Mysterious yet vastly experienced individual makes contact with St James’s Park

Headhunters of the north east - you can stop scurrying around now and take a rest; the man you’re looking for to take over at Newcastle has revealed himself. Writing in the Newcastle Chronicle, Alan Oliver announces proudly “Today the man who was officially ranked as the sixth best club coach in the world, 55-year-old Brazilian Abel Braga, contacted me to throw his hat into the ring.”

Mr Oliver’s hiring powers probably do not extend beyond offering employment on the Chronicle’s sports desk, but overlooking the fact that Mr Braga has applied to the wrong person, he does indeed have some valuable qualifications, as winner of the Copa Libertadores and the World Club Cup, both in 2006, with Internacional of Porto Alegre.

The clincher, though, and especially attractive to a club which has been getting through managers at a rate of nearly one a year, is Mr Braga’s management CV. A glimpse at his employment history below should confirm he’d fit right in at St James’s Park.

Career as a manager

• 1985 - Botafogo (Brazil).
• 1986 - Vitória (Brazil).
• 1987-1988 - Santa Cruz (Brazil).
• 1988-1989 - Internacional (Brazil).
• 1989-1991 - Famalicão (Portugal).
• 1991 - Internacional (Brazil).
• 1992-1993 - Belenenses (Portugal).
• 1994 - Vitória de Setúbal (Portugal).
• 1995 - Vasco (Brazil).
• 1996 - Guarani (Brazil).
• 1997 - Santa Cruz (Brazil).
• 1998 - Atlético Paranaense (Brazil).
• 1999 - Coritiba (Brazil).
• 2000 - Vasco da Gama (Brazil).
• 2000 - Olympique de Marseille (France).
• 2001-2002 - Botafogo (Brazil).
• 2002 - Atlético Paranaense (Brazil).
• 2003 - Ponte Preta (Brazil).
• 2004 - Flamengo (Brazil).
• 2005 - Fluminense (Brazil).
• 2006-2007 - Internacional (Brazil)
• 2007 - Internacional (Brazil)