José "Pepe" Mel Pérez (born 28 February 1963) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker, currently manager of Tenerife.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | José Mel Pérez[1] | ||
Date of birth | [1] | 28 February 1963||
Place of birth | Madrid, Spain[1] | ||
Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Tenerife (manager) | ||
Youth career | |||
1974–1982 | Real Madrid | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1982–1983 | Real Madrid C | ||
1983–1987 | Real Madrid B | 72 | (15) |
1983–1984 | → Alcalá (loan) | 52 | (35) |
1987 | Osasuna | 0 | (0) |
1987–1989 | Castellón | 62 | (27) |
1989–1993 | Betis | 112 | (50) |
1993–1995 | Granada | 63 | (31) |
1995–1996 | Benidorm | 31 | (15) |
1996–1997 | Getafe | 37 | (17) |
1997 | Écija | 10 | (2) |
1998 | Angers | 16 | (3) |
Total | 455 | (195) | |
Managerial career | |||
1999–2000 | Coslada | ||
2000 | Mérida | ||
2000–2001 | Murcia | ||
2001–2002 | Tenerife | ||
2003 | Getafe | ||
2003–2004 | Alavés | ||
2004–2005 | Poli Ejido | ||
2006–2010 | Rayo Vallecano | ||
2010–2013 | Betis | ||
2014 | West Bromwich Albion | ||
2014–2016 | Betis | ||
2017 | Deportivo La Coruña | ||
2019–2022 | Las Palmas | ||
2022–2023 | Málaga | ||
2023–2024 | OFI | ||
2024 | Almería | ||
2024– | Tenerife | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
He amassed Segunda División totals of 215 matches and 78 goals over eight seasons, for Real Madrid Castilla, Castellón and Betis. He also played in La Liga with the last of those clubs.
Mel took up coaching in 1999, going on to be in charge of several teams, mainly Rayo Vallecano and Betis, leading the latter to the second-tier championship in 2011 and 2015. He also worked in England with West Bromwich Albion and Greece with OFI, being dismissed five times throughout his career.[2]
Playing career
editCastellón and Betis
editBorn in Madrid, Mel started his career with Real Madrid, joining the club's youth system in 1974 at the age of 11 and playing alongside the likes of Emilio Butragueño and Míchel, although he never represented the first team, only competing at senior level with the reserves.[3][4] In late 1987, after a very brief spell with Osasuna, he moved to Segunda División with Castellón where he played two years, helping the Valencian Community side to return to La Liga in his second season after an absence of seven years.[5][6]
Mel enjoyed his best years at Real Betis, signing with the Andalusia team in 1989 and helping them to achieve promotion in his debut campaign whilst winning the Pichichi Trophy with 22 goals, one better than in the previous season at Castellón.[7][8] He scored 14 times the following year, but suffered immediate relegation; his debut in the competition was on 2 September 1990, and he found the net in a 2–2 home draw against Sporting de Gijón.[9]
Later career
editMel played his remaining years in the Segunda División B and also in France, with Granada – two years – Benidorm and Getafe, splitting his final season between Écija and Angers. He retired at the age of 35, with a Spanish second division tally of 215 games and 78 goals.[10][11]
Coaching career
editEarly years and Rayo
editMel started coaching one year after retiring, his first club being amateurs Coslada in the Community of Madrid. In 2001, after one year at Real Murcia in division two, he replaced Valencia-bound Rafael Benítez at the helm of Tenerife, having his first spell in the top flight as a coach[12] and suffering relegation.
