11 games into the season and Real Zaragoza fired their coach, Luis Milla. His final game was today’s goalless draw against Valladolid, which left Zaragoza 15th in the table with 13 points. But that also means the team will soon hire the seventh manager in five years. Since October 2011, Javier Aguirre, Manolo Jiménez, Paco Herrera, Víctor Muñoz, Ranko Popović, Lluis Carreras and Luis Milla have acted as helmsmen for the Aragonese club. There’s a reason I named this blog this way, you know. 

I’ve got a short comment to make towards Milla,  but before that there are some questions I would like the directors of Real Zaragoza to answer (preferably in print in the comments section for future reference).

1. Why was Milla fired? Was it pure statistics? Or was it also due to the (lack of proper) play the team has been exhibiting the last month? If it’s the former – I’ll give you its been far from an ideal start –  was it something you had decided beforehand? I very much doubt it. And if the latter, why didn’t you wait until Cani returns? Zaragoza started doing badly when he was injured, mind. Or did you fold due to pressure from the fans, or to please or appease them? In that case, you’re not fit to run the club. At least to the best of my knowledge, the players wanted Milla and he had their confidence. I know you might not want to publicly give the reason,  but come on – no one reads this blog anyway. 

2. How well do you plan your acquisitions – on the bench and on the field – if you feel the need to reverse your decision after only a quarter of the season? Obviously, at any point the best future for Zaragoza starts with them winning their next game, but focussing on only the next game and not looking further ahead just isn’t a good long-term strategy, no matter what any football manager’s press conference transcripts would suggest. Although Milla didn’t get everything he wanted this summer, he’s the one who has laid the foundations (in the pre-season) for this season’s promotion bid, and therefore the one who should be allowed to finish it, barring a true catastrophe. Who is going to come in and “salvage” this season, and do a better job than Milla would? With the given track record, I’m seriously doubting that you are able to identify such a person. And who is available at this point that wasn’t available when you hired Milla? If the answer is “We don’t know yet”, then get out.

3. Multiple choice question!  In how many days was Rome built? (I know this is difficult but just go with what feels right) 

• One
• (You’ve ready selected the previous option so no need to give more alternatives) 

3. Are you aware that the Zaragoza job is becoming less attractive by the minute as possible managers realise they’re only going to get four to six months to somehow get a duct-taped team promoted? If I were a competent manager,  I certainly wouldn’t risk my reputation in a suicide mission such as this. The club’s pull as a ‘grande’ (quotation marks around that term growing as we speak) is shrinking with every sacking as we aimlessly drift around the Segunda. What reason can you possibly offer a manager able to achieve your goals, and how are you going to convince them that they will get enough time? If this was an assignment in Mission: Impossible,  even Tom Cruise would say no.

4. Who are you going to hire? You do realise you’ve got to hire someone now, right? Unveiling a new manager mid-season is a delicate question, I know; reveal too fast and you look like you’ve gone behind the manager’s back, while waiting too long tells us you’ve no clue what you’re doing. Well, which one is it? 

5. Could you hire me please? I’m cheaper than most and I would actually like the job. That puts me two up against most of your candidates. Also I can speak Spanish and give the press a bunch of platitudes about liking the challenge and that.
Oh, and before I forget, there’s this thing with Milla:

Ciao Míster. You’re only here until the next one arrives.