Season Preview: Real Betis

The 2011/2012 Spanish football season is now just 21 days away. As part of our build up to the new season, spanishfootball.info has teamed up with some of the best club specific writers and bloggers out there to give you the lowdown on each of La Liga’s 20 sides. To start with, Adam Boyle from Ooh Betis brings us news on how last season’s Segunda champions are shaping up for the new season.

Real Betis Reinvented

Have you ever had a deadbeat friend who’s disappeared for a couple of years then mysteriously come back with dress sense, a decent haircut and an unaccountable taste for trendy Americanisms?

Well, that’s Real Betis to a T. When the Seville giants were last seen “gracing” Primera, back in 2009, they were a club in crisis – with an eccentric owner everyone hated, a revolving-door on the coach’s office and a team full of overpaid has-beens. After four consecutive years fighting relegation, not even their most short-sighted fan could say they didn’t deserve to go down in the end.

But two years later they’re back – and, well, wow. If they weren’t wearing green and white stripes you would hardly recognise them. No longer Andalucían football’s embarrassing uncle, they’re suddenly lean, mean and ready to kick, er, butt.

The big turnaround started about this time last year, when Seville judge Mercedes Alaya decided that majority shareholder Manuel Ruíz de Lopera had to answer charges of defrauding the club out of millions of Euros and removed him from control. Former Rayo Vallecano boss Pepe Mel (an ex-Betis player) was installed as coach (mainly because he was the cheapest option available) and a host of highly paid former superstars were dumped for a group of solid Segunda pros. Lopera’s shares were put in the hands of three court-appointed administrators, including legendary ex-player (and all-round decent chap) Rafael Gordillo. Good things started happening.

By the season’s half-way point, Betis were miles clear at the top of the Segunda table, Lopera’s name had been removed from the side of the stadium and two Primera clubs had been knocked out of the Copa del Rey. In January, they gave a three-quarter-strength Barcelona a scare in the cup quarters; soon after, 5,000 new season-ticket holders signed up for the second half.

Despite one or two hiccups along the way, Betis ended up winning Segunda by four points and celebrating on the streets of Seville with 100,000 devotees. Yes, they’re still €80million in debt, but that only means they won’t be wasting money breaking up the much-loved promotion squad. They have a swanky new website and a competent young president, and are fast heading towards 40,000 season-ticket holders for the 2011/12 campaign. The fact that the first game of the season is a home derby against Sevilla is only adding to the excitement.

As a fan, it’s hard to be objective, but I really can’t see much reason not to be optimistic. Players like striker Jorge Molina, midfielder Salva Sevilla and central defender Chechu Dorado might never have played in Primera before but they proved themselves a cut above Segunda standard over the course of last year’s marathon season. Add some fast-developing youngsters – mature midfielder Beñat, for example – and some interesting new signings (like former Villareal pair Javier Matilla and Jefferson Montero), and the squad really does start to look strong enough for a top-ten finish. With wily Pepe Mel in complete charge, and ferocious support guaranteed both home and away, Betis are ready to retake their rightful place on the top table of Spanish football.

So, world, get ready to meet the new Real Betis; a bit like the old version, just cooler.

You can read more by Adam and all things Real Betis related at the excellent Ooh Betis. Tomorrow Raül Pope Fargüell looks at another of La Liga’s new boys, Rayo Vallecano.

Tags: Real Betis