Under Arregui's presidency, the club was transformed, but not without some initial frustrations, none more so than the five attempts it took to escape Segunda B in the early to mid 1990's. Alavés made comparatively short work of the second division, winning the title in its third attempt and with it, promotion to the top tier after a 42 year absence. Salvation in the 1998-99 season went right down to the wire, with the club securing its place in La Primera with a 2-1 victory over neighbours Real Sociedad. By now, the club had installed José Manuel Esnal 'Mané' as coach. He had achieved some success at UE Llieda, but he was about to lead the club on an adventure that would culminate in playing in one of the most memorable of European finals. The run to the final of the 2001 UEFA Cup Final in Dortmund had come about thanks to a highest ever finish of sixth in La Primera in season 99-00. On route to the final, Alavés disposed of Internazionale, Rayo Vallecano and Kaiserslautern. In the end, they came up just sort, losing an epic final to Liverpool in extra-time, by 4-5. The club would be unable to match the highs of the 2000-01 season and their followed a gradual decline, before dropping to La Segunda in 2003.
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Mendizorroza - Set for La Primera, but not for long. (Foto: www.stades.ch) |
The club sold a 51% share to American/Ukrainian Dmitry Piterman in 2004, and as followers of the Spanish game and supporters of Racing Santander & Palamos will testify, this usually ends in tears. Initially, the club responded well to relegation, finishing fourth in 2003-04 and winning promotion back to the top flight in 04-05. The return to La Primera was short-lived and amidst rumours of financial difficulties, the club dropped back into the second division a year later. Relations between Piterman, the rest of the board and the players deteriorated, not helped by the non-payment of wages. Finally in March 2007, Piterman sold his stake in the club, leaving it €23m in debt. Facing closure and unable to compete, Alavés struggled on in La Segunda before being finally relegated at the end of 2009 season. They were now a big fish in the considerably smaller pond of Group II of Segunda B, and they soon found that not everything was to its liking. Alavés missed out on promotion for three successive seasons, before finally wining the Segunda B title and disposing of Real Jaén in the Play-offs.