Footballers storm off

“The plan is to shock the league!”

The new Rangers head coach Benjamin Bräuer (6th from left) with his coaching staff.(Bild: Rangers Mödling)

Last year he was still quarterback, on Saturday Benjamin Bräuer will be on the other side for the first time: As the new head coach, he will lead his Rangers Mödling into the new season of the Austrian Football League: "The plan is to shock the league!"

Instead of a running game towards the end zone, Bräuer will hobble towards the Innsbruck stadium on Saturday. On crutches. After-effects of a knee operation. This may make it easier for the new head coach to have to watch US import Shazzon Mumphey take over his old role as the new quarterback. "He throws the ball further and better than me, he's also a bit faster when he runs," winks the man with the crutches.

 "Shazz is a great person, he played in Prague last year and then in Germany," says Bräuer, "we already brought him in for trial training sessions in the fall to practice his interaction with receivers. That gave us a good head start over many other teams whose imports came later."

This is exactly what the opponents should feel right away, the moment of surprise should be on the Rangers' side: "The plan is to shock the league!" Last year, they only managed sixth place, "the season didn't go the way I would have liked as a player." As coach, Bräuer therefore has a clear goal: "The play-offs! With eight instead of ten teams this year, the field has moved closer together and we want to win more games than last year. And it will certainly be more exciting against the top four."

Shazzon Mumphrey is the new Rangers quarterback.(Bild: David Bitzan DB-PHOTOGRAPHY)

Four new imports

Mumphrey and the new imports Desmond A. Cooper (linebacker), Henrique Emanuel Baptista Borges (defensive line) and Pablo Gomez Gallego (running back) will have to prove that on Saturday in Innsbruck. The two pre-season duels went to the Mödling team. It would be a good dress rehearsal for the home clash in round two against the Graz Giants.