Veteran Boca Juniors striker Martin Palermo says the Buenos Aires club - probably the biggest team in Argentine football - has ''hit rock bottom'' and is enduring its worst stretch since he joined the club in 1997.
Boca is lodged in 18th place in the 20-team league, has only four points from six matches and has scored only two goals in the Clausura tournament.
Palermo declined to blame new coach Julio Cesar Falcioni, who took over three months ago and helped make the club the pre-season title favorite.
''I share completely the worry of the fans,'' Palermo said Tuesday. ''It's not just them. It touches me and the team. In my years with the club, this is the worst moment. We've hit rock bottom.''
Fans shouted and jeered players after Sunday's 2-0 loss to Olimpo in Boca's La Bombonera stadium. Palermo was on the receiving end of insults and taunts as he left the field.
''Everyone has a limit and after that they explode,'' Palermo said. ''The fans exploded. I've never seen this kind of anger from the fans since I have been at Boca. We changed players, coaches and playing schemes - and the fans still have no results.''
Falcioni is the fifth coach in just over a year following Claudio Borghi, Alfio Basile, Abel Alves and Roberto Pompei.
''We're not looking to blame the coaches,'' Palermo said. ''Firing Falcioni is not the solution because we have had five coaches and nothing has changed.''
Boca Juniors was the dominant club in South America between 2000 and 2008, winning four Copa Libertadores titles, but Boca - like Buenos Aires rival River Plate - has not won a league title since 2008.
