aside from the anamoly of the last 3 or so years, river doesnt put together new teams from scratch, they always have something. the 99 team was stacked, especially in comparison to most other argentine teams.
River's "dream team":
Burgos
Diaz Ayala Berizzo Sorín
Monserrat Astrada Berti
Ortega
Salas Francescoli
River's 99 team:
Bonano
Lombardi Trotta Yepes Placente
Coudet Astrada Gancedo
Aimar
Saviola Angel
Only player that played in both teams is Astrada, I would say that's creating a team from scratch. Ramon Diaz players' selection is IMO his biggest attribute as a coach and that's pretty important for a NT coach.
san lorenzo won their first half season with him, the second half season were they even top 5?
That's 'cause they priorized the Libertadores cup.
he was also at the helm for some big time flops, especially in tournaments (precisely what NT play)
He won the Libertadores cup and Supercopa, how many of the other candidates had that kind of success? Bianchi and then...?
and has a habit of making excuses and walking out the back door. speaking of which, how many of the last 10 years has he been employed? half?
Give me one example, I think you're talking about Bianchi on this one.
And who cares how many years he has been employed in the last 10 years when he has more tournaments won that years as a coach.