“Valencia have been in a state of flux since the weekend, with their next coach uncertain”.
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The Singaporean businessman has ties to the Neville brothers through Salford City, which he owns a 50 per cent stake in with the rest split between Gary, Phil, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes. I have to immerse myself.
He will take charge of the club in the Champions League encounter against Lyon on Wednesday.
“When I spoke to Roy, he was incredibly supportive and positive”. This may explain why Gary has got involved at this stage of the season. There is no magic formula for appointing a coach.
The decision to take the plunge into the world of club management will see his wife Emma and two girls Molly and Sophie join him in Spain, a decision which surely raises the prospect of Neville remaining in La Liga beyond the summer.
“Valencia have reached an agreement with English coach Gary Neville for him to be coach of the first team until June 30 2016”, the club said. Every decision I make over the next six months will not be a short-term decision.
“I will expect players to assist – at Old Trafford players were excellent in enabling new people to settle in”. I won’t shy away from the direct approach I had on television.
The club finished fourth last season, but have won only five of their 13 league matches this term.
Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has put his weight behind Gary Neille to succeed as a manager.
“I would question it as a neutral observer”, he said.
Neville also wanted to send a message to the potential of the team, “I’m looking forward to working with them, I know it’s a group of very talented players”.
“I’d be stupid not to accept that”. That would be ignorant. “But I have confidence in myself, my understanding of the game, and my belief is strong”. “But when I received the call on Sunday evening, I thought, ‘What a football club, what an opportunity, what a challenge.’ Sitting on television talking about coaches for the last few years, the time has come for me to stand up”. He was a player with great character and was a smart footballer.
“We have big games coming up and at the moment the most important thing is to win games regardless of style”.
“I’m very aware of the traditions at Valencia – I came up against some fantastic wingers in my time as a player”, he said.
Though not always the most popular of figures during his playing days – unless you were a Manchester United fan, of course – Neville has emerged as a popular pundit in the years since.
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“I hope that Gary is able to recuperate the harmony between the fans and the club, and that they can improve a lot”.
