For the second time this week, La Liga Loca's Tim Stannard puts on his corduroy jacket, polishes his leather couch, cranks up some soothing Kenny G and assesses the mental wellbeing of the fans of all twenty clubs in la Primera, with most teams now back in pre-season training....
Granada
Mood ? Dancing in the street (or they would be if it wasn't too hot) sized happiness
Udinese ?B?, as LLL insists on calling them, are facing their first season in the Spanish top flight in 35 years. Happily, they are also reportedly about to leave administration and may have ?12m to spend, so the mood of the average Granada supporter is annoyingly perky.
However, that joviality will no doubt be flip-reversed by the end of October, when they will no doubt find themselves down in lower reaches of the division, blaming referring conspiracies for their Primera plight. But until the dreaded day grim reality comes along to kick ?em in the goolies, the Granada fans won?t give two hoots about what lies ahead after a very long absence from the limelight.
Getafe
Mood ? Fairly happy, but maybe feeling a tad let down. Like Royston Drenthe
It?s a confusing world for Getafe?s hardcore support of 23 hardy souls. When the deal with the Royal Emirates Group was announced by Angel Torres, the club president said that an extra cash injection of around ?20 million would mean the team?s best players would not have to be sold every summer.
Unfortunately, that pledge has immediately fallen flat on its face, with Manu Del Moral, Juan Alb�n, Derek Boateng, and Dani Parejo all flogged off for a total of around ?20 million. The newcomers are largely freebies ? two from Deportivo ? and Real Madrid Castilla?s Pablo Sarabia, who while being an undoubtedly talented attacking midfielder, is also a mouthy scrote-bag. Torres admitted the club did try to pick up Bojan from Barcelona, so there is hope of a big money cash splash for a new striker before the summer is over.
Levante
Mood ? Still skipping through the streets
There will still be smiles on Mr Johnny Levante Supporter?s face as he looks ahead to another enjoyable season of struggle and top flight torment, when it looked for some time last year that a return to la Segunda was on the cards.
The architect of their miraculous escape, Luis Garc�a, is now scowling away at Getafe, leaving former Cartagena boss Juan Ignacio Mart�nez in charge. His role at the club is to beg, steal and borrow players, keep striker Felipe Caicedo at the club and hope big-boned defender Sergio Ballesteros doesn?t return to the squad so large he has small lumps of cheese orbiting him like moons.
M�laga
Mood ? As happy as a toddler who has just wolfed down fifty bags of sugar
A more giddy bunch of supporters you could not possibly find. Around 12,000 fans renewed their season tickets in just one day. Then 15,000 saw Ruud van Nistelrooy unveiled, before 16,000 turned up for a stand-up routine from Joaqu�n. And it?s no wonder, given ?37 million has been blown by M�laga on seven players, and there is still hope for another big-name arrival in the shape of Santi Cazorla from Villarreal.
It?s the kind of summer that has united fans of 17 other clubs in la Primera, all of whom now consider M�laga supporters to be jammy b**tards.
Mallorca
Mood ? Jaws dragging along the floor depressed. Again.
BONG! This summer's headlines from Mallorca....
BONG! The club is still in administration...
BONG! Star striker Pierro Web� is raging against the machine, by refusing to play in friendly against Swedish side Hammerby...
BONG! Mallorca have signed someone called Gianni Zuiverloon who apparently played for WBA and Ipswich last season.
BONG! That?s about it...
On the plus side - and it?s spelled with a ?p? in a fairly small font - the usual fire sale of talent in order to keep the wolf from the door has yet to arrive, meaning Jonathan De Guzman and Emilio Nsue are still around, along with coach Michael Laudrup.
The mood of the La Liga nation:
Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Betis, Espanyol
Granada, Getafe, Levante, Malaga, Mallorca
Osasuna, Racing Santander, Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad
Sevilla, Sporting, Valencia, Villarreal, Zaragoza
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