“The club is in a challenging, exciting process”

sv98.de: You’ve been with the Lilies for almost exactly six months. How have you experienced the club so far?

Paul Fernie: As a club in transition. We are in the middle of a change process. Some of these changes were of course planned and necessary, others we had to react to. Something has happened on all levels. Starting with a new sports director, who always brings with him different ideas and ways of working. Continuing with a necessary change in the squad, 17 contracts including loan players have ended and 13 new players have been brought in. A changed internal structure in the processes, in which the distribution of roles was sharpened and the individual areas were given more responsibility. All with the aim of ultimately becoming more professional and giving players the opportunity to get better. And the last serious change was of course in the coaching position. Overall, the club is in a challenging but also exciting process. I am very happy to be able to help shape it.

You started with an away win in Köln, but shortly afterwards the looming relegation from the Bundesliga became official. How difficult was it to get rid the feeling of relegation? And how exciting is it still? 

The club has had to endure a lot of suffering in the recent past. Not just the players and employees, but above all the fans. The Bundesliga season was a disappointment, just as the start of the second division is not what we had hoped for so far. Especially in my early days, I experienced that the negative experiences of last season understandably had an impact on people. But I have the feeling that, especially in the last few weeks, this attitude is changing little by little and people also want to give the team the time they realistically need and want to support the team along the way. This is very important for us because when changes occur it is crucial to stick together. A change process is always challenging, which makes cohesion among and with each other all the more important. In Karlsruhe, for example, the spark spread from the guest block to the team. Success is not linear, especially not in football. We need a bit of this year to consolidate and reposition ourselves. This season will be a development season that prepares us for the future. But very important: this only works if we accept the present as it is. This season will be a battle and we have to face it. We have to collect our points and work our way out of this unsatisfactory situation step by step.

Why was it important to extend so few contracts in the summer and initiate such a major change?

We had to change a basic feeling. I found a team that lost almost the entire season. That can do something to a person. Our goal was therefore to make a real new beginning with players who do not carry the burden of the past and who bring mentality and quality. Now, in my opinion, we have a good balance of players who have been here for a long time and know what makes the club tick and what makes it tick, as well as players who are “unburdened” by the negative experiences of last season. It is normal that a structure like this needs some time to grow together. What made it even more difficult was that after a few match days this had to be done not only with each other, but also with a new coach. But I am absolutely convinced of the quality and character of the team.

How do you rate the transfer phase?

We brought in a good mix of players who come from the Bundesliga, such as Mey Papela or Philipp Förster, seasoned second division professionals such as Kai Klefisch or Marco Thiede and players from the third division such as Fynn Lakenmacher or Luca Marseiler. At the same time, we should not forget Paul Will, who made a very good impression in the first games of the season and I wish him all the best in his rehab from his torn cruciate ligament. We also looked beyond the German borders and brought in players from abroad such as Killian Corredor and Isac Lidberg. What was challenging was that the original planning of the squad under Torsten Lieberknecht was based on a different system. Since we have one more offensive player under Florian Kohfeldt than before, we brought in Philipp. The signing of Marco was of course a reaction to Matthias Bader’s serious injury, and I wish him a good recovery.

This squad now has the task of collecting as many points as possible before winter.

We are convinced of the quality of the squad to be competitive. The general conditions are also right here in Darmstadt, we have a lot to offer as a club: We can’t keep up financially with many teams in this league, but we have an excellent training building, a fantastic stadium with a traditional fan base and everything we need to continue to improve and achieve success. We are a club that needs to be creative in squad planning, in how we invest our budget and in how we get the most out of our resources. And we have capable people here for this task.

Eight second division games have been played so far. What is your first interim conclusion?

This is not the start we wanted. Six points from eight games is not our goal, and there’s no need to sugarcoat that. But we now have to accept the situation as it is, with the aim of finding stability as a team and going our way step by step and working our way into midfield in the table. Apart from the Elversberg game, I haven’t seen us completely inferior in any game. We’ve almost always had good phases in the game. It is now important to extend these phases in order to further increase the probability of scoring points.

What exactly are the expectations for the coming months? What exactly do you mean when you say stability needs to be found?

When it comes to stability I am referring to several things. On the one hand, this means that we want to move step by step into the middle of the table and away from the danger zone. Knowing that development never runs in a straight line. On the other hand, that means that we want to find continuity in our performance step by step – over a large part of the playing time and not just in phases. This also means that we want to achieve defensive stability and reduce the number of goals conceded. In addition, stability and continuity with regard to our fitness level, which is of course subject to new requirements with a new trainer. We have made progress in all of these points in the last few weeks and have generally developed in terms of football. But we have to continue working on this homework.

After about a month, how is the collaboration with head coach Florian Kohfeldt going?

I can give him a big compliment for the first few weeks. I feel like Flo is the right man for the right situation. He is very structured and organised, has a clear game idea and knows how to implement it. Since day one I have seen sporting development and increased performance, which is particularly important to me as sports director. We have developed a lot in a very short time, especially with the ball. He also has precise ideas about procedures and processes off the pitch. In our situation, Flo helps us a lot with his clarity and structure.

Thanks for the conversation, Paul!