missed opportunity

This newspaper asked two very specific questions to the representatives of the franciverdes fan clubs. On the one hand, they were asked to make a brief analysis of the campaign. Second, they are consulted about what they expect from the next. Answers open discussion. They’re coincident and strong, but best of all, they’re hand made with a green fringed heart.

That’s why the fans, describing the season as “disaster”, “shame”, “very difficult”, “one of the worst”, “very disappointing”, sent the following message to Elche: “The club must have already started preparations for next year. The patience of the fans is long gone. exhausted, the goal should clearly be to win back the lost category.” It’s a real shame to miss the opportunity to establish oneself in the Major League and see it coming for everyone, some even in the pre-season.

Tomás Domenes, president of Peña Franja Verde, was “embarrassed” by the campaign led by Elche. According to him, “Since the pre-season it has been seen that the team has not been working and the start showed that. We thought they were going to make an important turn during the break, but no action was taken” which seems “incomprehensible”. Later, “we went trusting a miracle, but nothing happened.” That’s why, Domenes says, “a new sporting director and a coach must be sought to build a team with guarantees to ensure the recovery of the category, but if they continue to be “masters of everything, we will not be in charge of anything.”

Carlos San José, president of Penya Altabix, assures himself that it was “an unfortunate season in every sense, with poor planning, a timely wrong reaction and wrong bets on the bench, as well as a missing game”. Not very open to corporate politics and fan engagement, the Centenary Anniversary resulted in a disappointing campaign in the Second Division that found Elche’s bones”. For the future, “I hope they learn from their mistakes, make sensible plans and build a human team that represents all the fans who can finish organizing the club’s Centennial”.

For Paco Pérez, president of Peña Franjiverde Vega Baja, the team’s involvement this year was “Disaster. Relegation in a sporting event is a possibility we had before it even started, but not that way as we didn’t compete or have options throughout the season. It was a complete disaster that it was the 100th anniversary, and that it broke subscriber records with the enthusiasm of the fans. His hope: “Let the season planning begin in the Second Division, make use of the financial aid to relegate, and fight to return to the First Division as soon as possible. It is the place where relegation at the institutional level does not affect the great works carried out at the youth level, where we are by far the biggest reference at the provincial level, and where the club’s longed for sports city began to be built. .

Juan Diego Molina, president of Peña Centenario, said: “It’s been a very tough year, one of the worst seasons in decades, we’re assuming we’ve been relegated almost since October. Despite this, the fans always responded and stood by the team. It has been a Centenary at Primera that was enjoyed but not up to the task in terms of planning and projecting. Therefore, we lost the chance to place the team in the top category. Last minute transfers didn’t work, transfers even less so because there’s a terrible lack of participation. For example, you see Pere Milla or Josan running and fighting in the field and then you see one of the new ones and it’s like day and night. “We need players who give up their lives in every game,” he said.

Molina hopes that from this very May, planning will begin in the Second Division to return to the First Division as soon as possible. Players who are experienced and excited in the category and want to advance to Division One should be signed. A clear example of how they did things well was last season’s Éibar, which made some very quick moves by signing top Division Two players. It would be important to take advantage of the relegation aid and invest that money to save the category within a year, yes, with players who know Spanish football, the tests we’ve seen before usually don’t go well. From Peña Centenario, we will continue next to our Elche in whatever category. Very Elche!

Peñas Federation secretary Mario Payá expresses his own opinion, although very consistent with others: “The season has been a disaster and bullshit since match day 1. Previously, we needed to have a better team than before the season, but since pre-season the team has not had a physique, tactically it was clear that they had never played, and to all this we added a bad atmosphere at the club and inexplicable decisions … Unfortunately, Centenary, the club and team were not up to the task, on the contrary, as the club and team had more than 24,000 subscribers and the fans cheered non-stop at every match”.

Among his hopes: “For next season, I hope to create a team by category whose sole aim is to be yes or yes. The maximum shareholder must radically change the way he runs the club and begin to surround himself with professionals who can advise, advise and assist him in all aspects of club management, both sporting and administrative.”

José Manuel Godoy of Peña Nino Leyenda expresses his feelings: “We are the best fans in the world, proven this year” and focuses the complaints on the maximum shareholder: “Bragarnik is not even 30% yet. da Pacheta. He wouldn’t have believed he was in the Premier League even in his wildest dreams, and now let’s see what he can do without the flower he has with this coach, since then he’s just been tasked with ruining everything. He only cares about money and that by bringing his clients, whether anyone is doing well and more money showing it to see if it collects.

For Valero Payá, president of Peña Franjiverde Petrer, “The summary of the season is undoubtedly very bad because I expected more from the team, the management and the coaching staff we have. After an unusual season, I think we lost the category in January (despite such a bad start) after we restarted the category for the World Cup that month with very bad matches. I expect a little more commitment from all sides for next season and at least to be able to fight to the end to be able to choose to be in “important” positions, to be able to choose to give joy to a hobby that doesn’t deserve the year we’ve had”.

María Cecilia Ballester, president of Peña Els Gafarrons Ilicitans, said: “It’s been a very disappointing season and it hurts even more because of the Centenary. We hope they will give us back our enthusiasm and the First Division next season.”

Raúl Rodríguez, his secretary from Penya Rabuts Novelda, said: “It looked like we were going to have a bad time since pre-season. Since mid-season, I’ve been waiting until the last days to almost avoid relegation. All this is due to poor sports planning and the lack of any club-specific economic effort in its centenary. We should start working now for next year. Try to create a block that competes and keeps the fans entertained. Of course, always try to return to the Premier League as soon as possible. Although it will be complicated given the level of the second teams”.

David Aranda, president of the Peñas Federation, “understands that the campaign is divided into lights and shadows. The lights come from the reaction of the fans, the maturity of their behavior and how they return to the team, the club, the institution, what that means. With the Centennial Anniversary, which is not a matter of category, but with the feeling that people are deeply rooted in Elche”. Aranda said, “Elche has many legacies, some recognized by UNESCO and others not recognized by others, such as the Lady of Elche and Elche CF, which are deeply rooted in the DNA of the Elche people and an entire region, and I dare to say that an entire state. Elche has a subscriber not only in Primera, but in all towns of the province.” On the contrary, “the downside is how a unique opportunity is missed due to carelessness and lack of agility, setting a very slow pace and leaving everything for tomorrow and in the end everything eats you up. “We live in a society that needs everything for yesterday, and this Elche rules everything for tomorrow. We oppose what determines the lifestyle and standard of society.”

For the upcoming season, “We hope that all this changes, all the mistakes, carelessness, negligence and even the occasional lack of professionalism and ignorance will be corrected. You can’t leave things for tomorrow and wait for them to show up. We want professionalism on a corporate and sporting level, we want club management and property to be truly involved in this Elche CF at times that mark such an important club. I hope and wish they’ve been talking to reps and players for a month to build a roster where their only goal is to rise and the fans won’t be as calm as they have been this year. Next year the demand from the fans is going to be very high and we need to convey that to the club and that to the players, but the club should be the first to have that ambition.”