Valencia CF

WARNING: This video contains NSFW language.

Gary Neville's first league win as Valencia manager still eludes him, but the former Manchester United star is certainly doing his best to convey his thoughts to his team.

In footage that has emerged from Los Che's 1-1 draw at Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday, Neville is seen communicating with his team in Spanish.

At one point, he and his brother Phil shout "Mas adelante!" ("Further forward!") with exasperation.

Before long, however, the former Sky Sports pundit resorts to expressing himself via some fairly colourful English words.

If he speaks English, substitute Ruben Vezo will probably be ready a little quicker to come on next time...

[YouTube]

Gary Neville was being as forthright as ever. 

"I'm sure the Rayo Vallecano coach will be disappointed with the result," the Valencia manager said candidly after his side's 2-2 draw with Rayo at Mestalla on Sunday. Neville was sort of right, but not quite. The man he was referring to, Paco Jemez, was far more than disappointed. He was furious. Livid, actually.

"If we'd lost to Valencia, I'd have hanged myself in the dressing room," said the always-colourful Jemez after his team's strong performance. The thing is, his team almost had lost. Up 2-1, Rayo had seen a Paco Alcacer equaliser wrongly disallowed for offside. Two minutes later, Alcacer equalised anyway. It could easily have been 3-2, but Valencia hadn't deserved that and Rayo had deserved more. 

After five minutes, the visitors were dominant and should have been ahead; after 15, they were. After 45, they'd forced Mestalla to turn on its own team. After 55, they should have been out of sight. And Valencia's goals thereafter came from freak moments, nothing more. 

"There are days when after the game you feel sad because you haven't played well at all," said Jemez. "But other times you feel cheated by football." Clearly, this was one of those times. "We were the only side on the pitch," he added. 

That was true for the first half in particular. While Rayo were impressive, Valencia were downright awful, barely able to string three passes together or get out of their own half. They were muddled, said some; lost, said others. "Unacceptable," said Neville. 

Worse still was this wasn't anything new. 

It's now approaching three months since Valencia last won a league game, a most bizarre 5-1 victory over Celta Vigo in early November in which the losers were probably the better side. Valencia have since taken six points from a possible 27, their record in that time reading draw, loss, draw, draw, draw, loss, draw, loss and draw. 

It hasn't all been bad, no, but it hasn't been anything approaching good, either. Mixed in with some hard-earned points against Barcelona and Real Madrid have been damaging draws with sides Valencia should comfortably have the measure of. Against Eibar, Los Che needed a late goal to salvage a point. Ditto against Getafe. Ditto against Rayo. Against Real Sociedad, they couldn't salvage anything. 

Until the latter, Neville had insisted performances had been positive even if results hadn't. "Today I can't say that," he said then.

Neville, of course, hasn't been in charge for the entirety of this barren run in which the only victories have come in the Copa del Rey. Since being appointed in early December, he's watched one league game from the stands and six from the sideline. As he's done so, he's seen little to get excited about. He's watched his team fail to keep a single clean sheet. He's watched them slide into the table's bottom half. 

He's watched the enormity of his task become ever so clear.  

When Neville arrived at the club, his appointment was met with equal parts skepticism and excitement. Here was a man who hadn't managed before, who didn't speak the language and whose initial agreement with the club was a short-term one, but still, there was something fresh and encouraging in his arrival too. 

Confident, full of conviction, his words carrying weight, the Englishman brought with him the aura of a winner. Mostly because he is; as a Manchester United legend, he's more decorated than every single one of his players combined.

Neville also arrived with a reputation for being sharp, intelligent and impressively analytical. In England, his work with Sky Sports had made him a big deal, which suddenly gave international significance to Valencia as a result. In him, the club had hired a name and not just a coach, a leader who would theoretically give them direction and purpose.

But it hasn't been that simple, and that's at all not surprising; Valencia's issues go well beyond the first-team coach, Neville having been dropped into an environment of flux, tension and awkward questions. Questions such as: Where is this all going? Why is the club being run like his? What the hell is going on?

If Neville didn't know that then, he does now.

And the background picture is important here. 

Last summer, Valencia fans held high expectations for a blockbuster transfer window. Not only was their team back in the Champions League, it was owned by Peter Lim, a Singaporean billionaire. Big names and big fees were expected, but it was only the latter the fans saw. 

Instead of marquee names, the club spent over €100 million on players it already had, completing permanent transfers for players they'd taken on loan the previous season in Alvaro Negredo, Rodrigo, Andre Gomes and Joao Cancelo. There were new faces, yes: young ones, promising ones. But not the sort envisaged.

At board level, there were more concerns. In July, former president Amadeo Salvo departed, as did sporting director Francisco Rufete and scout Roberto Fabian Ayala. It was seen as a sort of civil war, Lim assuming full control, inserting adviser Lay Hoon Chan to replace Salvo and turning to the influence of good friend and agent Jorge Mendes. 

