Author: Kevin Williams

Everything about FC Barcelona since the door hit Pep Guardiola in the ass, right down to re-electing Joan Laporta as president, has been about trying to re-create instead of create. Every time a person has tried to create — Vilanova, Martino, Luis Enrique — they have been branded a heretic, no matter the success that… Continue reading Messi is gone … again … now move on

Sergio Busquets was a thug, one of those players who would do anything for his team. “They put one of ours in the hospital, we put one of theirs in the morgue,” level thug. But that kind of work didn’t manifest itself in fouls, or slide tackles, just in moments that made it clear that… Continue reading Adeu and gracies, Sergio Busquets

There will be culers who are disappointed in the Copa del Rey semifinal result. There will also be culers, more honest ones, who understand what and how the team is, and won’t be surprised by yet another utter collapse. In the pre-match runup, someone on my Twitter timeline predicted a 0-4 RM win. That prediction… Continue reading Barça 0, Real Madrid 4, aka ‘No surprises here’

In looking for a summation of the match yesterday, a proceeding that oozed to an inevitable result, it would be: A Europa League side lost to a better Europa League side and its new manager got outfoxed by a better manager. Reactions during and after the match were interesting because a great many of them… Continue reading United 2, Barça 1, aka ‘Farewell Europa League, we hardly knew ye’

The necessity forced by desperation makes philosophical purity malleable. Strand a Michelin-starred chef in the desert for a day or two and he will be feasting on that vending machine cheese sandwich like it was one of his most skillful delicacies. So it is with Barça supporters, who at one time were wallowing in the… Continue reading A meal is a meal, pretty or not

Hey, didn’t we all miss this? After a month’s respite from club football and the task of watching a team seemingly designed to vex and frustrate us, what better way to return to the swing of things than the Catalan derby? And as a bonus, the derby was overseen by Mateu Lahoz. Quite a lot… Continue reading Barça 1, Espanyol 1, aka ‘Dripping with adequacy’

It was weird, the experience of an absolute football junkie deciding that on a personal level, this World Cup was an event that should be skipped. They were the same reasons everyone who skipped it had, of course. And as the tournament moved through its paces, being part of Football Twitter of course made it… Continue reading Messi, joy and a World Cup

On March 8, 2016, a DM popped into my inbox: Hey! I’m interviewing Messi in Barcelona on Thursday. Anything you’d really like to know? It was from Grant Wahl and my first reaction was stupor, because all I could think is “Why would a writer and journalist such as this be asking me anything at… Continue reading Grant Wahl, joy, respect and admiration — mostly joy

We’re addicts, hooked on a game, on thrills. And like any addict, we justify our behavior in search of that next fix. Heroes engage in repulsive acts, and our horror lasts until the next hat trick. Racism permeates the game that we love, and we accept the pablum of t-shirts, banners and armbands. A petrostate… Continue reading The World Cup of blood, money and shame

Wow. Just … wow. Gerard Pique is retiring. Quite abruptly, it might appear. People will grumble that it took too long, etc, etc, but why be churlish? However and whyever he did it, an emblematic player is leaving the club in a way not entirely of his own doing, or choosing. Obituaries are weird in… Continue reading Gracies, Gerard Pique