Career of a Manager: Fulgencio Paquito Robledo

[TottenhamTilIDie]

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Hello folks! This is going to be a full length manager career, from his first gig to his retirement. It will have some updates written as news stories, others written as diary entries, and still others with just my own commentary on how things are going. I'd like to think that this will give some variety and, therefore, keep things interesting. The next update will be a biography of our protagonist, Fulgencio, and then we will get right to it.

Cheers!

 

[TottenhamTilIDie]

Biography of Fulgencio Paquito Robledo

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Fulgencio Paquito Robledo is a Spanish football manager and former international midfielder who enjoyed most of his playing career at the Spanish first division side, Osasuna. Born in Pamplona, Spain to a Spanish father and a French mother, Robledo spent much of his life travelling between the two countries. When he was sixteen, he was signed to a youth contract with his home club Osasuna and, by 22, he had found himself a regular place in the first team as a central midfielder. In 1998, after 9 years of football with Osasuna, Paquito was sold on transfer to the French side, Stade de Reims, where he would occupy a starting role for the first three years, before being gradually shifted to a more leadership role among the players, but not often being asked to take part of the starting XI.

While at Reims, Paquito was approached by his manager and asked if he would be interested in coaching upon his retirement. Although he was interested, Paquito chose to continue playing and, in 2001, requested a transfer to a team that he could play first team football for once again. At the tender age of 34, he was in the twilight of his playing career but was still a useful, technically gifted player. The MLS, he believed, was a league where he could still be assured of a position in the starting XI and so he was sold to New York Red Bulls in 2001. He would play MLS soccer to great success for the next six years, retiring at the age of 40.

As promised, Paquito returned to Europe as a coach. His first job was working with Stade de Reims' reserve team as a coach; in 2010, he would be offered the job of assistant manager at Reims, which he accepted. In 2012, he left the position at Reims in order to pursue a career in management. A manager's job has been harder to come by than Paquito anticipated and he has been without a job these past years. However, it is widely expected that he will accept a position in the coming months and finally get to prove himself as a football manager.

Paquito brings with him a wealth of experience, including 17 caps for the Spanish national side (and six goals), and a career which spanned nearly two decades, a combined total of 503 appearances and 232 goals. His coaching career has been relatively successful and those who have observed his coaching method say that he shows a lot of promise and gets on very well with his players. Where will he end up? What will he accomplish? Can he become one of football's greatest ever managers, or will he join the ever-growing list of former players who fail completely in the manager's seat? All will be revealed soon enough.

 

[TottenhamTilIDie]

Premier League News

New Baggies Manager Announced

Last updated: July 23, 2014

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Former Stade Rennais coach and Spanish international, Fulgencio Paquito, will take charge of the struggling Baggies.

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West Bromwich Albion have announced the name of their newest manager and it's none other than the untested Fulgencio Paquito, of Osasuna and Spanish national team fame.

Jeremy Peace, Chairman of West Bromwich Albion has announced the name of the club's new manager, and it has caught some by surprise. Former Spanish international midfielder, Fulgencio Paquito who enjoyed a playing career with Osasuna, Stade Reims, and New York Red Bulls before returning to his former Ligue 1 club as a coach has been out of football for over a year. His first job as a full manager is with the struggling Premier League side, West Brom. The Baggies faithful have some mixed feelings, recognizing that Paquito has significant potential and some pedigree to his name, but his lack of experience represents a serious cause for concern, especially for a club who are never fully sure if they'll be staying in the Premier League or not.

The Spaniard, speaking through an interpreter, said to the press that he was "extremely delighted" at the opportunity to lead West Brom and believes that the club "are currently performing below reasonable expectations." With some key positions filled by relatively strong players, Paquito doesn't believe that he will have to do too much in order to bring new players in. That will only be the case, however, if he can keep the midfielder Claudio Yacob who is widely recognized as the club's best player. Likewise, French striker Nicolas Anelka will need to be controlled well and used effectively if West Brom are to stay up.

Paquito will take control of his first training session on Tuesday, after observing the current coaching staff's work on Monday. It is believed that Chairman Peace has given Paquito complete control of his backroom staff, meaning that there could be some major overhauls in the coming weeks. He told the press that he would undertake a complete evaluation of the staff and "get rid of anyone I consider to be dead wood."

Ambitious, Paquito has also said that he "hopes to turn this club's fortunes around. We have had some fairly disappointing results in recent years and I look forward to being able to turn the tide and begin to develop a programme here that is capable of challenging for the top half of the Premier League in the next five years."

 

[TottenhamTilIDie]

Premier League News

West Brom Make Vydra Loan Permanent

Last updated: August 8, 2013

Czech wonderkid striker, Matej Vydra, has signed a contract with West Brom Albion which makes his loan move from Udinese permanent.


West Bromwich Albion have announced that they have made the loan deal for Matej Vydra, a Czech wonderkid, permanent.

Rookie manager, Fulgencio Paquito, didn't waste much time, making his first transfer deal of the season, Matej Vydra. The Czech striker, who has been on loan at the Hawthornes for a few months, impressed his manager during some of the early preseason matches enough that the Spaniard felt he had to make a move to sign the wonderkid to a permanent contract.

Vydra cost the Baggies a lowly 1.9 million pounds, a steal for such a quality player, and his contract is reported as being for 16 thousand pounds a week until 2016. Paquito said in a statement that he was "extremely excited to be able to sign such a well-known and respected young player who promises great things and will provide our club with a top-class frontman for years to come."

In other transfer news, Paquito has brought in former Spurs winger, David Bentley, on a two-week trial. He is expected to start the club's three friendlies in that period of time and a contract may be offered to him if Paquito believes his performance has been good enough. The Baggies also declined a transfer offer from FC Porto of Portugal for Claudio Yacob worth just over 8 million pounds. Jeremy Peace said that the club "would only sell Claudio if the price was significantly higher."