Mendes had been key to Lim's takeover at Valencia and had also brought former manager Nuno, his first client, to the club as well. More concerning, though, was his impact on the squad, as explained here at Bleacher Report in October:

To those outside the club, particularly the fans, Mendes looks like a quasi-sporting director with conflicted interests.

Gomes, Cancelo and Rodrigo were all brought to Mestalla [in 2014] with Mendes' help, with many feeling the fees for the trio were inflated. [In 2015], the Portuguese agent also helped the club sign Mina, Bakkali and Danilo, the latter arriving via another one-year loan with a compulsory €15 million purchase deal, €14 million of which Valencian sports daily Superdeporte (h/t Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC) claims will go straight to Mendes.

But it doesn't end there.

Mendes hasn't only brought people in; he's taken them away, too. He is, after all, the man who took Otamendi to Manchester City, overseeing the loss of Valencia's outstanding player of last season and personally benefitting from doing so.

The knock-on effect of all of that has been seen weekly at Mestalla. Inside the ground, fans have routinely voiced their displeasure over where the club is being taken, suspicious of team selections, matchday decisions and the thought Valencia might be being run simply for the personal interests of Lim, Mendes, friends and clients. 

As such, the hostility toward the home team has been on par with anything seen at the fickle Bernabeu in the capital. As the good feelings have been eroded, confidence has too. Dramatically. Valencia are nothing like last season's version. 

In their return to prominence in 2014-15, Los Che were bullish and aggressive, their approach one that could have been described as all guns blazing. Valencia's thing was to hit their opponents hard and hit them early, grabbing quick leads and riding the consequent waves of momentum created in a raucous Mestalla to the finish line. 

They battered Atletico Madrid that way. They did similar to Real Madrid. Only Barcelona escaped. 

Now, though, they barely get going at all. Or not until they've almost lost, anyway. 

Consistently, Valencia have only been sparked into life once they've gone behind. It was that way against Barcelona and Madrid, but it was also the same against Eibar, Getafe and Rayo. To that, Neville has spoken of the encouragement he takes from his team's spirit and ability to rally, but at Valencia that's not enough. Not even close.

The statistics are damning too. In attack, they have 25 goals in 20 games, and according to WhoScored.com, only Villarreal and Espanyol have taken fewer shots and created fewer chances. In defence, only Sporting Gijon have conceded more. 

Immediate fixes appear scarce.  

For Neville, communication remains problematic, just as it was expected to be, the need for translation blunting the impact of his messages and negating perhaps his most obvious skill.

"Without a shadow of a doubt the biggest challenge has been half-time," said Neville to Sky Sports. "Having to communicate through a translator, it's the most frustrating thing. The team talk, because it is well prepared and planned is fine. But half-time obviously is just frustrating, you want to be able to speak and for people to react."

To address that, Neville is learning the language, but genuine progress will take time. Consequently, the sometimes overlooked aspects of management—building a rapport with players, developing a real connection and understanding—are considerably more complicated than they would be elsewhere despite the respect he's won for his professionalism and rigorous approach to his daily work. 

"I knew what I was getting into but that is the biggest frustration and challenge so far," he added. 

Change is proving difficult, then. His is a group of players short on confidence and engulfed in a volcanic environment. Still wearing the scars of Nuno's final months in charge that were defined by political division, his team lacks presence and identity, Valencia seemingly unsure of who they are and what they're about—as a team and as a club. 

At club level, Neville's appointment at least represents a step away from Mendes, as does the recent appointment of Jesus Garcia Pitarch as sporting director. Improvement in the transfer market will be the next step, but until then, Neville will have to work with what he's got in a league that might just be surprising him for its difficulty. 

At the top, he will have known Madrid and Barcelona are untouchable and that Atletico are serious movers in both Spain and Europe. But La Liga's strength now goes beyond that; the middle class is stronger than it has been for some time. Indeed, Villarreal are excellent; Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao are ferocious; Celta Vigo can play anyone off the park; Deportivo La Coruna and Eibar work furiously hard; Getafe and Rayo can be a handful.

In the table, Neville's Valencia sit below all bar Rayo.

"We have to correct this immediately," said Neville on Sunday, now fully aware of the enormity of his task.

  

Follow @TimDCollins

Alvaro Negredo, take a bow.

With Gary Neville's Valencia on the ropes against Rayo Vallecano, the striker delivered a vital equaliser at the Mestalla Stadium.

Making a challenge on the edge of the centre circle, Negredo won the ball then fired a first-time shot more in hope than expectation.

However, with the goalkeeper off his line, it was nothing but net, and Los Che were right back in the game.

[Streamable]

Valencia boss Gary Neville has revealed he does not plan to pursue management as a long-term career and ruled out the possibility of becoming head coach at Manchester United or England in the future.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports' Geoff Shreeves, he said:

I'm not going to say where I want to end up, and it isn't in management or head coaching, so I want to be clear about that. 

