Real Mallorca saved their worst home performance of the season until their last game of the year at the Son Moix on Sunday night, losing three-nil to Valladolid. The result was catastrophic for the 10,000 fans who had the dreaded white hankies out and waving long before a poor referee blew for time. The Son Moix faithful vented their dissatisfaction, clamouring for coach Fernando Vazquez's head with shouts of “vete ya” (go now) and “fuera, fuera” (out, out). That demonstration will surely see the demise of the 61-year-old Galician coach after another head-scratching team selection and a showing of complete ineptitude.
This game was a nightmare of horrific proportions against a team who have struggled over the last few games, especially on the road. Valladolid won't score three easier goals this season, two of them were gift-wrapped in Christmas paper with ribbons and bells on. Only young Cala d'Or player Brandon Thomas can take any credit from the game; at least he tried. If he was slightly better than his other ten team mates, Palma-born defender Biel Company had a game he'll want to forget and was at fault for all three of the goals, two being virtual tap-ins.
Vazquez was nowhere to be seen, as he served the second game of his suspension sitting in the stands. As usual he picked, not the line-ups predicted in most of the morning papers, but one without our most important attacker, Lago Junior. At last he picked 6ft 4in. Serbian striker Lekic from the start, but left out the player who looked most likely to provide him with ammunition. Local player Damien Sabater was one of four mid-fielders but for me this young player gives the ball away far too often.
Mallorca looked like a team who were playing together for the first time. We had no passion, no leadership and, at the moment, no hope of getting close to the top six as we enter the relegation zone. Lekic, who's not the fastest striker on the planet, barely saw the ball and our defence was all at sea for the three second-half goals. Valladolid had three chances and scored three goals in a performance from them that rarely reached average. Their defence snuffed out our powder-puff attack and our four mid-fielders ran about like headless chickens. Culio tried to get things moving but eventually ran out of ideas like his team-mates. The longer the game went on, the more Valladolid realised they had a chance of winning against a simply awful Mallorca team.
Summing up: I've had to pull my head out of the gas oven to write this column, as myself and the Son Moix faithful have run out of patience. Vazquez's year-long term looks over. He said after the game he couldn't hear the crowd baying for his blood from his viewing position high in the stand. Well, Fernando, if you didn't hear 10,000 fans shouting “vete ya” then it's time to visit your local ear disorder doctor. Even more incredible, his second in command, Oscar Buzon, took care of business in the technical area but spent the majority of the game sitting down in the dugout. I've never seen a game before where a coach doesn't stand up, shout and bawl and gesticulate from the technical area. If the coach isn't animated, what chance for the players ?
I don't care if we've had eight coaches in two years, we need a ninth asap. Vazquez has to go and someone with a more attacking outlook appointed. General manager Maheta Molango made a hasty retreat from the ground on Sunday night, almost breaking Usain Bolt's 100 metre dash record. He's now got a decision to make. Does he terminate Vazquez's contract, knowing that there is now no love lost between him and the fans, or does he let the incumbent coach carry on? If he does get his P45, then 46-year-old Joan Francesc Ferrer, better known as “Rubi”, is being mentioned as a replacement. He's developed a reputation as a talented coach in the lower divisions and was “Tata” Martino's assistant at Barcelona in 2013/14. Mallorca play away at Almeria on Sunday, very likely with a new coach in charge.