NEWS
Standfest "not dissatisfied" despite defeat - will he stay?
GAK wants to make its coaching decision "promptly". The 0:8 thrashing seemed to be shaken off in Ried despite only one proper training day.
SV Ried celebrated their first win of the season in the fourth round of the ADMIRAL Bundesliga.
Against GAK, a goal by Stade Reims loanee Pape Sissoko from a penalty just before halftime (45.+1) was enough for the Upper Austrians.
"It was a hard-fought victory, three points always feel good. The opponent didn't make it easy for us," says coach Mario Despotovic after the match.
The 41-year-old Croatian would have preferred "that we find better solutions in attack and appear a bit more dominant. But there were a lot of 50:50 situations on the pitch that we embraced."
Standfest "not dissatisfied with the performance"
For Joachim Standfest, the Graz team, who suffered an 0:8 thrashing at SK Rapid last week, "played a very decent game."
The visitors were unlucky with Anderson's supposed opening goal, which was disallowed for offside.
"A goal was disallowed, we hit the crossbar. [...] Considering the things that happened this week, that was perfectly fine. I am - as silly as it sounds - not dissatisfied with the performance," says the interim coach.
His team has little to reproach itself for, "but I also believe we have a lot of room for improvement."
Interim Sporting Director Lienhart: Decision to be made "promptly"
After the dismissal of Ferdinand Feldhofer, the Styrians are still looking for the successor to the 46-year-old. Interim Sporting Director Andreas Lienhart has already held "several" talks during the week - including with Standfest himself, who is also among the favorites for the position.
Lienhart does not want to disclose who the candidates are, but a decision is to be made "promptly".
This is also confirmed by GAK President Rene Ziesler. However, he also only confirms that Standfest is one of the candidates: "I do not want to preempt a board decision, nor a recommendation from the interim sporting director," says the 41-year-old in a "Sky" interview.
For Ziesler, however, one thing is clear: "We are limited by the budget. For us, it's simply important that a certain development takes place within the team. And the new man should do that."
