Season

”It’s all about identification“– Jonas Boldt ahead of pre-season

HSV head of sport Jonas Boldt speaks about the start of pre-season, the new squad and his ideas and goals.

For the HSV players, the summer break is nearly over. On Monday (17th July), preparations begin for the new season. The new 2. Bundesliga season begins on the final weekend of July, meaning that there’s not much time left before things are underway once again. The summer break was also a hectic one for Die Rothosen, who also underwent a few changes off the field. Dieter Hecking, formerly of Borussia Mönchengladbach, was appointed as the new head coach, and Jonas Boldt left Bayer Leverkusen to take up the role of head of sport. Boldt is in charge of planning for the new season and, as already announced by the 37 year old, there may be a few changes to the squad that will return to action next week. Boldt spoke on his personal areas of importance and what matters. Jonas Boldt on…

… his first week at HSV: The first three weeks felt like three days, because there was so much to do and time felt to be going by really quickly. But I already feel settled in, and I’ve got to know a lot of people in and around HSV. I’m fully committed to the tasks that we currently have and are tackling – there isn’t any kind of ‘settling in’ period.

Boldt described the appointment of Dieter Hecking as the most important decision and the ideal solution.

… the most important tasks: The first step was the coaching team, and we were able to get an ideal solution in Dieter Hecking. The next step is to identify the players in the squad who are ready to go along with the HSV way. Additionally, we have very clear ideas of who we want to bring in, who we want to sign for HSV. We have a clear plan for this. The challenge now is to implement this plan as best we can under the current conditions – the financial situation, the tight timeframe and the position of the second division, from now until the end of August.

… the way of building the squad: The deciding question that we all ask is whether you see yourself as a part of it all, as a part of HSV and if you’re ready to go under the current conditions. Because the most important thing is that everyone knows what it means to play for this club. It is all about identification. You have to be able to understand what the people here have given in the past year, how they have suffered, understand the current situation and what the goals are that you can achieve at this club if you take on the challenge. I am convinced that the prospect of achieving something with the club and building something new will motivate a lot of players.

… his approach: For me, HSV isn’t just a project, it is my new identification. I am taking this on as my new life mission. The last few years have been very difficult for HSV, which makes the challenge a bit tougher, but that just spurs me on even more. I have clear ideas that I want to bring to the team. I know that we need to start providing results quickly but I’m also taking a more long-term approach. I am an employee of the club and am working for the club and its future. To be positive, we need to win back the trust of the fans and work well. We have to convince the people with our work.