That's not my ultimate goal of where I want to be. From my point of view, I was really enjoying what I was doing, I really was, the multiple things I had on, even though I knew it was coming to a point where I had to make decisions at the end of this season. 

Neville—currently in charge at the Mestalla until the end of the season and also assistant manager with England—has been touted as a future candidate as manager of former club United or the Three Lions, but he is adamant neither post lies in his future, adding:

Having been in the media for four or five years, I've seen people dance around those questions, playing it coy, making it look like they are keeping their options open. 

But I just wanted to nip it in the bud, and just tell it how it is, and how it is going to be. It's just not going to happen. I didn't want to blag my way through the answer.

However, he did clarify after his side's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid on Sunday that he hopes to be at Valencia past the end of the current campaign, per BBC Sport: "I was talking about 15 to 20 years' time when I talked about [quitting] management. I absolutely hope I'm here beyond six months but I need to prove myself."

Having retired from a glittering career with the Red Devils in 2011, the 40-year-old made the move into the media where his insightful analysis made him one of the nation's most popular pundits.

Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez was one of many excited by Neville's decision to take over at Valencia in December:

OFFICIAL: Valencia announce that Gary Neville is Valencia's new coach until the end of the season. So, so exciting.

— . (@xJude22) December 2, 2015

Always a joy to listen to Gary Neville's analysis, one of the smartest people around IMO. About time he got a coaching job at a top club.

— . (@xJude22) December 2, 2015

However, Los Che were seriously struggling before Neville replaced Nuno Espirito Santo, and he has been unable to make an immediate impact in turning around their form, as Squawka Football revealed:

Valencia didn't create a chance from open play in the first-half. Work to do for Gary Neville. #VCF pic.twitter.com/CbFEj0cWfi

— Squawka (@Squawka) December 31, 2015

Gary Neville's record at Valencia in La Liga: 4 games 3 draws 1 loss 0 wins 0 clean sheets Management is tough. pic.twitter.com/QNLZNd6Iog

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) December 31, 2015

Thanks to his incredible experience in winning trophies and leading a team as a captain during his time as a player—along with his impressive and incisive knowledge of the game—Neville has an excellent platform to become an outstanding manager.

However, it's clearly a path he's not looking to choose in the long term, so even if he is able to make his time at Valencia a success, it seems his mind is already firmly made up.

Sky Sports will likely welcome the news, though, as he could end up returning to the screen as a pundit, allowing him to reunite with friend and rival Jamie Carragher, with whom he worked so well on Monday Night Football.

As for Manchester United fans, many will have been hoping for Neville to take over at Old Trafford in the future—possibly alongside current assistant boss Ryan Giggs—so they'll undoubtedly be disappointed to hear of his decision.

The Red Devils have struggled following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013 and barring the appointment of a top coach like Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho, many of the Old Trafford faithful would likely welcome a former playing legend to manage them in the future, but it looks like it won't be Neville.

Gary Neville showed a handy knack with the touch screen during his time on Sky Sports, and it appears he's taken that same skill with him to Valencia.

According to the Daily Mail (via Reuters), the new Mestalla boss has issued every one of his Valencia players with an iPad to help them understand his training methods while he gets to grips with the Spanish language.

But Neville's assistant Miguel Angel Angulo has revealed the former Manchester United player is warming quickly to his new role:

He has given an iPad to each player to help them follow training and different actions during games. He is doing better than I expected. I thought the language barrier would be more of a problem. Gary has already started to speak a little Spanish and he is improving quickly. There is a good understanding with the players asking him or me what is wanted. It won't take long before we can demonstrate the style of football that we want.

Neville is without a win from two games since taking over Valencia at the beginning of December but will fancy his chances of claiming a first victory when his side take on lower-league Barakaldo in the Copa Del Rey on Wednesday.

[h/t the Daily Mail]

Gary Neville used his introductory press conference as the new Valencia manager on Thursday to address the future of his brother, Phil Neville, who is currently on the staff at the Mestalla.

The former Sky Sports pundit also described how he'll juggle his coaching work with England, as well as his plan for adapting to life in Spain.

Neville even found time to swat aside rumours suggesting he's only in charge until Chelsea's Jose Mourinho takes over next summer.

To start with, Neville confirmed his brother and ex-Manchester United team-mate will remain on staff, according to the Telegraph Football Twitter account:

Gary Neville confirms his brother Phil will stay on at Valencia as assistant coach https://t.co/V9dXUfbxdB pic.twitter.com/gRTwFIzTCt

— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) December 3, 2015

The new Valencia boss also stated his brother will continue alongside former club standout Miguel Angel Angulo, per ESPN's Dermot Corrigan:

Gary Neville: "Philip and Angulo will form part of the coaching team, certainly wont be a dictatorial approach.”

