Antonio Mora Nieto has admitted to Real Sociedad president, Iñaki Badiola, that he and the rest of the Tenerife players were each paid 6,000 euros to lose the final game of last season to ensure that their opponents, Málaga FC, secured promotion to the first division. Málaga won the game 2-1 with Tenerife's only goal coming in the final minute when Welington put through his own net. Numancia finished as champions with 77 points with Numancia and Sporting Gijón also going up with 72 points. Real Sociedad finished fourth with 68 points.

This allegation was later backed up with an audio recording released onto the internet, in which Jesuli can plainly be heard in the following exchange:
Badiola: "How much would it cost? I mean, in your case you were paid to lose this match? It's just to know, I don't have any experience on this, how much did it cost for us not to get promoted?"
Jesuli: "I tell you, honestly ... that I don't remember. But ... it really annoyed me to take that money."
Badiola: "€5,000, €7,000?"
Jesuli: "Yes, around that. If it wasn't €7,000 it was €6,000."

Yesterday Jesuli issued a statement via his legal representatives denying the claims and argues that, given that he was in Sevilla on the day in question recovering from a broken nose, it is "absurd" to claim that anyone should have paid him to influence the outcome of the game. He goes on to say that the telephone conversation between himself and Real Sociedad president quoted in the article, Iñaki Badiola, was taken out of context and had been recorded and published without his permission. Adding that he regards match-fixing as "inexcusable and wicked," the player's statement ends by saying that he is considering legal action against the journalist responsible.

Badiola has since came out and spoken to Radio Marca and is in no doubt that the premium payment was arranged by the Malaga club hierarchy, comprising the Sanz family who once had control over Real Madrid. "We have nothing against the Malaga club, nor the city," he said. "But we believe that the Sanz family, especially Fernando and Lorenzo Sanz, are habitual crooks and cheats, and they're not fit to lead the club in this way."We hope that justice will be served and this is what we call for." Also he alleges that the premium payment took place with the "knowledge" of the players involved and that "all Tenerife players" received it.

Fernando Sanz has came out and denied the allegations after being called a criminal. "If in twenty-four hours Jesuli does not retract what he said then Malaga will submit a complaint," he declared. "Malaga have nothing to do with this and we will not allow anyone to place our club and squad in doubt." He also had something to say about the Real Sociedad president - "Their president is going above and beyond what should be doing," he said." He created false expectations there, and the bankruptcy administrators recommended that he not lead the club because it's heading towards disappearance. "This is just a smokescreen," he added, confirming that he is speaking to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to express his "deepest concern about this gentleman's behaviour."

Tenerife have come out fighting and reacted angrily to whats happening. They stated their "absolute shock" at allegations that they "neither admit to nor tolerate."Club president Miguel Concepcion further added that if Real Sociedad had any concerns then a courtroom is the correct place to raise them."The confidence of our board in the squad is total," he went on.He also spoke out on Badiola's accusation against Tenerife captain Juanma Delgado, who was fingered as the alleged ringleader on the Tenerife end."I hope he has evidence for that, because if he doesn't then this will be taken very badly."

I will continue to follow this story closely as it unfolds and will update when any new information is released.

Xabi Prieto Expects To Climb Table Before Christmas

2008-12-02T05:54:00.000-08:00

After being out of action for 2 months it was great news for Real Sociedad fans that Xabi Prieto got over half an hour of action under his belt in Saturdays game against Celta Vigo. Today he spoke to the press and said "i'm happy to be back and fell no ill effects" and also indicated he is ready to play a full 90 minutes. During the month of December Real Sociedad will play at home twice, firstly against second from bottom Alicante followed by an away trip to Albacete and then finishing Decembers schedule at home to Salamanca. Xabi feels its more than possible to climb the table before the end of the year - "If we have three positive results before Christmas, this will move us up. It will not be impossible to win the two at home then sneak something away".

Necati Ates told the press today "each day i feel better, i like to fight to the last moment". Necati hasn't found the back of the net yet for the club and knows their is responsibility but no-one at the club can doubt the effort and sacrifice he makes for the team. He went on to echo Prieto's comments - "the club has the ability to rise to the top of the league".

Only time will tell if Necati can end his goal drought but if he can come into some goalscoring form starting against Albacete this weekend, it might be the spark for more goals to come and could give the club a massive boost for its promotion ambitions.

