Racing Santander Preview

Coach: Juan Carlos Mandiá, ex-coach of Hercules and Real Madrid youth team coach
Stadium: El Sardinero, Capacity (22,500)
Region: Cantabria
Nickname: Racinguistas (Racing-followers), Verdiblancos (Green-whites) , Montañeses (Mountain dwellers),
Derby: Real Madrid
Sponsor: SLAM Advanced Technology Sportswear
Kit Description: Home: A rather plain white SLAM shirt with black trim and green half sleeves and black shorts with green socks. Away: A green and white half-panel shirt with green and black half-panel shorts and one green sock and one black sock. Basically the right side of the kit is green and the left side black. Third: A blue and red half panel shirt with white socks and shorts.
History: It's official name is Real Racing Club de Santander and it was founded on the 23rd of February of 1923 starting at first in the regional leagues and being promoted to the first division 6 years later. Since then they have spent 41 years in the Spanish First Division with their greatest year ending as runners-up in 1930-1931. The club play in the coastal region of Santander called El Sardinero which is why the stadium is named that way. El Sardinero means the sardine. It is the 14th most supported club in Spain but the one with the largest support from the region of Cantabria.
Trophy Room:
* Primera Runners Up: 1931
* Copa del Rey: Semifinals 2008

Famous Former Players: Felipe Melo, Yossi Benayoun, Gerardo Torrado, Francisco Gento, Nikola Zigic, Olof Mellberg,
Main Story from last year: After losing coach Marcelino Garcia Toral on the last day of the season, the season could be characterized as solid if not flashy. They were compact and defensive minded to a fault I'd say, but they were able to keep their goal differential on the positive side (+1) and they did well away from Cantabria where they played more defensively, had more clean sheets, but scored less often. After a slow start, falling into the relegation zone after the first month of the season, Racing were able to climb up as much as 9th in December before falling to 12th overall.

Transfers: IN: Mandía - manager (Hércules), Sarmiento (Xerez - loan period ended), Sepsi (Benfica - loan period renewed), Arana (Castellón), Crespo (Sevilla - one year loan), Morris (Panathinaikos - one year loan), Marc Torrejón (Espanyol), Pape Diop (Nàstic), Geijo (Levante), Luis García (Atlético Madrid). OUT: Muñiz - manager (Málaga), Garay (Real Madrid - loan period ended), Jonathan Pereira (Villarreal - loan period ended), Valera (Atlético Madrid - loan period ended), Luccin (Zaragoza - loan period ended), Zigic (Valencia - loan period ended), Gonçalves (Vitoria Guimaraes - one year loan), Marcano (Villarreal), Luis Fernández (contract ended)

Squad Overview: The prevailing wisdom is that Racing are a little older and will continue their slide, but they've hired a good young coach in Mandia who guided little Hercules from Alicante to within an inch of promotion for a club who have spent only one season out of the last 24 in the top flight. Pedro Munitis is back to annoy, and Tchite and Serrano are back as well, but Nikola Zigic who did so well after his return to Racing has gone back to Valencia to await either a call up by Unai Emery at Valencia or a late move to a Premier League club. Of the new signings Luis Garcia who drinks sangria at Anfield will get a chance, older players always do, but one wonders how much he still has left if he hasn't impressed for any of the clubs he has played for since leaving Rafa Benitez's side.

Prediction: Treading water: 12th