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) December 3, 2015

Los Che's new gaffer was quick to downplay any concerns of nepotism or a possible strain created by being his brother's boss. In fact, Neville only sees it as a positive, according to Sky Sports Football Twitter:

"There's no negativity at all," says Gary Neville over his relationship with brother Phil https://t.co/oNF0OdWVj5 pic.twitter.com/oO2IHt4A4q

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 3, 2015

Instead, he insists his brother's expertise will be an asset as the one-time pundit embarks on full-time management for the first time:

Neville on being his bro's boss: “I don't see any problems, if Phil wasn't here, I'd want him here. He’s diligent, hard working, talented"

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) December 3, 2015

Adapting to the new workload will be extra tricky for the man still on the coaching staff for the England national team. Neville stressed how Three Lions chief Roy Hodgson has given his blessing for this appointment:

Neville on two jobs: "When I spoke to Roy, he was incredibly supportive, positive & enthusiastic. He understood the opportunity for myself."

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) December 3, 2015

In terms of the mechanics of handling dual responsibilities, Neville believes the fixtures favour him:

Neville: "England have [just] two friendly games in March, when Valencia dont play, and most players will be off."

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) December 3, 2015

Neville was at pains to stress how club-level management will ultimately remain his primary focus:

Neville: "Everyone understands Valencia will be my priority 99% of time over the next five months. Can make calls to Roy & other coaches."

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) December 3, 2015

The reference to five months is interesting. It's part of a trend in Neville's comments, one suggesting a short-term approach, according to BBC Sport's Andy West:

Gary Neville talking very much as though he fully expects to leave Valencia at the end of the season. Lots of references to 'six months'.

— Andy West (@andywest01) December 3, 2015

West recently wrote for Sport360.com suggesting Mourinho could be a target for Los Che in the summer, due to the power wielded at the Spanish club by his agent, Jorge Mendes.

For his part, Neville suavely deflected talk of Mourinho:

Neville asked about rumour Mourinho will be here next summer. Gary laughs: “President is sat here. I dont appoint the next coach.”

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) December 3, 2015

Showing an already innate understanding of how to evade the tough questions, Neville deftly tossed the issue toward his new boss:

Lay Hoon on Mourinho rumour: “Disrespect of Gary to talk about another coach. But on Monday I answered this question [not Mendes client?]”

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) December 3, 2015

If Neville is merely keeping the seat warm for a more established gaffer, he doesn't want people to know it. Most of his comments were dedicated to the idea he's in it for the long haul:

"Every decision I make will not be a short-term decision." Follow it here: https://t.co/LBxQqsYu0V pic.twitter.com/PL6DVUUOIF

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 3, 2015

However long he's in charge, Neville's job will depend on how quickly he conquers the language barrier. It's something he's already planning for:

Neville: "Spanish is my biggest challenge, I dont speak language, wasnt in plan. I will take lessons every day. Need teacher 6AM every morn"

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) December 3, 2015

Neville underlined his and his family's commitment to getting used to Spanish life:

But Neville also adds his wife and children will move to Valencia in next couple of weeks, emphasises immersing himself in culture. Good.

— Andy West (@andywest01) December 3, 2015

His ability to turn an astute analytical mind in the commentary box into a touchline general who can handle the highs and lows of management will be under the spotlight.

But Neville has already received the support of a former mentor:

Neville: "“I didnt consult with Sir Alex as to whether to take the job, but did speak with him in last few days and he offered support."

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) December 3, 2015

Ultimately, though, Neville knows his fate, and his success will depend on his own faith in his abilities. He stressed he's confident about winning the challenges ahead:

Neville: "But important to say I have confidence in myself, my understanding of the game, and my belief is strong.”

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) December 3, 2015

Confidence is an essential quality for any manager. But as one starting out, making the jump from media to top-flight football no less, Neville will need more than bravado.

The knowledge he displayed as one of the best analysts on TV proved he has a mind for the game. Now Neville must prove he can teach the theory and get his players to apply his knowledge on the pitch. 

Large portions of the UK population were forced to pick their jaws back up off the floor on Wednesday afternoon following Gary Neville’s appointment as Valencia head coach.

The Manchester United legend turned Sky Sports star pundit is a beloved figure due to his exceptional tactical analysis during games, and his one-hour show at the start of the week—a regular precursor to Sky Sports’ flagship Monday Night Football game—changed the landscape of football commentary for the better.

He joined up with Roy Hodgson in 2012 to help coach the English national side and has gained an excellent rapport with the players, leading millions to hope he, somehow, is the answer to the national team’s continued struggles on the world stage.

His decision to take this opportunity in Spain—despite it only being a five-month contract that holds the club over in the wake of Nuno Santo’s recent sacking—has been met with glee.

We often yearn for English coaches to depart the British Isles and take in new experiences, rounding themselves as individuals and professionals as a result, and Neville has done just that.

