José Manuel Esnal

Mané
Personal information
Full name José Manuel Esnal Pardo
Date of birth March 25, 1950 (1950-03-25) (age 61)
Place of birth Balmaseda, Spain
Teams managed
Years Team
1979–1981 Balmaseda
1980–1981 Basque Country (youth)
1981–1982 Barakaldo
1982–1984 Sestao
1984–1985 Alavés
1985–1987 Figueres
1987–1988 Basque Country (youth)
1988–1995 Lleida
1995–1996 Mallorca
1996–1997 Levante
1997–2003 Alavés
2005–2006 Levante
2006–2007 Athletic Bilbao
2008–2009 Espanyol

José Manuel Esnal Pardo (born 25 March 1950 in Balmaseda, Basque Country), aka Mané, is a Spanish football manager.

His career was mostly associated to Lleida and Alavés, coaching the latter in five La Liga seasons and taking it to the 2001 UEFA Cup Final.

Contents

Football career

Early years / Lleida

Mané started coaching in his late 20's, his first job being with his hometown club. Safe for two years with UE Figueres, he worked exclusively in the Basque Country area during this time.

In 1988, he returned to Catalonia and joined UE Lleida, taking the club from Segunda División B to La Liga in only four years. In 1993–94, the team's second ever top flight experience, in spite of a 1–0 away win against FC Barcelona and a 2–1 success against Real Madrid at the Camp d´Esports, relegation befell, after only five more wins in the season.

Lleida finished third in Segunda División in the following season, but lost in the subsequent promotion playoffs against Sporting de Gijón.

Alavés

After second division spells at RCD Mallorca (only 12 games) and Levante UD, Mané signed with Deportivo Alavés, returning to the team after coaching it in 1984–85, in the third division. In his first season in his second spell, he led them to the league championship, adding a semifinal presence in the Copa del Rey, after ousting Real Madrid in the round of 16 and Deportivo de La Coruña in the quarter-finals.

In 1999–2000, with a team that included Basque Julio Salinas, Mané led Alavés to its best classification ever in the top flight, sixth, with the subsequent UEFA Cup qualification. Season highlights included winning both matches against Barcelona (2–1, 1–0) and a 2–1 home win against eventual champions Deportivo. In the European campaign, Alavés reached the final, after disposing of, amongst others, F.C. Internazionale Milano and fellow Spanish side Rayo Vallecano, meeting Liverpool in the decisive match: despite being 0–2 and 1–3 down, Alavés embarked on a spirited comeback and took the game to extra time, eventually losing after an own goal by Delfí Geli;[1] at the season's closure, he was voted Spanish Manager of the Year by magazine Don Balón.[2]

In the 2001–02 season, Mané led Alavés to its second UEFA Cup qualification, with a seventh-place finish in the league. However, on 27 April 2003, he was sacked following a 0–3 away loss against Valencia CF, being replaced by Jesús Aranguren as the campaign ended in relegation, and the team returned to the second division after five years.

Late career

Mané helped another former team, Levante, promote to the top level in 2006, after a one-year absence. In the following season, he returned to his native region after being appointed as Athletic Bilbao as a replacement for sacked Félix Sarriugarte,[3] with the Lions eventually ranking 17th, being the first team above the relegation zone.

Mané's last job was in the 2008–09 season, as he was one of three coaches at RCD Espanyol, with the team also eventually avoiding top division relegation.[4]

Honours

References

External links