In the following four seasons, Mel worked in the second level, being sacked early into 2005–06 by Polideportivo Ejido.[13] Shortly after, he dropped down a tier and moved to Rayo Vallecano, helping the Madrid club to return to the second division in his second year[14] and subsequently leading it to fifth place, with chances of promotion until the last month of competition.[15]
Betis
editOn 15 February 2010, after a string of poor results, Mel was dismissed by Rayo, being replaced by director of football Felipe Miñambres who helped the side to the 11th position.[16] In the summer, he signed with former side Betis also in the second tier,[17] leading the Verdiblancos back to the top flight in his first year.[18]
Mel coached Betis to the seventh position in the 2012–13 campaign, with the subsequent qualification for the UEFA Europa League. He was relieved of his duties on 2 December 2013, however, after falling to a 4–0 derby loss at Sevilla and conceding a last-minute 2–2 home equaliser to Rayo Vallecano.[19]
West Bromwich Albion
editOn 9 January 2014, Mel signed an 18-month contract with West Bromwich Albion of the Premier League.[20] His first match in charge came 11 days later, a 1–1 home draw against Everton.[21]
Mel obtained his first win in English football after seven games, with a 2–1 victory at Swansea City on 15 March 2014.[22] On 12 May, one day after the end of the season where he led the Baggies to the 17th place, he left by mutual consent with a record of three wins from 17 games.[23]
Return to Betis
editMel returned to former club Betis in December 2014, with a contract lasting until the end of the campaign.[24] He was the April 2015 Segunda División Manager of the Month after his team won all their games, scoring 11 goals and conceding two.[25] On 24 May, after only one loss in his tenure, the league was won as champions and promotion achieved with a 3–0 win over Alcorcón.[26]
Mel was fired on 11 January 2016, with his team in 15th place following a poor run of form and also strained relationship.[27]
Deportivo
editOn 28 February 2017, Mel was appointed at Deportivo de La Coruña until the end of the season, replacing the sacked Gaizka Garitano at a team two points above the relegation zone in the top division and winless in the new year.[28][29] He was himself dismissed on 24 October, due to poor results.[30]
Las Palmas
editMel was named manager of Las Palmas on 4 March 2019, replacing Paco Herrera who had been fired earlier the same day, and signed a contract until the end of the season.[31] On 23 January 2022, he was relieved of his duties.[32]
Málaga
editOn 21 September 2022, Mel joined Málaga also in the second division.[33] He was sacked the following 25 January 2023, with the club still in the relegation places.[34]
OFI
editOn 14 December 2023, Mel was appointed at OFI in the Super League Greece, signing a contract until the end of the campaign.[35] In February 2024, however, following only one win in 12 matches and eight losses, the last being a 4–0 defeat to Olympiacos, he left by mutual agreement.[36]
Almería
editOn 13 March 2024, Mel took over Almería back in his home country's top tier, becoming their third coach of the season after Vicente Moreno and Garitano.[37] He achieved the only three wins in the league, not being able to move from the 20th and last position (shared with Granada);[38][39] he left on 28 May after his link expired.[40]
Tenerife return
editOn 16 September 2024, Mel returned to Tenerife on a one-year deal, replacing the dismissed Óscar Cano.[41]
Outside football
editMel is also a novelist, having published three books, Liar, The Road to the Afterlife and The Test.[42]
Managerial statistics
edit- As of match played 3 November 2024
Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
Coslada | 1 July 1999 | 30 June 2000 | 44 | 27 | 10 | 7 | 78 | 39 | +39 | 61.36 | [43] | |
Mérida | 30 June 2000 | 26 September 2000 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 75.00 | [44] | |
Murcia | 26 September 2000 | 27 June 2001 | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 55 | 58 | −3 | 30.95 | [45] | |
Tenerife | 27 June 2001 | 18 February 2002 | 27 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 19 | 42 | −23 | 22.22 | [46] | |
Getafe | 21 January 2003 | 26 June 2003 | 23 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 26 | 28 | −2 | 34.78 | [47] | |
Alavés | 26 June 2003 | 30 June 2004 | 50 | 22 | 19 | 9 | 57 | 39 | +18 | 44.00 | [48] | |
Poli Ejido | 30 June 2004 | 14 November 2005 | 56 | 15 | 17 | 24 | 54 | 71 | −17 | 26.79 | [49] | |
Rayo Vallecano | 17 June 2006 | 15 February 2010 | 169 | 76 | 58 | 35 | 240 | 157 | +83 | 44.97 | [50] | |
Betis | 12 July 2010 | 2 December 2013 | 156 | 67 | 33 | 56 | 235 | 210 | +25 | 42.95 | [51] | |
