"Talk is cheap" is statement that best describes the situation Gary Neville finds himself in Valencia at present. No one will dispute the achievements of Neville as a player in North East England (Manchester United).
Neville at the time of his retirement was United's second longest serving player, behind long-term team-mate Ryan Giggs. That did not stop there as Neville won a total of 20 trophies, including eight Premier League titles and two Champions League titles in addition to been the first-choice right-back for England for more than ten years; playing at three European Championships and two World Cups.
Neville at the time of his retirement was United's second longest serving player, behind long-term team-mate Ryan Giggs. That did not stop there as Neville won a total of 20 trophies, including eight Premier League titles and two Champions League titles in addition to been the first-choice right-back for England for more than ten years; playing at three European Championships and two World Cups.
The reality on ground is that Neville had criticised so many managers and players during his time as a pundit. One of the most famous is his criticism of then Chelsea and Brazilian Centre-back David Luiz, who he likened to a player who played like one controlled by a ten year-old boy playing a Play Station. This was just one of many of his criticisms with the likes of Jose Mourinho, Louis Van Gaal and Brendan Rodgers bearing the brunt of his public criticism bothering on tactics, management and strategy.
Based on the above fact, one would have expected him to hit the ground running upon his appointment as the new manager of Valencia on 2 December 2015 by majority shareholder Peter Lim. Subsequently Neville has managed just two draws against a newly promoted team while losing high profile matches against the likes of Lyon at home in the Champions League which eliminated Valencia from the competition and also the derby against Villareal, with his only win coming in the Copa del Rey against third-tier Barakaldo. These are matches Neville needed to win to restore confidence and calm the fans but that wasn't the case.
It is difficult to decipher the pundit Neville and Neville Manager as he has failed to instil those methods and qualities he constantly criticised other managers for failing to do. While it is still too early to judge, it is also easy to remember that even during the poor form of Valencia (a match before Neville took over) under a caretaker manager the team played a tactical and entertaining 1-1 draw with almighty Barcelona who sit top of La Liga.
The bottom line is that Gary Neville has truly learnt that management at the very top level is more demanding than he ever thought .
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