"I'd like to thank you all for attending here today and apologise for such short notice," Mr. Saputo cleared his throat. "As you all know, following the termination of Marco Schallibaum's contract at the end of the 2013 Major League Soccer season, myself and the club's directors have been searching for a new coach to lead The Impact into the new season and onto success. After thorough research on all candidates and a lengthy interview process, I'd like to announce Andre Holtzer as the new Head Coach of the Montreal Impact. We're confident that Andre has the correct skill set, philosophy and attitude to lead this club to a respectable position within the MLS."
I walked out to a mixed reception. Several members of the press looked on in surprise whilst others customarily applauded. I'd been in and around the club for a couple of days now - having been in negotiations for nearly a fortnight. It felt good to finally have the deal complete and be officially announced to the press and supporters. I took a seat between Joey Saputo, the clubs Owner, and Nick De Santis, the Sporting Director. Beyond those two, I shared the stage with several other gentleman who I'd been made aware of during negotiations. I took a drink out of my glass of water as the applause calmed.
"First of all I'd like to thank you all for convening," I tried to speak without fear, "It's been a lengthy process but I'm happy to finally be here today as the Head Coach of the Montreal Impact. Since the inaugural season of the Major League Soccer in 1996, I've followed the league with keen interest due to it's huge potential in North America. Sadly much of that potential had remained untouched until the past couple of years when the sport has really taken off. Having gained experience as a Coach and Assistant Manager in Europe, I'm confident I can lead the team to a strong position in my first season. I've extensively researched the club, the facilities, the players and the fans and I'm very happy to take over. I'm excited to get to work and look forward to pleasing the fans come the beginning of the 2014 MLS season."
The Head of Public Relations invited the press to begin my open examination.
"Amy Campbell, Fox News. You mentioned that you believe you can lead the side to a strong position in the 2014 season - how high in the Eastern Conference do you think is achievable?"
"Well, you know as much as me I'm not going to predict an exact place. Having finished 5th last season, the squad has been slightly weakened with the departure of a few players. I'll do my utmost to strengthen the team in all areas but we have to be realistic - if we can put some good performances in and win some games, anything is possible. We'll see."
"Jack Davison, NBC. Having no previous experience in the position of Head Coach makes you a slightly surprising choice. Do you think your inexperience could hurt the team?"
"Not at all, Jack," I replied, "I've had great experience at some top clubs in Europe and I've experienced South American football. I recognise that isn't experience of the MLS and I understand if some fans are a little weary of my appointment but all we can do at this point is take things one game at a time. I promise the fans attractive football and positive results - myself and the players will do our best to get as high up the Conference as possible."
"Is the owner, Joey Saputo, as equally as optimistic?" asked Jack.
"Yes, he fully supports me in the philosophies I discussed with him and we're working towards a positive future for the club." I replied.
"Molly Leighton, CNN. The club has lost several important players from the 2013 season including Davy Arnaud and Alessandro Nesta - how do you think you'll be able to cope without them?"
"They were obviously big players for the team but they're not irreplaceable - we'll work towards bringing in reinforcements and try to strengthen the squad." I said.
"And finally," Molly continued, "Quebec is predominantly French speaking - could this pose a problem? Can you speak French?"
"Along my journey of coaching, I spent a period of time in France - learning to speak fluently. I'll look to use that in my job and personal life when needed; I don't have a problem speaking several different languages."
The press conference didn't last much longer - the journalists soon had enough information to write a story. I imagined much of it would be negative - I was young, inexperienced and unknown in North America. The press would do what digging they could on me but it would probably be to no avail; I've spent much of my time observing others rather than managing. I learned quicker that way, I think. Moving to Montreal from Europe was a big step for me but I hoped I wouldn't regret it - it seemed the right thing to do. I was ready to make my mark.
I walked out to a mixed reception. Several members of the press looked on in surprise whilst others customarily applauded. I'd been in and around the club for a couple of days now - having been in negotiations for nearly a fortnight. It felt good to finally have the deal complete and be officially announced to the press and supporters. I took a seat between Joey Saputo, the clubs Owner, and Nick De Santis, the Sporting Director. Beyond those two, I shared the stage with several other gentleman who I'd been made aware of during negotiations. I took a drink out of my glass of water as the applause calmed.
"First of all I'd like to thank you all for convening," I tried to speak without fear, "It's been a lengthy process but I'm happy to finally be here today as the Head Coach of the Montreal Impact. Since the inaugural season of the Major League Soccer in 1996, I've followed the league with keen interest due to it's huge potential in North America. Sadly much of that potential had remained untouched until the past couple of years when the sport has really taken off. Having gained experience as a Coach and Assistant Manager in Europe, I'm confident I can lead the team to a strong position in my first season. I've extensively researched the club, the facilities, the players and the fans and I'm very happy to take over. I'm excited to get to work and look forward to pleasing the fans come the beginning of the 2014 MLS season."
The Head of Public Relations invited the press to begin my open examination.
"Amy Campbell, Fox News. You mentioned that you believe you can lead the side to a strong position in the 2014 season - how high in the Eastern Conference do you think is achievable?"
"Well, you know as much as me I'm not going to predict an exact place. Having finished 5th last season, the squad has been slightly weakened with the departure of a few players. I'll do my utmost to strengthen the team in all areas but we have to be realistic - if we can put some good performances in and win some games, anything is possible. We'll see."
"Jack Davison, NBC. Having no previous experience in the position of Head Coach makes you a slightly surprising choice. Do you think your inexperience could hurt the team?"
"Not at all, Jack," I replied, "I've had great experience at some top clubs in Europe and I've experienced South American football. I recognise that isn't experience of the MLS and I understand if some fans are a little weary of my appointment but all we can do at this point is take things one game at a time. I promise the fans attractive football and positive results - myself and the players will do our best to get as high up the Conference as possible."
"Is the owner, Joey Saputo, as equally as optimistic?" asked Jack.
"Yes, he fully supports me in the philosophies I discussed with him and we're working towards a positive future for the club." I replied.
"Molly Leighton, CNN. The club has lost several important players from the 2013 season including Davy Arnaud and Alessandro Nesta - how do you think you'll be able to cope without them?"
"They were obviously big players for the team but they're not irreplaceable - we'll work towards bringing in reinforcements and try to strengthen the squad." I said.
"And finally," Molly continued, "Quebec is predominantly French speaking - could this pose a problem? Can you speak French?"
"Along my journey of coaching, I spent a period of time in France - learning to speak fluently. I'll look to use that in my job and personal life when needed; I don't have a problem speaking several different languages."
The press conference didn't last much longer - the journalists soon had enough information to write a story. I imagined much of it would be negative - I was young, inexperienced and unknown in North America. The press would do what digging they could on me but it would probably be to no avail; I've spent much of my time observing others rather than managing. I learned quicker that way, I think. Moving to Montreal from Europe was a big step for me but I hoped I wouldn't regret it - it seemed the right thing to do. I was ready to make my mark.