Work still in progress at Real Mallorca

A local publication described the eleven days in Holland as a bit Jekyll and Hyde with a lot of work still to be done on the training ground back in Palma. Elements of our play must be improved on and players need to get up to speed. In the second game against Dutch Eredivisie side Roda we lacked aggression in the first half and went two down in twelve minutes after terrible defensive lapses. Against strong opposition, whose fitness levels were much better than ours, we made changes after half time and played much better. Several players who were here at this time last year have commented on the fact that coach Fernando Vazquez's training programme this summer is much tougher than under “Chapi” Ferrer. This augurs well for the new campaign as our fitness levels last season left a lot to be desired. The players seem to be getting tougher, as TV pictures shown on Friday showed Colunga and Oscar Diaz having a right old training ground tear-up

Now we await West Brom's visit to the Son Moix on Saturday night. I don't suppose the game will be played with much intensity what with the humidity and heat but also Tony Pulis won't want any of his stars injured a week before the big Premier League kick-off. I've heard stories this past week about British resident fans here on the island saying 35€ to sit in the main stand was excessive. These people hardly, if ever, come to the home games but will turn up to watch Premier League opposition. Seating in the Tribuna Sol (opposite the main stand) is 25€, and a season ticket to sit in the same area costs 100€ to watch 21 home games plus cup matches. Buy a 25€ ticket for West Brom and you've paid a quarter of a season ticket and if you attend 85% of all home games and Mallorca get promoted, tickets for the following La Liga season will be free. Surely that in itself is more than an added incentive.

Granted the football on view is not of La Liga or Premier League standard - and some may think it's below their station - however, you cannot beat a live game of football. Come on, support your local team in your adopted home away from home, get behind Real Mallorca and leave your bar and armchair loyalties behind. If you want to purchase a season ticket it's simplicity personified. The club offices are open ten hours a day (Mon-Fri) from 09:30 to 19:30 uninterrupted. As July comes to an end, we've sold 7,572 season tickets.

For the first time that I can remember, there'll be La Liga 2 games played on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Our first away fixture is against newly promoted Cadiz on Sunday, 28 August in their highly intimidating Estadio Ramon de Carranza stadium. Because of the Andalusian heat the game kicks off at 22.30. One thing's for sure, the stadium full of rocking “Cadistas” (recently voted Spain's best fans) will be a cauldron of noise.

Mallorca's quest for a striker continues. Director of football Javi Recio has a list of around six candidates from France, Spain and Portugal. Las Palmas player Alfredo Ortuño, who played here for three months earlier this year, looks likely to stay in the Canary Islands. On Recio's list are Juventus's Lorenzo Rosseti, Rennes' Congolese striker Habib Habibou and Lille's Kevin Koubemba. It's likely one of these guys will arrive this week. One ex-Mallorca striker now playing for Mirandes has scored four goals pre-season. Fofo, who couldn't hit a cow's jacksy with a shovel when he was here, seems to have found his goalscoring form. I always remember Fofo had skinny legs like two Woodbine hanging out of a packet.

I read the letter in Friday's Bulletin from “Silversurfer” regarding British fans being ignored by the club. We did actually have half a page in English in the match programmes for a couple of games earlier last season but it didn't last long. We're lucky to have any as programmes at all, as they are a novelty in Spanish football. The only gripe I have about them, and the one I get most complaints about, is why the squad and their numbers aren't published at home games. As to a lack of up-to-date information, I try to do my bit although I'm not on Facebook or Twitter but news will be more available once Fan's View goes back to twice a week from the end of August. As for meat pies, I regularly made half a dozen Balti ones for our gang but sadly after we were relegated our numbers diminished, so did the pies.