Mané (football manager)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | José Manuel Esnal Pardo | ||
| Date of birth | 25 March 1950 | ||
| Place of birth | Balmaseda, Spain | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 1979–1981 | Balmaseda | ||
| 1980–1981 | Basque Country (youth) | ||
| 1981–1982 | Barakaldo | ||
| 1982–1984 | Sestao | ||
| 1984–1985 | Alavés | ||
| 1985–1987 | Figueres | ||
| 1987–1988 | Basque Country (youth) | ||
| 1988–1995 | Lleida | ||
| 1995–1996 | Mallorca | ||
| 1996–1997 | Levante | ||
| 1997–2003 | Alavés | ||
| 2005–2006 | Levante | ||
| 2006–2007 | Athletic Bilbao | ||
| 2008–2009 | Espanyol | ||
José Manuel Esnal Pardo (born 25 March 1950 in Balmaseda, Basque Country), commonly known as Mané, is a Spanish football manager.
His career was mostly associated to Lleida and Alavés, coaching the latter in five La Liga seasons and taking it to the 2001 UEFA Cup Final.
Football career
Early years / Lleida
Mané started coaching in his late 20's, his first job being with his hometown club. Safe for two years with UE Figueres, he worked exclusively in the Basque Country area during this time.
In 1988 Mané returned to Catalonia and joined UE Lleida, taking the club from Segunda División B to La Liga in only four years. In 1993–94, the team's second ever top flight experience, in spite of a 1–0 away win against FC Barcelona and a 2–1 success against Real Madrid at the Camp d´Esports, relegation befell, after only five more wins in the season.
Lleida finished third in Segunda División in the following campaign, but lost in the subsequent promotion playoffs against Sporting de Gijón.
Alavés
After second division spells at RCD Mallorca (only 12 games) and Levante UD, Mané signed with Deportivo Alavés, returning to the team after coaching it in the 1984–85 season in the third division. In his first campaign in his second spell he led them to the league championship, adding a semifinal presence in the Copa del Rey after ousting Real Madrid in the round-of-16 and Deportivo de La Coruña in the quarter-finals.
In 1999–2000, with a team that included Basque Julio Salinas, Mané led Alavés to its best classification ever in the top flight, sixth, with the subsequent qualification to the UEFA Cup – season highlights included winning both matches against Barcelona (2–1, 1–0) and a 2–1 home win against eventual champions Deportivo. In the European campaign, Alavés reached the final after disposing of, amongst others, Inter Milan and fellow Spanish side Rayo Vallecano, meeting Liverpool in the decisive match: despite being 0–2 and 1–3 down, the club embarked on a spirited comeback and took the game to extra time, eventually losing after an own goal by Delfí Geli;[1] at the season's closure, he was voted Spanish Manager of the Year by magazine Don Balón.[2]
In the 2001–02 season Mané led Alavés to its second UEFA Cup qualification, with a seventh-place finish in the league. However, on 27 April 2003, he was sacked following a 0–3 away loss against Valencia CF, being replaced by Jesús Aranguren as the campaign ended in relegation and the team returned to the second division after five years.
Late career
Mané helped another former team, Levante, promote to the top level in 2006, after a one-year absence. In the following season, he returned to his native region after being appointed as Athletic Bilbao as a replacement for sacked Félix Sarriugarte,[3] with the Lions eventually ranking 17th, being the first team above the relegation zone.
Mané's last job was in the 2008–09 campaign, as he was one of three coaches at RCD Espanyol, with the team also eventually avoiding top division relegation.[4]
Honours
- Figueres
- Segunda División B: 1985–86
- Lleida
- Segunda División: 1992–93
- Segunda División B: 1989–90
- Copa Catalunya: Runner-up 1992, 1999
- Alavés
- Segunda División: 1997–98
- UEFA Cup: Runner-up 2000–01
References
- ^ Winter, Henry (3 September 2003). "UEFA Cup Final: Liverpool hit treble top". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "Spain – Footballer of the Year". RSSSF. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "Athletico Bilbao appoint Esnal as new coach". ESPN Soccernet. 29 November 2006. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
- ^ "Pochettino replaces luckless Mané at Espanyol". UEFA.com. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2011.