The view from Spain: Gary Neville should have been sacked much sooner by Valencia

Neville conceded in his parting statement that results have not been good enough - with only 10 wins from 28 matches in charge.

We asked our Spanish office for their expert analysis after Neville's sacking, and chief editor Ignacio Ruiz said it was not before time, with Valencia just six points clear of the drop zone.

“It is something which has been expected for a long time now. In fact, no one here ever imagined that Neville could be named Valencia coach for the following reasons:

i) He didn’t have any experience in La Liga

ii) He didn’t have any link with the club except his brother, Phil, who had been working for Valencia for a very short time.

iii) He didn’t speak the language

“People in Spain and mainly Valencia think that this decision has been taken too late and Valencia fans now fear the situation in La Liga because the possibility of being relegated is real and there are only eight games to go.

“But Valencia is a completely different club since Peter Lim bought it. There is no clear sporting strategy and both the decision to appoint Neville and the dire situation of the club in La Liga are the consequences of this mess.”