Monday 10 April 2017 15:12, UK
Tony Adams' shock appointment at Granada makes him the latest in a long line of Brits to try their hand at managing in Spain.
Indeed, English managers Fred Pentland (Athletic Bilbao), Robert Firth (Madrid FC) and William Garbutt (Athletic Bilbao) accounted for four of the first eight title-winning teams following the formation of the Spanish league in the years leading up to the Second World War.
However, in recent years British bosses have had mixed fortunes managing in La Liga. Here we look at eight of the biggest names to have made the move to Spain in the last 30 years…
Gary Neville
The most recent British manager to try his hand in Spain's top flight is Sky Sports' very own Gary Neville. Having forged a reputation as an expert pundit, the former Manchester United defender was handed his chance by Valencia owner Peter Lim, a business partner of Neville's.
Neville looked on from the stands in December 2015 as Valencia put in a battling display to hold Barcelona to a 1-1 draw; it looked as though his new team were determined to climb the table.
Yet defeat to Lyon in his dugout debut and draws against Eibar and Getafe indicated turning around this talented but young and inexperienced set of players was going to be harder than it looked.
The arrival of brother Phil in the dugout couldn't instigate a revival. Following a 2-0 defeat to Celta Vigo just under four months into his reign, the 11th loss in 28 games, Neville parted company with Lim and Valencia.
David Moyes
Having seen the reputation he'd built at Preston and Everton tarnished during a difficult 11 months at Manchester United, David Moyes replaced Jagoba Arrasate at Real Sociedad in November 2014 insisting he had "an opportunity to show British coaches can manage abroad."
He took over a side in 15th in La Liga and despite a 1-0 win over Barcelona a few weeks into his reign, he struggled to make an impact in the Basque Country and Sociedad finished 12th in the table.
In an interview with Sky Sports, the Scot was adamant he was going to stay in the job for the long term despite wrestling with the club's policy of bringing though Basque players and being discouraged from bringing in imports from markets he knew better.
However, things didn't improve and with Sociedad 16th in the table he was sacked in November 2015 after winning just 12 of his 38 games in charge.
Chris Coleman
Chris Coleman is currently enjoying one of the highest points of his managerial career after guiding Wales to the Euro 2016 semi-finals, but one of the lowest points came in 2007/08 when he took charge of Real Sociedad for seven months following their relegation to the Segunda Division.
After four seasons in charge of Fulham, Coleman was recommended to Sociedad by John Toshack, but won just four of his opening 10 matches and his position was thrown into jeopardy when the club president Maria de la Pena, who had been instrumental in appointing him, stood down.
Shortly afterwards he made headlines for arriving 90 minutes late at a press conference after partying at a nightclub into the early hours of the morning and was forced to make a public apology.
However, results improved and when he announced he was stepping down in January it was a surprise to many. The club had lost only one of his last 11 games and had risen to fifth in the league, but Coleman struggled to build a relationship with new president Inaki Badiola and left Spain behind.
Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson set off on a managerial adventure across Europe after leading England to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup. First up, PSV in the Netherlands, where he won back-to-back Eredivisie titles. Then he headed to Portugal where he took Sporting Lisbon to a third-placed finish before being sacked with the club top of the table. A switch to Sporting's rivals Porto brought two titles in a row and a Portuguese cup. In 1996 he got the call to join Barcelona.
Robson - and his interpreter Jose Mourinho - headed to Spain and promptly signed Brazil ace Ronaldo. The striker fired Robson's side to the Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup in 1996/97 and declared his boss - named European manager of the year - the "greatest in the world".
The following season Robson took up the role of general manager at Barcelona, to accommodate the arrival of a certain Louis van Gaal. However, shortly afterwards Robson headed back to England - via a season back at PSV, where he won the Dutch Super Cup - to take charge Newcastle, where he would become a club icon.
Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall was celebrated as one of Everton's greatest ever managers following his death in October, but it's easy for supporters on Merseyside to forget the 18 months he spent in Spain as manager of Athletic Bilbao between 1987 and 1989.
Having overseen the most successful spell in Everton's history between 1981 and 1987 - winning two league titles and an FA Cup - Kendall grew frustrated by the ban on English clubs competing in European competitions. He guided the Spanish club to fourth place - and a spot in the UEFA Cup - during his first season in charge.
Despite realising his European ambitions, Kendall's time in Bilbao was frustrated by their transfer policy and poor results at the start of his third season saw him sacked in November 1989. However, he left with fond memories: "If I go to England, or to any other club, it will be a step down; this club is the best," he said. He was appointed Manchester City manager within three weeks.
John Toshack
If you ask Spanish football fans about British managers to have succeeded on their shores, John Toshack will probably be the first man to pop into their head.
He spent 17 seasons in Spain with Real Sociedad (three spells), Real Madrid (twice), Deportivo la Coruna and Real Murcia. After turning down the Aston Villa job following six years with Swansea City, Toshack decided that a life in the sunshine with Sporting Lisbon was for him. A year later Sociedad came calling and he became the club's first ever non-Basque manager.
Toshack was a huge success at Sociedad, winning the Copa del Rey before Real Madrid snapped him up and a year later he added a La Liga title to his CV with the European giants. Despite winning over the locals at Real, he returned to Sociedad in 1991, and managed them for three years before moving onto Deportivo for a two-year stint in 1995.
He took over the reins once again at Real Madrid in 1999, winning 19 of his 37 games in charge, but was given the boot at the end of the season. Brief spells back at Sociedad and Real Murcia followed before he jetted back to home comforts by taking the Wales job.
Terry Venables
Going from QPR to Barcelona was amazing and it will never happen again. The stadium, the set-up - it's all a bit different from Loftus Road.
Terry Venables remains the only manager to leave QPR for Barcelona - and probably will hold that tag for a long while yet. Venables had just guided Rangers to fifth in the First Division in 1984 when Barcelona tempted him away from west London in a bid to arrest their slump in La Liga, which saw them go 10 years without a league title.
"That call came right out of the blue," Venables said, who earned the title 'El Tel' within the Spanish press.
"I just couldn't believe it. Well you wouldn't, would you? Going from QPR to Barcelona was amazing and it will never happen again. The stadium, the set-up - it's all a bit different from Loftus Road. I pinch myself now really. I can't believe I ever did it. It was an amazing leap."
Venables had the most expensive player in the world, Diego Maradona, within his ranks and during his three seasons in Catalonia, Venables led the club to the Spanish league title in 1985 and the Copa de la Liga in 1986. Barcelona also reached the 1986 European Cup Final, although they lost to Steaua Bucharest in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 draw. Venables was sacked in September 1987 following a poor run of results that included losing home and away to Dundee United in the UEFA Cup.
Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson was named Atletico Madrid coach in 1988 two years after being sacked as manager of Manchester United. He was in charge of West Brom when the call from Madrid was made and due to a break down in contract talks with the Baggies, Atkinson decided to switch cultures.
Things went well on the pitch as he lifted Atletico up to second in La Liga but even that couldn't save him from the sack as the infamously trigger-happy president Jesus Gil fired Atkinson after just 93 days in charge.
Atkinson told Sky Sports: "I loved it and I thought it was great. I don't have many regrets in my career but I always intended to go back to Spain and manage there again. I had offers from Valencia and Sevilla to go back."
