Andrey Vedishchev is the new coach of Lokomotiv-Kuban Krasnodar. News that takes some time to understand. The Kuban team has been successful in recent years. Sometimes even very much so. We stopped one step away from the championship, beating CSKA two seasons ago in a series of seven games. They successfully brought in guys from their own system, which was recognized as one of the best in the country. It seemed that there was only one thing left to do: to take the last champion step that would close the Gestalt.
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It is obvious that Loko is waiting for a change of direction. In what way? It is not clear yet. The appointment itself (or “self-appointment”) did not follow from the logic of events. There was no preparation for it in the broadest sense. Because for the club’s employees, too, it was a big surprise. And the news itself on the website seemed to be unprepared. Two sentences with a short quote from the President-Coach. “I am confident in this decision and I know exactly what the team needs to progress and win!” – says the statement by Andrei Vedishchev with the significant signature “details in the next interview”.
Well, Loko still knows how to intrigue.
Of course, combining the positions of club director and coach is not something new. Of course, this cannot be considered a standard practice either, but there are examples in Russian sports in general, and even in basketball. Vladimir Rodionov, the legendary president of Saratov Avtodor, easily took on the role of coach. And not only with the main team, but also with the youth and junior teams. Eduard Sandler has been practicing the combination in the Far East for many years. Last season he won the Super League with his Dynamo. And readers of “Championate” probably know well the hockey example of Roman Rotenberg at SKA.
Why does a manager need this? There is a wide range of guessing and speculation here. But it is better to wait for the official statement in that much-hyped interview. From the outside it seemed that Loko’s vertical management was working quite effectively, youth projects were integrated into the overall structure and everything was going well.
Andrey Vedishchev
Photo: lokobasket.com
Alexander Sekulic, now the former coach of the Railwaymen, did not hide that he liked being in Krasnodar and was ready to stay, taking advantage of the contract option. It turns out that there was something in his work that his boss did not like, since Andrei Vedishchev decided on such a drastic move. Although the difficulty of the planned turn lies precisely in the second part: in the appointment of the new coach and his figure. Because for several years Loko has accustomed everyone to the postulate “new season, new coach” (or maybe two). For the past 10 years, the Kuban team has been led by 10 specialists.
There is no need to expect miracles from Loko with the arrival of the coach-president. But the club should definitely not fall apart. Andrey Vedishchev has been playing basketball all his life. He played at the highest level and after many years he held leadership positions. He knows basketball inside and out, so he probably won’t have much difficulty adapting to his new role. At least that’s what it seems.
It is very important who will be next to the new coach and how much Andrey Vedishchev will allow his assistants to manage the processes and help himself. Gone are the days when one specialist controlled everything – now this is the same team, where everyone has a sphere of responsibility, and the head coach only chooses the general strategy and is responsible to the leader and the fans. Interestingly, by the way, the president of the Krasnodar club will now be 100% integrated into the life of the team. And sometimes he has his own secrets and something remains secret even to the president. This is neither bad nor good, but simply a fact.
Andrey Vedishchev
Photo: lokobasket.com
A much more important question for the Krasnodar club and its fans at the moment is how the powers of the coach-president will be distributed. Still, both positions require immersion; time and energy need to be devoted to this. After all, the club is not just basketball teams: it is politics, meetings, events, employees and everyday life. And coaching is not limited to two hours of training on the court. There are so many questions that will be answered during the upcoming season.
Lokomotiv definitely takes the prize for the best transfer news. There is a month and a half left until the start of the season, during which time you can stock up on popcorn. And for some reason I was really looking forward to watching Loko’s pre-season matches now. So, purely for information purposes, the residents of Krasnodar definitely got their wow effect. We’ll see how it goes.
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