Osasuna into the Champions League

It's the third qualifying round, but Osasuna concluded an outstanding season by finishing fourth in the Spanish league and securing the final Champions League place.  This is usually a team that in the past has merely focused on staying up, but with the arrival of Javier Aguirre the club has continued breaking records, from clinching their Primera División status a month early, to playing in the Spanish Cup final, to qualifying for the UEFA Cup.  This year the club set records for total points, home wins, away wins, earliest assurance of Primera status, number of weeks in the European places, and of course the Champions League berth.

A spectacular achievement, and one that speaks well of Aguirre's coaching ability.  I can't say I'm surprised, given the turnaround he engineered for Mexico's WC qualification hopes in '01.  I do have one question:  Why did Mexico let him go after the 2002 World Cup?  Don't tell me it was because Mexico lost to the USA!

UPDATE (5/19): No sooner I sing Aguirre's praises does he up and leave.  I guess it's to be expected.  Aguirre is destined to coach a big club in Spain.  The big question is how Osasuna will perform next season without el Vasco in charge.   Provincial clubs with inspirational managers have not tended to do as well when those managers leave - such as Leicester City after Martin O'Neill or Aberdeen after Alex Ferguson, to name a couple of examples.