Valencia is also a superb opportunity; the club boasts a star-studded squad with high-calibre players, and they were not that far removed from playing some of the finest football in La Liga in 2014-15.

But the job is also an extremely tough one, as Los Che have badly underperformed throughout the current campaign. A home loss to Zenit St. Petersburg in September prompted a round of boos for the side as they left the pitch, and chants of “Nuno, leave now!” have been echoing around Mestalla for weeks.

Owner Peter Lim has acted in a timely fashion, sending Nuno packing with the club just five points off Celta Vigo in fourth place, but the task facing Neville remains colossal.

What challenges does he face as he takes his first-ever head coach role, and how can he go about righting the ship quickly?

Defensive Instability

Neville isn’t happy with the state of defending in modern football, as he so brilliantly surmised in 2014, per the Telegraph:

The minimum standards have dropped sharply.

When I was brought through from 1991-94, if a full-back allowed a cross it was a crime. Nowadays it barely seems to register. But I see no road back to the old ways.

It's like the guy who loves Ceefax pining for its return in the face of the internet. It's not coming back.

What he finds at Valencia will displease him; they’ve gone from a near-rock-solid defensive setup to a state of disarray in just half a year.

Injuries and suspensions have played a big part in an ever-changing back line. Antonio Barragan (RB), Javi Fuego (DM) and Joao Cancelo (RB) have all received red cards in league player this season; both Maty Ryan and Jaume Domenech have both been using in trying to fill in for the injured Diego Alves; and no settled partnerships have been established in the wake of Nicolas Otamendi’s exit.

That, in particular, is something Neville is not a fan of. He spoke in the above article about the need for familiarity and continuity, and he is highly likely to pick a back four and run with it wherever possible.

One player will be chosen to partner Shkodran Mustafi, while Cancelo and Jose Gaya—whenever possible—should fill the role of full-backs.

There may also be a rude awakening for Gaya and Cancelo—two inherently attacking full-backs—as they receive defensive attention and coaching from one of the greats in their position.

 

Pick a System

The shield in front of the defensive line, which was so effective last season, has faltered over the last few months, and without Otamendi to smash his way forward and dominate multiple zones, more chances have been created by the opposition.

It’s accepted that Javi Fuego, who had a stunning 2014-15 campaign, has dropped off this time around, and heavy rotation in personnel has contributed to an instability in the middle.

Dani Parejo has been a constant too, but aside from his remarkable game against Celta Vigo, in which he helped Los Che win a true smash-and-grab game, he has underwhelmed a little.

Outside of those two core players, Nuno mish-mashed all sorts of different XIs together over the final two months of his reign. The lack of consistency in the lineups, and resulting lack of forged partnerships on the field, has contributed greatly to the season’s struggles.

Cancelo has played plenty of right-midfield during November in place of Sofiane Feghouli, giving Nuno two right-backs on the right side, and making for a more overtly defensive approach—far removed from the exciting, flying system of 2014-15.

Two of Valencia’s best players last season were the two wingers, Pablo Piatti and Feghouli, but they have made just four and six La Liga starts respectively this season, per WhoScored.com. Piatti suffered an injury early in the season but then went unpicked following recovery, and Feghouli has been used too sparingly, and has also been tried in different areas of the pitch for reasons unknown.

It’s been loosely 4-3-3 in terms of shape for large portions, but the approach has needlessly changed from last season and has been tweaked incessantly. Again, no partnerships or connections have been solidified in this side.

 

Pick A Striker

These problems extend to the striking position, too; the personnel situation up front at Mestalla has been downright confusing, and laughable at times, this season.

Valencia are notably short of goals compared to this time last year. In 2014-15, Los Che had netted 24 times in La Liga and boasted a goal difference of plus-12; as we enter week 14 this season, they’ve scored seven fewer and are five worse off in GD.

No less than five different players have been tried up top, with even Rodrigo De Paul—a player who hasn’t even impressed in his natural wing position—pushed up there on one particularly scary occasion.

Nuno tried Santi Mina there despite his excellence shining through from a wide position for Celta Vigo last year, while Rodrigo’s been given a go too despite consistency issues.

Paco Alcacer has been the most successful of the lot, netting six goals in league play so far, but he has only started seven games, coming on as a substitute in five. Why? He ends up coming on to try and save the day anyway—just like Feghouli does in midfield.

The biggest, most embarrassing story is Alvaro Negredo, though, and his transfer from Manchester City to Valencia will go down in history as one of the stupidest.

He signed on loan with an obligatory purchase clause of approximately €27 million (£19.4 million) if Los Che qualified for the Champions League—they did so, but largely without his help.

Nuno didn’t use him very heavily—he made just 14 league starts, scoring five goals—but was forced to purchase him after the team landed fourth place in the division. It was arguably the most reluctant signing in football history. This season, he was excluded and forced to train alone for a portion, and although he’s back in the squad now, he hasn’t been playing.

