Personally I don't feel changing the manager will make a huge amount of difference at the moment. I'm not a fan of the cut throat industry where managers are chopped and changed by the month it seems. Perhaps that's because I'm so used to the stability that we had over the past few seasons, which in a country of potty presidents is very rare. Also, most managers have fee's attached to their contract should they be sacked. I know that Liverpool's Rafa Benitez has a £22 million pound clause on his. The club can't afford to sack him, literally! I'm sure Valverde's is no where near that large but it is something to be taken into account.
However I can see that things are not working and more than likely Valverde will not finish the season in El Madrigal. So who is available should we decide to replace him? Thanks for the info in the previous comments! Feel free to add anyone who I've left out
- Luciano Spalleti - Several good seasons with Roma, known for his tight defenses. Likes to play 4-5-1
- Michael Laudrup - Supposedly turned down the Atleti job, did great things at Getafe and was one of the best midfielders of all time.
- Bernd Schuster - Again did great things with little Getafe before taking Madrid to the league title. He went a little nuts during his second season and resigned.
- Juande Ramos - Yes please. Played some of the nicest football you will ever see with Seville. Had a bad time of it in England, came back to Spain to take over at Real Madrid following Schuster's departure and won the league. He was then sacked.
- Marco van Basten - Another awesome footballer. Managed the Netherlands in Euro 2008 and brought them to the quartefinals. Had a disappointing time with Ajax following that and I'd see him as an unlikely choice.
- Roberto Mancini - Yes another top manager, one that might be outside our price range I fear. Was hugely successful at Inter before being replaced by the special one. Kenez mentioned that he was wanted by Notts County, they have a lot of money behind them at the moment. I'd like Mancini but I think he'd be out of our reach at the moment.
They're all I can think of really, my knowledge of Spanish managers wouldn't be as strong. Laudrup seems the top choice out of the group. I really hope Valverde succeeds though. If we can win our next three league games against Tenerife, Sevilla and Valladolid then I think we will be alright. Opinions?
Oh and also well done to the B team, that 3-1 win over nearby rivals Castellon must have been very sweet. They played some very nice football too. Not a bad weekend then!