The head coach of Kovalivka's “Kolos,” Oleksandr Pozdiev, commented on information that after yesterday's match of the 20th round of the Ukrainian Championship against “Oleksandriya” (0:1), the president of his club, Andrii Zasukha, dismissed the entire coaching and administrative staff of the first team.
— Oleksandr Serhiyovych, I read in the media that the president of “Kolos” fired all the coaches and managers. Is that true?
— The president is not here right now. But, according to the words, we have already been thanked for our work.
— So, it turns out that your coaching staff is leaving “Kolos”?
— Yes. Apparently, “Kolos” management already has some options, and in the coming days, they should present a new coaching staff. For now, the team has no schedule; the players themselves do not understand what the situation is. Tomorrow they have a day off, and after that, no one knows anything.
— Have you already picked up your work book?
— Everything just happened. For now, I haven’t taken anything. I’m in Kovalivka, and my work book is in the office. I’ll go and pick it up in the coming days.
— Who informed you about the termination of cooperation if Zasukha was not on-site?
— Vitaliy Oleksandrovych Shalimov (Vice President of “Kolos,” — ed.).
— And the managers were also dismissed?
— Honestly, I don’t know what the situation is with the managers. I entered, heard what I heard, and left. That’s it. It was some very emotional decision.
— Do you hope that the president will cool off tomorrow and reconsider dismissing the coaching staff?
— No, I’m not counting on that. I think some agreements are already in place regarding who will be working.
— Who will prepare the team for the match against LNZ?
— I don’t know that. Most likely, a new coach. The game against LNZ is next Sunday, and by that time, they will probably decide something.
— Do you know whose candidacy is being considered for the head coach position, whether it’s a Ukrainian or a foreigner?
— Honestly, I don’t know. I was busy with my own matters, and I never intruded on such questions.
— How did the players react to your departure?
— It’s sad. First of all, they are sad that there were no results. For the team, it’s always stressful when such a situation occurs.
— But why didn’t “Kolos” achieve results?
— This needs to be analyzed. We began to globally reshape the team, and restructuring is always a painful process. Let’s say we didn’t complete the restructuring. We lacked patience and understanding of how and where everything works. Something like that. We were given the opportunity to work, and we gained a lot of experience.
— What goal did Zasukha set for the team this season?
— The goal was one — to rebuild the team, to rejuvenate it, to implement a more intense and aggressive style of football so that in the future “Kolos” could fight for a place in the top-5. There was no specific goal this season to occupy a certain position. We should have been winning matches and be closer to the middle of the table. Let’s say this: the higher, the better.
— Do you feel resentment towards “Kolos” for how this farewell happened?
— No, I don’t. I knew where I was going and that Andrii Anatoliyovych [Zasukha] is very emotional. I have ambitions to work at a high level, and I needed to try myself at the helm of “Kolos.” I gained a lot of experience here in all respects: in building a team, relationships, and pressure from the media.
— If you are offered another position at “Kolos,” for example, as a coach of the youth team, would you stay?
— No. First of all, they already have a coach, and secondly, there haven’t been such discussions, and most likely, there won’t be. Right now, I want to take a little break from football and analyze the situation that occurred. To think about what could have been done differently and at what point. Then — to draw the right conclusions and think about what to do next.
Right now, I want to exhale and digest the period at “Kolos” that we spent here.
— We’ve talked about the negatives, now tell me what positive things you managed to achieve at “Kolos”? What can you take into account as a plus?
— First of all, we brought in a lot of youth and gave them a chance to debut in the first team and train with UPL players.
Secondly, we acquired interesting legionnaires who may be interesting in the future on the market and become assets for the club. They are young and have great prospects. They can grow into footballers for whom good money will be paid.
Plus, we tried to turn our playing vector towards a more attacking style of football. It’s a difficult path, but we tried to learn everything. Some things worked out, and some didn’t.
— Which players from “Kolos” could become top footballers? Who can you highlight?
— A lot depends on the players and their work. There are quite good qualities in the youth that we included from U-19. The same Husol, who unfortunately is currently injured, has very good prospects to grow into a top footballer if he approaches himself and training correctly. Veletniy has decent potential. He is athletic, fast, has dribbling, and striking skills, but he needs to correct some psychological moments of self-esteem and his sense of belonging within the team.
Among legionnaires, I would highlight Hahnidze, Krasnichy, and the newcomer Rrapai, who has great qualities, but needs time to develop them. “Kolos” has good footballers who can grow into great players, but for this, the team needs to win, because without victories, you won’t be interesting to anyone.
Andrii Piskun