The Blog Files #4: Just Football interviews Real Madrid Talk

In the Blog Files #4 we catch up with the Guti of Real Madrid bloggers (his words not mine!) Adam Bader, head honcho at Real Madrid Talk to discuss great expectations, Manuel Pellegrini and a Villa/Rooney strikeforce at the Bernabeu:

First, tell the readers of Just Football a bit about yourself.

My name is Adam Bader and I’m a 21 growing football journalist with many interests including life hacking, linguistics, guitars and technology to name a few. I’m originally based in Rome, Italy but I have a nomad lifestyle and I’m always on the move. I’m currently in North Africa for studies.

How did your love affair with Real Madrid begin?

I’ve always been an Italy fan on a national team level, but I never supported a specific club. I was a huge fan of Roberto Baggio and supported every team he played for until I fell in love with Real Madrid. I’m not entirely sure when that happened, but I think it is sometime between 2000 and 2002. What attracted me was not the superstars (I didn’t like most of them), but the story and culture of the club. I’m very proud to be a supporter of Real Madrid.

And what inspired you to create your own Real Madrid blog?

Well, I’ve always had something to say about football since I was a little kid, and the idea of creating a blog about Real Madrid seemed a great one because it would combine many of my interests; my love for Real Madrid, the Internet and writing. I also had the goal of becoming a professional journalist so it all made sense.

How would you rate the team’s performance so far this season?

This is the best Real Madrid in terms of statistics and considering the changes that took place in the summer, we’ve done a good job so far even though we have been eliminated from two competitions. Starting from scratch and building a great team requires time, persistence, faith and most importantly patience. I’m amazed at the Spanish press and it’s endless effort to put pressure on the club. If this Real Madrid, the leader in La Liga along with the best Barca in history, is as bad as they say, then what would a better Real be like?

In your opinion who have been the team’s 3 standout performers and why?

Ronaldo, Higuaìn and Lass. The common thing about those three is that they are hard workers and have a winning mentality. They never give up, especially Ronaldo and I admire that. They have been the most consistent players because they know how to motivate themselves and because they have a winning mentality.

Most fans, and particularly football bloggers, think deeply about their club. What are the key issues facing Real Madrid right now, both on and off the field?

The main issue the club has been dealing with is the demands of the fans and the press. As I said earlier, the pressure is tremendous and it is greater than ever now after the huge amount of money we spent in the summer. We are constantly criticized, and most of the times it is not constructive criticism. For example, Marca has launched many campaigns on Pellegrini to drive him out of the club despite the success he has achieved. The pressure is one of the issues we have been facing and it takes a strong management and a confident coach to handle it.

Behind the scenes, Real Madrid is like a pantomime, Hollywood and a circus all rolled into one. As a fan do you ever get fed up with the constant changes to both playing and managerial staff, or do you see it as part of the enjoyment of being a Madrid fan?

Honestly, I’m sick of of these changes made every year and I think the instability has brought us nothing but failure. However, I have friends who work there and I have been to the club and had private access to its offices and I can tell you the culture is fascinating. It might look like the club is full of problems and is not a unit with all of these constant changes, but in fact, it’s like a big family and the atmosphere is really great.

What are your thoughts on the title race in La Liga and the prospect of FC Barcelona winning the Champions League in your own backyard?

We are still fighting in the league and there is a big chance we win it. We depend on ourselves and the team with the fewest mistakes will win the league. I can see both of Real and Barca slipping up so I think we will not know the winner until the last rounds.

As for Barca winning the Champions League in the Bernabeu, it wouldn’t really bother me that much because they would win it against another team. I hope they’d feel at home f they made it to the Bernabeu, but I certainly hope they don’t make it at all!

How do you think Manuel Pellegrini has done so far at Real Madrid? Do you want him to stay?

He has done a good job. Nothing extraordinary, but he shouldn’t be blamed. As I mentioned earlier, he is building a new team from scratch and he needs more time. I also would like him to stay because we need stability.

And should the old guard, Raul and Guti, remain past the summer or has their influence off the pitch begun to outweigh their effectiveness on it?

I’m totally fine with Raul and Guti not retiring but they should continued being treated as Pellegrini is treating them now.. If they are not performing well, they warm the bench. It doesn’t matter if they are club icons or legends, all players are equal and who performs better and works harder gets the starting spot. For the first time in years, Real Madrid players are being treated fairly and for that you have to appreciate the courage of Manuel Pellegrini who has helped players like Higuain to shine more who would otherwise be overshadowed by the likes of Raul.

Who’s next on the Real Madrid shopping list?

Ribery, Vidic and Villa, those are the names I can tell you are being considered but you never know what happens. I would personally like to sign a quality left-back, a quality striker (Villa or Rooney) and a world class winger (Ribery).

How do you see the club evolving over the next few years & are you optimistic about the future of the club?

I’m always optimistic and I always say big clubs suffer but never die. However, I think we will fail to achieve our goals if the management fails to learn from its mistakes. So far it seems that Perez has changed his mindset and if he continues to be patient and to have faith in the people who work for the club, we will be back stronger than we were before.

Onto Real Madrid Talk. How have you found blogging since you began & what have been the biggest challenges?

You should call me Guti because I’m inconsistent with my blogging. Reasons vary, but the main challenge I have been having is balancing studies, life and work. It’s hard to be a jack all of trades and it’s even harder when you are writing about Real Madrid because things are changing very fast and you always have to be informed. Nonetheless, I’ve been enjoying it and I don’t see myself doing something else anytime soon because it is part of who I am.

You’re part of the Ole Ole network. How do you find it & what does the future hold for the site?

I love OleOle despite my frustration with it. It allows me to run my blog as easily as possible and to focus on writing rather than taking care of the technical side of running a blog. We’ve recently shifted our focus from a blogging platform to a news aggregation service but we will soon release a new version of the site focused on user generated content and social networking. I think OleOle has the potential to be the 1st destination for football fans.

And, with journalism and media struggling post-recession, what do you think is the future of sports journalism?

I think the future of sports journalism is online and on TV. Newspapers are dying and everyone has realized that, and that’s why more and more newspapers are focused on their online versions and are finding ways to generate revenue online.

TV has also been affected by online media thanks to the ease of streaming events and publishing video. The way I see it, online media will be the dominate form of media in the future.

For more great writing by Adam on all things Real Madrid check out Real Madrid Talk. And next up, from bloggers focussed on Spain The Blog Files switches over to Italy, Serie A and AC Milan.

Real Madrid, Spain, Spanish Primera Division, The Blog Files