Roland Virkus took part in his first press conference as Borussia’s new sporting director on Tuesday, answering questions from the media. We round up all the key statements.
Sporting director Roland Virkus on…
…his new role: First of all, I would like to thank the club management for putting their faith in me. I have huge respect for and am humbled by the role, which is why I asked for some time to come to my decision. It wasn’t something you can decide in a moment – it needs to be well thought out. After all, you don’t want to cause harm to the club that you have already spent 32 years with. Max Eberl did incredible work here as sporting director. I know that I have big shoes to fill, but I’m really looking forward to picking up where he left off.
…the length of his contract: My contract will run for an initial three and a half years.
…his team: There is no one-man show in football. You need a good team around you, and I know that we have one here that already works so well together. The structures at the club are excellent, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to deal with Max’s departure so well over the past couple of weeks. I believe that I am a team player and so I’m delighted to have good people by my side, particularly Steffen Korell, who will remain my right-hand man as a squad planner. The same goes for Stephan Shippers, who has helped shape the club in a sustainable manner and is responsible for the finances, and of course our head coach Adi Hütter, who I have already spoken with today.
…his predecessor Max Eberl: I worked under Max Eberl very happily for twelve years and have learnt a great deal from him. However, I’m not Max Eberl. I’m Roland Virkus – I have my own path that I want to take. There are obviously certain existing elements that will fit into that, but ultimately I will bring my own ideas into the way the club is run.
…his time as youth academy director: The past twelve years have been a real joy. There have been highs and lows, without doubt. There is huge competition in youth football, particularly in western Germany. We have ideas in terms of my successor, but we will announce something when the time is right.
…his vision for Borussia: The pandemic has led the club somewhat astray. My and our job is to get Borussia back on the right path. Borussia has always followed the three-pillar strategy of utilising youngsters, external top talents and experienced players. The first two haven’t featured as much of late, although when you look at the likes of Joe Scally and Luca Netz, we’re starting to get back on track in terms of external top talents. That has brought Borussia success for eleven years – it will take some time before we get back to where we were.
…the first steps: I will no doubt do a lot of observation to begin with and hold numerous talks. I think that it’s important to build a connection with people and to make sure they have a good feeling – that is crucial for me. I believe that the better the climate, the higher the chances are that the lads can perform well.
…the sporting situation: What’s important right now is that we focus on our remaining Bundesliga games and having a positive end to the season. If we do that, we can build something from it. We obviously have to scrutinise ourselves though and analyse what we did well and what was not so good. Then it’s about taking the squad planning for next season forward. I am convinced that we can get back to where we want to be. We need to go for it; we want to remain ambitious in spite of everything.
…head coach Adi Hütter: I consider Adi as someone who is incredibly focused on the task at hand. I think it’s remarkable how he is dealing with the situation, which isn’t something that happens every day. Saturday’s game against Augsburg was testament to that. I think the team did a great job under what are complicated circumstances. I think the players, the coach and the whole team deserve praise for the way they played.
…fans returning to stadiums: I’m over the moon that fans are starting to come back to stadiums. We all noticed how much good it did the lads out on the pitch. The most honest feedback that you can get comes from the reaction of the fans. They can be brutal, but they’re honest. We’ve missed that for almost two years. A major characteristic of this club is that it has incredible fans. I can’t wait until we can welcome even more than 10,000 fans to the stadium.
