At the press conference today, Vojvodina FC presented their new head of Staff, and that is Ranko Popović.

He signed the contract with the old lady until the end of the current season, and his debut will be on Sunday when Vojvodina will play against Napredak in Kruševac.

Ranko Popović built his coaching career abroad, and he has a rich international experience. After he sat at the bench of Spartak in 2008/09 season,  he spent most of his career in Japan, where he coached Tokyo, Osaka, Oita Trinita, and Machida twice – which was his last engagement.  He spent one season at the bench of the Thailand’s Buriram, where he won the League cup, and he spent a season coaching India’s Pune City, Austrian St. Pelten and Spanish Zaragoza.

Sports director of Vojvodina FC, Marko Jovanović, wished all the best to the new coach and thanked Radoslav Batak on his cooperation.

  • First, I would like to thank the previous head of staff, Radoslav Batak, with whom we had a nice cooperation and achieved some good results, like the win against Čukarički after 5 years, and we also celebrated after the derby with Partizan. Unfortunately, we started with four consecutive defeats, so we decided to shake things up a bit, and to make some changes in the Club. We have a difficult game ahead of us on Sunday, with Napredak from Kruševac. We will use this opportunity to wish luck to our new coach Ranko Popović, who has a rich international experience, and who also worked in Spartak FC at the start of his coaching career – said sports director of Vojvodina FC, Marko Jovanović.

Ranko Popović thanked Vojvodina FC on their offer and trust, and highlighted that he was excited for the new project.

  • After a long time, I am back in Serbia, and I must say I missed my country and working here. I would like to thank everyone for such a welcome, and nice words. I don’t like to talk a lot, I am glad to have arrived in such a big Club. All the information I received were positive, the club is stable, and well-organized thanks to the president Dragoljub Zbiljić. Abroad, that’s considered normal, but here it is a huge deal that all the payables are done in time, and that confirms that the club is stable and safe hands. Also, that is a precondition for the good atmosphere in the Club, and that matters for the results. You know this better than I do, and I don’t have to point out that Vojvodina has one of the best and most professional Academies in the region. I am excited and thankful for the beginning of this new project, and I can’t wait to meet the players and start working towards bringing Vojvodina FC to its rightful position. I’ve been following our League, even though I was not here for a long time, so I have enough information for the right start. Our main goal is to make it look like it should, and how the fans want it to look like – Ranko Popović stated.

Then, he reflected on the upcoming match with Napredak.

  • Not only for the match ahead of us, but also for each upcoming game, my coaching and life philosophy is that pitch is the only criterion. The players are talented and they have quality, so we should help them show it on the pitch. As a sportperson and a man, I play every game to win, and not to lose. This might sound pretentious, but considering the name and the quality of Vojvodina, we all have to think like that. We have to our best for the win, at every single game. As for the game with Napredak, I don’t know which game is easy. It is the worst when points are being predicted. We have to enter each match with maximum strength and leave our hearts on the pitch, and not after on Instagram and other social networks. The players must be aware of the greatness of the club they represent, and they have to know they are there for the quality, but that quality has to be displayed only on the pitch, nowhere else – Popović said.

The new coach of Vojvodina FC believes he will quickly adapt to the new surroundings.

– Plenty of factors are in play, and it’s different from place to place, but if I had managed to quickly find common grounds with players in all those countries, I don’t see why I wouldn’t be able to do that here in Serbia. I expect to see a difference in play and results in the near future, which is the reason for my arrival. I know that coaches in Serbia have a short ’’lifespan’’, but if I was afraid of challenges and not wanting to stay longer, I wouldn’t be here – Popović said.

He didn’t want to talk about reinforcements, he would first like to meet all the players and see what’s at his disposal.

  • We already spoke to Marko Jovanović, it is true that I like players who like to play, and kick if they need to, who are responsible and work for the wellbeing of the team. We will try to find an adequate solution. I would first like to see what we have at our disposal and only when we start working, will we see who can play at which position. I don’t like to label players to play only one position. I like to play aggressive and offensive games, but that is not so easy. You have the opportunity to see how my previous teams played, and how much they scored. The bottom line is that we want to make real players, it is not easy to reach a level where you can buy any player you want. If we already have a top-notch academy we should use it, but not by force. After the talks I had with the president Zbiljić and director Jovanović so far, I have a good feeling, and that is why I’m here. I know in our domestic football, everyone wants the results yesterday, but we will work humbly, quietly and be patient, because that’s the only way we can achieve the right things – Popović pinpointed.

Two of his colleagues will join him in the coaching staff.

  • Vladica Grujić, who is with me since 2012, and Milan Mirić, our man from Australia who is currently working in the Emirates, will leave that job to work with us here. This shows how special Voša is, and how much he believes in this project – Popović stated.

 

Sports director Marko Jovanović confirmed that Lazar Rosić got the permission to play in the next round of the League, and that Guram Giorbelidze is also expected to be ready for the game.

  • Rosić has the right to play, the certificate has arrived, and everyone is at disposal except for Guram, but he should also be. Traore is going through medical examinations, his transfer will be official today or tomorrow.