Negredo, Alcacer and Rodrigo form a diverse trio of skill sets, with the former offering size, hold-up play and physical attributes, the second providing No. 9 instincts and good finishing, and the latter thrust in the channels with outright speed, but an unrefined end-product.

Neville can pick exactly how his team wish to operate in the final third from an array of options—though he likely already has a plan of exactly how he’ll be doing things in mind.

Follow @stighefootball

Thursday's Sun back page:
Well I NEVer#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/4KgnSK4sgI

— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) December 2, 2015

Gary Neville's shock appointment as Valencia boss dominates the back pages of Thursday's newspapers.

There is an interesting twist in the Sun, though, which claims the Spanish club want to sign Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho in the summer as their long-term boss.

Neville has signed a contract until the end of the season.

Other papers suggest that Neville has moved to Spain to increase his chances of one day getting the England job.

Thursday's Times back page:
Neville takes a Spanish gamble#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/iS31wAsHpG

— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) December 2, 2015

Thursday's Daily Mirror back page:
One El of a Boss #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/0q99gxUnj4

— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) December 2, 2015

Thursday's Guardian Sport:
Neville jumps at Valencia chance#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/rKxP3fOh66

— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) December 2, 2015

Thursday's Metro back page:
Neville steps into hotseat#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/05V6xsoXnX

— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) December 2, 2015

Thursday's Daily Star back page:
Nev's El of a job#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/U4mFiGsVF2

— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) December 2, 2015

Thursday's Independent Sport:
Neville ‘thrilled’ after sealing shock role as Valencia’s coach#tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/Y0nYQUq9nq

— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) December 2, 2015

Thursday's Daily Express back page:
El Nev's England boost#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers pic.twitter.com/ynMMNBPaha

— Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) December 2, 2015

[Twitter: @suttonnick]

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has been appointed as the head coach of Valencia until the end of the season.

The surprising news was confirmed by the club’s official Twitter feed on Wednesday:

OFFICIAL STATEMENT | @GNev2 -> https://t.co/52OIkdke0h #WelcomeGaryNeville pic.twitter.com/pcHV3oUTOA

— Valencia CF (@valenciacf_en) December 2, 2015

After Nuno Santo left the Estadio Mestalla last weekend, Neville’s brother Phil was appointed as assistant to interim head coach Voro, per the Press Association (h/t the Guardian).

However, Los Che have moved quickly to appoint the former England international full-back, who has been working as a pundit on Sky Sports after his retirement from the game.

In a statement on the club’s official website, Neville revealed he was delighted to be given the chance to work with such a prestigious club:

I am absolutely thrilled to be given this opportunity with Valencia.

Valencia are a huge football club of immense standing and I know from my time as a player the passion and dedication of the Valencia fans.

I am really looking forward to working with the club’s talented group of players and am excited about the challenge ahead.

According to Dan Roan of BBC Sport, sibling Phil will remain on the coaching team.

Valencia currently sit ninth in La Liga after a disappointing start to the campaign. According to Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC, Neville’s first game in charge will be against Lyon in the Champions League on Dec. 9, not against Barcelona in this weekend’s La Liga encounter.

During his playing days, Neville was a tremendous defender. While understated in his playing style, his leadership skills, organisation, defensive acumen and unwavering focus made him one of the key components of a United team which dominated the Premier League under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Neville won 20 trophies with his boyhood club, including eight league championships and two Champions League titles. He also represented England 85 times.

Equally as impressive has been his work with Sky Sports, where Neville has excelled as a pundit, offering a refreshing and raw insight into the modern game on the broadcaster's staple football show, Monday Night Football. 

His co-analyst on the programme has been former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, who expressed his disappointment at seeing Neville set off in search of pastures new:

Gutted! This reminds me of when Pegguy Arphexad left for Coventry.
https://t.co/M535r7L2qo

— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) December 2, 2015

Neville has kept his mind sharp outside of the studio by working as a coach in the England national setup alongside manager Roy Hodgson. The Three Lions, on the back of a disappointing World Cup in 2014, qualified for the European Championships next summer with a perfect record of 10 wins from their 10 group games.

According to Sky Sports, Neville will continue as part of Hodgson’s setup despite taking on this position at the Mestalla.

Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez thinks a chance like this for the 40-year-old has been a long time coming:

Always a joy to listen to Gary Neville's analysis, one of the smartest people around IMO. About time he got a coaching job at a top club.

— . (@xJude22) December 2, 2015

Although it may seem a peculiar appointment at first glance, there are ties between Neville and Valencia.

As aforementioned, his brother is already on the coaching staff, but the Los Che owner, Peter Lim, also has a stake in Salford City, which he purchased from the Neville brothers as well as other former United stars Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, per Sky Sports.

Sports reporter Paul Higham summed up the link between Lim and Neville with a humorous take:

Peter Lim - owns valencia, co-owner Salford
Gary Neville - co-owner Salford, now manager of Valencia
Phil Neville - outdone by big bro again

— Paul Higham (@SportsPaulH) December 2, 2015

While Valencia fans may not have been exposed to too much of Neville’s work for Sky in recent years, this is an exciting appointment for them.

