Ruben Selles slammed again after Sheffield United failure repeated | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield United fan pundit has had his say on Ruben Selles' situation after losing his job with Real Zaragoza...

Sheffield United have Chris Wilder back in charge after he replaced Ruben Selles, but the Spaniard has not done well since returning to his home country with Real Zaragoza.

Ruben Selles was in charge of Sheffield United for just six games, losing each and every one of them. That included five league defeats to leave the Blades bottom ahead of Chris Wilder’s return to Bramall Lane.

Sacking Wilder and Selles in a matter of months only to re-hire the former has been costly for the ownership group. The Blades can still make the play-offs but they are much further back than they would like after a slow and disappointing start to the campaign.

That said, it was understandable why Selles was handed a chance. The job he did of keeping Hull City in the division and what he did with Reading, where he was able to maintain a strong league position in difficult circumstances off the pitch, was most impressive.

With the latter, he took a young core to the field and they put in excellent performances on the pitch most weeks. But that form did not translate to success with Sheffield United nor with a Zaragoza side where he won five of 20 games in charge.

The Sheffield United reaction to Ruben Selles' Real Zaragoza sacking

Football League World has asked their Sheffield United fan pundit Jimmy from Blades Ramble for his verdict on Selles' next steps after he was sacked by the Spanish club. The La Liga 2 outfit has confirmed it after overseeing nine defeats in those 20 games in charge across all competitions.

Selles, alongside sporting director Txema Indias, has been dismissed. He has left the Spanish club bottom of the La Liga 2 table, eight points from safety, with 14 games remaining. Jimmy responded: "Where does he go from here? Home...

"Look, I think he needs to rethink what he's going to do next because he did a terrible job at Sheffield United. I don't blame him for saying yes to the job; he's got to.

"But he was in over his head. The job he did at Hull, we look back at it now and you obviously see how well they're doing with the squad they have.

"Did he underperform essentially? With Hull? Perhaps there is a way of looking at it that way now, as opposed to him doing a great job to save the club on the last day.

"Zaragoza, a huge club, and another huge opportunity for him. He's had 20 games to turn them around and he hasn't, so it's another disappointing spell for Ruben Selles.

"I'm not sure where he goes next now. Maybe he takes a little bit of time out and re-evaluates his next move."

Ruben Selles' managerial record amid Real Zaragoza woes

Selles failed with a struggling side but a club of Zaragoza's size and stature was a huge opportunity for him. They are one of Spanish football’s true fallen giants. After regular La Liga status and cup glory in the early 2000s — including a Copa del Rey win in 2004 — Zaragoza’s fortunes dipped, culminating in relegation from La Liga in 2013 and a decade in the second tier.

Their last major European adventure was in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup, which puts into perspective how recent their fall from grace has been, almost akin to Leeds in the early 2000s and through the 2010s. They faced the Whites in the Fairs Cup semi-final and won 3-1 in 1966.

For them, relegation looms. For Selles, he may be best off taking the role of assistant manager somewhere again. Inlcluding Sheffield United, his last few senior roles have not gone well and perhaps learning from other experienced coaches would serve him well.

It's not a surprise that he took the opportunity, with the rich history and passionate support making Zaragoza a compelling project for ambitious managers. The club certainly offered a unique platform to rebuild a proud institution, restore top-flight status, and turn the club around and closer to the heights of Spanish and European football.