Knoll: “The contracts with the McCutcheons will not be renewed”

The failure in the playoff quarter-finals did not affect Dieter Knoll's morale. The season is over for the record champions, the mission to get the second star for the 20th title has been postponed until next year. “I'm not broken, I'm fine and I'm very calm and composed. Asiago deserves to advance to the semi-finals. They were simply better and had more strength than us.” Yes, the strength, that’s what Bolzano was missing in the most important phase of the season. The team seemed tired lately and no longer exuded joy in the game. For Knoll, the reason for the failure has a name: Brian McCutcheon.

The separation According to Knoll, Bolzano would have had enough strong players in its ranks. “In my opinion the players were used incorrectly. In defense, the experienced players were squeezed like lemons. We paid dearly for that. I will now take a break from ice hockey, but I already have a clear guideline in mind for the future,” continued the managing director of the White-Reds.

Although the contracts with the two McCutcheons were no longer extended, there is no big head-rolling among the people from Talferstadt. “Gander and Bernard belong to us, they are our future. Borgatello and Egger are not up for discussion, that would still be missing. I hope that Marco Insam stays with us. Ambrosi, Wunderer and Oberdörfer also play a role in my plans. I am very satisfied with their work.”

The foreigners chapter However, it cannot be said that Knoll was satisfied with the performance of the transfer card players: “Sexsmith, Ladanyi and Delmore were disappointing across the board. They weren't up to snuff at all. We made mistakes, but the winter transfer market punished us. The time windows were too short, there were only a few good players to choose from,” said the “maker” of the Foxes. “If we had had more time, maybe other players would have come to us and we would have achieved our goals. Sharp and Flynn, I liked them. However, the former has already announced that he would like to move to another European league. There will still be discussions with Flynn. If it were up to me, I would keep both of them.”

The future Knoll will not put his hands in his pockets. After all, there is a lot to do. “I will speak to the Seab to plan the new season. Last year we waited too long, now we want to get everything wrapped up early. We certainly won't do anything crazy in the transfer market. Our goal is to develop young players. That's why we're going to look around the market. I also haven't forgotten that some of our talents are playing for other teams (Franza, Accarino, Widmann, Da Ponte, editor's note). We will now see whether there will be an opportunity for one or the other to return to the HCB. You deserve a chance.”

No offer for HC Bozen “It's one thing if someone wants to take over or join HC Bozen. But running the club with my wallet is not possible and is not a sensible solution. I haven't heard of anyone interested in joining the club yet." The season that has just ended was also not devastating for the managing director. We won the Supercup and made it to the Super Final in the Continental Cup. Everything is not to be thrown away.

The fans “I think we sold our subscriptions at reasonable prices. What more could we have done?” Nevertheless, the fans often stayed away during the ice wave. Knoll promises innovations: “We will work even more in marketing. It is very important to build on this factor.”

Expand the championship? No thanks! Knoll has nothing to say about the plans to expand Serie A with some teams from Serie A2. “I am not convinced by this solution. But one would have to wait and see exactly how this would play out anyway. It is important to rely on youth and local players. Bolzano will continue to pursue this policy. People have to be able to identify with them. We won’t have any naturalized players, we’re not interested in them.”

The fight for the championship title And who does the managing director of the White-Reds favor in the title race? “The best person should win. I would have guessed Ritten, but this team still has to qualify for the semi-finals. Will the title go to a team outside South Tyrol? Why not, take a look at what Valpellice is doing. Anything can happen. “I will watch the playoffs in the stadium in Germany and Austria,” concluded Knoll.

Dieter Knoll then says goodbye and returns to his work. The disappointment has passed and the 20th championship title is already in our sights. The target for 2013/14 has already been set. In Bolzano the only thing that counts is victory.

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Knoll: “The contracts with the McCutcheons will not be renewed”

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