Mel’s thousand lives

Jose Mel Perez (Madrid, 58 years old) counts 950 days on the bench of the UD Las Palmas and tomorrow against Almería he will count his official match 111. Two years, seven months and five days in office, with a record of 37 victories, 36 draws and 36 defeats, which place him in seventh place in the ranking of the club’s historical trainers Gran Canaria. With the 110 duels, he already threatens the record of Saturnino Grech (113) and has on the horizon the Spanish-Croatian Sergio Kresic (120 in two trips). After adding two consecutive victories against Ponferradina and Cartagena, they put UD back in playoff spots 638 days later. A victory tomorrow in the leader’s fortress, could leave the Gran Canaria in fourth place, the best position of the entire ‘Mel cycle’ -which began on March 3, 2019-.

Since novelist Mel took office, a total of 40 coaches have been fired in the silver category. Four other trainers did not renew at the end of the season because they did not meet expectations. 44 architects who mark the thousand lives of Mel.

In the final stretch of 2018-19 -March, April, May and June-, five strategists were fired: López Muñiz (Málaga), Natxo González (Deportivo), Anquela (Oviedo), José Luis Oltra (Tenerife) and Alberto Monteagudo (Lugo).

In 2019-20, 19 coaches went through the guillotine, while Rubén Baraja (Tenerife), Djukic (Sporting), Fernando Vázquez (Deportivo) and Oltra (Racing) did not extend their contractual relationship beyond June.

Therefore, they were devoured by the results: Unzué and Moreno (Girona), Pedro Manuel and Guti (Almería), Mere (Fuenlabrada), López Garai and Sesé Rivero (Tenerife), José Alberto (Sporting de Gijón), Víctor Sánchez del Amo (Málaga), Egea and Javi Rozada (Oviedo), Eloy Jiménez and Curro Torres (CD Lugo), Ramis (Albacete), Anquela and Luis César (Deportivo) and Iván Ania y Cristóbal (Racing de Santander).

And in 2020-21, fifteen strategists who were blown up. José Luis Martí (Leganés), José Manuel Gomes (Almería), Sandoval (Fuenlabrada), Fran Fernández (Tenerife), Baraja and Iván Martínez (Zaragoza), Lucas Alcaraz, López Garai and Menéndez (Albacete), Mere (Fuenlabrada), Juanfran , Nafti and Luis César (CD Lugo) and Óscar Cano y Garrido (Castellón).

The new context of crisis in football causes that after the first eight days of competition in the Second Division, only the dismissal of Anquela (Alcorcón) appears. He was relieved by Jorge Romero. For their part, in Primera, Levante and Getafe have already changed coaches -Javier Pereira for Paco López in the granota team and Quique Sánchez Flores for Míchel in the azulón team-.

Another curious fact about Mel’s stay in Gran Canaria and its 950 days are the turns and moves that other strategists such as the aforementioned Juan Antonio Anquela have carried out. El Jaén, in the novelist’s journey at UD, has directed Oviedo, Deportivo and the potter block. For his part, José Luis Oltra took the reins of CD Tenerife, Racing and from February to Fuenlabrada CF. Another active face since March 2019, is Luis César Sampedro, head of Tenerife, Dépor and Lugo.

Miguel Ángel Ramírez’s patience with Mel is unprecedented in the 16 years of the yellow president. It is your great supporter. In the last 950 days, Lugo resorted to ten coaches to escape the abyss, for the seven from ‘Tete’ or the six from Almería.

Installed in the Roque Nublo ecosystem, Mel is part of the shield, and he triggered the heritage with his commitment to Pedri (he will leave 17 million) or Moleiro. In his chapter 111, he challenges Sadiq and the Almería leader in their diabolical bunker.