Sporting Gijon coach Abelardo launched a scathing attack at a journalist following his side's 2-1 Copa del Rey round-of-32 first-leg defeat at home to Eibar on Tuesday.
When asked at his postmatch news conference about the boos and chants coming from a section of Sporting fans demanding a coaching change, Abelardo hit back at the reporter and his newspaper Marca.
"We know each other and you boast about being a Sporting fan, but you are less than anyone here and now you publish it in Marca and you make tremendous damage" he is quoted as saying by El Mundo.
"You are a disgrace, you and your damned newspaper, always looking for s--- and the damn negative. Why don't you ever ask about the good things? You are like [Louis] van Gaal, always negative."
Van Gaal, who coached Abelardo at Barcelona from 1997 until 2000, had a strained relationship with the media during his time in Spain.
During a Barca news conference, Van Gaal said, "Siempre negativo, nunca positive [always positive, never negative]," complaining that the media was always critical of him, although the catchphrase came to refer to him in Spain.
Tuesday's loss to Eibar was Sporting's fifth consecutive defeat and has placed Abelardo, a former Spain international, under pressure.
Sporting, coached by Abelardo since 2014, have endured a slow start to the campaign and are without a victory since a 2-1 home win over Leganes on Sept. 11.
The Gijon-based outfit sit 18th in the La Liga standings, with nine points from 13 games, and host Osasuna on Sunday.