Since last week our club has a new executive and technical management. In order to better understand the current challenges we had a short chat with the new executive director of Politehnicii Timisoara, Mr. Sorin Brîndescu.

Mr. Brîndescu, you have been involved with the club for many years, including as technical director, then head coach of the team, with which you promoted to the second division, and most recently you have been in charge of the Politehnica Academy. With what thoughts did you start your work in this new position, also for you, that of executive director?

S.B.: The first thing is to find competent people, collaborators at all levels, so that the work can function normally. For that we tried to bring a technical staff in front of the first team, to take over the current batch of players, to manage it and to try to complete it with what we can within our possibilities. Now the coaches have really done their job, we have stability, they are training, this week even double training. We have also found understanding with Mr. Gălan, who is the head coach, Smaranda, who is from the academy, and Cristi Lazăr, physical trainer. A very competent staff is slowly but surely being created and we hope they will manage the players’ training very well.

You took up this post at a very difficult time. Does the squad have to be rebuilt almost from scratch or from the ground up?

S.B.: We are trying to get back some of the players who were here at the club. We’ll see if we have any positions that are lacking, if we’ll be able to fill them, but it will be a little bit more difficult because all the players have found teams and everyone has organized themselves so far, but we’ll find solutions. And if not, that was our mentality, that’s why Cristi Gălan is right for this, because we have players from the academy and we need to raise their level, make them competitive at senior level.

The second round of the Romanian Cup is approaching, a phase in which Politehnica Timisoara will also take part. Will we have a full valid squad?

S.B.: Yes, now we are working in the offices to see the legal situation of each player, the contractual situation, to manage this Cup match. But we are not going to make a goal out of it, because on August 31 (n.r. the starting date of League 3) we have to be ready from all points of view. We will treat the Cup match seriously, but as a training match. We’ve even discussed it with the technical staff, because this week there are double training sessions and hard training sessions, we’re not going to make a point of not training to be in shape for the Cup match. We are interested in good training to last us through the championship.

Things have settled down in the Academy, you have prerogatives there too. I’ve seen a full ‘top to bottom’ list of coaches.

S.B.: We have lost people, but we have managed to bring them back in a large proportion and we have supplemented with many young prospects, who I hope will understand the role of their education. If they want to develop, this is the environment in which they can develop, to be able to educate children. There are also a lot of problems there, because six groups in the Elite competition start on 10 August and there are many organizational problems, but I am convinced that if we work together, and we are helped by the parents, we can get over this hurdle.

How is the financial situation, a delicate one!

S.B.: Big sacrifices are being made to cover the budget. The problem is that we have to cover certain debts to be able to move forward. Even today (the discussion took place on Wednesday) I have a meeting with Mr. Pescari and with the representatives of the shareholders and those involved in this budget issue and everyone is working very hard and making sacrifices to get out of this impasse.

Do you expect the supporters, who have been with the team both in and out of the stadium, to be close to the boys in this new difficult period?

S.B.: Well, they have been close to the team for 12 years. I’m sure they will do it now. Hopefully we won’t let them down, but at the same time we appeal for understanding and tolerance. They know that the players are very young and maybe the results will not be as expected, but we trust that they will at least have the satisfaction of their attitude.

We will succeed, step by step, if we join forces!