Tractorsazi FC signed a three-year contract on Saturday with veteran welsh football coach John Toshack as the manager of the team.
A very popular club in Iran, Tractorsazi was left without a head coach from the end of league season about 50 days ago. Following poor results under the management of Yahya Gol-Mohammadi in the beginning of last season, the club replaced him in January with the Turkish manager Ertugrul Saglam; however the change did not bring the club any better results so he left the club at the end of the season when his contract ended.
According to ISNA, after negotiations between Mohammad-Reza Zonouzi, owner of the club, with some European managers, the affairs of the Tabriz-based football club went into the hands of Toshack.
Born in Cardiff, Wales, Toshack, 69, began his playing career as a teenager with his hometown club Cardiff City FC, becoming the youngest player to make an appearance for the side when he made his debut in 1965 at the age of 16. After his career with Cardiff City, Toshack spent eight years with Liverpool in the UK Premier League.
From 1978 to 1984 he served as player-manager of Swansea FC and won Welsh Cup three times in, 1980-81, 1981-2, and 1982-3 seasons.
He resigned from Swansea in 1984 after suffering relegation and embarked on a managerial career abroad, taking charge of Sporting CP in Portugal and later Spanish side Real Sociedad, winning the Copa del Rey in 1987. Two years later, he was appointed manager of Real Madrid and led the team to a fifth consecutive La Liga title with a record total of points and goals scored.
During his career with Real Madrid he was awarded as the La Liga Coach of the Year - Don Balon Award - twice in 1989 and 1990. In 1997 he began his two years spell at Turkish club Beskitas and won the Turkish Cup in 1997-98 season.
Tractorsazi FC spent a poor season finishing the Iran Pro League in 10th place. The club had little to show in the AFC Champions League games and was eliminated in the group stage without a single win. The East Azerbaijan Province club was owned by Tractor Manufacturing Company since its birth in 1970. In 2011 51% of its shares were purchased by Kowsar Foundation. But earlier this year the club was sold to Zonouzi, a businessman and shareholder.
