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Valencia: a poisoned chalice for Gary Neville?

Valencia: a poisoned chalice for Gary Neville?

Pride, self-belief and a superb football pedigree meant that Gary Neville was never going to turn down the opportunity to switch from astute, highly-respected, football pundit to coach of one of Spain’s most historical and prestigious football clubs.

But the job handed to him by Valencia owner, the Singapore based businessman Peter Lim, has gone from being a pot brimming over with huge investment and massive optimism into a poisoned chalice.

It still is a brave, extraordinary and fascinating decision by Peter Lim. Maybe it was always also a poisoned chalice.

Valencia haven’t won a league game in eight attempts since he arrived in early December and now find themselves just five points above the relegation places. Defeat at the Mestalla to a lowly Sporting Gijon was hard enough to take but pales into insignificance when set against his side’s 7-0 capitulation against Barcelona in the first leg Copa del Rey semi final.

After Sporting, Neville rightly claimed the fans were not against him. They are now; the honeymoon is well and truly over for Gary Neville.

Valencia fans have never been backwards in coming forwards when it comes to giving their opinion. More than a hundred fans waited at the airport to ‘welcome’ the team home from Barcelona and when a coach whisked them away to the training ground at Paterna there were 300 fans waiting for them there.

Anyone doubting the commitment and determination of the fans to make their feelings known should be aware that it was by then, 2.30 in the morning.

Gary Neville is, in the best sense of the word, a proud man. He was never going to turn down the chance to swap the warmth of the television studio for the hotbed of football management, not least because he knew if he did he would forever face the derision of those who would claim that while he could talk the talk, he’d never shown that he could walk the walk.

But on the playing side people are questioning his tactics. Why did he, in the Cup, play such a deep defensive line against probably the greatest striking attack in the world; why was full back Guilherme Siqueira, only recently arrived from Atletico Madrid and with hardly so much as a training session under his belt deployed on the left wing; why did he use four full backs? Why was Feghouli played as a centre mid?

And why has the team, or at least results, not improved fundamentally since his arrival at the club?

When he arrived at the club at the beginning of December he announced that within two months you would be able to see the type of team he wanted otherwise he would have failed.

The two months have come and gone and his previous words are now being rolled out and used like a stick to beat him with.

Off the record press briefings including one with journalist, Cayetano Ros who claims –something hotly denied by Neville – that the manager told him that if he lost two games he would step aside, while previous statements like if he lost by a score like the one suffered at Barcelona he wouldn’t be able to look his family in the eye, have also not helped his case.

His relationship with the media is now strained almost to breaking point. After the Sporting game some members of the press wondered whether or not they had been watching the same match as the Valencia coach.

He also did little to improve relations when he answered ‘No’ just once when asked the not unnatural question as to whether or not he was going to resign, and when pressed further on the matter opted to reply with the terse response, “next question”.

The flames have also been fanned by former players with David Albelda stating publicly that the team will now have to think about avoiding relegation while former goalkeeper Santiago Canizares has also pitched in on social media and Yahoo saying that Gary Neville should resign and apologise because this is the worst Valencia he has ever seen.

In a spiteful and lengthy tirade posted on Twitter, he said: “VCF’s defeat today is the worst I’ve known since I can remember.

"I’m waiting for the resignation of the coach, as well as an apology. I may be ignorant, but I’m surprised he hasn’t done it; I thought he was honest.”

But not all the blame should be laid at Neville’s door and indeed while in a hastily organised poll organised by Superdeporte just under 90% say he should resign, fans are also asking some very strong questions about the playing staff’s hunger and desire.

The wisdom of Peter Lim to offer the job to Gary Neville in the first place also needs to be looked at (there was not real respect for the necessary ‘process’ to choose a manager for Valencia, having a look at who was available, who deserved, who had been in a similar situation, who knew the competition, was experience needed), as does the relationship enjoyed between the club’s owner and the agent, Jorge Mendes.

The new director of football, Jesus Garcia Pitarch has recently announced that there is at least three years work needed at Valencia to re-generate the squad which begs the question why on earth has Peter Lim spent so much of his money on a side so heavily comprised of players under the managerial jurisdiction of Jorge Mendes if indeed Garcia Pitarch is correct and, effectively, this is a squad not fit for purpose.

For the time being the message from the club is ‘everybody calm down’. Peter Lim is in Singapore, the Neville’s do not expect any changes for the time being. Next up is Betis.

Valencia fans and media, confused by so many tactical changes and the distance they felt from Gary in the last two press conferences, do not see a way out for Neville if the team loses at the weekend, but in any case do expect a new man in charge next season. The club (the director of football) has already made contact with Rafa Benitez, who has not committed to anything as yet.

The plan for the Nevilles is to win the next game, perhaps even abandoning some of the things they wanted to put in the team/club mid and long term. Winning. Winning at all costs. They are sure they are doing the right thing, they are convinced they are putting enough effort and quality training to improve the side. But they need results to show they are actually right. Or at least to confirm those impressions. Target this season now? Just to avoid relegation.