Toshack bids farewell to Sociedad

Toshack returned to Sociedad in January 2001

John Toshack said he will be with former club Real Sociedad "in spirit" as they battle to avoid relegation this season.

Toshack was sacked as coach and general manager of the club on Monday, after defeat to Tenerife left them second to bottom of the Spanish first division with nine games left to play.

"Farewells are never very pleasant," Toshack told reporters on Tuesday.

"I'll be encouraging the players when I say goodbye to them.

"I'll be wishing them luck, and maybe advising some of them to concentrate a bit more.

"On Sunday I won't be with the team in person but I'll be there in spirit and I hope they can get a good result."

  John Toshack

1949: Born in Cardiff

1966: Joins Cardiff City

1970: Joins Liverpool, wins 3 league titles, 2 Uefa Cups and 1 FA Cup

1979: Takes Swansea from 4th to 1st division

1984: Moves to Sporting Lisbon

1985: 1st spell at Real Sociedad

1989: Goes to Real Madrid

1994: Back at Sociedad, takes part-time role with Wales but resigns after a game

1995: Moves to Deportivo

2000: Given St Etienne job after 2nd Real Madrid spell ends

2002: Third spell at Sociedad ends

Toshack began his third stint as Real Sociedad manager in January 2001 and managed to get the team out of the relegation places and up to 13th by the end of the season.

"It was a very tough 15 months," Toshack said. "I was their fourth coach in 12 months when I arrived last year so something was not quite right.

"When I arrived for the first time here (in 1985) I was only the third coach in 16 years."

The Spanish club told the Welshman he was being dismissed from both his roles, coach and 'sporting director', at a board meeting on Monday evening.

"This is down to recent results and, above all, is a way of inspiring an improvement over the last nine games of the season," Real Sociedad president Jose Luis Astiazaran said.

"The team have not been able to beat direct rivals and the calendar for the remainder of the season is extremely demanding."

Astiazaran added: "We were looking for a change. I thank Toshack for his professional attitude and services to the club."

Toshack signed Sander Westerveld from Liverpool

This season Toshack has spent almost $15m on Dutch goalkeeper Sander Westerveld from his former club Liverpool, Yugoslav striker Darko Kovacevic and Turkish midfielder Nihat Kahveci.

But the San Sebastian side have constantly struggled.

Now Toshack has gone along with his coaching assistants Salva Iriarte and Roberto Lopez Ufarte.

Former Sociedad goalkeeper Roberto Olabe will replace Toshack as coach, with Jesus Maria Zamora and Julen Masach as his assistants.

Toshack had two previous spells at Sociedad - from 1985-89, when the club won the Copa del Rey, and from 1991-95.

He also twice coached Real Madrid and has been in charge of Swansea City, Sporting Lisbon, Deportivo La Coruna, Turkey's Besiktas, French club Saint-Etienne and had one match in charge of the Welsh national side.