Celta Vigo 0 - 0 Real Sociedad

2008-11-29T11:59:00.000-08:00

Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo played out a goaless draw today at the Estadio Balaidos on a rain soaked pitch. Real Sociedad had the better of the first half chances with Carlos Martinez coming close for the visitors. In the second half last weeks goalscoring hero was replaced by Daniel Estrada and nearly scored as he was put through on goal but Notario in goal saved well at his feet. Dinei then nearly scored for the hosts with a header from a corner but it went past the post. After the hour mark the pace of the game stepped up as both teams looked to score and on 63 minutes Xabi Prieto was brought on for Marcos and immediately positioned himself just behind Necati up front. Soon after on 71 minutes coach Lillo threw on another striker as Agirretxe replaced Moha. Celta replied by also throwing on another striker and the game began to open up with first Necati almost snatching a winner then Rosada for Celta going close. In the end both teams had to settle for a draw and for Real Sociedad fans their were plenty signals that the teams form is continuing to improve and must go down as a point gained rather than two lost. Please see below for the highlights of the match.

CELTA: Notario, Edu Moya, Ruben, Pena, Fajardo, Rosada, Michu, Oscar Diaz, Trashorras (Dani Abalo, 73 mins), Ghilès (David, 81 mins) and Dinei.

REAL SOCIEDAD: Bravo, Carlos Martinez, Labaka, Mikel Gonzalez, Castillo (Estrada, 46 mins), Gerardo Rivas, Aranburu, Moha (Agirretxe, 71 mins), Marcos (Xabi Prieto, 63 mins) and Necati.

Attendance - 6,998.

Team News For Celta Match

2008-11-28T06:12:00.000-08:00

Good news for Real Sociedad - Xabi Prieto returns! It was what fans were hoping for and coach Lillo talked about it yesterday but today it was announced he would definitely be travelling with the 18 man squad after 2 months out with a knee injury. He managed to come through another training session this morning behind closed doors and is a huge boost for the team. This means young midfielder Illarramendi who was in the squad for lasts weeks game against Huesca, will drop to the B team.

The squad for the match against Celta Vigo -

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.

- Defenders: Carlos Martínez, Gerardo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Castillo.

- Midfielders: Estrada, Xabi Prieto, Markel, Aranburu, Rivas, Zurutuza, Moha, Marcos.

- Strikers: Necati, Agirretxe.

Coach Lillo talks About Prieto

2008-11-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

"My aim is to bring him to Vigo" - One of the quotes made by Coach Lillo today as he made his weekly appearance before the media. Clearly this is a massive boost for the squad as one can assume if he comes through training tommorow without any glitches, he will travel with the squad to face Celta Vigo.

He also spoke of Celta Vigo, a team that lost their first 3 games of the season, but hasn't lost since. He said he doesn't believe the cup match will serve as any indication as to how the game on Saturday will go. He also spoke of Necati Ates, a player who has yet to score for Real Sociedad. He stressed the contribution of Necati, like that of Iñigo Díaz de Cerio, goes far beyond just scoring goals.

Mikel Labanka also spoke to the press and stated "we are going for the 3 points" against Celta Vigo. He added "the club cannot hope to climb the table adding point by point. Thats why against Celta Vigo we go for the three points". He also recognized that the return of Xabi Prieto to the group is good news for the team. "After so many weeks without being able to count on him, to see him recovering and training with the rest of his companions is good. While it has an impact on the form of the team, despite the heavy casualties it has suffered, we are just three points from the positions of promotion".

Claudio Bravo And Moha Speak To Press

2008-11-26T11:02:00.000-08:00

Claudio Bravo has appeared in the press room of Zubieta after completing training today. He stated that although he was very happy with the weekend victory, he warned against complacency as the league is still very tight with many teams chasing the three promotion places. The Chilean international again kept a clean sheet against Huesca and Real Sociedad have the second best defensive record in the league, a statistic which reflects the excellent work of the defence.

With Real Sociedad due to play Celta Vigo on Saturday Moha was in a reflective mood as he spoke to the press. He played in the last meeting between the sides and was keen to point out their motivation would not be revenge for the cup elimination but rather to consolidate the teams position in the top half of the league. "The Cup left a bad taste in your mouth, they were better than us, and I would like to play a good game, but especially to bring us the three points home. The cup is already in the past, we have to concentrate on the league. "

Xabi Prieto Closer To Fitness

2008-11-25T12:32:00.000-08:00

Xabi Prieto spoke to the press today and was in very high spirits after coming through a full training session unscathed. He did train last week but today was the first time he has trained with the squad since his injury. "I very much want to enjoy football, playing, running, to do the usual", although he has admitted that "I am still feeling something, but that's ok, a nuisance that will disappear. I finished very happy." He was asked if he would be ready for the Celta Vigo game - "I suppose it is too early, but we'll see how the week goes. Now i have to get fit and get rhythm."

