SUPERLIGA FANS (DONINHA, LUSO...)

Braga has signed Sporting Cristal's central defender Alberto Rodríguez. How good is Braga? Is Braga the clear cut 4th best club in Portugal after the big three? or is it a close fight for 4th place along with Boavista and even Guimaraes (historically speaking)?

Here's the scoop on Alberto "Mudo" Rodríguez: the pluses=he's very fast, quick, has excellent anticipation, reading of the game, excellent jumper (maybe as high as Ayala), very good in the air both in defense and in attack. The minuses=not very tall, around Cannavaro's or Ayala's height, just recovered from a nagging foot injury.

He can play very good central defense, and can also play as right fullback although his crossing skills are mediocre at best.

Vamos Braga! Champions League!!!

Hey Puro

Sporting Clube de Braga...

Historically, they're not the fourth biggest club in Portugal, but they are one of the larger clubs without question. They have a few finishes between the top 4-2 spots within the leauge and a Portuguese Cup to their name. They haven't made a cup final for quite some time however, despite having some quality teams as of late. It's always a big match against Braga for any of the big 3.

They do have a decent following, not as big as Guimarães though, and a good structure to them. Strictly based on their current form, they are definitely within the top 4 sides within Portugal. They have a very competitive side and they play good football. I think they can realistically fight for a CL spot down to the wire.

They're behind clubs like Belenses, Boavista & Setúbal in terms of titles, but for fan base I'd say they're ahead of them and if they keep up their current form will be considered the 4th biggest club in Portugal despite not having the titles. They're already referred to as the 4th biggest as is...even if it's just in passing.

They're doing well in the Uefa Cup as well, already having knocked-off Chievo Verona and gotten throught the group stage. They have a lot of quality and any new arrivals will have to be good players to get into the team.

In terms of potential though, I'd say Guimarães has everything to be Portugal's 4th biggest club, only because they have more fans than Braga (they're probably the most passionate fans in the country too). I'd expect these two clubs to push ahead of Boavista for that distinction, once Guimarães comes back up, as Boavista has dropped off and doesn't have their support...even if they do have the spirit.

Sorry for the crazy long post...

Yo Luso! thanks a lot for that excellent piece of info. I could easily read two more pages of your club reporting instead of the garbage we encounter in the media "why Rooney's world class...Lampard's the greatest midfielder in the world...Gerrard's the most influential club captain..." and similar shite we are constantly dealing with.

I did a little research on Braga, and it seems they want to do a "Villarreal" or at least they're very serious and professional in their approach. However, there's nothing like the voice of the fan. Braga may just achieve their goals.

Patience with Rodriguez, he's an excellent defender, and if he gels at Braga, sky's the limit. Braga's got a new fan in me, and I'm sure lots of Peruvians will follow them as well.

Happy New Year 2007 Luso!

Yup, I don't particularly like them but Braga is a fine club. They're only real problem seems to be getting the city behind them, as Braga is mostly a Benfica town.

I'm interested in watching your countryman now, so I'll be looking out for him. Braga has a pretty established pair of CB in Nem and Paulo Jorge, so Rodriguez will have to work pretty hard to get into the team. That said, they must like him if they've signed him.

The infamous Jorge Costa is on the latest Braga coaching staff so perhaps he's had a hand in Rodriguez's signing, and if that's the case they may have big expectations from him.

I'm actually pretty excited about this Braga team. I hope they stay this competitive as it only adds flavour to the league. I really hope Vitória Sport Clube (V. Guimarães) will join us again soon as well.

Cheers to you Puro, que 2007 te traga de lo mejor para ti y tu familia!