Valencia manager Nuno: Supporter backlash 'hurts a lot'
Valencia manager Nuno Espirito Santo has come under fire from fans at the Estadio Mestalla, who have begun chanting "Nuno, go now!" at home matches in hopes that the club board will sack him.
Valencia is currently ninth in La Liga with 12 points in nine games and also sits second in Group H of the Champions League. But results haven't quite met fan expectations, since supporters of Los Che are known in Spain as among the toughest to please in the league.
Still, having the fans turn on him has saddened the 41-year-old tactician.
"It hurts a lot, very much," Nuno told reporters. "It's impossible for it not to hurt. It's understandable; the fans want to show their discontentment at how the team is playing. The coach is always exposed to that but players need to feel some kind of enthusiasm at Mestalla. Support for the team should be unconditional.
"As a man, as a coach, no one likes to hear those things. My family suffers because of it, my kids do when they go to school. It starts to get reflected in your personal life ... All I ask for is support. I will try to listen and understand the motive for it."
Nuno has also been criticized by a variety of newspapers and media outlets in Spain. Valencian sports paper Super Deporte ran the headline "Mestalla against Nuno" due to those recent results. Nuno says his portrayal in the media bothers him, too.
"I'm not the monster that I am painted to be," Nuno said. "I am not that person and I think it's unfair that so many people accuse (me) of being someone I am not. I'm a normal person, a club man, I identify with Valencia CF; I go out onto the street and live my day-to-day life here in this city.
"I'm not distant or unapproachable; I communicate because having dialogue is fundamental for me. Those who know me know that."