Handball 23-03-2007
Source: Sportfórum.hu
Author: Károly Jocha

Players were bought from the money of Mihály Kovács

Mihály Kovács (in our picture); the WCh silver medallist, the former 183-fold selected leader, who was invited also by Komló but a week later he chose Debrecen, resigned from his trainer mandate in Brixen voluntarily.

- As a matter of fact it was my ninth year in Italy – considered shortly the latest trainer of National Championship I team of Debrecen. – I served the club of the northern Brixen (Bressanone) as a player for six years in order that I can spend there again more than two years complying with the many-fold invitation after I spent eleven seasons at home. I do not really have to feel ashamed because we finished in the sixth place in 2004/2005 and in the second place in 2005/2006 in the Italian first class.

- After a silver medal it seems illogical that they said goodbye to you…

- In summer the management of the club changed almost the whole team and the autumn results were not so good as they hoped and planned. In the lack of having more money it came up in riddles that they can make the team stronger if my money gets free. I understood the tactful and friendly hints and firstly to keep the one-decade-long good relationship, I offered my resignation.   

- According to it you returned home to total uncertainty, didn’t you?

- Yes, I did. Certainly the news that I am free spread quickly and first time Komló invited me. I watched one of their matches, but finally I chose Debrecen.

- At first hearing it seems that you chose well unambiguously. After all Debrecen is a massive medium team, it is presumably much easier to have good results than in the case of Komló who has the chance to drop out.

- This is only appearance. I would have had much less problems as just staying in will be success for them what my friend, the former world selected player of Debrecen, István Varga, will be surely able to reach in the mining town.  

- But Debrecen is collecting the scores directly behind the first four.

- This is ture but in the capital of ’Hajdúság’ the fifth place is unambiguously the aim, the probable sixth position would mean disappointment by all means. But gaining the fifth place is not as a simple task at all as many people think it.  

- Why are you optimistic with low profile? After all you knew what is expected from you and you took on the work.

- I really contracted to it, though I did not see everything so expressly as it turned out to be in the meanwhile. Apparently everything is nice and fine: the audience is good, the club bases on correctness and it is absolutely well-organized, they watch the players’ wishes, desires and sighs. They may have a little bit too good time and these facts make me be careful.

- After the recognition what possibilities do you have to change?

- In our latest match against Békés everyone could see that I do not talk through the hat. In the half-time we led seven goals, but at the end we could heavily keep two goals from our lead. I have to try to stop the obvious indiscipline, careless throwing of the ball. To ban the undesirable happenings is not possible only with being refined. The thankless task left to me: I have to give the players warning and if it is the situation I have to punish them. It is not an enviable task, anyone can admit it.  

- So there is only one aim for Debrecen: to reach the fifth place. I would be interested in your opinion about the medium, the field of the Hungarian champion score hunting.

- I am very sorry to see it that the Hungarian championship is getting worse and worse. I can compare it because after returning home from Brixen in 1993 I first played one year in ‘Elektromos’ and then between 1994-1999 I was the trainer of the National Championship I/B of Pestszentlőrinc, after that I was a trainer in ‘Elektromos’, ‘PLER’ and Nyíregyháza. Though there are a lot of talented players but most of them are motivated by getting contract from abroad as their clubs can not keep them. Sooner Veszprém had the most promising young people, then ‘Dunaferr’ and now ‘PLER’ tries to employ methodically the best young people. There is still a huge gap between the probable winner teams and the others, though it would be much better for everyone if the best groups would be forced on closer fights.

(Photo: JochaPress)