Belgrano 1 - 0 Chacarita

Belgrano opened their home fixture in the best possible way by outplaying Chacarita Juniors and beating them by one goal to nil. Expectations were high and the fans wanted to see a good display by Belgrano. The players didn't disappoint as they started well controlling the ball in the midfield aided by Lux and Pietravallo. But it was soon clear that Suarez was not seeing enough of the ball and so chances were few and far between. Chacarita Juniors? Nil. With the defence and midfield doing well, all we needed was an extra man upfront. Ferraro decided to replace Lux with Gigli to aid his team's efforts. The gamble paid off as Gigli seemed to cause a lot more troubles to the Chacarita defense. Still, it was 0-0. The deserved goal came in the 80th minute after a perfect cross by Gigli which was headed into the net by our fast-rising star, Matias Suarez. Delirium in the stands, relief for the players and Ferraro. Chacarita could have levelled but Olave made two good saves leaving the score 1-0. Belgrano celebrated a deserved victory and their fans were more than happy with the performance. In fact, Belgrano should have won it by a larger difference.

Belgrano ready for Chacarita

After the somewhat disappointing draw against Almirante Brown, Belgrano are eagerly waiting for the next home match against Chacarita Juniors. The team is likely to go with a 4-4-1-1 due to the inclusion of Juan Casado (replacing Claudio Bustos) as the playmaker. Matias Suarez will be the man upfront. As always, Chacarita are contenders for promotion and we will have to play well if we want to get the three points. The match will be played next Saturday at the Gigante de Alberdi.

Almirante Brown 1 - Belgrano 1

In the opening fixture of the campaign, Belgrano and Almirante Brown ended up locked in a one-goal apiece draw in what was otherwise a dull encounter. Almirante Brown started well trying to push Belgrano backwards but after 20 minutes, Belgrano started to control the ball and to create chances. Suarez saw two good chances went begging and it was Suarez who got brought down in the box nearing the end of the half. Bustos took the penalty well and gave Belgrano the lead. Things looked good for our team in the second half but for some reason Belgrano played poorly and unambitiously in the second half. Almirante Brown got a deserved equalizer after some sloppy play from our defenders. There were only a few other chances for each side to win the match but the draw seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Not the best start for Belgrano play-wise, but it is certainly a an away draw that may be significant come the end of the season.

Back to business

I have had quite a few technical problems (PC broke down, new OS, lots of learning) over the last two weeks so I couldn't update the blog. Now that everything seems to be behind, we get back to business.

Belgrano set for opener

Belgrano open their promotion bid tomorrow against recently-prometed Almirante Brown at 20.35 pm (Argentinian time). Although the coach Ferraro has not confirmed the team, the likely eleven will be: De Giorgi; Martinez, Novaretti, Caceres, Pages; Mansanelli, Lux, Pietravallo, Garcia; Suarez and Bustos. The match will be played in Buenos Aires and Belgrano will fancy their chances against an inexperienced rival. We hope this the first positive step to gain promotion to the Premier Division. Come on guys! Let's get the ball rolling...

Latest arrivals: Farre and Crossa

Belgrano have strengthened their squad with the signings of Guillermo Farre and Martin Crossa. Farre, a 26-year old cultured midfielder, arrives on a one-year loan with the possibility of a permanent move. The player had been playing at Central Cordoba de Rosario but said he was delighted to agree terms with Belgrano. The arrival of Crossa to Belgrano means promise of goals as the 30-year old experienced striker has had a long and successful career in several clubs from Uruguay and Europe. Both players had been in Pancho Ferraro's shortlist and will play this season for Belgrano. It is rumoured that Belgrano are looking to sign a goalkeeper as a replacement for the likely departure of Montoya. We hope these two players will contribute to our cause, which is none other than winning promotion to the Premier Division.

And there you go again...

The transfer of highly-rated keeper German Montoya to Velez Sarfield is "almost done", according to Velez's president Balestrini. Belgrano had declared a $ 1.1m minimum price for the keeper -which Velez has offered- but said that they would like to see offers around the $ 2.5m mark. The complex judicial situation of the club makes everything more difficult. For instance, while the player and the judge are willing to accept the offer, the chairman Armando Perez has declared himself disgusted with the pressure being put on him to sell the player. Most likely, Montoya will be transferred, we'll have to look for a replacement, and the relationship between the management and the judge and trust will reach a worrying low. We are happy for German Montoya, who has certainly a great future, but we are unhappy at the way these transfers have been handled.

Luifa: the legend bids farewell

Luis Fabian Artime, known simply as el "Luifa", retired from football two years ago but never had the chance to say goodbye to the Belgrano fans. Next Sunday he will finally get to have his deserved farewell game. Organized by World Eleven, the match will see several former players and friends of Luifa play for the fun of it. Tickets are selling fast and a full house is expected. It has also been confirmed that el Luifa will arrive to the Stadium mounted in a firecar following a one-hour long procession escorted by the cheers of the fans. It should be quite an event. The kind of event one of our greatest glories deserves. Gracias Luifa!!!