adminMADRID. — Gary Neville’s unhappy tenure at Valencia was brought to a sudden halt on Wednesday as the Spanish soccer club announced he had been sacked after just four months in charge.
Neville’s first foray into senior management after limited experience as an assistant to Roy Hodgson with England was a risky one from the day the shock announcement of his appointment was made in early December.
On the back of a hugely successful 20-year playing career with Manchester United, Neville had gained widespread praise for his astute analysis as a Sky Sports pundit in his homeland before taking up the challenge offered by Valencia’s Singaporean owner, his business partner and friend Peter Lim.
The hiring of an untried coach who didn’t speak Spanish and the close personal relationship between Lim and Neville raised suspicions straight away in Valencia.
“I would question it as a neutral observer,” Neville said himself on the day he was presented as the club’s new coach.
“I’d be sceptical and I would want to be proved otherwise. Anyone who has any doubts, concerns, reservations, they’ll only be removed if we win football matches.”
Ultimately, he didn’t win enough even to see out his short-term contract until the end of the season.
“I would have liked to have continued the work I started but understand that we are in a results business and in the 28 games (W10, D7, L11) they have not been to my standards or to those which are required by this club,” Neville said in a statement after his dismissal.
Even those statistics are padded by three wins in Cup ties against third-tier Barakaldo and struggling Granada, as well as a 10-0 aggregate rout of Rapid Vienna in the Europa League. — AFP.
Online Reporter