End of the Line for Quique

It's official, Benfica has put out a statement to the Portuguese Exchange Commission stating that the club and the coaching staff have reached an agreement to rescind the contract they had until the end of the 09/10 season.
If you read this blog you know that i was a supporter of Quique's continuation, much like many Benfiquistas, and players a like, but the situation had reached a point of no return, and it was obvious that there could only be one end to this soap opera.


Even if Benfica had, all of the sudden, done an about face with Quique, the man had already been left out to hang, and his pride would surely prevent him from continuing.
It's true that his first year at the helm did not bear the fruits that were expected, but perhaps his second would. No one will ever know, but Benfica continues to be a cemetery of coaches.

We're a demanding bunch, and we expect nothing but the best from the team, but this incessant search for a short term deliverer of goods, is doing us more harm, than what a coach with adequate time could possibly deliver.
I don't have a crystal ball, and i'm far from being your regular Nostradamus. I can't possibly say that Quique would have lead us to a championship, but i was optimistic about a much better season than his first one.
With full knowledge of the team, the league, and the way the system works, along with a couple key positions we need to strengthen, I think Quique would have flourished.

This week Benfica will most likely announce another coach, and Jorge Jesus will most likely be the chosen one. Much to what many Benfiquistas think about Jesus(that he is not the right man for the job), the moment he is announced, he will be the coach of our team and the support will be behind him, but i get the feeling that Jesus will have a lot less margin of error than Quique would have had, were he to stay.

I'm not totally against the appointment of Jesus, but I have my reservations. I think between him and another foreigner, i much rather have a man that knows our league inside out, that is familiar with every single team on the Liga Sagres.
A lot of Benfiquistas, can't forget Jesus' comments after Benfica played Braga this season, claiming that his team had been cheated and that he could have only beaten Benfica if it was a playstation game. The following week, Jesus was "robbed" against porto and he had nothing but praises for porto, many fans have not forgotten that.


Diamantino and Chalana, were both with the team in one capacity or another all season, they would perhaps be my other choice. Diamantino hasn't had much experience in Portugal's top flight, but he is a man that knows the club inside out, he is what they call "homem da casa", meaning one of ours.

I'll wait for Benfica to announce a new coach which will probably come this week.

In one last though about Quique, I have to criticize the way Benfica handled the situation. There were still 3 games left in the season, and the media was already stating that Quique was on his way out, Benfica's immediate lack of a response to these reports left Quique exposed, and the media continued to chip away at an inevitable conclusion, which could have very well been avoided had Benfica come out in defense of Quique.

Whether Vieira and Rui Costa had intentions to part ways with Quique, they should have never left him exposed to the media like that, especially when there were still games left in the season. Benfica did later come out and state that Quique was Benfica's coach, and Benfica, had every intention to keep him on, but I think that statement not only came out a little late, but it also served as the proverbial "sand in the eyes" of the Portuguese Exchange Commission.
I really think the club could have handled the situation a lot better. It's in the past now, let's hope for some positive news in the coming days, no sense in dwelling in the past now, the most important thing is that a year from now, we aren't once again in the same situation, defeated, and looking to change coaches, once again.