Profile of Osvaldo Ardiles on Famous Like Me

Osvaldo César Ardiles (Ossie) (born August 3, 1952 in Córdoba, Argentina) is a football coach and former midfielder who won the 1978 World Cup as part of the Argentina's national team.

A competitive and skilled midfielder, he became a cult hero, along with compatriot Ricardo Villa and Glenn Hoddle, in England as a player for Tottenham Hotspur. As manager of Tottenham in the mid-90s, he played several matches using five forwards, a formation that hadn't been used in English football since the 1950s, because of its perceived weakness defensively.

Management career

In July 1989, Osvaldo Ardiles moved into football management with Second Division Swindon Town as successor to Lou Macari. His first season as manager looked to have been a success when he guided the club to victory in the playoff final - but promotion was withdrawn after the club admitted financial irregularities. Former manager Lou Macari and team captain Colin Calderwood were cleared of any involvement in the crisis, but accountant Vince Farrar and chairman Brian Hillier were both found guilty of fraud at Winchester Crown Court. Farrar was put on probation while Hillier was jailed for six months.

Swindon's playing fortunes dipped during the 1990-91 season and they narrowly avoided relegation. Before the season was over, Ardiles quit to take charge at Second Division rivals Newcastle United but was sacked within 12 months with the club near the foot of the division.

Ardiles was not out of work for long. In June 1992 he replaced Bobby Gould as manager of West Bromwich Albion, who had just missed out on the Third Division playoffs in 1991-92. At the end of the 1992-93 season, Ardiles guided Albion to victory over Port Vale in the Division Two playoff final. Shortly afterwards he walked out of the Hawthorns to return his former club Tottenham as manager, but his management spell was nowhere near as successful as his spell as a player. Tottenham finished 15th in the Premiership and despite the expensive acquisition of Jurgen Klinsmann, Ilie Dumitrescu and Gheorghe Popescu in the 1994 close season, Ardiles was sacked in October 1994 with Tottenham battling relegation. They had just been punished for financial regularities committed during the late 1980's: with a 1-year FA Cup ban, £600,000 fine and 12 league points deducted. The punishment was later amended to a £1.5million fine and 6 points deducted but the FA Cup ban and points deduction were later quashed.

From 2003 to 2005 Ardiles coached Japanese Tokyo Verdy 1969, with whom he won the 2004 Emperor's Cup. But in July 2005 was fired due to the poor performance of the team, who finished penultimate.

Career chronology

• 1969/1973 - (National) Instituto (Cba)
• 1974 - (National) Belgrano (Cba)
• 1975/78 - Huracán
• 1978/82 - Tottenham Hotspur F.C. (England)
• 1982/83 - Paris Saint Germain (France)
• 1983/88 - Tottenham Hotspur (England)
• 1988/89 - Blackburn Rovers (England)
• 1989/91 - Swindon Town F.C.(England) (as player manager).
• 1991/92 - Newcastle United (England) as a manager.
• 1992/93 - West Bromwich (England) as manager during their promotion from the Second Division
• 1993/94 - Tottenham Hotspur as manager.
• 1995 - Guadalajara (Mexico) as a manager.
• 1996/1998 - J-League team Shimizu S-Pulse as manager leading them to victory in the Nabisco Cup in 1996.
• 1999 - Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
• 2000/2001 - J-League team Yokohama F. Marinos as manager, leading the team to the J-League first-stage title
• 2001 - Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) as manager.
• 2002/2003 - Racing Club (Argentina)
• 2003/2005 - J-League team Tokyo Verdy 1969

Honours

• He won 63 caps for Argentina's national team, including the victorious World Cup winning squad of 1978.
• Osvaldo Ardiles won the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982 and the UEFA Cup with Tottenham Hotspurs as a player.
• Promoted Swindon Town to old Division One (now Premier League) in 1990 as manager although the team were relegated for financial irregularities.
• Promoted West Bromwich Albion to Division One as manager in 1993.
• Won Nabisco Cup with Shimizu S-Pulse as manager in 1996.
• Won Tokai Cup with Shimizu S-Pulse as manager in 1996 and 1998.
• Champion J-League First Stage with Yokohama F. Marinos in 2000 as manager.
• Emperor's Cup Winner 2004/2005 with Tokyo Verdy 1969 as manager.

A cousin of Ardiles, First Lieutenant José Ardiles, died during the Malvinas War when his Argentine Air Force IAI Dagger fighter was downed by British forces. 1st. Lt. Ardiles was promoted post-mortem to the rank of Captain.

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