The job of a football manager is insecure beyond belief at times. The football industry’s cut-throat nature and obsession with short-termism means the final straw comes much sooner than perhaps it should.
You may be championed, hailed from the rooftops and earn yourself a new three-year contract after a season or two of over-achieving, but once your luck runs out you are disposed of quicker than soiled underwear.
When Pepe Mel woke up on Tuesday morning, he probably felt a sigh of relief course through his body, but then the realisation that he had been sacked by Real Betis despite doing an excellent job would have set in.
More often than not, a leadership decision taken by a club’s board will reflect the attitudes of the fan base, but no such thing can be said in the case of Mel. The simple matter of fact is that Betis have come out of this debacle looking far worse than their now former Coach.
Since being appointed in charge of the Seville-based club in 2010, Mel guided them to promotion from the Segunda in his first season at the helm before consolidating their place in La Liga the next year with a respectable 13th place finish.
Last term proved to be beyond the wildest dreams of many Beticos as Mel saw them finish in seventh, thus earning a place in this season’s Europa League and – perhaps most importantly of all – ending the campaign higher than bitter rivals Sevilla.
Admittedly Sevilla trounced them 5-1 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan during that campaign, but Betis had the last laugh with their superior position. They had finally returned to what many believed to be their rightful level.
However, as they sit rock-bottom of the League with only two wins and 10 points from 15 matches, Mel was turfed out, much to the displeasure of Betis supporters who protested the decision on Monday night.
The reasoning of many has been that Mel could do little else with what sporting director Vlada Stosic has given him to work with. Thirteen new players arrived in the summer, but very few have impressed even slightly.
With player recruitment a responsibility of Stosic, it is hardly difficult to understand why Betis fans feel it is he who should have seen his contract terminated. After all, there can be no doubting Mel’s abilities following the last three seasons.
The Coach Betis have chosen to succeed Mel is Juan Carlos Garrido, a man whose last job in Spanish football saw him get Villarreal into the Champions League before helping to get that gifted squad relegated the next season.
Betis seem to believe that a simple change on the bench will sort out their issues, which in itself highlights how poorly run-a-club they really are.
Mel was not the problem. The bigwigs upstairs are.
