Heroics

"The characteristic of genuine heroism is its persistency. All men have wandering impulses, fits and starts of generosity. But when you have resolved to be great, abide by yourself and do not weakly try to reconcile yourself with the world. The heroic cannot be the common, nor the common the heroic”.
– Emerson

Here are 3 words to describe the 70-30 Project: controversial. challenging & heroic.

Setenta-Treinta is the project proposed by Chivas in order to meet the demand for raw material of the most mexican of clubs. Season in and season out, the Chiva top brass have to invest great amounts of time and effort to try and find the pieces, the nuts and bolts, to make the Red and White Machinery go for a smooth ride. Unfortunately for la Directiva, very few teams are willing to part with a 'jewel' from their squads at a reasonable price. The stratospheric quantities asked for were the real reason that stoked the fire under a process which had first been proposed by an incumbent Hans Westerhof in the early Vergara years. A process so magnificent in its simplicity only marred by the undercurrent of speculation caused by the need to put all faith and trust in the youth divisions to produce the Alpha Chiva.

But where’s the controversy? Well, like Jim Morrison once said, “We want the world and we want it now”. The Red and White Hoard want to see our team victorious in the present! But you know, things like these take time and effort. But does the average Chiva Joe or Juliette have the staying power?

Well, that’s where the Treinta comes in to the project. Here is the challenge for fan base and Chiva Top Brass alike. More than one quarter of the player base needs to come from a foreign source. The creme-de la-crème of the Liga Elite. Players so talented in their position they are a must have for any team. Alas, again the brick wall of true player value. There are some great players out there and I am sure ‘Vuce’ has a bucket-list overflowing with great prospects in key positions. But we all know, as he does, that when it comes to Chivas the gold-diggers come out of the wood work. So, should we expect 'bombazos'? We can certainly hope for some to happen. But as in any business, Chivas needs to put their money on a sure thing. Many players have come and gone and the majority have not been up to the Red and White standard. I know it, you know it. We see the writing on the wall: Not all players are made for Club Deportivo Guadalajara.

Heroics you say? Cómo que heroico? Para muestra un botón. Last friday night @ Puebla, ‘Vuce’ comes onto the pitch with no less than 9 Chiva Canteranos. A beautiful sight but a messy one. The first half was a mid-field fist fest. Both teams struggled to take control of the game. The Rojiblancos held their own but were not able to break through the lines. Vucetich made his changes, patched up the left side and came away with 2 off the bench goals: Mayorga, with a magnificent left booted rocket in the 54’ and the other in the dying minutes of the match by who other than el ‘Cone’ Brizuela, who smashed home the second ‘Diana’. This time it worked. 70-30 FTW!!!

But next time? Will Chivas find those hero’s and bring back the win? Only a string of victories will really have any impact on our Collective Chiva Souls. Words speak loud but actions louder.

Now, for us, we wait. I give 3 more words to all the ChivaHerman@s: patience, courage & faith.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was Club Deportivo Guadalajara. Many years of struggle have forged our spirits and, in the end, only the strong will remain. Only the courageous. Only the faithful.