Markus Gisdol: I like challenges

Gisdol said, “I started coaching in the lower leagues and progressed step by step to the Bundesliga. I received a good education. I am a good teacher and I had some special coaches with me. I became an assistant coach with them. Then I started working as a coach at Hoffenheim. Then in Hamburg “I had experiences in , Cologne and Moscow. Now I am here. I am happy to have taken all these steps and to be here. You can learn and develop as a coach, you can find the best way for football. In the end, I can say that I am happy with where I am today and with my job,” he said.

Stating that he followed the Super League before coming to Samsunspor, Gisdol said, “I always had contacts with Turkey. I was following the Turkish league. I had information about Galatasaray, Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe. I have had meetings with Turkish teams before. “But this did not turn into an offer,” he said.

“I LIKE TO CHALLENGE”

Stating that he likes to take risks and fight, Markus Gisdol continued his speech as follows: “Before coming to Samsunspor, I researched and got information about the current situation of the club. Such risks can occur in any team at any time. I love a challenge. Yes, I’ve done this before. I also worked in similar teams in Germany and was successful. Some coaches like to take these risks. I love, too. I like to take risks and challenge. That’s why I’m in Samsunspor. For me it is a challenge to get through this. It was a really difficult process from the first moment I received an offer from Samsunspor. I talked to both President Yüksel Yıldırım and Fuat Çapa and received all the information from them. They convinced me about the club’s possibilities. I watched videos of some matches and said to myself; It will be a difficult struggle but we will succeed. This was not the game Samsunspor played before taking office. I know that’s not your style. But when I arrived and did my analysis, I saw that this game approach would be the best chance to stay in the league. This was just the first step of what we’re doing now to get wins and be successful. Now we have to work hard every week. We have to put it on and move on.”

Stating that being known as the ‘Savior’ due to your ability to save the teams you coach from relegation in the Bundesliga does not create any pressure on him, Gisdol said, “This image is not a problem for me. When I started my career as a coach, I always experienced difficult times with my teams. I progressed step by step. When I got the offer from Hoffenheim they were really at the bottom of the league and no one had told them they could stay. I was in the league with this team and this was my first chance to be a coach in the Bundesliga. I took advantage of this chance. We stayed in the league. Then Hoffenheim rose to 8th place. Then I got an offer from Hamburg, they were in almost the same situation and I said ‘ok’. Hamburg is also a really big club with a lot of tradition. I was successful there too. At this point, I see myself as a developer, not a ‘savior’. “But I am not disturbed by the ‘savior’ image,” he said.