Remember Pepe Mel? That friendly ex-West Bromwich Albion manager that no-one had heard of when he first arrived.
He was a likeable chap by all accounts. Heck, some Baggies fans even introduced Spanish flags to The Hawthorns to welcome him!
Mel made it part of his remit to visit far off reaches of the Black Country to try to get the hang of the different dialects.
Some folk will tell you his English after a few weeks became better than many of the players’.
Speak to others and he couldn’t ask you the way to the beach, metaphorically of course – a very square-pegged foreigner in a very round domestic hole.
He will not go down in history as a great manager at Albion.
Diego Lugano – a name to bring a shudder to any Baggies fan – headed the first goal of Mel’s reign in a 1-1 home draw against Everton.
Then came Villa Park and Lugano – and the tide swiftly turned.
Six matches and 44 days into his reign and there were signs of trouble: huge headlines that he was about to be sacked.
The board had to choose: side with the players or Mel. And out went his training ground interpreter, technical director Dave McDonough.
His 17 games hauled in just 15 points and three wins: Swansea and Norwich City away.. the latter THE survival clincher. And West Ham at home.
Draws against Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton and Spurs should be lauded.
But Albion’s players just couldn’t take to his tippy-tappy, high tempo, high line approach.
Defeat at Villa after being two goals up in a flash was hard enough, then came Cardiff with James Morrison taking matters – namely Saido Berahino’s face – into his own hands, and Tottenham: 3-0 up and still can’t win. Then a final three game fizzle-out against Arsenal, Sunderland and Stoke.
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