Ten days ago Max Kothny had undergone a small change of heart. The managing director of Türkgücü Munich suddenly stopped talking about the new coach having to know the third division. Rather, he must be familiar with relegation battles, and that could also mean “relegation battles abroad”. At this point, Andreas Heraf already seemed to have good cards for the new job, officially he was one of two remaining candidates. The 54-year-old Austrian was officially presented on Monday.
After Türkgücü had not initially found a single suitable Uefa licensed coach – a fine from the DFB for violating the statutes is still pending – there are now two, number five and six in 2021: Heraf confidante Goran Djuricin, 47, will be Signed as assistant coach, after all, he coached Rapid Vienna in the Europa League in 2018. The two know each other from shared times in the youth of the Austrian Association, where Heraf has led various teams in World Cup and European Championship finals for nine years.
A game that simply leads to points, an increased focus on the defensive, plus more long balls than a breadless combination game: Kothny had demanded all of this in the half-time of the last game in calendar 2020 against SC Verl (2: 2) and with it already clearly preparing the ground for Heraf. From his time at the Austrian Football Association it is known that the native of Vienna liked to shout a loud “fortress” at his team – then the defense became a bulwark. “The big goal is to get out of there together,” says Heraf in his opening statement about his work at the table sixteenth. When asked about his style of play, he only says: “Bundesliga football is a competitive sport. And competitive sport is a result sport.”
Andreas Heraf has a similarly dazzling coaching vita as his predecessor Peter Hyballa
Heraf actually knows relegation battle, albeit only from his last station so far, the Austrian first division club SV Ried. There he brought the team “upstairs in exactly the same situation”. Nevertheless, it seemed to be a confused time in Upper Austria: Heraf had been an interim coach there for a short time, then he became an assistant coach, only to be promoted to head coach just ten days later. However, he only stayed in this role for 21 competitive games until last November. And his station before that, as sporting director at the New Zealand Football Association, ended in a dispute. It was read that Heraf had bullied or even bullied players in the women’s national team. After his resignation, the association apologized for the “things that had happened”, Heraf spoke of a “large-scale conspiracy” against him. This, in turn, is reminiscent of his Türkgücü predecessor Peter Hyballa, who after only a few weeks in Denmark against the second division Esbjerg fB had turned many players against himself and denied most of the allegations.
When Hyballa had to leave at the end of November and the popular interim coach Alper Kayabunar took over, Managing Director Kothny conjured up a new sense of unity and the urge to face the time of crisis in sport with a new sense of community. There doesn’t seem to be much left of that, although until recently it was said that little has changed in the squad. Now they want to part with some players, says Kothny, according to SZ information, this includes actors like the long-injured Sebastian Maier or the largely unsuccessful attacker Törles Knöll, who cost the club a lot. Even the second division experienced Albion Vrenezi should not have sparked unreserved enthusiasm in the club management recently. On the other hand, “one or two reinforcements” are planned, according to Kothny.
The tasks of the new coaching duo are clearly outlined: In training, a comparatively tough regiment should now be led again. Petr Ruman, who was dismissed in September and has since returned to Greuther Fürth’s second team, is said to have had authority problems with the team. Hyballa’s style, on the other hand, was not accepted by high performers either. In any case, playmaker Sercan Sararer suddenly played more committed after his leave of absence. “Hard work” is now expected on the pitch (Heraf), with a clear focus on defensive work and trust in the individual skills of the offensive players. This work begins on January 2nd in the training camp in Belek, Turkey.
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