Paco Herrera, experience equals quality

A recent arrival from Vigo, his home for three years, one of the many he has had, Paco Herrera, after winning the UEFA Champions League as assistant coach at Liverpool FC and imparting his knowledge as the technical secretary at RCD Espanyol, has now started his own career in the dugout.

He has taken his passion for the game to the Canary Islands, a place where he has only resided for five months but already made quite an impact with UD Las Palmas' best ever start to the Liga Adelante.

The last-minute victory against CD Leganés, a not uncommon way to win a game in the ever-close Liga Adelante, went down in the island side's history books. In the club's more than 65 years of operation, no coaching staff has managed a better start to the league in the first 15 Liga Adelante matches.

As we approach the halfway mark of the competition, Herrera has recorded some stats that will be the envy of his peers: ten wins, six draws and one defeat. The run has led them to the top of the table with 36 points, and they have produced it with attractive and precise football. It comes as no surprise then, that the coach has been named by La Liga's main sponsor (BBVA) as the manager of the month.

Solid home performances

The single loss, in the Canary Island derby against CD Tenerife (2-1), takes none of the shine off an eleven-match spell without defeat. Experience and youth are two of the team's greatest strengths. Getting the most out of the veteran members of the team and squeezing every last drop out of the young guns is a challenge that has been executed to perfection.

One of their greatest assets is their confidence at home. Last year's disappointment has long been forgotten and the Canary Islanders are proving strong at home, having won 20 out of 24 points available there, where no team has beaten them.

Everything is going according to plan at a UD Las Palmas who are making a great case as one of the candidates for promotion to the Liga BBVA, although experience from previous years tells us that perseverance is a must if you are to perform well all year.

The side managed by Paco Herrera is about to cap off a magnificent first half to the season, now they need a second half to match in order to return to the Spanish topflight with the Catalan manager in the dugout.