Martin O'Neill has quite rightly dominated the back pages, having won the domestic treble in his first season in charge of Celtic.

Alex McLeish has received many plaudits for pulling Hibernian out of the doldrums, but Bonetti's achievements in just his first term in British management have been quite remarkable.

When Bonetti and his brother Dario arrived at Dens Park last summer from the minor Italian club Sestresse many an eyebrow was raised.

Debut marred

As a former star with Juventus and Sampdoria, Bonetti's playing credentials were impeccable, but could he cut it as a coach?

Could uncompromising Scottish defenders like Lee Wilkie, Willie Miller and Stephen Tweed grasp the subtleties of catenaccio?

These concerns were soon dispelled when Bonetti jettisoned most of the natives in the Dundee squad to accomodate a host of Italian, Spanish and South American players.

Bonetti talked a good game, predicting a top-six finish at the first time of asking, which he duly delivered, with a top-three place pledged by the end of his three-year contract.

The roll call of Latin names attracted a large travelling support to witness the first step in the Tayzzuri revolution at Fir Park last July and the new-look Dark Blues put on quite a show.

Fine season

Goals from Billio and Artero were enough to secure a stylish win over Motherwell and set a high standard of free-flowing football that was maintained throughout the season.

However, Bonetti marred a wonderful debut when he received a red card. Sadly, ill-discipline was also to be a feature of Dundee's season and Bonetti's antics on the pitch and in the dugout incurred the wrath of several match officials.

Dunfermline were swept aside at Dens Park the following week to send Bonetti's men to the top of the league and the locals into raptures.

However, they were brought back down to earth when Hibs hammered five past them at Easter Road.

A rollercoaster ride of hot and cold performances followed, with the highlight a 3-0 trouncing of city rivals United.