Barcelona face winter of discontent after defeat at Rayo

Barcelona's 1-0 defeat at lowly Rayo Vallecano on Saturday leaves the Catalan club facing another winter of discontent, with both coach Louis van Gaal and president Joan Gaspart coming under fire from irate fans.

The result means that Barcelona, who have only taken one point from their last four matches, now trail a distant 13 points behind league leaders Real Sociedad and their chances of mounting a challenge for the title looking increasingly remote.

Catalan sporting press on Sunday described the state of the club as "Rock bottom".

Coach van Gaal has been first in the firing line because of his seeming failure to get a team of undeniably talented players to gel on the pitch, but the Dutchman insists that he still has faith in himself and his team.

"I am very disappointed by the result," he told reporters after the match. "But my players gave everything and it isn't the end of the world because although we have lost two games in a row we could go on and win our next three."

"We have a hard week ahead of us because the fans are upset and I understand that, but we did all we could to win and now we need everyone's support because we are going through a bad patch."

"I still feel capable of getting the team out of this situation."

Although van Gaal is certain to come under further pressure, the most fierce criticism has been reserved for Gaspart.

The Barcelona president is being blamed for the club's failure to win any sort of trophy since he was elected two and a half years ago.

Gaspart has been criticised for a transfer policy that has seen the club spend vast sums on players that have failed to perform on the pitch, for his decision to reappoint the unpopular van Gaal as coach and for his own ill-advised behaviour.

His recent declarations in which he accused former Barcelona player Luis Figo of provoking the crowd at the Nou Camp to throw missiles on to the pitch during last month's match against rivals Real Madrid were viewed by many as the latest indication of his unsuitability for the post.

Associations of fans, sections of the press and former club directors have all called on Gaspart to resign, while a campaign to organise a vote of no confidence in the president has already been launched by leading opponents.

Even a continuation of Barcelona's fine form in Europe is unlikely to do anything to heal the rift between fans and management, while defeat against Newcastle United in Tuesday's Champions League match is certain to bring a new intensity to the conflict.

Whatever the outcome of the Newcastle game van Gaal and Gaspart will need to brace themselves for a harsh winter at the Nou Camp.