MADRID, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Former player Ander Garitano was
appointed coach of Real Zaragoza on Monday following the
dismissal of coach Victor Fernandez.
Garitano, who had been in charge of one of the club's youth
sides, was confident he could turn the team around after their
recent run of poor form.
'I haven't the slightest doubt that I'm up to the job, I'm
in good spirits and I'm confident that the team we've put
together will be able to take this club forward,' the
38-year-old told a news conference.
Garitano, who made his name as a midfielder at Athletic
Bilbao, played for Zaragoza for six seasons between 1996 and
2002 before retiring and moving on to the coaching staff.
Club president Eduardo Bandres said Garitano was not an
interim appointment.
Earlier, his predecessor Fernandez said he understood the
club's decision to dismiss him given the team's failure to live
up to expectations in the first half of the season.
'They got rid of me because the results were a long way from
meeting the ambitious objectives the club set for itself and
that is a legitimate and respectable reason,' the 47-year-old
told a news conference.
'I'm relaxed and calm but hurt by the fact I couldn't
deliver what they wanted.'
Zaragoza slipped to 12th in the table after a 2-2 home draw
with Real Mallorca on Sunday, their ninth consecutive Primera
Liga game without a win.
'I felt I could turn things around as we were only halfway
through the season,' said Fernandez, who was coach when Zaragoza
won the 1994 King's Cup and the 1995 European Cup Winners' Cup
and returned to the club in 2006.
'Two stints at Zaragoza are enough,' he said. 'I won't be
coming back as coach that's for sure. I would only return as
sporting director or president.'
(Reporting by Simon Baskett, Editing by Alison Wildey)
