Spain more or less lost the fascinating and scarry image of the country scooping all stars from the world – big transfers were few, and although Spanish football had enourmous number of foreign players, most were from Argentina and Paraguay and largely unknown. Competent professionals, but not stars – their biggest quality was that they qualified easily for citienship and were not imports, but ‘oriundi’. Thus, the number of ‘real’ foreign players was maintained under the rules. As for big transfers – 1978 made the news like every other year : the West German midfielder Rainer Bonhof was bought by Valencia from Borussia (Moenchengladbach), and the Austrian scoring machine Hans Krankl moved to Barcelona from Rapid (Vienna). Big transfres, making impact, but not really defining the season. Which was intriguing enough.
If Spanish top league was tough, the second level was really grueling. Perhaps the quality of the game was not impressive, but the battles were fierce and never ending. Segunda A Division hardly made international news, but arguably it was the most difficult league in Europe – ambitious clubs tried to escape hell. At the bottom end three teams were hopeless outsiders : Racing de Ferrol was last with 15 points. Much stronger performance was delivered by the teams immediately above, but they were also well bellow the general league level – Barakaldo CF finished 19th with 28 points and Terrassa FC – 18th with 29 points. The big battle was for avoiding the 4th relegation place – 7 clubs were involved and Real Jaen lost the race – they earned 34 points, the same as Algeciras CF, but unfortunately had worse goal-difference : one goal was the fatal difference between survival and death. Real Jaen ended 17th and was relegated to third division, or Segunda B.
Up the table names were familiar – most clubs played first division football frequently, but their fate was really trying to go up, then trying to remain among the best, and inevitably moving back to second division. Roughly equal, not at all imressive, without a chance of making strong squad. Clubs with limited resourses – they were unable to buy stars and also were unable to keep emerging talent. Such clubs made the league very difficult – many had a chance to win, none was outstanding. 10 clubs – half the league fought for three promotional spots this season. Goal-difference determined the winner of the championship and also the unlucky 4th in the table. The 5th was only 2 points behind the champions. Real Valladolid was the unlucky club – they ended 4th on goal-difference. Real Betis clinched the last promotional spot : with 46 points, like Real Valladolid, but they had the best goal-difference in the whole league : +23. Real Valladolid had merely +15… and had to stay in hell for at least one more season.
On the surface, Real Betis had perhaps the most impressive squad in Segunda A : Gerrie Muhren of the great Ajax was in the squad and the former Argentinian national team defender Mario Killer, 27 years old. One more Argentine – Eduardo Anzarda, and two talented Uruguayans, both only 23 – Hugo Cabezas and Carlos Peruena. And ‘maestro’ Cardenoza – apparently, the big star of the team. Names are one thing, reality another… Muhren was not even a shadow of his foremr self by now and at 32 was more or less out of big football. Killer also was not so great anymore. Real Betis was no better than the other candidates for promotion and with great difficulty managed to go up.
A point above them finished CD Malaga.
Standing, from left : Corral, Araez, Nacho, Javi, Bua, Macias.
Crouching : Juan Carlos, Cantarutti, Orozco, Migueli, Santi.
Never a big club, Malaga naturally had no recognizable players – they depended largely on Spaniards, one of the clubs practically lacking foreigners, but had Argentine coach – Sebastian Viberti Irazoki. May be he insisted on the single foreign-born player in the squad : the 20-years old winger Juan Enrique Cantarutti Peralta. Long name, but.. not familiar. Cantarutti helped the team, perhaps was the star player of Malaga… and nothing else. Just a tough squad lucky to secure promotion. Malaga lost the top place in the league on goal-difference. They also lost it to a sensation.
Spanish club are old – Malaga, Real Betis, and so on, are familiar, if not great. They moved up and down constantly, making second division winners familiar. AD Almeria were absolute beginners : this season they debuted in Segunda A. And more : AD Almeria was not even 10 years old club… they were formed in 1971. The full name is Agrupacion Deportiva Almeria. The babies naturally srarted from the very bottom – in the regional league. They won promotion right away and moved to 4th level of Spanish football – and looked like that was that : the young club from a small city stayed in 4th division the next few years. However, they won promotion in 1976-77 – not very impressive : they finished 3rd. Perhaps nobody was watching… the debutantes in Segunda B did not waste time and won the 1977-78 championship. Now, Segunda A would be too much for them ? Not a bit – they won it in their very first season. In less than then 10 years of existence AD Almeria climbed to first division. A rare and sensational success.
Amazing debutants, standing from left : Cesar,Garay,Zunzunegui,Oscar Lopez,Piñero,Maxi Morales (utillero)
Crouching : Cubillo (maseur), Rojas,Jeromo,Martinez,Rolon,Rozas,Claudio (maseur).
No stars here, but not exactly local heroes either – apparently, AD Almeria got strong recruits before the season, who benefited the team, perhaps were instrumental to the success. New coach – Jose Maria Maguregui Ibargutxi, 44 years old, arrived from Celta (Vigo). If anything, Basques are known for toughness and no-nonsense approach. Maguregui was quite young – hence, ambitious and not outdated – and experienced in top level football. Four foreigners were also hired in the summer of 1978 – Oscar Lopez (Paraguay, 26 yearls old midfielder), Clemente Rolon (Paraguay, 27, attacking midfielder), Ricardo Martinez (Argentina, 26, playmaker), and Odair (Brazil, 27, striker). Not stars, but at their prime and experienced – all played already in Spain and were ambitious to climb up from the lower leagues.
New boys introduced to the public : Oscar Lopez and Clemente Rolon.
Perhaps Rolon was the best of the new boys, but he is also an enigma : he came from Murcia and Spanish statistics say he played for Murcia at least two years. But if takes a look at Colombian football will find Rolon playing for Deportivo Pereira in 1977. Whatever, he was very useful to AD Almeida. As a whole, the newcomers helped a lot and to their joy were moving to the top league. AD Almeida had meteoric rise, shined brightly, and… as every meteor burnt quickly. They faced severe economic problems soon after this great season – and in 1982 were disolved. But what fascinating flight AD Almeida had !