Player-Manager Profile

When Lou Macari resigned to join West Ham in July 1989, the job of replacing Swindon's most successful manager for decades went to former Argentine international and World Cup winner, Ossie Ardiles.

Like Macari, the Swindon job was Ardiles' first managerial position, and he proved to be up to the task. To the amazement of the Town fans, he transformed the team from playing the long ball style which had been so successful, to a new "Samba style", which saw the Town playing attractive attacking football. Part of this change was the new "diamond formation" which Ardiles implemented - a 4-4-2 style with left-sided, right-sided, attacking and defensive midfielders.

Just ten months after he had joined, Ardiles led the Town to their highest ever league position - finishing fourth in Division Two. After the Town beat Blackburn in the first leg of the Play-Off semi-final, the fans paid tribute to Ardiles' success in the second leg with a tickertape reception - recreating the atmosphere of the 1978 World Cup, in which Ardiles had starred. Swindon went on to win promotion to the top flight for the first time in their history - beating Sunderland in the Play-Off Final - only to have the promotion cruelly taken from them ten days later, when the Football League demoted them for irregular payments to players.

The following season, Ardiles was forced to sell to keep the club alive - and Wembley hero Alan McLoughlin was the first big-money departure. With Swindon obviously rocked by their pre-season nightmare, their form deserted them, and opposition clubs seemed to come to terms with the Town's style of play. By the end of February, relegation threatened, and when Newcastle offered Ardiles the chance to become their new boss, he accepted.

Managerial Record

Playing Record

Senior

Reserve and Youth Team Appearances

Note that appearance data for reserve and youth teams may not be complete. Expand for more information.

Career details

Club	Details
Red Star Córdoba Red Star Córdoba	1969 (youth)
Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba Instituto	(youth) 1973
Club Atlético Belgrano Belgrano	1974
Club Atlético Huracán Huracán	1975
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham	July 1978
Paris Saint-Germain PSG	August 1982 (loan)
St. George St. George	1985 (loan)
Blackburn Rovers Blackburn	March 1986 (loan)
Queens Park Rangers Q.P.R.	August 1988
Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers	June 1989
Swindon Town Swindon	July 19th, 1989 (manager) ; resigned (March 31st, 1991) August 18th, 1989 (non-contract)
Newcastle United Newcastle United	March 31st, 1991 (manager) ; sacked (February 5th, 1992)
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion	May 8th, 1992 (manager) ; resigned (June 19th, 1993)
Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham	June 19th, 1993 (manager) ; sacked (November 1st, 1994)
CD Guadalajara Chivas	1995 (manager)
Shimizu S-Pulse Shimizu S-Pulse	February 1996 (manager) ; sacked (rptd January 31st, 1999)
Croatia Zagreb Croatia Zagreb	July 1999 (manager)
Yokohama F Marinos Yokohama F Marinos	January 2000 (manager) ; sacked (rptd June 2nd, 2001)
Al-Ittihad Al-Ittihad	July 2001 (manager)
Racing Club Racing Club	January 2002 (manager)
Tokyo Verdy 1969 Tokyo Verdy	2003 (manager)
Beitar Jerusalem Beitar Jerusalem	July 2006 (manager) ; resigned (rptd October 18th, 2006)
Club Atlético Huracán Huracán	September 2007 (manager) ; resigned (rptd December 11th, 2007)
Cerro Porteño Cerro Porteño	May 2008 (manager) ; sacked (August 2008)
FC Machida Zelvia Machida Zelvia	February 2012 (manager)