Midfielder Aranburu also spoke to the press today and believes the team has "won a lot" with the victory over Huesca and looks at the game on Saturday against Celta Vigo as a great opportunity to extend the streak. He did however mention that Ceta Vigo themselves are on a great run of form and in his opinion they are the best opponent Real Sociedad have faced this season with reference to the 2-0 Copa Del Rey defeat to them in October. With both players sounding confident it can only be good for the club and proves how vital the victory over Huesca was.

Real Sociedad 1-0 Huesca

2008-11-23T11:28:00.001-08:00

Real Sociedad moved within 3 points of the promotion places today with a 1-0 victory over Huesca which also seen the first victory at the Anoeta for 2 months. Real Sociedad had most of the ball in the first half but found it difficult to breach the Huesca defence. The first chance came in the 20th minute when Necati was brought down in the box but the referee deemed the challenge to be legal. Real Sociedad continued to press but the attacks lacked speed and penetration.

The 2nd half started the way the 1st ended with the home team probing for openings and Estrada nearly scored after latching onto a Necati cross but Edu closed him down well. The winning goal came in the 72nd minute and what a goal it was! Xabier Castillo ran onto the ball from 35 yards out and unleashed an unstoppable first-time shot into the net with his left foot to send the home support into raptures and surely put down a marker for goal of the season (see below). Aranburu nearly doubled the lead seconds later only to be denied by Edu in goal.

Necati Ates, who many fans are looking to as a natural replacement for the injured de Cerio recieved a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 81st minute. He dazzled the home support with some great pieces of individual play and it surely can't be long before he gets his first goal for the club.

Real Sociedad managed to hold on for all 3 points despite a late rally by Huesca and can now look forward to next weeks game against Celta Vigo with great optimism.

Real Sociedad: Bravo, Gerardo, Mikel Gonzalez, Labaka, Castillo, Markel, Aranburu, Moha (Agirretxe, 63 mins), Estrada (Rivas, 88 mins), Marcos, Necati (Zurutuza, 81 mins).

Huesca: Edu; Borrego, Dorado, Roberto, Ripa (Ramón, 46 mins); Sobregau, Jose (Rodri, 80 mins), Helguera, Edu Roldán, Jon Erice (Felipe Manoel, 75 mins); Nico Medina.

Attendance - 17,232.

Next match - 29/11/08 Celta Vigo vs Real Sociedad

Click play to view Castillo' screamer!

Real Sociedad Team News

2008-11-22T13:13:00.000-08:00

Today Real Sociedad completed a week of preparation for tomorrows match against Huesca at the Anoeta Stadium. Todays training session was carried out behind closed doors in light rain.

Fifteen players will be at coach Lillo's disposal including three youth players - Agirretxe, Zurutuza and Illarramendi. One player who hasn't made up the numbers is midfielder Sergio who picked up an injury in training yesterday. He went for an ultrasound this morning and it was revealed he has a broken fibrillar. The extent of the injury will be found out on Monday. This is the second first team player to pull out of the squad after the injury to Dramé on Thursday.

The squad for the match against Huesca -

- Goalkeepers: Bravo, Zubikarai.
- Defenders: Carlos Martínez, Gerardo, Labaka, Ansotegi, Mikel González, Castillo.
- Midfielders: Estrada, Rivas, Markel, Aranburu, Illarramendi, Zurutuza, Moha, Marcos.
- Forwards: Necati, Agirretxe.

The player will have the day off on Monday and return to training Tuesday.

Coach Lillo Wants 19 Points!

2008-11-21T06:46:00.000-08:00

Coach Lillo met the media this morning before the penultimate weekly meeting with the players in which he declared "we have an obligation to add 19 points" and has reminded Huesca that the goal hasn't changed despite many setbacks. He went on to say "the demand historically makes us feel obligated!" He went to say that with all the off field problems that have been going on lately the club should be measured on the pitch and not the headlines. The off-field problems being the threat of bankrupsy currently hanging over the club. At the same time he went on to mention the "good vibes" currently within the players at training recently.

Regarding the meeting on Sunday, Lillo believes that the absence of speedy striker Ruben Castro will weaken Huesca although "it is a team that knows how to play" he commented. "What is clear is that if Real Sociedad wins, they will move above Huesca in the league and it will reap the possibility of two victories in succession, which is complex even for Zaragoza". "But winning two happens by winning the first" coach Lillo added.

