14 Things Newcastle Fans Need To Know About Ian Cathro

8. He Helped Take Unfancied Minnows Rio Ave To The Portuguese Cup Final Twice... And Into Europe For The First Time

Nuno Espirito Santo was present at an SFA coaching course a few years ago and that is when he came across Cathro - a man who he believed would make a great coach. When Nuno was then named as Portuguese side Rio Ave's boss in 2012, he immediately asked Cathro to join him as his deputy. The pair totally reformed the playing style of the unfancied Portuguese minnows and implemented a new philosophy - which immediately paid dividends. A sixth-placed finished in the Primeira Liga in 2012-13 was impressive - and, although they fell down to 11th the following campaign, they reached both the Portuguese Cup and Portuguese League Cup finals. In addition, as a result of reaching the Portuguese Cup final Rio Ave also qualified for the Europa League - the first time in their history they had reached a European competition.