West Bromwich Albion | 9 January 2014 | 12 May 2014 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 20 | 31 | −11 | 17.65 | [52] | |
Betis | 23 December 2014 | 11 January 2016 | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 65 | 54 | +11 | 45.65 | [53] | |
Deportivo La Coruña | 27 February 2017 | 24 October 2017 | 24 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 27 | 40 | −13 | 25.00 | [54] | |
Las Palmas | 4 March 2019 | 23 January 2022 | 128 | 44 | 41 | 43 | 154 | 157 | −3 | 34.38 | [55] | |
Málaga | 21 September 2022 | 25 January 2023 | 20 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 20 | −4 | 15.00 | [56] | |
OFI | 14 December 2023 | 11 February 2024 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 24 | −17 | 8.33 | [57] | |
Almería | 13 March 2024 | 28 May 2024 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 | 16 | +0 | 30.00 | [58] | |
Tenerife | 16 September 2024 | Present | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 33.33 | ||
Total | 837 | 321 | 249 | 267 | 1,089 | 1,003 | +86 | 38.35 | — |
Honours
editPlayer
editCastellón
Manager
editRayo Vallecano
Betis
Individual
edit- Pichichi Trophy (Segunda División): 1989–90[62]
- Segunda División Manager of the Month: April 2015[25]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Pepe Mel at WorldFootball.net
- ^ Mitton, Alex (27 January 2024). "8 football managers who have been sacked the most times". Give Me Sport. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
- ^ Alcaide, Jesús (13 October 1985). "1–1: Balón de oxígeno para el Mallorca" [1–1: Oxygen balloon for Mallorca]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ "1–1: Balaídos dejó de ser inexpugnable" [1–1: Balaídos is no longer virgin territory]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 12 January 1987. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ "Renovó Mel y Vinyals se va al Oviedo" [Mel renewed and Vinyals goes to Oviedo]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 23 June 1989. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ Cabrera, A. (26 June 1989). "El Castellón puso la "guinda"" [Castellón "iced the cake"]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ Román, Rogelio (12 May 1990). "Mel: "El Español se equivocó"" [Mel: "Español made a mistake"]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ "Racing: Se consumó la tragedia" [Racing: Tragedy consummated]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 28 May 1990. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ Ríos, Ricardo (3 September 1990). "Betis y Sporting, de poder a poder" [Betis and Sporting, from strength to strength]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ Alonso, Pedro Luis (20 September 2022). "Pepe Mel, una trayectoria consolidada: más de 600 partidos dirigidos entre Primera y Segunda" [Pepe Mel, solid career: in charge for more than 600 matches between Primera and Segunda]. Diario Sur (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ Bevia, Rafa. "Diez goleadores míticos de los 90 en Segunda División parte II" [Ten legendary scorers of the 90s in Segunda División part II] (in Spanish). Colgados por el Fútbol. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ "El Tenerife despide a Mel y ficha a Javier Clemente" [Tenerife fire Mel and sign Javier Clemente]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 18 February 2002. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
- ^ "Pepe Mel, destituido como técnico del Poli Ejido" [Pepe Mel, dismissed as Poli Ejido's coach]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 14 November 2005. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
- ^ a b "El Rayo vuelve a la División de Plata del fútbol español" [Rayo return to Silver Division of Spanish football]. Marca (in Spanish). 15 June 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ Martín, M. (31 December 2009). ""Le pondría al Rayo un notable alto o un sobresaliente"" ["I would give Rayo a B plus or an A"]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ "Pepe Mel, destituido como entrenador del Rayo Vallecano" [Pepe Mel, dismissed as Rayo Vallecano coach] (in Spanish). Globedia. 15 February 2010. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
- ^ "Pepe Mel, nuevo entrenador del Betis" [Pepe Mel, new manager of Betis]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 11 July 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ Torrecillas, Mercedes (27 May 2011). "Pepe Mel renueva con el Betis tres temporadas más" [Pepe Mel renews with Betis for three more seasons]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael (2 December 2013). "El Betis echa a su héroe" [Betis sack their hero]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 December 2013.