The former United defender has proved consistently not only does he have an insatiable appetite for the game, but he’s an inventive thinker and adaptable in his approach to football.

Expect Los Che to play an intense, direct and committed brand of football under Neville. The language barrier may pose some problems, but having a familiar face already in situ in his brother—not to mention a stellar reputation from his playing days—should serve the new boss well as he embarks on his maiden managerial challenge.

Shirts were off, selfies were in full flow and a large contingent of travelling fans in Monaco were euphoric: Celebration time had arrived. 

On the night, Valencia had lost in the principality, but it didn't matter. In the bigger picture, they'd won. 

For Valencia, qualification for the Champions League group stage hadn't just been a goal, it had been an obligation. "Not getting into the Champions League would be a disaster," manager Nuno Espirito Santo had said to Radio Marca almost 12 months earlier, but even as impressive victories over the likes of Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid began to rack up, even as Valencia began to re-emerge as a Spanish power, Nuno's message had always been clear: We can't celebrate until it's done. 

Well, now it was.  

It might have felt that way back in May, when Paco Alcacer had scored the winning goal against Almeria on the final day of season to secure fourth place and a Champions League play-off berth. But this is a club, now out of financial turmoil and backed by the wealth of owner Peter Lim, that demands more than that; there was still one more step to take. And in August against Monaco, they took it, a 2-1 loss at the Stade Louis II being enough to secure a 4-3 aggregate win. 

"Negredo takes Valencia into promised land," proclaimed Marca. The message from the club itself was shorter and sweeter: "Mission accomplished!"

Valencia were back where they belonged. 

Photo Gallery: Valencia players & officials celebrate their #ChampionsLeague qualification in Monaco last night.#VCF pic.twitter.com/MA4EbYgwR5

— AS USA (@English_AS) August 26, 2015

Two days later, Valencia weren't just in any Champions League group, they were in a very winnable Champions League group, drawn with Zenit St Petersburg, Lyon and Gent. Just 20 days after that, Zenit were in town.

This was it: Valencia were ready; the city was ready; Mestalla was ready.

Or at least, that was how it was meant to be.

For the club's biggest night in more than two years, after two years of "sadness, of no success," as Nuno had put it in an AS interview, after spending an entire season since Lim's takeover hellbent on reaching this very moment, just 28,000 turned up at Mestalla—half full for the night.

And Valencia lost. 

Three days later, Nuno's men drew 0-0 at home with newly-promoted Real Betis, which was disappointing in itself. More disappointing was that Betis played the entire second half with 10 men. In the stands, whistles echoed. White handkerchiefs were waived. "Nuno go now," they chanted.

Next up came a 1-0 loss to Espanyol—the same Espanyol that was thrashed 6-0 by Real Madrid and that owns the worst defence in the league. Most recently came a 3-1 loss to Athletic Bilbao, who sat one spot out of the relegation zone. 

Evidently, all isn't well at Mestalla. And the locals are growing restless. 

Such discontent will strike many as alarmist so soon after a terrific 2014-15 season, but this isn't a situation in which tension exists simply because of on-field struggles in the early stages of the new campaign. No, instead, the on-field struggles have become the trigger for the discontent over off-field issues to be voiced. 

Into the second season of Lim's reign, fans don't like the look of how the club is being run. 

In the summer, hopes were high for a blockbuster few months, with Lim's financial wealth expected to see Valencia among Europe's top spenders in the transfer market. And they were, but just not in the way fans had imagined. 

In total, Valencia spent almost £100 million (€135 million) on players in the summer, but most of that accounted for Alvaro Negredo, Rodrigo, Andre Gomes and Joao Cancelo—four players they already had but who had compulsory purchase deals after one-year loan spells.

As for additions, they came in the form of Zakaria Bakkali, Aymen Abdennour, Santi Mina, Mathew Ryan, Aderlan Santos and Danilo (more on him in a minute). As a collection, it was OK, but not at all what was expected. Worse still was that Nicolas Otamendi left. 

Yet, that's only half of the story. 

In July, president Amadeo Salvo departed. So, too, did sporting director Francisco Rufete and scout Roberto Fabian Ayala, both former players. The suspicion was that battle lines had been drawn. In came Lim's advisor Lay Hoon Chan to replace Salvo, which meant the club had completed its transition: The decision-makers were all Lim people—Lim himself, Nuno and Chan.

And one more, they suspected: Jorge Mendes. 

Mendes, the renowned player agent, had helped bring his friend Lim to Valencia, just as he did with Nuno—Mendes' first client, who is still represented by his agency, Gestifute.

On its own, that mightn't be a problem, but to those outside the club, particularly the fans, Mendes looks like a quasi-sporting director with conflicted interests. 

