Paco Jémez celebrates 200 games as Rayo coach in the League

Paco Jémez will meet this Monday his 200th game at the helm of Rayo in the League. Fate wanted the coach to reach this round figure at La Romareda, a special setting for him, since he played there six seasons with Zaragoza (98-04). Paco has become the coach who has directed the Strip the most times in its entire history, ahead of Héctor Núñez (172), Olmedo and Mel (142).

Until this moment, Jémez has sat on the Vallecano bench 162 times in First and 37 in Second, with a balance of 65 wins, 47 draws and 87 losses. Figures spread over six seasons and two stages. The first was between 2012-16 and was, without a doubt, the brightest. Su Rayo finished 2012-13 in eighth position, the best in its history, and broke several records, such as the one with the highest score (53) and the highest number of wins in First (16). In addition, it became the third European team with the most possession and achieved triumphs in places as complicated as Mestalla or San Mamés.

The coach sealed the permanence in three of his four seasons (in two of them, in a rather loose way), something that ended up escaping in that 2015-16. At the end of that course, the paths of Paco and Rayo separated. The coach went through Granada, the Mexican Cruz Azul and Las Palmas. And it would not be until 2018-19 when he returned to Vallecas. He did it after the club dismissed Míchel and with a margin of ten games to work the miracle of permanence. Despite beating Valencia and Real Madrid at home, the franjirrojos ended up going down to Segunda as bottom team and most scored team.

Jémez has continued training Rayo in the silver category, with the intention of obtaining the first promotion to First of his career. However, as he has repeated on more than one occasion, he is facing his most difficult year. His team is the one that loses the least in the category (seven defeats, one less than Cádiz), but the one that ties the most in LaLiga and Europe. Rayo has achieved 20 tables – matching the highest record in its history in the 90-91, with 38 league games – and is four (ahead has five games) to beat the record for Second, harvested by Badajoz – 24 of 42 days— at 99-00.