Alexander Blessin refused to take over from Leye at Standard: « They are a fantastic club but I am not a firefighter »
One of the best coaches in the Pro League is Alexander Blessin. The German, with limited resources, made good results with KV Ostend.
Last year, the KVO had finished the regular season in 5th place in the general classification, three units behind Genk, last qualified for the play-offs 1 before making play-offs 2 mixed. The game offered was enticing and Blessin was no stranger to it.
At Standard, we were well aware of this and that is why the Liège management probed Blessin to succeed Mbaye Leye. But in an interview with Sport / Foot magazine, the Ostend mentor explained why he did not join the Rouches. « It’s a fantastic club with enthusiastic supporters and a good school for young people, but the timing has to be right too. I am not a firefighter. I need preparation to build the team the way I want« , he specified to our colleagues.
He also told them that he could have joined the Premier League and coached Sheffield United but the deal was unsuccessful. « For me, it is important to have a free hand. This was not the case in some clubs. I feel that here I can still make mistakes without being immediately punished. What’s the point of going to a club that has a lot of ambition but where you find yourself under fire from critics after two defeats. The only team I was interested in was Sheffied United, because English football fascinates me. Without Brexit, there would have been a chance that I would take this step« .
