Forget about the old Sailor, who will fight for survival every year, to compete in the First - Second League, is the message of sports director Baran Mitar Novaković.
A phenomenal European summer is behind the bar club, as many as six European matches, a great presentation in literally every match, two hurdles jumped, placement in the third round of qualification for the League of Conferences. It seems unreal for a club that has stepped onto the international stage for the first time in its 100-year history.
This summer must be a turning point - in the development of the club, Novaković believes.
- It would have been even easier for us if our predecessors, who were at the head of the club, had left a more stable Mornar, and not a club that was relegated from the First League almost every year. Now that will change. We managed to stabilize, and Mornar should now grow. I am convinced that it will be bigger and bigger - emphasizes the former Montenegrin national team member.
With great results in Europe, Barani earned about one million euros from the UEFA fund, which is practically twice the annual budget. The goals and scope of the club in the coming period must change.
- It is not a problem to fight for survival. Football is an unpredictable game, it can happen to anyone, anyone can fall into a crisis, but our ambitions must be greater than they have been so far. And that will change - so we'll see where we are at this time next year.
By winning second place last season, Barani achieved the greatest success in history, but it turned out that it was nothing compared to what Zoran Đurašković's team provided in the qualifications for the Conference League. They eliminated the team of Dinamo Tbilisi, the former giant of Soviet football, they shocked Radnički from Kragujevac, who looked at Mornar as a stop on the way to the next round, in the end they were practically equal against Pakshi, regardless of the total score - 5:2 for the Hungarian in 3rd round.
- If I regret something, it is the first game against Pakshi, in which we were not weaker at all, we played a good part of the match with two players less, and conceded goals in the 99th and 100th minutes. I think that in the end we were eliminated by a team that is not better than us at all, and that we eliminated better teams before that. Still, that's football, maybe we shouldn't regret it after all - we fell out of a bigger club, financially and organizationally - believes Novaković.
Credit goes to everyone in the club.
- From the housekeeper and cleaner, to the top and the people who run the club - everyone deserves congratulations. Our loyal fans, too. Most of all, however, the players and the coaching staff, they worked where they needed to - on the field, and we were just support staff for all of them.
Everyone in Mornar, according to Novaković, has yet to roll up their sleeves.
- It is easiest to sit in a bar and be a coach or sports worker there, making formations on the table with glasses. You have to work and fight where you have to.
The Rams were defeated in the 1st round of the Meridian 1. CFL by Otranto, on Saturday they welcome Jedinstvo. Many clubs have paid the price of a long European summer in the domestic championship, Novaković believes that this will not happen to Mornar.
- We lost the first match, deservedly or not, that is not so important now. We have to regroup, restart, get the most out of the September break. There will be fatigue, it is inevitable, the players will get everything necessary for recovery. I think we have a good team, especially when it's complete, to fight for the top in our league. Of course, I don't want to impose any pressure on the coach and coaching staff. We are going step by step, it is a long championship, there will be a crisis, but I believe that we will continue where we left off this summer - concludes Mitar Novaković.
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