Šeterle: A Narrower Squad Will Be Sufficient For Fewer Spring Matches

09. 01. 2007 |  

According to what does the club management make decisions about the changes in the squad and who has the final word?

"We make changes in the team on the basis of three principal criteria. The first one is assessment of existing sport performance of individual players, the second one are economical possibilities and the third criterion consists in sport ambitions of the club. The general strategy is created using a very democratic method at regular meetings of the management of the club with the team coaches. Of course, the basic conception must be approved by the board of the joint-stock company and the supervisory board then assesses it. And we together with the coaches make also a general assessment after the end of season."

How did the assessment of the last season make out?

"In the last summer after qualifying in European cup competitions, we decided to invest in strengthening of the team above the framework of current economical possibilities so that some liabilities with respect to clubs will be transferred in later period of 2007. Both qualitative and quantitative strengthening of the team was an unambiguous purpose so that it could succeed in three competitions. We wanted to qualify in the spring quarter-final of ČMFS (Czech Cup) what we managed to do. As to European cups, we planned to reach at least the qualifying stage of the UEFA Cup and we managed to fulfil this goal, too. And as to domestic league, we planned to reach a position creating good conditions for final standing that would allow us to play an European cup again in the next season. And there is a certain non-performance when compared with the plan as the team obtained three points less than we expected."

What will be the transfer policy of FK Mladá Boleslav like in this winter term?

"The strategy for the winter period is based on the above mentioned assessment of sport performance of players, sport objectives for the spring part of the season while retaining economical stability of the club. The team will play only thirteen league and not more than three cup matches instead of thirty autumn competition matches. We will certainly reduce the existing twenty-six-member squad by five players and in case of potential strengthening and we will take an optimum age composition into consideration. The economical possibilities of the club allow investing approximately sixty to seventy per cent of the yield from sale of the players who will leave the club in team strengthening. We will not follow only current and immediate performance of the team but also an outlook in a short- up to medium-term time horizon. The players who will not start preparation with the team on Wednesday 10 will learn this fact officially from the director of the football club on Tuesday. We will make every effort so that these players would assert themselves in other clubs as all of them are players who helped the team in certain period and were also members of the basic line-up."

Do you try to sign also foreign players?

"We have changed the strategy of obtaining foreign players. We will not take anybody for so called testing but if we get a tip for a player who would fit into our requirements and playing ideas, we will monitor him directly in his current club. This method seems us to be more effective and, above all, cheaper. I do not expect at present that any foreign player could appear in the team of FK Mladá Boleslav at the beginning of winter preparation."

Do you try to keep the stopper Miloš Brezinský or does he return in Liberec?

"Miloš Brezinský is a regular player of Slovan Liberec and was allowed to play in our team as a guest-player but his guest period ended on the last day of 2006. We try to keep this player but it will depend also on potential changes in the team of Liberec whether we will succeed in it."

Media speculate about transfer of Kulič abroad, has the club already received any concrete offers in this connection?

"It is true that this player is frequently speculated in media but any concrete offer from abroad that would be interesting both for Marek Kulič and for our club has not been laid on the table so far."