“Regardless of whether as a player, sporting director or fan: A derby against LASK always has the same meaning for me. These duels are the most important games of the year for the club and the fans,” says Thomas Reicheltshammer, sports director of SV Guntamatic Ried. before tomorrow’s Upper Austria derby in Pasching (5 p.m.).
OÖN: One win, one draw and four defeats, most recently three in a row against Klagenfurt, Tirol and Hartberg – you can’t be satisfied with the start of the Bundesliga.
Thomas Reicheltshammer: The score so far has not been satisfactory. Above all, the three defeats I mentioned against teams with whom we should actually act on an equal footing hurt.
Alarm bells are ringing for some fans. Why isn’t it working as expected?
We have embarked on a sporting path that we want to continue. We rely on a clear playing system. Defensively, the performances were mostly okay. In my opinion, however, we are still putting in too much effort offensively to get dangerously in front of goal. We still rarely get into the decisive zone in front of the opponent’s goal. The coaching team works very meticulously every day so that we can improve bit by bit. We’re not in panic mode at all.
How firmly is coach Christian Heinle in the saddle?
100 percent.
So would you go into the winter break with Heinle as bottom of the table?
The final decision would not be mine, but definitely from my side. Every day I see how the coaching team works in detail. For Christian Heinle it’s practically his first season as a professional coach. He is very intelligent and self-reflective. He knows where to start.
What is your record of the transfer phase?
It wasn’t an easy time. We had to react several times, mainly because of the long-term injuries to Turi, Gragger and Stosic. Within the scope of our limited possibilities, we have tried to compensate for the failures as best as possible. If you think that we can replace a player like Ante Bajic right away, you are very wrong. That’s not how it works in this business. At the moment, we just don’t have the arguments that we can compensate for such a departure, both in sporting and economic terms. There are always three or four sides involved in a transfer: the two clubs, the player and possibly a player’s agent.
Was there contact with ex-Rieder Daniel Royer, who has been without a club since winter?
There was a conversation with his advisor. Ultimately, a commitment was not an issue for us. We were looking for a different type of player. In addition, Daniel Royer has not played a game for eight months, the risk would have been too great for us.
What about the injuries to Matthias Gragger and Julian Turi?
It’s quite difficult for Gragger, who has a groin injury. He’s been to several doctors, no one knows exactly what’s causing the pain. We hope that this will soon improve. Julian Turi will probably be in the squad against LASK, he has already completed half time with the Young Vikings.
With Oliver Kragl, a 32-year-old crowd favorite was brought back. In the third Italian division he has recently played very little. Can he meet the high expectations of the fans?
If anyone can, then Oliver Kragl. During the talks with him, I noticed that he was passionate about the cause and the challenges here in Ried. I felt that he absolutely wanted to play for us, and we didn’t take any financial risks with the one-year contract. Money was not a priority for Kragl. He will do us good with his passion on the pitch.
Is the current league system with the division of points after the regular season still an advantage for SV Ried?
Yes.
Tomorrow at 5 p.m. against the leaders and big rivals, LASK. How can SV Ried create a surprise?
If we want to have a chance, then we have to be superior when it comes to passion. If we can do that, I believe our team can surprise us in Pasching.
Source: Nachrichten
