Schinkels keen to create Kärnten legacy
Friday, October 3, 2008
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Frenkie Schinkels has overseen a change of fortunes at SK Austria Kärnten and is eager to leave a legacy, telling uefa.com: "When the time comes for me to go, I want to hand over a stable club with solid foundations."
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Much better
Fifth in the ten-team Austrian table, comfortably clear of the drop zone, the Klagenfurt side have put behind them the stresses of last season. Then, Schinkels was appointed late in the day and pulled them out of a nosedive towards relegation, in what was Austria Kärnten's first top-flight campaign since taking up SV Pasching's place in the Bundesliga.
'Our homework'
"We are more at ease now because everything is going so well," Schinkels told uefa.com as he surveyed the terraces of the brand-new Wörthersee Stadium, one of four Austrian venues for UEFA EURO 2008™. "Fifth place in the table is proof that we have done our homework. We have a little more room to breathe now and are not under such enormous pressure."
Team factions
The charismatic Dutch-born coach, 45, has battled hard to restore confidence within his squad. "I was particularly unhappy about factions within the team. I wanted to build a unified group and I think I have achieved that. With my own enthusiasm, I got it across to the players that I believe in them and that I want to stay at Kärnten for a longer period of time, not just a couple of weeks."
'Hungry players'
Further reconstruction work was done in the summer, with Schinkels bringing in "hungry players", including Brazilian strikers Adi and Sandro. Adi failed to make the grade at LASK Linz but has become a fans' favourite in Carinthia, registering seven goals in as many league games. Another Brazilian, Schumacher, has scored twice in three weeks since joining on loan from Udinese Calcio.
Youth frustration
Things are not quite perfect, though, and Schinkels remains frustrated with the club's failure to build a permanent youth academy, with the junior sides still without proper training facilities. "There are times when they don't even know where they are supposed to train," said Schinkels. "That is something that just shouldn't happen and we need to address that situation immediately."
European target
However, the long-term prognosis is good. "When the time comes for me to go, I want to hand over a stable club with solid foundations," explained Schinkels. He is already targeting qualifying for European competition in two year's time. "We have a good team together and good surroundings already," he said. "Maybe we'll even achieve that goal by next season."