Gomes, Cancelo and Rodrigo were all brought to Mestalla last summer with Mendes' help, with many feeling the fees for the trio were inflated. This summer, the Portuguese agent also helped the club sign Mina, Bakkali and Danilo, the latter arriving via another one-year loan deal with a compulsory €15 million purchase deal, €14 million of which Valencian sports daily Superdeporte (h/t Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC) claims will go straight to Mendes.

But it doesn't end there. 

Mendes hasn't only brought people in; he's taken them away, too. He is, after all, the man who took Otamendi to Manchester City, overseeing the loss of Valencia's outstanding player of last season and personally benefitting from doing so. 

What is he to Valencia, then? Is he the sporting director?

"Certainly not," insisted Chan in October. "Jorge Mendes is just a friend." Decisions on players, she said, were based on their "quality as a footballer and future potential, no other reason." It was a firm stance, but plenty are still sceptical. And it's not hard to see why. 

"If Valencia had a Facebook status," wrote FourFourTwo's Tim Stannard brilliantly, "it would be 'it's really complicated.'"

The thing is, though, that much of this would be tolerated if Valencia were winning. But they're not. Worse, they don't look at all like last season's Valencia.

Last season, Nuno's outfit was one defined by intensity. At the raucous Mestalla, they regularly made blistering starts, overwhelming their opposition with speed, physicality. Urgency. Their method was an all-guns-blazing one, Nuno regularly speaking of his demand that his team attack, attack and attack some more. Never would Valencia just retain the ball for the sake of it.

The most memorable example came when Atletico Madrid came to town. By the 13th minute, Valencia were 3-0 up, Mestalla almost exploding, the most resilient side in all of Europe the previous season blown away in less than a quarter of an hour. Real Madrid got a battering, too. Barcelona only just escaped. 

By season's end, Valencia had 70 goals and 77 points, the sort of numbers they hadn't reached since winning their last league title in 2003-04. 

But now?

Now, seven games into the new league season, they have two wins and only four goals, which is the worst scoring start in the club's history. Currently in ninth, their position isn't yet disastrous, but it soon could be. To date, the fixture list has been gentle, or that's what it was supposed to be: Rayo Vallecano, Deportivo La Coruna, Sporting Gijon, Real Betis, Espanyol, Granada and Athletic Bilbao. Between now and the first week of January, they'll face Madrid, Atletico, Barcelona, Sevilla, Villarreal and Celta Vigo. 

In this form, Valencia will need all the help they can get. But that's the problem; the support right now isn't what it was.

"The Mestalla always helps us," Nuno said recently, as he often has. "Last year, even before the team bus arrived at the stadium, we already had a psychological advantage because of our supporters." Maybe so, but that was last year; this is this year. 

This year, a Mestalla was that was previously bullish beyond belief is now holding up banners to the tune of: "I'll be here, in the good times and the bad." Not exactly a psychological advantage, is it? The fans suddenly have little to cheer about. 

In defence, the loss of Otamendi has been a colossal blow, Valencia dearly missing his crash-and-bang approach that was emblematic of the team's mentality last term. The absence of Diego Alves has also hurt, which, combined with the injury to Ryan, has forced third-choice goalkeeper Jaume Domenech into action. The results have been mixed at best. 

Most troubling, though, is the way Nuno's side seems to have forgotten how to attack, or lost the instinct for it. Negredo and Alcacer can't buy goals, none are coming from the midfield as they did last season, and the whole machine feels predictable and kind of stale. The infectious verve and swagger have gone, or, as one local columnist put it, per Sid Lowe of the Guardian: "They're like my fridge in the summer, when nothing inside it is getting cold: not broken, exactly, but not really working."

The man who's got to make it work is Nuno. 

With pressure mounting around him and the voices of discontent growing louder, the manager has insisted that unity is the way to recover: "If we stay together and united we will emerge from this situation," he said after the loss to Espanyol. 

But even he must see that unity won't lead to winning. Instead, it's only winning that will lead to unity. For Nuno, whether rightly or wrongly, is perceived by sections of the fanbase as a beneficiary of a sort of Lim-Mendes alliance, his position strengthened by the departures of Salvo, Rufete and Ayala and the greater power now in the hands of three men who, in the eye of the public, represent the new Valencia. 

"It's not Nuno's Valencia," the Portuguese told Marca during the summer when asked if he wants to become a household name. "Everyone is part of it." There are large numbers of fans, though, who don't want Nuno to be someone in that everyone, the manager being a lightning rod for the frustration, given that he's the one standing on the touchline. 

So can he hold it all together? Can he unite the "Valencianistas" by winning, rather than winning by uniting them? That's all he can do to placate them; the circumstances exist for tension, for genuine heat, unless success is achieved. 

At Valencia, as recently as August it was "mission complete." If they're not careful, they might soon have to start the whole mission again.

Follow @TimDCollins