Hartberg at a Crossroads

“I don’t want to run the club into the ground!”

(Bild: GEPA)

Quo vadis, TSV Hartberg? The East Styrians will have to make cutbacks in the future. Right now, heads are spinning over the reorientation of the sensation team, which suffered an unfortunate 1-2 defeat to Salzburg. In about 14 days, it should be clear where Hartberg is headed and who the right coach is for the job.

The fact is: Hartberg must make cutbacks. The reasons have long been known: less money from the TV contract, less money from international solidarity payments. “And what we mustn’t forget: What’s next for our economy? The golden years are over,” says Erich Korherr, who, along with his board, is therefore asking the question: There’s less money—where can we cut costs?

In soccer, that’s only possible with personnel costs; the rest is fixed. I don’t want to run the club into the ground.

Hartberg-Obmann Erich Korherr

“In soccer, that’s only possible with personnel costs; the rest is fixed. I don’t want to run the club into the ground. And these questions and thoughts have to be allowed,” says the Hartberg boss. One thing is certain: The sensation team from Styria will inevitably have to undergo a realignment if they don’t want to soon find themselves staring wide-eyed at empty club coffers.

Manfred Schmid’s future is uncertain; Lukas Spendlhofer (right) is suspended from playing against his former club, Sturm.(Bild: APA/EXPA / APA / picturedesk.com)

“One approach would be to have fewer foreign players on the roster and more players from the local area. How many players do we need? Should the team get even younger? Where will they come from? Because right now we have many pros who need housing. If players come from the region, that’s not an issue. We’re thinking about all of this,” says Korherr.

Hartberg chairman Erich Korherr is giving a lot of thought to the club’s future.(Bild: GEPA)

There was a meeting last week with successful coach Manfred Schmid, whose contract is expiring. “And in that meeting, I thanked him very much for his performance. He got us into the championship group,” the TSV boss says, refusing to hear anything about a lack of appreciation. “And the performance in the 1-2 loss to Salzburg was more than okay,” Korherr praises. Despite being a man down (red card for Spendlhofer), TSV pushed for the equalizer.

Quo vadis, Hartberg? According to Korherr, answers to that question should be available in about 14 days. By then, the following should be clarified: Which path will TSV take, and who is the right coach for the realignment? But first, there’s the derby on Sunday at Sturm. “Even though we have two players suspended—Spendlhofer and goalkeeper Hülsmann—we have good substitutes.”