Tomas Oral is the new man on the GC touchline - an unknown face in Switzerland. For blue Sport expert Rolf Fringer, that's an advantage.
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- Tomas Oral is the new GC coach. The fact that he is a coach from abroad comes as no surprise to Rolf Fringer.
- "He's hardly known in Switzerland. Expectations are therefore not as high as with a coach who has already left his mark in Switzerland," says Fringer.
- Next weekend, GC will face a groundbreaking match under the new coach in the basement duel against Winterthur. Fringer says: "They absolutely have to win that."
GC introduced Tomas Oral as its new coach on Tuesday morning. Rolf Fringer talks to blue Sport about the new man on the sidelines of the record champions.
blue Sport: Tomas Oral is the new GC coach. How surprised are you?
Rolf Fringer: Oral is a coach from abroad. That's no surprise. As head of sport, Stefan Schwarz naturally has the network in Austria and Germany and doesn't know the Swiss coaches that well. We didn't really expect anyone because we didn't know what GC would do. But everyone deserved the chance. Oral has left his mark in the second Bundesliga.
What can Oral do better than a Swiss solution?
He is hardly known in Switzerland. Expectations are therefore not as high as with a coach who has already left his mark in Switzerland. Then you can surprise and cause a sensation. That's always possible. But taking over the coaching job at GC is not a walk in the park for anyone.
Assistant coach Michael Henke is the more familiar face. What does that mean for the club?
It means that Schwarz probably has a good relationship with Henke. He has a lot of experience and is probably just not cut out for a head job. So you can benefit and learn a lot from an assistant coach. That's why it's an exciting combination. Of course, you shouldn't write too much about the assistant coach because you know him better than the head coach. But it's up to the main coach to put himself in the spotlight with results.
Results must follow quickly. Preferably as early as the weekend against Winterthur?
A new coach is always a breath of fresh air. They absolutely have to win the game against Winterthur. It's a groundbreaking game. It's certainly a good time for GC to have a new coach. It's not about the training content, the system and the tactics. It's more about the emotions, the will. But afterwards, of course, he is also a little caught up in the overall GC situation, with the American management, the people in the operational area who don't know Switzerland. GC is the problem, not the coach. And that's why it's not easy for any coach who comes to GC.
What's your gut feeling? Is Oral a long-term solution?
It's hard to say. Again, you just have to manage to stay in the league. If they manage that, they will have achieved their goal. As I said, you have to give everyone a chance.