- ^ "West Brom appoint Pepe Mel as their new head coach". BBC Sport. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ "West Bromwich Albion 1–1 Everton". BBC Sport. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ "Swansea 1–2 West Brom: Pepe Mel dedicates first win to 'kind' Baggies fans". BBC Sport. 15 March 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- ^ "Pepe Mel: West Bromwich Albion part company with manager". BBC Sport. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ "Mel, nuevo entrenador del Betis" [Mel, new Betis manager]. Marca (in Spanish). 20 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ^ a b "Pepe Mel wins April's Liga Adelante coach of the month award". La Liga. 15 May 2015. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ^ "Real Betis win promotion to Primera Division after Alcorcon victory". Sky Sports. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ^ "Pepe Mel: Real Betis sack manager after defeat at Getafe". BBC Sport. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ^ "Oficial: Pepe Mel, nuevo entrenador del Deportivo" [Official: Pepe Mel new Deportivo coach] (in Spanish). Eurosport. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
- ^ "Pepe Mel: Deportivo La Coruna appoint new manager until end of season". BBC Sport. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
- ^ "RC Deportivo part ways with Pepe Mel". La Liga. 24 October 2017. Archived from the original on 25 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ "Pepe Mel is UD Las Palmas' new manager". UD Las Palmas. 4 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
- ^ "Pepe Mel no continuará en el banquillo de la UD Las Palmas" [Pepe Mel will not continue in the bench of UD Las Palmas] (in Spanish). UD Las Palmas. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ^ "Pepe Mel named as new Málaga CF coach". Málaga CF. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
- ^ "Pepe Mel no proseguirá a cargo del equipo" [Pepe Mel will not continue in charge of the team] (in Spanish). Málaga CF. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Προπονητής του ΟΦΗ ο Pepe Mel" [Pepe Mel is the new coach of OFI] (in Greek). OFI Crete F.C. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ "«Τέλος» από τον ΟΦΗ ο Μελ" ["End of the road" for Mel at OFI] (in Greek). In.gr. 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ Pérez, Juande (13 March 2024). "Garitano, despedido y Pepe Mel, confirmado en el Almería" [Garitano, fired and Pepe Mel, confirmed at Almería]. Estadio Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ Aguilera, Juanjo (8 May 2024). "En la Liga de Pepe Mel el Almería estaría salvado" [In Pepe Mel's League Almería would be saved]. Ideal (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ Calderón, Mario (25 May 2024). "El Almería se despide con una última victoria de sabor agridulce" [Almería say goodbye with a last bittersweet win]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "El Almería agradece la labor de Pepe Mel" [Almería appreciate the work of Pepe Mel] (in Spanish). UD Almería. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ "Pepe Mel, nuevo técnico del CD Tenerife" [Pepe Mel, new manager of CD Tenerife] (in Spanish). CD Tenerife. 16 September 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ "Pepe Mel presenta "La prueba", su tercer libro, en Sevilla" [Pepe Mel presents "The test", his third book, in Seville]. ABC (in Spanish). 6 June 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
- ^ "Tercera División (Grupo 7) 1999–00" [Tercera División (Group 7) 1999–00] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
"Fase de ascenso a Segunda División B 1999–00 (Grupo A1)" [Promotion phase to Segunda División B (Group A1) 1999–00] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 2 April 2016. - ^ "Tercera División (Grupo 14) 2000–01" [Tercera División (Group 14) 2000–01] (in Spanish). Futbolme. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016. - ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016. - ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016. - ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
- ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 2 April 2016. - ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 7 September 2017. - ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
"Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 29 August 2021. - ^ "Mel: José Mel Pérez". BDFutbol. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "OFI Crete FC: Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Matches Pepe Mel, 2023–24 season". BDFutbol.
- ^ "Los albinegros celebraron el último ascenso, a 1ª División, en la 88–89" [Black-and-white celebrated their last promotion, to 1st Division, in 88–89]. El Periódico Mediterráneo (in Spanish). 21 June 2005. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ "El Betis cierra la temporada como campeón de Segunda" [Betis close season as Segunda champions]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 4 June 2011. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael (25 May 2015). "El Betis sube a lo campeón" [Betis promote like a champion]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 March 2023.
- ^ Díaz, Pablo (19 October 2012). "Mel, rojillo invisible" [Mel, invisible red]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 May 2022.
External links
edit- Pepe Mel at BDFutbol
- Pepe Mel manager profile at BDFutbol
- Betisweb stats and bio (in Spanish)