Real Sociedad Injury Update

2008-11-20T15:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon Iñigo Diaz de Cerio was seen to by the medical staff at the club after suffering intense pain in his operated leg. It required further surgery and he will remain in the clinic for the next couple of days. This incidence does not alter the anticipated plan of recovery.

Boukary Dramé the defender on loan from FC Sochaux has suffered a “pull” in bottom region of left thigh during training this morning. The initial prognosis is the injury will settle down in the course of the next 48 hours but is now doubtful for the game against Huesca. Like Necati Ates, injury's have severely hampered his season so far.

Eñaut Zubikarai did not train either after an inflammation in the mouth casued by problems with a wisdom tooth. Its hoped by him taking anti-inflammatory treatment he can return to training in the next 24-48 hours.

In other news, The President of Real Sociedad, Inaki Badiola, has appeared before the media this afternoon to announce the renewal of the sponsorship agreement with Telefonica. The presentation was held in the press room of Anoeta and the Txuri Urdin leader was accompanied by two leaders of the company, Venancio Etxeberria and Ander Perez. This will be the fifth consecutive year the company has worked with the club.

Estrada and Necati Ates In Positive Mood

2008-11-19T12:22:00.000-08:00

After having the day off yesterday from training the lads were back at the Zubieta training ground today to begin the build up to the weekends game against Huesca and Daniel Estrada and Necati Ates were talking to the media.

Estrada believes that it is time to recover the strength in Anoeta: "You cannot escape the points before the Huesca, it is time to win at home. The objective is ascend and for that we have to win, take continuity and thus move up".

Necati Ates has assured everyone in the press room of Zubieta he felt well during the 90 minutes against Tenerife. Although he has not scored for Real Sociedad he is aware of the responsibility he has, however he is not obssesed with it: "I do not mind that the team increase to the First Division without me scoring a goal. What is important is the team".

Mikel Alonso Leaves Real Sociedad

2008-11-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

Today the club announced they have agreed a financial deal with midfielder Mikel Alonso to end the players 2 year contract. The player spent last season on loan to English Premier side Bolton Wanderers and was not registered by Real Sociedad at the start of the season for the 2008/09 campaign. During the summer of this year he went on trial to Olympiakos however he returned to the club after failing to win a permanent move. Alonso leaves having played 104 times for the club and scoring 2 goals. All the best Mikel.

Tenerife 1 - 1 Real Sociedad

2008-11-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

The victory Real Sociedad were looking for to climb the table never materialised this afternoon in the Heliodoro Stage Rodriguez Lopez as both teams scored in the last 4 minutes of the game to draw 1-1. The Real Sociedad players paid tribute to Iñigo Diaz de Cerio before the game by carrying t-shirts of support for their injured team-mate.

Tenerife looked the more dangerous in the first half with Real Sociedad looking to hit them on the counter-attack. Necti Ates and Aranburu combined well at times and Moha was lively but Tenerife pressured the Real Sociedad rearguard time after time. In the second half it was Tenerife again who looked more likely to score and Bravo pulled off a fantastic save before Rivas made a goal line clearance. Coach Lilo made two changes with on loan Marcos replacing Moha (66 mins) and Agirretxe repacing Sergio in the hope they could provide a new attacking dimention. Kome and Nino went close again for Tenerife and with the game heading for a draw, Real Sociedad hearts were broken when the former Espanyol full back Marc Beltrán gave the hosts the lead in the 86th minute after dribbling past two defenders to leave Bravo in goal helpless. When it seemed Tenerife would be getting all three points, Real Sociedad pulled off a miracle when in the 3rd minute of injury time, a corner was headed in by central defender Labaka much to the relief of the travelling support. With that the referee blew for full-time and under the circumstances it will have to be looked on as a point gained rather than two lost.

CD Tenerife: Sergio Aragonese; Bertrán, Manolo Martinez, Moon, Héctor; Ricardo, Oscar Perez (Ayoze, min. 62), Juanlu, Kome (Angel, 71 mins); Alfaro (Saizar, 87 mins), Boy

Real Sociedad: Bravo; Gerardo, Mikel González, Labaka, Castillo, Markel, Rivas, Aranburu, Sergio (Agirretxe, 74 mins), Moha (Marcos, 66 mins); Necati.

Juan Manuel Lillo Issues Rally Cry!

