From Jesús Gil to Bob Petrovic and Turki Al-Sheikh: Coach Eaters

Turki Al Sheikh has just signed the fifth Almería coach so far this season. There is no doubt that the Saudi Sheikh is loose and light trigger. The first thing he did was fire Óscar Fernández to bring Pedro Emanuel. Despite the fact that the Portuguese was doing well, he struck him down to incorporate Guti. José María Gutiérrez did a good job. But he was struck down. His substitute, Mário Silva, had no time to fail. Now another Portuguese arrives, José Gomes, Jesualdo Ferrerira's former assistant in Málaga.

Five coaches in the same season is a record. But it's not the record. This dubious honor is held by Bob Petrovic, owner and president of Atlético Marbella, who in the 1994-95 season had no less than seven coaches! Seven! Dragoslav Sekularak lasted two days. Antonio Montero ‘Nene’, up to the tenth. Miroslav Nesterovic, four days; Tommy Coleman only one; Ramón Blanco was from day 18 to 24 and then from day 30 to 38. Francisco Javier Nevado ‘Javi resisted two games and Delfín Álvarez, an expert coach, only led in three days. Incredible as it may seem, Atlético Marbella finished in 13th place, but dropped the following year with ‘only’ three coaches. Petrovic, a Serb with a Cypriot passport and who lived on a luxurious ship anchored in the port of Marbella, was one of the first foreigners to buy a football club in Spain.. The experience was dire.

The two coaches shredders par excellence are Jesús Gil and Gil, who between 1987 and 2004 (died this year) had 28 and Córdoba, which has carried 35 different tenants on its bench so far in the 21st century.. Between three and four coaches per campaign. Precisely four have been the coaches that this League has had Espanyol (David Gallego, Pablo Machín, Abelardo and Rufete) and so it has been …

Let's go back to Atlético. In the 1993-94 season Jesús Gil had no less than six coaches in a difficult season in which the Atletico team was close to relegation. The Brazilian Jair Pereira, Cacho Heredia, Emilio Cruz, José Luis Romero, Iselín Santos Ovejero and Jorge D’Alessandro. In the next four, Francisco Maturana, D’Alessandro, Alfio Basile and Carlos Aguiar. It is clear that Atlético has found its stability and sports growth when its bench was no longer an electric chair.

Throughout history there have been many clubs and presidents who did not shake the pulse to fire technicians when they considered that the sporting circumstances were negative. But five coaches is amazing. And let's not say six or seven…