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Gary Neville's been handing out iPads to his players but why is his Valencia struggling?

Ten games into his Valencia reign, and the jury is still out on Gary Neville. He has three wins u...



Gary Neville's been handin...
Soccer

Gary Neville's been handing out iPads to his players but why is his Valencia struggling?

Ten games into his Valencia reign, and the jury is still out on Gary Neville.

He has three wins under his belt since taking over, but unfortunately for him, all have come in the Copa del Rey rather than La Liga.

And last time out fans booed the team as they laboured to a 2-2 home draw against relegation-threatened Rayo Vallecano at the weekend.

"The fans began to chant a phrase which more or less translates as 'we're completely bloody sick of this,'" recounted The Guardian's Spanish football expert Sid Lowe on Off The Ball tonight, although he clarified that the chants are not specifically aimed at Neville and are more about the broader problems at a club which reached two Champions League finals at the turn of the Millennium.

As Lowe explained, results have been underwhelming but so have performances so far.

But he did pick out some subtle changes Neville has made, like having the first team and B team train together.

"There's much more of a bridge there, much more of an awareness of a manager who's keeping his eye on the younger players as well," said Lowe.

"Every single player has been given an iPad by Neville with which he can demonstrate tactical ideas and demonstrate the kind of things, he wants them to do in terms of the work. The training sessions are much more intense and there is a sense that they are more professional."

However, given that he is new to Spanish football, communication has been a difficulty even if his press conferences have been impressive in terms of the content.

Lowe also gave his take on Neville's long-term future as a manager at Valencia with plenty of question marks which go beyond the issue of results. 

Listen in full on the Off The Ball Football Show podcast. 

 

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