Nuno had got Valencia into the Champions league but the start of the second season was more difficult. He always knew it would be, for a young team back in Europe. There was another dimension too: in the summer, sporting director Rufete had been forced out. Nuno was seen as the "winner" in a divisive and damaging "civil war" (his words) and some supporters turned against him.
His replacement was Gary Neville, whose arrival was presented as a kind of favour to the owner Peter Lim, whose personal choice this had been. There was no sporting director at the time, after all. It was a portrayal Neville himself rejected, or tried to, but few listened. And it was a damaging one: a favour?! A man who has never coached before comes to one of the biggest clubs in Europe and he's doing them a favour? This is Valencia, not some tin pot team.
When Neville was sacked they took on his assistant, Ayesteran, the man Neville had brought in to help him out. His experience in coaching was wide: he had won the league at Valencia as an assistant to Rafa Benítez but as a head coach or manager, he'd had just two seasons of practice and none at the top level. His appointment was made by Suso García Pitarch, who'd only just arrived himself. The ownership was seeking to distance itself from suggestions that this was Jorge Mendes' project; they sought a structure. But that is still insecure, now more even than before.
Ayesteran steered Valencia clear of relegation but whether he had really done enough to warrant getting the job for another season was debatable. They only won three of eight games, after all, and were defeated in their final three. Many thought not; Suso thought so. And he was there. There's almost something "Voro" about the way the appointment was made. It feels almost like they are taking what they can get. To repeat, this is Valencia: One of the biggest clubs in Europe.