Real Madrid disclosed that Bern
Schuster has left the club by mutual consent. After a bad run of form there had been speculation that
Schuster's job might be in trouble, but the announcement today still came as a shock. The even bigger news is that former
Tottenham coach
Juande Ramos has been given a six-month contract with the Spanish giants.
Schuster's appointment to the Real job was always a bit strange.
Schuster played most of his club career are Barcelona, though he did play a couple of seasons at Real after that, and then a few season at
Atletico Madrid. His forays into coaching were not always successful. He managed at
Fortuna Koln in Germany, but when he moved on to
FC Koln he was unable to get the side promoted and quit. He coached
Xerex CD in Spain, but was unable to get the team promoted to the
Primera Division. He then had stints at
Shakhtar Donetsk and
Levante, but was fired from both. He joined
Getafe, a small club in Madrid, in the summer of 2005.
Getafe were a young club, having been reformed in 1983. Many thought they would be dragged into a relegation battle, but
Schuster led them to consecutive 9
th place finishes. In the 2006/07 season their appearance the final of the
Copa Del Rey(which they qualified for thanks to a 4-0 second leg demolition of Barcelona, but lost to to
Sevilla 1-0) saw them earn a place in the
UEFA Cup, and
Getafe tied for the fewest goals allowed with 33. Despite leading the club into the knockout round of the Champions League, Real have been knocked out of the
Copa Del Rey and after losing 3 of 4 they are nine points behind
Barca. They play at Barcelona this weekend, and
Schuster had said "right now it's not possible to win at the
Nou Camp."
Juande Ramos' appointment makes him the eleventh Real Madrid manager in the last ten seasons. It's an impressive list that includes
Guus Hiddink(current Russia manager), John
Toshack(current Wales manager), Carlos
Quieroz(current Portugal manager) and Fabio
Capello(current England manager). Looking at that list,
Schuster should be managing a national team shortly. Ramos has had varying success, but has a wealth of experience in La
Liga. He is a cup specialist, having led
Sevilla to consecutive
UEFA Cup victories, a
Copa Del Rey, and won
Tottenham's only silverware in recent history by leading them to the Carling Cup. Considering the distance between
Barca and Real, this may show that they are focusing on the Champions League. He will have to deal with a number of injuries as
Mahamadou Diarra, Wesley
Sneijder, Pepe,
Ruud Van
Nistelrooy and Ruben De La Red are all injured. They may be shorthanded defensively, but Ramos is known for his attacking style. Given the number of dutch players in the squad(and
Klaas-Jan
Huntelar is coming in January), this could be a good fit. He will push Marcelo and Ramos up the pitch,
Drenthe and
Robben will provide width, while
Gago and
Guti should work well to start counter attacks. In hiring Ramos, Real Madrid are looking to match the effect that
Tottenham had in firing him. They hope that he will change the mood at the club, instill a confidence and belief that will see them turn it around. Given that his first domestic match in charge will be '
el clasico,' we'll know pretty quickly if it worked.
Real Madrid disclosed that Bern Schuster has left the club by mutual consent. After a bad run of form there had been speculation that Schuster's job might be in trouble, but the announcement today still came as a shock. The even bigger news is that former Tottenham coach Juande Ramos has been given a six-month contract with the Spanish giants.
Schuster's appointment to the Real job was always a bit strange. Schuster played most of his club career are Barcelona, though he did play a couple of seasons at Real after that, and then a few season at Atletico Madrid. His forays into coaching were not always successful. He managed at Fortuna Koln in Germany, but when he moved on to FC Koln he was unable to get the side promoted and quit. He coached Xerex CD in Spain, but was unable to get the team promoted to the Primera Division. He then had stints at Shakhtar Donetsk and Levante, but was fired from both. He joined Getafe, a small club in Madrid, in the summer of 2005. Getafe were a young club, having been reformed in 1983. Many thought they would be dragged into a relegation battle, but Schuster led them to consecutive 9th place finishes. In the 2006/07 season their appearance the final of the Copa Del Rey(which they qualified for thanks to a 4-0 second leg demolition of Barcelona, but lost to to Sevilla 1-0) saw them earn a place in the UEFA Cup, and Getafe tied for the fewest goals allowed with 33. Despite leading the club into the knockout round of the Champions League, Real have been knocked out of the Copa Del Rey and after losing 3 of 4 they are nine points behind Barca. They play at Barcelona this weekend, and Schuster had said "right now it's not possible to win at the Nou Camp."
Juande Ramos' appointment makes him the eleventh Real Madrid manager in the last ten seasons. It's an impressive list that includes Guus Hiddink(current Russia manager), John Toshack(current Wales manager), Carlos Quieroz(current Portugal manager) and Fabio Capello(current England manager). Looking at that list, Schuster should be managing a national team shortly. Ramos has had varying success, but has a wealth of experience in La Liga. He is a cup specialist, having led Sevilla to consecutive UEFA Cup victories, a Copa Del Rey, and won Tottenham's only silverware in recent history by leading them to the Carling Cup. Considering the distance between Barca and Real, this may show that they are focusing on the Champions League. He will have to deal with a number of injuries as Mahamadou Diarra, Wesley Sneijder, Pepe, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Ruben De La Red are all injured. They may be shorthanded defensively, but Ramos is known for his attacking style. Given the number of dutch players in the squad(and Klaas-Jan Huntelar is coming in January), this could be a good fit. He will push Marcelo and Ramos up the pitch, Drenthe and Robben will provide width, while Gago and Guti should work well to start counter attacks. In hiring Ramos, Real Madrid are looking to match the effect that Tottenham had in firing him. They hope that he will change the mood at the club, instill a confidence and belief that will see them turn it around. Given that his first domestic match in charge will be 'el clasico,' we'll know pretty quickly if it worked.
