Friday 4 December 2015 10:53, UK
Gary Neville faced the press for the first time as he was unveiled as Valencia's new head coach on Thursday afternoon.
The former Manchester United defender, who has signed a contract with the Spanish club until the end of the season, fielded questions for well over an hour at Valencia's Mestalla Stadium.
With topics ranging from Neville's Spanish lessons to Valencia's playing style in a wide-ranging question and answer session, here's a round-up of what we learned.
Why Valencia?
One of the first questions put to Neville was why he chose Valencia for his first step into management, and he cited the prestige of the club and the timing of the offer as decisive factors.
"I've been offered jobs in football over these last four or five years but the timing has never felt right," he said. "I wanted to give myself time to learn about different things coming out of football. But when I received the call on Sunday evening I thought, what a football club, what an opportunity, what a challenge.
"From my point of view, sitting on television in these last few years talking about coaches, the time has now come for me to stand up. I think this is a wonderful club and I'm precious about what I associate with, but if I had turned down this job I think I could have said goodbye to credibility in football. Because this is an unbelievable club with a huge history. I'm proud to be here."
Neville thinking long-term
Neville may have only signed a short-term contract at the Mestalla, but he insists he won't be making short-term decisions. "I think the only way to approach any football job is to think of it as permanent, even though we know it's only six months," he said. "Every decision I make over these next six months will not be a short-term decision. I can't work that way, I don't believe in it.
"To add to that, my family will move over here permanently," he continued. "My girls will finish school in Manchester in two weeks' time and they'll move over to Valencia with my wife.
"I always wanted foreign players to show commitment not just to the city but to everything and to immerse themselves in the culture. I think it's vitally important I show that level of commitment, even though it is - at this moment in time - a six-month position."
Spanish lessons on the agenda
While Neville is eager to embrace the Spanish way of life, he has already hit a small stumbling block when it comes to learning the language. "Spanish is going to be my biggest challenge," he said. "Obviously I don't speak the language, it was never in the plan. I have to immerse myself. I will take lessons every day - but at the moment I've got a slight problem, that I can't find a teacher to get up at 6 o'clock in the morning!
"So if anybody's out there please come and help," he added with a smile. David Moyes' failure to grasp Spanish was an issue at Real Sociedad, but Neville said he'll be taking inspiration from how his brother has embraced the challenge.
"I want to do what's Philip has done," he said. "I was at the training ground this morning and Philip's Spanish was fantastic in terms of communicating with the players. I have to show that same level of commitment."
Phil set for key role
Phil won't just be there to help with the lingo. Earlier in the press conference, Neville confirmed that his brother - who has been coaching at Valencia since the start of the season - and club legend Miguel Angel Angulo will be his assistants.
Asked about how he envisages his professional relationship with his brother, Neville said: "I don't see any problems. If Phil wasn't here, I would want him here. He's diligent, hard-working and talented and from my point of view I'm delighted he's part of the coaching set-up.
"We don't do niceties, we talk about actions," he added. "My conversations with Phil have been around information and asking for detailed advice about players and so on. There's no negativity at all."
Results over style
Neville fielded numerous questions about how his side will play. He showed appreciation for Valencia's traditional emphasis on wing play, but his comments suggested he will put results first, style second.
"I'm very aware of the traditions of Valencia and how they play," he said. "I played here a few times against some fantastic Valencia wingers. But my responsibility in these next few weeks is to appraise the players as quickly as possible, and to pick the best system and style of play that suits us to win matches straight away. The most important thing is to win matches, irrespective of style."
As for the Sir Alex Ferguson influence, Neville was realistic… "I'm not going to insult Valencia by telling them I'm coming here and playing football like Manchester United," he said. "Every coach wants to play offensive, attacking football and entertaining football, but we've also got to find a way to win."
No job-share concerns
Neville also dismissed suggestions that his England coaching duties will be a distraction from the job at Valencia and reiterated that Roy Hodgson supported the move. "He wholly supportive of the decision, he was behind me 100 per cent," he said. "We have two games in March, in the international break when Valencia don't play.
"I want to complete my job through to the Euros, with the understanding that Valencia will be my priority 95 per cent or 99 per cent of the time. It doesn't stop me having phone conversations with Roy."
Neville hits the right note with the fans
Valencia supporters are well known in Spain for their demanding expectations, and there were mixed reactions to Neville's appointment. But while results on the pitch will ultimately decide how their new coach is received, the fans will surely have appreciated his straight-talking style at his unveiling.
"I understand the fan of the club is the most important person at the club," Neville said. "The rest of us are here to serve and deliver the success. I know the Valencia fans are demanding, and they should be, they are a fantastic football club. It's up to us to meet their demands."
Now, Neville knows it's time for results to do the talking.
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