Keep It Simple, Stupid: Hire The Right Coach And Give Him Enough Time

After nine rounds of games in the Mexican Primera's Apertura tournament, one third of teams have a different manager than the one who started the season.

Six managers have been fired or forced out since the opening day of July 22nd, but the statistic says more about the way clubs are run than the quality of coaching in Mexico.

The constant hiring and firing of coaches reveals an inherent failure in the selection process as well as a lack of structure, authority, and patience within clubs.

Club América, one of Mexico's "big two," freely throws money around to buy players, as the ten million dollars for Christian Benítez this summer showed. At the same time, though, the club fails to keep faith with the coaches who sign the talent, leading to confusion amongst the playing staff. The latest victim on the América bench was Carlos Reinoso, who was out as manager following last week's loss to Jaguares.

Said Argentine striker Matías Vuoso recently: "It could be that we (the team) are not understanding each other well. We are a team that doesn't know how to play (with each other). I'm not blaming anyone because it is our fault."

Since Vuoso signed with América just over one year ago in July 2010 he has played under three different coaches, hardly an ideal situation.

The players at América brought in by different coaches have failed to gel. In short, there has been no guiding vision of where the club is going playing-wise. These problems are brought on by haphazard spending by a mish-mash of recent coaches, who all brought their own individual ideas to the table.

A manager needs time to get established and build a team. Clubs also have to improve the management selection process and get someone who fits the club's vision.

José Luis "Chelis" Sánchez seemed the perfect fit for Estudiantes Tecos when he joined in November 2010. Previously successful with Puebla, another one of Mexico's lesser known teams, Chelis took over a team at Tecos looking over its shoulder at the relegation table.

At the end of his first tournament in charge, Tecos finished third from bottom of the general table. Team ownership liked enough of what they saw, though, to remain confident in Chelis. He stayed on as manager and was charged with overseeing the influx of eleven new players over the summer, in a bid to move away from the relegation zone.

Four games into this season, he was sacked.

Again, if directors have the confidence to hire a manager and let him spend their money, they must give him sufficient time to mold the team.

A few statistics:

-Liverpool (5 European Cups, 18 English titles) has had 20 managers in 126 years. The record number of coaches fired in a five-month season in Mexico is 10 (Apertura 2005)

-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, known in England for his ruthlessness in firing managers, has only had seven in his eight years at the club.

-So far this season, Santos, Atlas, América, Querétaro, Estudiantes Tecos, and Club Tijuana have ousted their managers.