The dismissal of Brian Priske as the head coach of Dutch “Feyenoord”, especially on the eve of the crucial match against Italian “Milan” in the Champions League playoffs, provoked mixed emotions among Dutch fans. But even more mixed reactions were stirred by the news that Donetsk “Shakhtar” coach Marino Pushich is the main candidate (at this moment) for the vacant position.
Marino Pushich. Photo — shakhtar.comFeyenoord fans are convinced that Shakhtar’s coach lacks the experience and talent to manage such a team. They describe him as a good assistant but a poor head coach. As evidence, they point out that “Shakhtar” couldn’t make it into the top-24 in the Champions League, while in the Ukrainian championship, the miners fall behind much poorer and weaker teams.
Comments from Feyenoord fans reflect concern that the club might take a step back by entrusting the team to someone who has yet to prove his qualification at the head coach level.
Demand: Pushich was a great assistant, but being an assistant and head coach are two completely different things. He is not at Feyenoord’s level!
Halve: If Shakhtar performed worse in the Champions League than Feyenoord, and their schedule was no tougher than ours, how can Pushich strengthen our club if his team performs at a weaker level? It’s absurd!
Zeeeuw: He showed nothing special at Shakhtar. Why should we believe he will suddenly perform much better here? Pushich has the best team in Ukraine, but he doesn’t even contend for first place. That is an indicator of his coaching level.
FF1908: Being Slot’s assistant is one thing, while leading a club and managing it independently is a completely different matter. Pushich proved that at Shakhtar. He doesn’t have the experience for this. I can’t imagine Feyenoord crushing Bayern under Pushich’s leadership.
Calipo: If Pushich were as good as some "experts" are trying to make us believe, then Shakhtar would be showcasing a much higher quality of play, especially in the Champions League. But so far, he has impressed no one.
Maal: Why should we hire a coach who hasn’t even proven his worth in Ukraine yet? Yes, he knows the club from the inside, but that’s not enough. We need a strong coach, not another experiment!
Koning: We built a strong team, and now we want to put someone in charge who can’t even handle Shakhtar? That would be a step back. If we want to continue progressing, we need a coach of Slot’s caliber, not his former assistant.
Galle: Does anyone believe that after Pushich is appointed, Feyenoord will start beating PSV and Ajax, and also compete for gold medals? Or will we play twice as well in the Champions League? This coach is incapable of jumping above a certain level. Shakhtar is his ceiling.
Johan: Pushich is an ideal assistant, but not a leader; he can’t give the team more than Priske did. Pushich worked well in Slot’s shadow, but now he’s being offered to step into the spotlight — that’s too big of a risk.
Feykei: If he gets hired, it will be the most obvious case of nepotism in the club’s history. Just because he worked here before? I would understand if he was shining at Shakhtar. But he didn’t achieve anything significant there. Why him?
GeenStress: Dear Shakhtar, keep Pushich to yourselves! We don’t want to deprive you of such a “tactical genius”! It’s customary to be polite in our country, so, Shakhtar, we gift him to you! Free of charge!
Letig: Judging by Shakhtar's performance, they themselves haven’t realized yet that he is their coach. Maybe we shouldn’t rush them? Let them continue this acquaintance. Ukrainians, don’t be offended, but we won’t take this gift, not even for free.
Holland1955: I certainly respect Shakhtar, but why do they want to get rid of Pushich instead of someone useful? If they want to gift us someone, then they should rather give Kevin. A pretty good player, with potential.
Prof: “Shakhtar,” we understand that breaking up is hard... So how about you don’t say goodbye to Pushich? If you want to help us so badly, just keep him to yourselves. We’ll manage somehow!
Durk: For those who are not in the know, Shakhtar can afford players worth 20 million euros. There are tons of Brazilians who didn’t play most of the season. And even with such players, Pushich is more likely to be destroying Shakhtar than making it better.
Grull: Pushich is a waiter who decided to become a chef. He knows where the kitchen is, but he can’t cook. Perhaps Shakhtar has time for such experiments, but we have Champions League matches and a serious battle in the championship ahead, we need a top coach.
Kimbo: This should not be an appointment based on "connections." Just because we know him. We need someone who has proven his worth. I love Feyenoord and want to see a top-level coach here. Pushich is not the one to lead us to new heights.
VanZuid: We need a strategist who can continue the club’s development, not someone who got hired because of old friendships. Are you sure the players will listen to him? His influence at Shakhtar is hardly noticeable.
Laatif: Pushich for Shakhtar is like a broken air conditioner at work. It seems to be there, spent a ton of money on it, but it’s useless. It brings no happiness, just disappointments. A coach like that is definitely not interesting to us.
RoteFeye: Give us a coach who has proven his qualifications, not someone who just worked here before. This seems like a decision based on the principle of "let’s take our own because we know him." But that’s not enough! He chose Shakhtar when he left here. Now we have to save his career?
Erwint: He’s a good assistant, but he has never been a true leader. He lacks the charisma needed for the head coach role. If he can’t bring order to Shakhtar, how will he manage Feyenoord?
Yetten: Shakhtar has neither a clear style nor an understandable philosophy. What will he bring to Feyenoord? A good assistant ≠ a good head coach. Look at football history — there are plenty of such examples!
Jeroen: Just remember how Feyenoord was under Slot. Now look at Shakhtar under Pushich. Feel the difference and understand that this coach is currently at his level; he won’t jump any higher.
Dmitry Malyanov
