Bull column

It’s time to look to the future

Making a clear cut: Rouven Schröder (left) and Stephan Reiter.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

FC Red Bull Salzburg has parted company with its head coach Pep Lijnders. After 29 games and a poor first half of the season, club bosses Stephan Reiter and Rouven Schröder decided that a change was needed. This is a change that will allow the club to look positively to the future again. A column by "Krone" editor Christoph Nister.

After 168 days, the end came yesterday. "FC Red Bull Salzburg and Pepijn Lijnders end their collaboration" was the title of a press release from the runners-up.

In it, the Dutchman is thanked very respectfully for his work and his important impulses for further development. From now on, the club's full focus will be on finding a new manager, who Salzburg intends to present before the start of training on January 3.

The past few months have been extremely turbulent and success has largely failed to materialize. This has also been the subject of plenty of discussion and criticism here. It was never about Pep Lijnders as a person, who was always polite and courteous, but always about his work as a coach. The Dutchman had good intentions. Perhaps even too good, considering how often he held his protective hand over the players.

Now it's time to let bygones be bygones. With Rouven Schröder as managing director of sport, club boss Stephan Reiter has already landed a new strong man for the sporting side. Together, the aim is to find a coach who will turn Salzburg back into what it was for a long time: the undisputed number 1 in domestic soccer!