The finish line is the work! With a great end to the autumn part of the competition in the Meridianbet First Montenegrin Football League, Bokelj went from hunter to hunted - at least that's what a look at the bottom of the first league caravan table looks like. The "written off" Kotor team finished the last five championship games without defeat and are starting preparations for the football spring with four points above the line that separates the club from being directly relegated.
Trainer Vladimir Svićević He started preparations with 24 players, the same number he finished the fall season with, but with significant changes to the team.
- We managed to form a team by the start of the preparations and there is a possibility of bringing in another player, but in case of a sudden departure or injury. I have only one wish during the preparations, and that is for us to avoid injuries. I believe that the new players - in attack Bogdan Stamenkovic, bonus in midfield Bakir Nurkovic, no goal Dragan Ćetković, to bring new energy to the team. Since taking over the helm of Kotor, we have had two big problems, injuries and the lack of 'bonus' players under 21. Now we have solved that, since Nurković is a Montenegrin citizen on loan from Sarajevo, and he has recovered Kristijan RadunovicWe are stronger for the stopper too. Bogdan Raša, after eight months of recovery from a serious injury. I don't know what the first league competition will do about reinforcements, but compared to the quality of the teams from the first part of the season, I think we are a competitive team - said the 36-year-old coach of Bokelj.
On September 10, Savićević accepted the challenge, "taking the hot potato" to gain his first first-league coaching experience with a team with only three points after the 5th round. However, he was not afraid of the challenge...
- Injuries in the team were the only stumbling block, and the management only imposed on me that the play-off zone for the spring part should not be further than seven points. We already reached the play-off zone in the autumn part, we have a four-point advantage in defending the status of first league player, which is the club's goal for the season. But that is not my goal! Small goals should not be set and every next game is an opportunity for my team to outperform, win and we will see where it will take us. In any case, I am most proud of the fact that in the last four away games we did not concede a single goal. And that was against Jedinstvo (0:0), Budućnost (0:1), Mornar (0:0) and Petrovac (0:0) - emphasized Savićević.
These results, along with winning the play-off for the First League with Lovćen while he was leading Cetinje, earned Vladimir Savićević a nomination for Coach of the Year.
- I am proud of the third prize in the selection, which is especially important for me because I am the second youngest active coach with a pro license in the former Yugoslavia. Of course, the first prize was deservedly awarded. Miodrag Džudović from Jezera. Now the recognition needs to be justified.
Bokelj will spend the entire preparation period in his city, where he has all the conditions.
- I came to a stable club with a clear development strategy, a sustainable business plan to generate its own income. A new stadium, pitch, restaurant, apartments and business premises are planned from which the club should generate income. The players are satisfied, all agreements are respected to the maximum and Boka has a bright football future - believes Savićević.
He has been involved in football his whole life, after Internacional and Lovćen, he has now reached the domestic elite club as a coach. He also has playing experience, in the first league, but also in Europe - he played for Mladost (OFK Titograd), Iskra, Dečić and Kom.
- I didn't even play for Kom due to injury, but Mladost (OFK Titograd) is my club. I spent almost a decade there, and the happiest moment for me was the elimination of Videoton, and also Senica in the Europa League qualifiers. Videoton had a truly fabulously generous budget at that time, and we managed to knock them out sensationally - concluded Savićević.
Under Vrmac from Milanel
Vladimir Savićević walked in Milanel, which does not forget its icon, Dejan Genije Savićević.
Vladimir, as well as his first associate Ivan Tatar, did not have a day off and came directly from their internship in Milanel to the roll call on January 12th under Vrmac.
- We are both in the process of obtaining a UEFA pro license and we interned in Milan with Massimiliano Allegri. Ivan as a student of the Montenegrin Coaching School, and I of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Coaching School. It was eight days of comprehensive training, with a match against Genoa, working with the first team, but also with the younger categories of the Italian giant. Extremely demanding and longer than anything I had experienced before at that club, of which I am a big fan - says Savićević.
Why a license under the auspices of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and not the parent one?
- Considering that I have 11 years of hard work and hard study behind me as a coach, I really didn't need the saying: 'it's easy for him, when his father is...' And it wasn't, and it's not easy now. This is a job that requires full-time and complex engagement, constant learning and improvement, and after six out of eight blocks of UEFA training, I was awarded a conditional UEFA pro license for a year. Well, in that year I managed to get an internship at a renowned club, and I will defend my diploma as the last block no later than May. At 36, I am the second youngest engaged pro license holder in the former Yugoslavia. The Neighborhood Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina was a hit, it's different and I met their football people, we exchanged ideas, views on this job. And I'm glad that Tatar also went through the internship with me, since we were a tandem in Lovćen, Internacional and now in Bokelj. Our coaching staff also includes Peđa Kašćelan and goalkeeping coach Nikola Ševaljević, while Miloš Popović has meanwhile strengthened Čukarički's coaching staff - emphasized Savićević.
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