Salary, players & Co: The reasons for Ireland's U-turn

Fans, players and, last but not least, HCB boss Dieter Knoll have taken a big load off their hearts with the acceptance of Greg Ireland as head coach: “He was my preferred candidate from the start,” said Knoll. After weeks of negotiations - and a temporary withdrawal from Ireland (at the beginning of July, it looked as if he would have the chapter HCB already completed) – could on Thursday evening completion will finally be reported. Which points were crucial for this? The contract The financial aspect was the crucial point why the negotiations dragged on for so long. A few weeks ago Dieter Knoll had an interview with the Tagblatt Dolomites It was also explained that the ideas were several tens of thousands of euros apart. “That was the toughest contract I have ever negotiated,” said Knoll about the weeks of negotiations. “Ireland is a coach who has worked at top clubs in Germany and Switzerland. He just has a certain salary expectation. But in the end I said to myself: It is wiser to invest a little more in the coach, because he is the most important man - and Ireland, as we have seen, is a top coach," said Knoll.

“We normally drive Volkswagens. Now the opportunity has arisen to buy a Mercedes.” Dieter Knoll At the same time, the HCB maker also admits: “I really had to jump over my shadow this time. Ireland also had to make compromises. In the end, both parties are happy.” In addition to the financial part, Ireland is said to have initially not agreed to some clauses in the contract. But a solution was also found for this problem. Knoll explains the situation with an amusing comparison: “We normally drive a Volkswagen. Now the opportunity has arisen to buy a Mercedes. To do that, we just have to make savings elsewhere.” The player selection In an interview, Ireland called for more involvement in the selection of players. This will also be the case in the future. “We sat down for two hours on Thursday and worked through a list of players,” explains Dieter Knoll, who also emphasizes: “For us it has always been the case that the sports management (Knoll and his son Georg, editor’s note). .) before the start of the season we clarify with the coach who should come. In principle, we only negotiate with a player when both the coach and the sports management have given their approval. So Ireland’s request was acceptable to me and not a problem at all.”

Greg Ireland, Dieter Knoll and Georg Knoll (from left) exchange information about players. © hcbfoxes

The national team Greg Ireland has been the coach of the Italian national team since the end of March 2020. It is therefore essential that he keeps an eye on what is happening in Italy. “It is a certain logic that he remains close to Italian ice hockey. Here he can also watch a game in the Alps Hockey League on his days off,” says Knoll, who adds: “Ireland briefly flirted with a move to the KHL. But how do you, as a coach in Moscow, also want to act as a national coach at the same time?” The uncertain Corona situation Ireland had offers from abroad, but nothing really became concrete anywhere. “His alternative was to wait until someone was fired. “In times like Corona, clubs will act much more cautiously when it comes to dismissing coaches – after all, being kicked out also means increased financial outlay,” says Knoll. “Ireland also felt very comfortable here in South Tyrol. He has a great apartment in Überetsch, the quality of life is very high. Maybe he also thought: Although I earn a little less, I have security and a good time.”

We-have-to-finish-something mentality Last but not least, the brilliant season from the previous year was probably one of the reasons why Ireland extended its commitment in Bolzano. At the beginning of January, the Canadian took over an HCB that was consistently inconsistent. Within a very short time, Ireland formed a team that harmonized, delivered and enchanted. In the intermediate round they stormed from last to first place and were considered a hot candidate for the title - but then Corona came. It's quite possible that Ireland also thought to herself in the summer months: "Something still needs to be done here."

ICE Regular Season ICE	SP	TV	P
1. Klagenfurt	47	183:101	102
2. Fehervar	46	146:126	89
3. Salzburg	46	142:107	87
4. HCB South Tyrol	46	137:125	76
5. Linz	46	146:116	75
6. Villach	46	155:136	74
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Salary, players & Co: The reasons for Ireland's U-turn

Just a month ago it looked as if Greg Ireland would no longer return to Bolzano. But then the turnaround followed and since Thursday it has been clear: the Canadian will continue to be in charge at the top South Tyrolean club next year. SportNews knows the reasons for this.

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