12/04/2004
White handkerchiefs signal Reals fans' frustration

LONDON, April 12 (Reuters) - White handkerchiefs waved by Real Madrid fans at the Bernabeu on Sunday as their team lost 3-0 to Osasuna provided graphic testament to a dismaying six weeks.

To the anger and disappointment of their faithful supporters, the expensively assembled team dubbed the "galacticos" tamely surrendered the lead in the league with a less than stellar performance.

Signs Real were beginning to creak appeared in their King's Cup defeat to Real Zaragoza and a 4-2 loss to Atheltic Bilbao in the league in March.

That was tempered by a 4-2 victory over Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash, though that was then overturned by the French side last week with a 3-1 victory that gave them a 5-4 aggregate win.

Some of the travelling fans voiced their displeasure after that defeat, whistling at the players, which spilled over at the team's training ground and peaked on Sunday with the gesture of surrender as Real slumped to a 3-0 defeat.

Real, who have led the league since mid-January, have frittered away an eight-point lead and now trail Valencia by two points with six games to go.

Off the pitch the club has also been tainted with the news the Spanish government and European Commission are to investigate the sale of their former training facility in the heart of Madrid.

The sale to the City of Madrid in 2001 wiped out the clubs' debts and enabled them to buy world class players such as David Beckham.

The England captain, bought last year not only for his soccer skills but his marketability that allows the club to reap vast merchandising revenues, has also become an unwelcome distraction in the past week with English tabloid newspapers delving into his personal life.

SPANISH MEDIA

The Spanish media have been less interested in the Beckham furore than their English counterparts and, instead, concentrated on what has caused the problems on the pitch.

Apart from embattled coach Carlos Queiroz, the main target has been ambitious chairman Florentino Perez, whose goal has been to build a dynasty that matches the legacy left by the side who dominated European competition in the 1950s.

His policy of buying the world's best players to complement those brought up through the club's youth system has been under most scrutiny.

For the last two months Real have looked stale, relying on the individual brilliance of their leading players to get them out of trouble, but the fact that the squad is so thin has meant that few first choice players have been able to rest.

Queiroz has consistently warned about the dangers of having such a small squad and their lack of depth may hurt them in the title run-in with matches against Atletico Madird (seventh), Barcelona (fourth) and Deportivo Coruna (third) to come.

After the defeat to Osasuna, Real sporting director Jorge Valdano said the club were at their lowest ebb for four years.

"We are now experiencing possibly the worst situation at the club in the last four years," he said. "We are still going to fight hard for this league.

"The run of disappointments has affected everyone's morale and the players now have to get the club out of this situation and they are going to do just that."