Spanish media sceptical over Ramos

By Iain Rogers

MADRID (Reuters) - Real Madrid's move to sack coach Bernd Schuster and bring in Juande Ramos sparked harsh criticism on Tuesday from Spanish media, which also raised doubts about the former Tottenham Hotspur manager's credentials.

While some praised what they called Ramos's profound knowledge of the game and his modesty and patience, others said his disastrous stint in London was a bad omen.

Marca slammed Real president Ramon Calderon and sporting director Predrag Mijatovic, calling the club a "comedy" and "shameless."

"The Kafkaesque sacking of Schuster is nothing more than another blunder which joins a long list committed by the club managers, unable to come up with an action plan that is either cheap or effective or even halfway serious," it said.

"The president talks a lot and acts little, the sporting director cries a lot and signs few players, the players earn a lot but don't play much and the medical staff treat many but cure few."

LANGUAGE BARRIER

El Mundo noted that Ramos lost the support of the English players at Tottenham because of his patchy command of the language, a handicap that may colour his relationship with Real's large Dutch contingent.

"As soon as he left, the team mysteriously started working," said the newspaper. "Juande now has his bum on the Real bench and only the gods know whether his resounding failure at Tottenham or his virtuous circle at Sevilla will be repeated."