“We gathered all of our strength and the players delivered”

Fredi Bobic was visibly joyful as he took to the podium for Tuesday afternoon’s presser. The happiness and the relief in the wake of Monday night’s victory over HSV in the relegation play-off were palpable. “It was a special day in Hamburg. It was a day that demanded something from all of us. But we gathered all our strength and the players delivered. It was a fantastic evening and we can take some positives from this negative situation,” said the 50-year-old sporting director. Bobic not only reflected on what was an eventful season, but he also looked ahead to the future. “We have seen what the strength of a traditional club like ours means, through thick and through thin. We have to gather this strength together and take it into the future,” said the former striker in a 40 minute media round. Here are the most important parts:

Fredi Bobic on…

It was a special day in Hamburg. It was a day that demanded something from all of us. It was an intense week for all involved. We had several chances to secure safety but we couldn’t quite do it, and then came the defeat in the first leg. But we gathered all our strength and everyone did an outstanding job. The players delivered, gave everything and fought tooth and nail. What Felix Magath and his staff have achieved is sensational. He has once again proved the doubters wrong and I am very grateful to him. The whole team pulled it together and gave the performance at HSV that we wanted. It was a fantastic evening and we can take some positives from this negative situation into next season. The stress and attention that were on us is part and parcel when two traditional clubs meet. We are not happy with the season as a whole but we can take pride in the fact that we managed to secure safety under these difficult circumstances.

Of course we will reflect on the season. With this team we could’ve been in another position but we have had many problems to deal with, particularly in the second half of the season. In the future we will have to be more thorough and improve on how we do things so that we never find ourselves in this position again. The relegation play off was our final warning and our last chance. Now we have to wake up and make the right decisions. It won’t be easy but we know that we have the strength. We know the team and our environment through and through. We have seen what the strength of a traditional club like ours means, through thick and through thin. We have to gather this strength together and take it into the future. We have already set targets in lots of areas, such as in our youth academy. You can’t see them on the pitch yet, but there will be benefits.

We will certainly shake things up and we will let go of one or two players. Arne Maier was the first and others will follow. No one is unsellable and we have to obtain a transfer surplus. I am not afraid of that because I already know the situation. In the future we need to find the balance between young talent and those who want to lead from the front. The team around our scouts Dirk Dufner and Babacar Wané are well prepared. Now we have decisions to make are we are looking to secure our first transfers. Of course, the delay due to the relegation play off match was a disadvantage and one or two free agents are off the market. However, we still have enough targets and we want to attract players with conviction to Hertha BSC. It will be another long summer transfer window and I expect things to happen until well after the new season begins.

We are far down the line in the talks and we will be able to present a new head coach in the coming days. The new coach must bring personality and a spark. We want someone who is prepared to put in the hard yards with us and have a clear idea. We want aggressive, dynamic, attacking football. That’s the style that we love and want to see at this football club. We want to establish a way of playing across all of our teams and that’s what we are working on. This is the kind of head coach we are looking for and that’s the kind of head coach that we’ll get.

It’s a shame that Ingo Schiller is leaving. But it is important that as a club we are always ready to act. We need to be able to work and we need continuity. Hertha BSC is the most important thing at the end of the day. I hope that we can have a structured but critical general meeting and that we can exchange our views. Polemics and slanging matches will get us nowhere. Members also have a duty of care towards their club.