Ramos sees hard work pay off

Juande Ramos is not used to the limelight. His career has been spent largely in the shadows, coaching at some of Spain's less glamorous sides. Leading Sevilla FC to the final of the UEFA Cup is the high point of his career. Even in Eindhoven, though, the focus has been elsewhere.

World event
He spoke briefly yesterday of the confidence his side are playing with, the threat Middlesbrough FC pose and the pride of reaching the club's first European final. By the time Steve McClaren arrived at the PSV Stadion, he was long gone, but the English media had only just arrived. McClaren, the England manager-in-waiting, was hidden from view by a bank of photographers, the UEFA Cup trophy lit up by their flash bulbs as he took his seat for the pre-match press conference. "As soon as we reached the final we knew it wasn't just going to be a European event but a world event and we knew the whole world would be watching," McClaren said. "They'll be watching both coaches and there will be no greater focus on one or the other." Few believed him.

Unexpected run
Ramos, though, will happily let the media focus on the Middlesbrough manager if it means Sevilla continue their unexpected run of success. The odds looked stacked against him when he took charge last summer. As a former coach of local rivals Real Betis Balompié, his appointment was far from universally accepted by the supporters and the sale of local hero Sergio Ramos and star player Julio Baptista to Real Madrid CF had ripped the heart out of the side. Juande Ramos confounded the critics, taking Sevilla to their first final since a Copa del Rey appearance in 1962 and to within touching distance of a place in the UEFA Champions League.

Much traveled
The 51-year-old comes from Ciudad Real, not far from Madrid in the centre of Spain. He began coaching with Elche CF in 1991 and spent time in the lower divisions, notably with FC Barcelona's B team, before stepping up to the top flight. He is much travelled, counting UE Lleida, Betis, RCD Espanyol and Málaga CF among his former clubs, and knows how to make the most of meagre resources. It was at Rayo Vallecano, Madrid's unfashionable third side, that he first came to prominence. Ramos took them to promotion to the Primera División in his first season in 1998/99 and to a ninth-place finish the following year. Vallecano qualified for the UEFA Cup through the Fair Play ranking and in their first season in Europe went all the way to the quarter-finals.

Disciplinarian
Ramos is a one of the new breed of Spanish coaches, in the mould of RC Deportivo La Coruña's Joaquín Caparrós, who he replaced at Sevilla, Valencia CF's Quique Flores, and Liverpool FC's Rafael Benítez, a UEFA Cup winner himself with Valencia, who mix hard work with discipline; Sevilla are highly skilled but based on a solid defence. "To win we must do whatever we do best," he said. "We've worked hard and now we want to play well and meet the high hopes and expectations we have." Ramos is not one to show much emotion. In contrast to the smiling, effusive McClaren, he kept his guard on Tuesday. "He is very able and will get the best out of his team," Ramos said when asked whether McClaren's imminent departure would give Middlesbrough added motivation. "He will want to leave with a victory." So too, of course, does the Sevilla coach. Win tonight and he will step out of the shadows once and for all.