Madrid bring in Ramos for Schuster
Tuesday 9 December 2008
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Real Madrid CF have appointed former Sevilla FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC manager Juande Ramos as their new coach after parting company with Bernd Schuster in the wake of a run of poor league results in Spain.
Shock replacement
The 54-year-old Ramos has agreed to take charge until the end of the season after Schuster, 48, was fired on the eve of Madrid's UEFA Champions League Group H match against FC Zenit St. Petersburg. "I'd like to thank to the board for entrusting me with the task," said Ramos. "I've come here full of hope; it's a dream for every coach to manage a club like Real Madrid. I was surprised by the speed of all of this. The negotiations have been short but intense. The most important things will be to lift the spirits in the dressing room and to get back on track in the Liga.
'Next six months'
"I'll be here for the next six months and after that we'll see," he added. "If I had started at the beginning of the season it would have been until the end of the season. I am used to working with short contracts as both parties are free to look at things at the end of a certain period. Real Madrid is an institution that is known the world over and one that is always looking to achieve. I've been in football management for 20 years and there is no job higher on the scale than that of Real Madrid. When I was in England I saw Liga matches every weekend and I must have seen six or seven Madrid games; they were always involved in great matches."
Poor run
The 22-times capped former German international midfielder Schuster played for FC Barcelona, Madrid and Club Atlético de Madrid before returning to Spain to coach Xerez CD and later Getafe CF and Los Merengues. He won the title in his first season in charge at the Santiago Bernabéu, having been appointed on 9 July 2007. His departure follows in the wake of Sunday's 4-3 home defeat by Sevilla, a third loss in four Liga games which Madrid fifth in the table. Schuster further undermined his position by claiming it would be "impossible" for his side to beat league leaders FC Barcelona in Saturday's 'clásico'.
'Will to win'
Ramos, twice a UEFA Cup winner with Sevilla, had been without a job since being dismissed by Tottenham on 26 October. Looking ahead to Saturday's trip to Camp Nou, Ramos added: "We'll approach every game with a will to win. Real Madrid have the character and prestige to face any club at any stadium in the world."
To have your say on the situation at Madrid, read Graham Hunter's latest blog from Spain and let us know your opinion by clicking here.
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