On This Day – 28th June
Chris Coleman became manager of Real Sociedad on this day back in 2007 after being recommended by fellow Welshman John Toshack.
Toshack himself had managed Sociedad on three separate occasions and was on very good terms with the directors of the club. They took a bit of a gamble with Chris Coleman as he had never managed in Spain before, although neither had Toshack when he took the reigns back in 1985!
As a player, Coleman was a central defender but his career was ended after getting badly injured in a car crash in 2001.
Over the course of his career, he played for Swansea City, Crystal Palace, Blackbrn Rovers and Fulham. He made 576 career appearances in all and won 32 caps for Wales between 1992 and 2002.
Coleman took over from Jean Tigana as Fulham’s manager in April 2003 and succeeded in keeping the club in the Premier League for four successive seasons. He was sacked at the end of the 2006/07 season after Fulham went seven matches without a win and perilously close to the relegation zone.
Real Sociedad came calling and he joined the club on 28th June 2007. The club had just been relegated from La Liga for the first time in forty years.
He would only last a few months in Spain, resigning from the role in January 2008 with the club in fifth place in the Segunda Divsion.
After spells as manager at Coventry City and AEL in Greece, the Welsh national team manager’s role was offered to Coleman after the tragic passing of Gary Speed.
Coleman took the job and excelled in the role, guiding Wales to their first major tournament in nearly sixty years when they qualified for the European Championship in 2016. Wales exceeded all expectations and reached the semi-final where they lost 3-0 to eventual winners Portugal.
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