Many supporters chose not to attend Wednesday's Copa del Rey second-leg clash with Barcelona to mark their anger with the club's board following a run of awful form
Valencia fans have once again made their unhappiness towards the board and manager Gary Neville known, with many supporters boycotting Wednesday’s match against Barcelona.
Los Che went into the Copa del Rey second-leg clash needing a miracle after losing 7-0 in the first leg at Camp Nou, a result that represents the nadir of Neville’s reign at the club so far.
Valencia have not won a single match in La Liga in 12 attempts under the former Manchester United defender and fans chose the dead rubber against Barca to vent their anger.
Thousands of fans, led by the club’s hardcore supporter group Curva Nord, refused to attend Wednesday evening’s match, leaving Mestalla almost entirely empty for the visit of the reigning Spanish and European champions.
There were rather more fans outside the stadium, though, with the Valencia team bus surrounded by an unhappy mob as the players entered the stadium prior to kick-off.
One fan held aloft a sign reading ‘Bye bye Gary Neville, next coach’, though the chants of ‘mercenaries!’ were mainly aimed at the board and the players.
The half-empty stadium and demonstrations perhaps contributed to a rather dull and lifeless first half, with Alvaro Negredo scoring the only goal in a sedate 45 minutes against a Barca side featuring few first-team faces.
Regardless of Wednesday’s result against Barca, Neville is expected to remain in charge until the weekend when he faces a make-or-break match against relegation-threatened Espanyol.
- Goal