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IVRIG: Simo Valakari had a dream with Tromsø. It did not materialize. Here from an interview at Alfheim Stadium in 2017. Photo: Terje Mortensen
TROMSØ (VG) Simo Valakari (46) denies that it was a disturbing dispute with the club leadership that made it impossible for the Tromsø coach to continue on the job.
– There was never any drama. The club’s management thought that the time had come to separate the teams. I find the situation challenging myself because I have a great passion for my work and had a strong desire to bring the team back to the Elite Series this year. But, someone was probably tired of me, says Simo Valakari to VG.
On Sunday night, TIL management assumed that they had negotiated a final agreement with the club’s Finnish coach. According to itromso.no, there was a bad mood between the parties when Valakari was fired one hundred percent, and he received a drastic cut in wages, when the crown crisis came in March.
– In the special situation with crown eruptions and layoffs, we have different views on how to take the club further. It has been a direct and orderly process, said Stig Bjørklund, chairman of the board, on Sunday afternoon.
The deceased coach will not go into details about the process, but will deny that there was a “bad mood” between the parties.
Valakari just came back from a ski trip in Tromsøya when he gives this interview to VG. Ski conditions are impeccable here in the north, where winter has yet to pass. The Finn has obviously been thinking about that. He admits that he regrets it because he could not complete his project: to take the championship home to the Alfheim stadium.
– I really had a great time in Tromsø. Along with players and followers, we dream of winning trophies. It feels disappointing that I couldn’t do it. But I would like to emphasize that I had a great time with the players. And I could really feel what TIL means to the people here, says Simo Valakari.
The Finn did wonders when he arrived in Tromsø. A kind of savior. But after the Elite Series lead drop on December 1 last year came the criticism.
– The criticism was correct, because the results were not there. But things changed a lot at the club along the way. Player sales and injuries. Like what happens in soccer. But Tromsø is not the same club now, as when I joined 2.5 years ago.
PROFILE: Morten Gamst Pedersen receives instructions from Valakari during an elite series match against Brann in Bergen last year. ON won 3–2. Photo: Bjørn S. Delebekk
Valakari had to put up with a lot of shit because she got rid of Morten Gamst Pedersen this winter. The 38-year-old profile did not extend the deal, despite a deep desire to contribute after a good past season.
– He was a good player and a club legend. But Morten (Gamst Pedersen) knows how things work in soccer. I feel sorry for him because he feels for the club he loves. But such is the dynamics of football, says Simo Valakari.
He emphasizes that he wants to return to the training profession as quickly as possible. But the Finn has no idea where.
See more statistics from the Elite series on VG Live.
Daylife
- Champions League qualification
