Coleman's Sociedad future in doubt

Javier Irureta has reportedly been lined up to take over as coach of Real Sociedad if Chris Coleman opts not to continue following the club’s presidential elections at the start of next year.

Presidential candidate Inaki Badiola made the claim about Irureta this weekend amid doubts over whether Coleman will remain at the Segunda Division club once the elections have taken place on January 3.

Coleman admitted after this weekend’s 2-1 victory over Tenerife that although he loved working at Sociedad, he would find it impossible to stay in the job if the new president came in and signed a host of new players over his head.

“If somebody new comes in, if it’s Badiola or someone else, and says you’ve six players whether you like them or not… for me I can’t (accept that) because I would be working with a team that maybe I don’t believe in,” said the Welshman.

“That’s half a new team that I didn’t say yes to. I make my own decisions, sometimes I get it right, a lot of the time I get it wrong, but it was my decision.

“I pick the team, I make the tactics, we win, we lose… I’m prepared to take the negativity when we lose, that’s my job, but I prefer I make my own decisions.

“I love it here, but the circumstances were different when I arrived. I don’t know if it’s Inaki Badiola, maybe he will offer four or five players and say ’they are available, but it’s your choice’ – that’s different.

“If anybody comes in and says we are signing five payers whether you say yes or no, for me, that would be the finish of it.”

Coleman revealed last month that he came close to quitting as coach following the resignation of president Maria de la Pena, who was instrumental in bringing the former Fulham boss to Sociedad this summer following their relegation from the Primera Liga.

Coleman was persuaded to stay on, but should he decide enough is enough next month, then his replacement could be Irureta, who led Deportivo La Coruna to the Spanish title in 2000.

Badiola said in Monday’s Marca: “The intention is to meet with Coleman when he returns from his holidays, on the 29th or 30th, and we are convinced that when he knows who our signings are he will stay on. If he doesn’t, then Javier Irureta will be our coach.

“The current squad is not good enough to aspire to promotion and, if we do manage to achieve it, it is certainly not good enough to stay in the Primera Liga.

“That is why we will bring in reinforcements. This does not mean closing the door to the youth team players though, as is being said, but to take the places of the foreign players who are not playing.”

Sociedad’s 2-1 home win over Tenerife was the club’s seventh victory of the campaign and saw them end 2007 in sixth spot, nine points behind leaders Numancia.