Toshack feels heat as team proves less than Real thing

When Real Madrid's Welsh coach John Toshack turned up for training on Sunday, a small group of fans was waiting for him, ready to greet him with taunts of "Toshack, go now". Those fans were only carrying on where about 90,000 had left-off the night before, waving white handkerchiefs in a time-honoured expression of disgust five minutes into the second half of Real's 3-1 home defeat in their city derby with Atletico Madrid.

Toshack and Real seem to be in deep trouble. Real have sunk to the wrong end of the table and currently lie just four points clear of bottom team Seville. Notwithstanding an $85 million mid-summer spending spree that included the purchase of enigmatic French talent Nicolas Annelka from Arsenal, Real crashed to their first Madrid derby defeat in their own Bernabeu stadium in seven seasons last Saturday night.

The Welshman was yesterday trying to put a brave face on things, telling reporters: "I understand the criticism from the public. The customer is always right, but right now I'm only thinking about our next game against Molde (in the Champions League)."

Fortunately for Toshack, there is the Champions League where Real have already qualified for the second phase from a weak Group E. Champions League qualification may not be enough, however, to save Toshack, a point he conceded on Sunday.

"It has never even entered my head to quit. I'm ready and willing to continue but that's not to say that they won't sack me."

Toshack has been around this track before. This is, after all, his second stint at Real Madrid and he knows the pressures attached to handling one of Spanish soccer's two superpowers (Barcelona, obviously, being the other). He took over last February when Dutchman Guus Hiddink was unceremoniously dumped.

For the time being, Real's powerful President Lorenzo Sanz has been keeping a low profile. Spanish media speculation suggested yesterday that Sanz may await not only the formality of the midweek Champions League away tie with Molde, but also the much more demanding prospect of next Saturday's fixture away to current league leaders Rayo Vallecano.

Rayo, the third Madrid team with an annual budget that comes to slightly more than a third of the $35 million Real paid out for Annelka, come into this game 10 points ahead of their richer, downtown rivals. Toshack, of course, may not even get as far as the Stadio Teresa Rivero. Yesterday, both the influential Madrid-based dailies Marca and AS profiled the candidates that might replace the Welshman. The list includes two former successful Real coaches, Serb Radomir Antic and Argentine Jorge Valdano, as well as Daniel Passarella, Argentina's coach at France 98.

Toshack stands "accused" of having so completely lost senior players' respect by his constant chopping and changing that many of them are reported to prefer training on their own.

Toshack has not been helped by a knee injury to Annelka (missing on Saturday night and yet to score a goal for Real) as well as the poor form of midfielders Fernando Redondo and Ivan Helguera.

One thing would seem fairly clear. Should Toshack lose his second successive Madrid derby in eight days against Rayo next Saturday night, he need not even bother turning up for Sunday morning training this time.