OCEANO CHOICE UNPOPULAR
By Pablito Miranda
Oceano Cruz has already become an unpopular choice for Athletic Bilbao fans after being announced their new manager just last week.
The Portuguese man is yet to say a word about his new job with his official unveiling scheduled for next week but fans have immediately dismissed his credentials.
His appointment has come as a huge shock more notably for his almost non-existent experience. Oceano has only worked with minuscule jobs of which nothing has been achieved.
Secondly, Oceano knows very little about Basque players and how to develop them like Bielsa and Valverde have done in the past. A decision which has left many fans angered.
“How does a guy who knows nothing about Basque football get given the job over Valverde who has played, managed and grown within our ambient?” said a fan.
“The guy may well be talented but this is a move that’s destined to go wrong. He is inexperienced and we go and give him a job he may not even understand the importance of.”
Is it possible for guy with such small managerial experience to fully embrace the importance that is being Basque?
Coming from Portugal, Oceano’s football is bound to be rigid and tasteless just as we have seen with Jose Mourinho and Jesualdo Ferreira in their time in La Liga.
Nobody wants to see the quality of football lower and I for one will be curious to see just how Bilbao’s players will react when Oceano begins to pull the wrong strings.
To make matters worse for Bilbao fans, Oceano was once a hero on the other side of Pamplona for Real Sociedad. Just how much support will a former rival get when the going gets tough?
Oceano also cannot speak Spanish fluently, despite playing for Real Sociedad for three seasons.
The more thought you give; the more Oceano’s appointment seems like an abomination and one we send Bilbao fans our deep condolences to.