Yesterday it was announced that Fernando Hierro had picked the man that he wanted to coach Chivas for next season. As the name Veljko Paunović popped up on the screen Chivas fans scrambled to Google to figure out who this man was. Some of the first things that people can learn about Paunovic from his previous experiences managing teams are not flattering. Does this mean that we’re looking at an accident waiting to happen? How in the world did Fernando Hierro land on this candidate to take over Chivas? We did some digging and this is what we found.
Why Hierro Chose Paunovic
Veljko Paunović was not among the list of names that were touted as candidates to take over Chivas, but it does seem like he and Fernando Hierro could’ve forged a relationship throughout Paunovic’s time in Spain. Although he was born in North Macedonia, then Yugoslavia, and represented Serbia, and Montenegro at the international level Paunovic spent a lot of his playing days in Spain’s capital Madrid. Paunovic didn’t play for Real Madrid instead he spent considerable time in multiple stints at Atlético Madrid. Even playing a season with their youth team Atlético Madrid B. This was around the same time that Fernando Hierro was starring as the captain of their cross-town rivals Real Madrid. That could explain the connection between the two.
Fernando Hierro had mentioned that he wanted to hire someone with experience in Europe, and the Mexican league. Paunovic certainly has plenty of European football experience from his playing days. At the end of those playing days though he crossed the Atlantic to play for Philadelphia Union where he retired in 2011. Although MLS and Liga MX are certainly intertwined because of the proximity and the multiple tournaments that teams from both leagues compete in, we can’t necessarily say they are similar in too many ways. Veljko Paunović is probably going to find that out sooner rather than later.
Paunovic’s Managerial Record Is Not Impressing Anyone
In the less than 24 hours since the announcement was made official Paunovic’s track record as a manager has already come under scrutiny. He spent time coaching several underage Serbian National teams. That’s part of the resume that Hierro potentially liked since it shows his credentials working with young players. However, the stint wasn’t necessarily a successful one. He then took over a Chicago Fire team that had been awful for years, and in his first season managed to keep the team finishing dead last in MLS that year. The next season though with Bastian Schweinsteiger on the team he finished third, but got bounced in the first round of the playoffs. A nice turn around, all things considered!
From there though it was all downhill. The next season he reverted to his losing ways finishing second to last in the conference. Things never got better for him. If there’s one thing that could be said as a saving grace for the man is that he always coached bad teams in Chicago. In his time at Reading in England’s second division he finished 7th in his first season, and got sacked midway through what would’ve been his first full season.
This Is A Disaster Waiting To Happen
We hate to say this, and quite frankly we do hope we’re wrong. At this point in his career though Velijko Paunovic is a losing manager, and he’s not even close to at least evening out his record of wins and losses. Add all of that to the fact that he’s never worked in Liga MX, and his experience working with Mexican players is virtually 0! His Chicago Fire team never featured Mexican players! Goalkeeper Richard Sanchez is the only player that represented Mexico that he’s coached in his whole managerial career. Sanchez was born and raised in the United States. What’s he going to do when his players tell him they’re going to a Nodal concert?
