The new head coach of "Neftchi," Yuri Vernidub, gave an interview to the club's official website.
Idman.Biz reports that the Ukrainian specialist spoke about his arrival at "Neftchi" and his goals.
- How did your arrival at "Neftchi" happen?
- Actually, I had offers from both inside and outside the country. But as soon as the offer came from "Neftchi," I put the others aside. Because "Neftchi" is a club with a great history. I have known the team since the USSR championship. I myself played against "Neftchi" as a football player. "Neftchi" is also very popular in Ukraine. After my conversation with the management, I saw what goals the club had. I really liked the project. Systematic work is being carried out here, and the club has big plans. Although the results are not very encouraging at the moment, these are temporary. We will improve the results together.
- You have already met the players and taken the team to several training sessions. What are your initial impressions?
- The squad consists of very quality football players. The club has implemented a good and targeted transfer policy. Strong football players have gathered in every position. My expectations from them are high. We will try to instill our game philosophy in the team in a short time, and raise them to a new level both tactically, physically, and psychologically. Time is running out, we are already in the middle of the championship. If we approach the work correctly, we will achieve our goal. There are no transfers on the agenda in the near future. Of course, there are long-term plans to strengthen the team, but now our main priority is to raise the level of play of the players we have. I trust them.
- What goals have been set for you?
- First of all, we must definitely improve the results. We have a lot of work to do, but we are not afraid. I have already had several training sessions, and I feel the desire and determination in the players. I have also seen only support from the management from the first day. I believe that we will overcome this difficulty together. In our first conversation, I asked the management to be with me and the players every minute. We understood each other very well. As for the goals, only the championship suits "Neftchi". It is true that our place in the tournament table is not good now, but we must definitely be at the top at the end of the season. We will fight, we will fight to the end. At least we will fight to the end for this, we will do everything we can. We will try to start lining up victories from the match with "Sumgayit".
- What is your message to the "Neftchi" fans?
- This team has as big a fan base as it is big. There is an army of fans, from young to old, whose hearts beat with "Neftchi". I know this. I am aware of everything. I am aware that they support "Neftchi" to the end in every game, regardless of the result. We will try and do our best to live up to their hopes, to send them home happy after every game. I also ask the fans not to spare their support for the players.