Karel Stanner Becomes Head Coach of the First League Team
The management of FK Mladá Boleslav called an extraordinary press conference due to a change in the position of head coach of the first league team Tuesday afternoon, 18 March. The existing head coach, Zdeněk Ščasný resigned and Karel Stanner took his place. Assistants Petr Čuhel and Jiří Ryba resigned along with Ščasný. Successors will be appointed soon.
The president of FK Mladá Boleslav, Josef Dufek, resigning head coach Ščasný, new head coach Karel Stanner and business, marketing and communications manager Petr Svěcený were present at this extraordinary press conference. The press centre was crowded with journalists.
Ščasný took over the Boleslav team on 3 September 2007 after coach Zajíc was dismissed. Under Ščasný the team experienced five wins, six ties and five losses with a total score of 21:22 in the 1st Gambrinus League. After two winning matches in the domestic ČMFS Cup, the team was eliminated by the second league team Třinec. Ščasný also coached the Boleslav team in six autumn matches of the UEFA Cup. He was banished by referees from the coaching bench to the stands four times (three times in the domestic league and once in the UEFA Cup) during the almost seven months of his position with the Boleslav team. Together with these transgressions, he has been interviewed by disciplinary commissions nine times in all since 1995. “I can’t manage certain critical situations if I have a feeling of injustice, so I don’t want to dishonour the Mladá Boleslav club,” Ščasný said in explaining his resignation.
Karel Stanner operated as an active player mostly in Turnov, i.e. during the most famous second league period of the team. During his coaching career he worked as assistant to Coach Škorpil in the first league Hradec Králové team (1992 - 94); he also worked as head coach of the second league Turnov and Chrudim teams and raised the Mladá Boleslav team from the division through the former Czech football league up to the second national league at the turn of the century (1996 - 2001). Currently he works as a manager of the youth training centre and head coach of the third league junior team of FK Mladá Boleslav.
Stanner was selected in particular because of his excellent knowledge of the environment in Mladá Boleslav and his anticipated incorporation of talented juniors from the Boleslav seedbed in the professional team.
“I’m glad the change was initiated by Zdeněk Ščasný. Our principal goal for the remaining nine league rounds is better results,” said Stanner, who agreed upon a contract by 30 June 2008 with the management of the Boleslav club for the time being.
When asked whether he was nervous about the first league, he answered calmly: “I’m not nervous.”
