Since the start of the 21st century, Huesca has competed in Primera RFEF—or what was formerly known as Segunda B—on eight occasions, including the current season. Jardiel’s side has made a better start this year than in only three of those campaigns, making it a highly questionable beginning that has put the Zaragoza-born coach under pressure and means he must turn the situation around as soon as possible to avoid being dismissed.
This is because, in the three campaigns that began worse than Jardiel’s, only one of the coaches who started the season remained in charge at the Alto Aragonese club until the end of the campaign. That was Miguel Ángel Sola, who began the 2005-2006 season with 5 of a possible 15 points and came close to relegation to Tercera, securing survival in the playoff against Castillo.
SIMILAR CASES IN TERMS OF POINTS
The worst start of the century in the division came in 2001-2002, when Huesca had 3 points from a possible 15 with José Luis Arjol in the dugout. The coach was dismissed, and the season ended with relegation to Tercera, the last relegation suffered by Huesca.
Besides Sola’s campaign, the other season that began worse than Jardiel’s was 2013-2014, with Pablo Alfaro in charge, when the Huesca side collected just 4 of a possible 15 points. Alfaro was dismissed after that fifth match, and the Alto Aragonese club finished the season in seventh place.
The same points tally at this stage saw the Aragonese team finish 10th in the 2004-2005 season. Photo: S.D. Huesca
The campaign most similar to this one was 2004-2005, with Chamarro in the dugout. The Huesca side collected the same number of points in its first five matches, the coach was dismissed after 17 games, and the Alto Aragonese team finished the year in 10th place.
The numbers offer little cause for optimism, either for a Huesca club seeking a return to professional football or for Jardiel, who must find the answer quickly and start collecting three points at a time before his position becomes increasingly precarious.
