No one questions his quality. He was won titles just about everywhere he has coached. He converted a perennial underachiever into the strongest team on the continent, and in so doing gave the club and its fans an unparallelled era of success. The 5 trophies Victor Vucetich won while at the helm at Monterrey more than doubled the teams' trophy collection.
They named a street after him in Monterrey.
But even one of the best coaches in Mexico's history is not immune to the consequences of a slow start in Liga MX. Monterrey's brass put an end to the Victor Manuel Vucetich era in Monterrey yesterday. A classic case of what have you done for me lately.
Vucetich could have asked the same of his front office. They allowed Aldo de Nigris to slip away to Chivas. His replacement, Colombian import Dorlan Pabon, played just a handful of games with his new club was snatched away by Valencia, who magically found the cash to pay his buy-out, and youth product, Jesus Corona, was sold off to Twente in Holland. Even King Midas would have a hard time overcoming that.
His record in finals, doube digits in wins to only one loss, earned him the name King Midas. So, it is pretty safe to say that Vucetich will have plenty of options (cough, cough, Pumas) when he decides to return. How many Chivas fans wish this had happened last week? Let's face it, as fast as coaches get hired and fired in Liga MX, there will be about a dozen teams with coaching vacancies over the next few months.
Whatever the reasons the Pandilla's front office gave for letting Vucetich go, one thing is absolutely certain. Vuce had earned the right and he should have been given the opportunity to steer the team back on course. It is true that Monterrey only had 6 points from 21, but they were just 1 win from the playoff zone. Not to mention the fact that the club had a date to play the Club World Cup in December.
So back to the pile with you, Monterrey. We certainly hope you enjoyed your 4 years on top of the heap. The guy you just fired will be fine; he will go somewhere else and be a success like he always has been.
The question will be, then, will you slip back into your underachieving habits?
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