© BELGIUM
High voltage at KV Oostende this morning. The players had to report to the club after the idea was put forward yesterday to strike against coach Dominik Thalhammer and his tactical approach. The Austrian trainer was very upset and disappointed that the news had come out, but tries to continue working with good courage. A group discussion was organized before the training to clarify various issues.
It was striking that Executive President Gauthier Ganaye was not present. He called in sick this week and kept the leg stiff from a distance. A trainer change Dominik Thalhammer – Kurt Bataille (the U23 coach) was not an option as far as he was concerned. Ganaye put the protest into perspective and the protesting players felt that perseverance was rather pointless. So they step onto the training field this morning. However, whether the relegation ghost can still be chased away against OHL and AA Gent is highly questionable.
Wednesday was also an animated day at KV Oostende. A group of players has not been able to agree with the (tactical) approach of coach Dominik Thalhammer for weeks. They find the Austrian’s pressing football naive and pointless in the fight against relegation. That was proven once again last Sunday with the hopeless defeat at Sint-Truiden.
That displeasure was expressed at training. A handful of players, including striker Thierry Ambrose and midfielder Maxime D’Arpino, announced before the practice session that things could not go on like this and that they would rather play the last two games of the season with U23 coach Kurt Bataille. What’s more, a few approached Bataille to find out whether he would like the interim job. They still want to do everything they can to stay in 1A.
© BELGIUM
The crisis was imminent and so executive president Gauthier Ganaye was contacted to mediate. He was again not at the club because of the flu, so negotiations were conducted by telephone. Ganaye – who doesn’t get too excited with Bataille – immediately blocked the idea of the trainer change. As far as he’s concerned, continuing with Thalhammer is the only option. However, the Austrian only recorded 10 out of 51 since he took over from Yves Vanderhaeghe. Eventually it came to a group discussion between the players and the staff and it was decided to train.
6 million for license
The question is also still whether KV Oostende will get its professional license. The club appeared before the licensing commission last week to provide additional explanations. An answer will follow soon, but the financial shortfalls have been cleared in the meantime. The American owners provided the much-needed six million euros and also guarantee for next season. So the license seems to be in order, but the sporting concerns are only increasing.
The KVO fans have also stirred in the meantime. “As a federation of supporters, we have long given the acquirers and policymakers the benefit of the doubt,” it says in a statement. “We wanted to support the club as much as possible in order not to create a negative climate. However, our confidence has been betrayed too much and the lack of investment and sporting mismanagement mean that we are now on the verge of relegation…Paul Conway and PMG draw your conclusion and leave KVO to serious investors who do feel emotion with what football is and understanding what KVO means for its supporters. Or as they say in Ostend: GET YOUR BAG” (jug)
