One of the few bright spots is Mintal, the man with the most famous name. At the SpVgg Bayreuth home game against Greuther Fürth II a good two weeks ago, the attacker scored a brace, the final score was 2-2. However, it is not Marek Mintal, but his son Jakub. When he scored his second goal, his dad cheered loudly on the sidelines. It’s certainly a privilege to see your own offspring playing in the position you once held. Jakub Mintal, 18, leads the internal top scorer list with four goals. But it is also the case that Marek Mintal, 46, currently has few bright spots.
Last Sunday Marek Mintal sent a clear signal. It was still 0-0 in the regional league away game at Türkgücü Munich, and the former Slovakia international was not satisfied with what was shown. And so the coach made three changes after just 36 minutes. Nico Moos, Vincent Ketzer and David Ismail left the field, all of them not exactly supplementary players who were only on the field because the “Oldschdod”, as the SpVgg is called, is currently plagued by injury concerns.
By the way, one of the substitutes, Josue Mbila, had to go down again in the 72nd minute. “If something isn’t going well, why should I wait until the 45th or 60th minute to react,” Mintal said later. Players are on the field because they want to show something. If they don’t do that, the former professional now reacts very quickly. The thread of patience seems to be very strained.
The relegated team from the third division had decided to maintain professional games in the Bavarian Regional League. FC Schweinfurt 05 also knows that this is not an automatic guarantee of success. Last season they were in a relegation place after 30 match days, but managed to stay in the league and decided after several years of trying to switch back to amateur play. The Lower Franconians currently have as many points after 14 games as they did last year.
His goal is “simply to play a good role,” says Mintal. “So far that is not the case.”
In Bayreuth, the upheaval after relegation was enormous; 21 new players had to learn the ropes under a new coach. This process is apparently anything but complete: Bayreuth have only won four of their 14 games, they have been without a win for five games and are in tenth place; since the 0-1 loss against Türkgücü, where even the substitutions had little effect. The plan was to consolidate this season in order to play for promotion again in 2024/25. The SpVgg also falls short of this expectation – and behind teams like Vilzing, Aubstadt and Illertissen.
“Maybe that was on one or the other person’s mind,” says Mintal when asked whether there weren’t thoughts of advancement floating around. His goal is “simply to play a good role. So far that hasn’t been the case.” But he also says: “Don’t panic.” Actually, the team just needs to finally transfer their training performance into the game. However, he finds it worrying that against Türkgücü, for example, they were not only unconvincing in terms of football, but also that their willingness to fight and their willingness to run decreased. “We are treading water,” says the 46-year-old, who clearly sees the team as responsible. He knows those responsible have his back. Managing director Jörg Schmalfuß criticized the players’ attitude after the game in Munich. You can also hear from those close to the club: Coach Mintal is not up for debate.
On Sunday, third division experienced attacker Jann George returned to the squad. Maybe just in time, because next Saturday the Oldschdod will welcome the other full professionals in the league: the Würzburger Kickers. The leaders are still undefeated and already have twice as many points (36) as Bayreuth. A win would hardly help you get promoted next year. The only way to get closer to the goal of playing a good role.
