Indriksons makes case for Skonto's youth
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
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Hitherto perennial champions, Skonto FC had to settle for third spot in the 2008 Latvian Virsliga yet it was a result which failed to shake the vision of chairman Guntis Indriksons whose priority remains youth development.
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For all Skonto FC coach Paul Ashworth's golden hopes entering the 2008 season, the team from the Latvian capital had to be satisfied with third place in the Virsliga – a result which suited the new vision of club chairman Guntis Indriksons.
Change of emphasis
If Skonto supporters were unhappy to finish behind FK Ventspils and SK Liepājas Metalurgs in the pecking order, Indriksons offered a different perspective when he spoke to uefa.com: "I'm quite happy with our position as I'm more interested in other things. It has been a long time since winning the league was the priority for me, because Skonto have been champions 14 times. I'm more interested in developing young players. They should be able to strengthen the national team too.
More modest
"Looking at it objectively, Latvian clubs are not going to win any major trophies at the moment," the chairman continued. "I don't like to set goals for Skonto – Roman Abramovich can demand titles from Chelsea [FC] but our investments are very modest and this isn't going to change in the near future. That's why our priority is the national team and the development of young talent."
Players' view
Such reasoning should not be confused with making excuses for any underachievement this term, however. Indriksons stressed that "the players have no right to agree with what I say about having no goals in the domestic competitions, because I want them to be ambitious. If you are a professional footballer, you have to fight to win every match."
Learning curve
Even so, it is clear from the chairman's words that coach Ashworth – appointed in 2005 – and his charges have time on their side. "Paul hasn't been here that long. When he arrived we had a group of young and inexperienced players. Now they have reached the next stage, with many of them joining the national team, but they still need a couple of years to fulfil their potential. Then we will evaluate the manager's work."
'New heights'
Indriksons' patience with Skonto betrays the wider outlook of a football administrator who also serves as president of the Latvian Football Federation. "I still dream about success on the international stage," he said. "It might take time, but I want our youngsters to become competitive at European level. I want them to reach new heights." Latvia's unexpected qualification for UEFA EURO 2004™ is a precedent that Indriksons seems determined to follow.