2008-11-14T13:03:00.000-08:00

Coach Lillo was the latest member of the Real Sociedad camp to face the media today as the build up to Sunday's clash with Tenerife continues. With the club having one of its hardest in modern times with the injury to Díaz de Cerio, the clubs court appearances and the 1,000 Euros fine the club received after a fan hit coach Lillo on the head with a bottle at the end of the Eibar game, people would be forgiven for thinking the Tenerife game was the furthest thing from the players minds, however as Lillo explained, this couldn't be further from reality. He said if the club wanted to be spoken about in a football context rather than in a negative light, the best way is to win! He went on to say Real Sociedad need to be pushing the top of the league and a victory would see them go above Tenerife. Also, Lillo recognizes that there is a double motive to fight for the three points. "If there is a party that want to win, its us", in a clear reference to the team wanting to win and dedicate the victory to stricken star Díaz De Cerio.

In other news goalkeeper Claudio Bravo as been called up by Chile for the friendly against Spain on Wednesday in Villareal. He will fly to Villareal straight from Tenerife after the game on Sunday to meet up with his International colleagues.

Tenerife Vs Real Sociedad Preview

2008-11-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

Looking ahead to the weekend fixture against Tenerife its becoming clear the players are fired up to put in a performance despite being without their injured goalscorer Iñigo Diaz de Cerio. Indeed both central defenders Mikel Labaka and Mikel González spoke today to the press after a behind closed doors training session. Labaka stressed it was important not to dwell on whats happened before but to focus on the league games ahead. González spoke in a similar fashion stating "To rise would not be a miracle, its the objective".

It certainly seems like the players are motivated to succeed but only time will tell if Iñigo Diaz de Cerio's absense will seriously affect the club's expected promotion push. A victory at the weekend would be the lift the club desperately needs after a diffcult week.

Diaz De Cerio Injury Update

2008-11-13T03:08:00.000-08:00

Iñigo Diaz de Cerio was released from hospital yesterday after his nasty leg break at the weekend and immediately gave a press conference to talk of his injury. He seemed in high spirits as he thanked supporters for the messages of support he has received and due to the vast amount he received, he wasn't able to read all of them.
He optimistcally revealed that although he will be out of action for a long time, he hasn't set any dates for his recovery but has no doubt he will return just as strong as he was. He went on to reveal he could recall the moment of the injury and indeed did not feel any pain or any sound of the leg breaking but when he looked at his leg he realised he "was going to be a long while without playing". In a relaxed tone he finished the press conference by declaring he wants the team to score a victory over Tenerife in the next match and dedicate the victory to him. The video below is from the press conference and although my non Spanish speaking readers won't understand it the short clip shows the player is in good spirits which is great to see.

Real Sociedad 0 - 0 Eibar

2008-11-12T04:42:00.000-08:00

Round 11 of matches took place at the weekend and Real Sociedad were at home to local rivals Eibar. Most people were expecting a home victory however the hosts were frustrated by the visitors dogged defending and ultimately had to accept 1 point instead of 3 to see them move up to 10th in the league.

The disappointment was overshadowed however by the news that star striker Iñigo Díaz de Cerio who has scored 4 goals so far this season, broke his leg during the match in the 60th minute. This is a massive blow for the clubs promotion ambition and with a lack of strikers already at the club, it means even more responsibility on the shoulders of Turkish loan signing Necati Ates who is close to match fitness. In the wake of the news about Iñigo Díaz de Cerio's injury Ates announced to the press "I am prepared". He went on to say that although he felt responsibility before, he is conscious now their is now more responsiblity to score the goals.

With Iñigo Díaz de Cerio's contract up next summer the Real Sociedad board have announced that they feel he is an indispensable player for Real Sociedad due to his human and soccer values and have assured fans of the club they have offered him a new contract to keep him beyond next summer.

Next match - Tenerife Vs Real Sociedad - 16/11/08.

Welcome To Real Sociedad News

2008-11-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

Hi there and welcome to Real Sociedad News. The creation of this has been born out of the sheer frustration that as a fan of Real Sociedad its currently near impossible to find anything on the web in English on my beloved team. On this blog i will endeavour to bring all the latest news and results and i hope you can get involved and post your comments.

Although i'm Scottish i have always followed the club's fortunes from a distance and have been to see them on two occasions and will hopefully make it three next year. It all started when i was taken to my first ever football match. The game was Dundee United Vs Real Sociedad in a pre-season friendly. The enormity of the occasion stuck and my love for the two aforementioned teams grew. On this blog i will endeavour to bring all the latest news and results and i hope you can get involved and post your comments.