SV Ried: How much trust do you still have in coach Christian Heinle?

At 5 p.m. on Sunday, the Bundesliga match between leaders Salzburg and bottom SV Ried kicks off. Will the final whistle sound for Ried coach Christian Heinle after this game David vs. Goliath? So far only two Bundesliga games have been played after the long winter break, but the 37-year-old is already heavily counted in the executive floor of SV Ried. Getting into the cup semi-finals with a 2-0 away win against third-division side Wiener Sport-Club in the first competitive game of the year doesn’t change that.

SV Ried President Roland Daxl, in conversation with OÖN and Sky Sport Austria last weekend, already let it be known that the coach is by no means firmly in the saddle. That hasn’t changed this week.

Heinle is combative

Heinle, who is considered a meticulous worker and is popular within the club, also because of his past as a marketing employee and trainer of the Young Vikings, is combative. Together with the team and the coaching team, he will try everything to create a sensation in Salzburg. “We are a tight-knit bunch. You could see against LASK that the team is fully intact,” says Heinle.

The situation is not entirely new for him: before the games against WAC and Rapid, an early transfer seemed quite likely. Ried then took seven points from the following three games. Now the situation seems to be even more precarious, it cannot be ruled out that the board of SV Ried could pull the ripcord after the match in Salzburg or after the home game against Austria.

The point average of only 0.78 per game this season and the last place in the table do not speak for Heinle. For many fans it is clear: the trainer is to blame. For the 37-year-old, all of this is a stressful situation at his first station as a professional trainer, and Daxl’s public statements increase the pressure.

The 37-year-old leads, among other things, the lack of chances or bad luck with injuries. Quite valid arguments, and the summer transfer window went pretty wrong. The coach can only do something for that, too. According to Daxl on Sky Sport Austria, sports director Thomas Reicheltshammer is not up for discussion.

Descending would be a disaster

But the truth is also that in the past coaches with a higher point average at SV Ried have been dismissed earlier. The fundamental will to finally take a longer-term path cannot be entirely denied by those responsible, but due to the last place in the table the pressure is increasing. Another relegation to the second division would be a sporting and financial disaster for the club. “It’s clear that we have to deliver results. But it would be foolhardy to demand a win in Salzburg,” said Reifeltshammer.

At the beginning of next week, the board of directors will meet with the sporting management, then everything could possibly go quickly. Daxl repeatedly emphasized that they have a plan B when it comes to coaches. But what could this look like if the worst came to the worst?

Should the board of directors actually come to the decision to want to set a new impulse with a change of coach, then that is understandable in the tough relegation battle. However, one pressing question should still be asked if the worst comes to the worst: Why didn’t you act before the very long winter break if you fired the coach after only three or four league games in the spring? It’s all still speculation, but the club officials are sure to have an alternative plan (which can be implemented very quickly).

Interim solution as an option?

A conceivable scenario is initially a solution with an interim coach who could, for example, step in at least for the remaining games of the regular season.

This is where Maximilian Senft, the successful trainer of the Young Vikings, could come into play. The 33-year-old enjoys great trust from sporting director Wolfgang Fiala and has already gained experience as an assistant coach at Austria Vienna, Wolfsberger AC and FC Barnsley (England). For Senft, the Regionalliga Mitte is definitely just a stopover in his career. However, the Viennese would certainly think twice about the risky step, which would also be a great opportunity. As a “fireman” you always have to have Gerhard Schweitzer on your list, perhaps alongside Senft?

Should Heinle actually be replaced and a subsequent interim solution, you would still have a “joker” up your sleeve for the decisive ten games in the qualifying group. The money to finance a well-known coach is available. In the past fiscal year 2021/2022, the people of the Innviertel generated a whopping profit of around 850,000 euros.

Whether well-known trainers such as Manfred Schmid or Peter Stöger would then actually be available is of course a completely different question.

Clear decision

Whatever the case, after the game in Salzburg, quick and clear decisions are needed as to how things will continue in the coming weeks, which are so important. Those responsible for the club also owe it to Heinle. The current coach is convinced that he and his team will be able to stay up in the league. One thing is certain: SV Ried will definitely not be boring in 2023 either.