England”s Arsenal legend Tony Adams takes boost in his activity for Azerbaijan”s SC Gabala being appointed to the position of football director after his almost 5 years with the club.
The former player for both England provisional and Arsenal was welcomed by the Caspian Sea country in the summer 2010 as a head coach going up to November 2011. During the period, he introduced the red-black team to 47 matches before his restart as an adviser of the club”s president Tale Heydarov since April 2012 up to the new appointment. Adams talks to gabalafc.az about his new assignment:
“After I joined Gabala, we tried and succeeded to develop the first team into a bit better progress when I focused on the growth of the club both in and out of the pitch.
“After a short break from Gabala, the president of the club called me back to new position of his adviser. Then I supported first team games and development of the football academy, and reported about further plans and results to the club president.
“Now going on as a football director from adviser makes my ties with the team closer, as well as it would lead to driving results from academy into the pitch.
Now I am more responsible to development proceedings and I also keep sharing my advices with the club. I am really happy returning back to Azerbaijan and convinced to be able to help Gabala developing”.
“Results are coming out for the summer”, - Adams adds:
“Now it is time to see outcomes as I feel some big changes during the past period. The club involved high-class head coach Roman Grigorchuk with really good choice. I will support him, and I watched his perfect training proceedings. The results are coming out for the summer.
“And sure I focused also on the reserves team and football academy.
I think it is most likely Gabala will be able to earn a tally to Eurocup matches. With the likes of Grigorchuk, the team should be amongst the top 4 at the end of the league season. We are playing against really difficult rivals and will be pushing against them up to the end. But with this good staff under the lead of Roman, I cannot imagine it would be possible not to be awarded at the end”.
Concerned about scouting…
“We should keep open eyes on the staff to give no mistakes on selections. Right after the winter training camp, we will start to scouting for the next season. The operation will go on by May this year. Gabala"s first team should made up mostly by talents from the club"s football academy.
"I think we will be able to produce best players of Azerbaijan from Gabala to help the footbal developing in the country.
“I believe we can guide the first team into better stages together with the new skipper.
“Gabala”s structure, as well as youth football and first team development are really up-to-date level. The club president, vice president, general manager and I altogether have to support the head coach. Sure we also will set up our work with the other departments of the club. Now I fell we are stepping on the next stage of Gabala”s progress into the better future”.
It is worth to remember Adams”s allover player time only for well-known Arsenal where the defender came on 500 matches, with 14 years as a captain of the team, and played in 66 games for the England provisional team. The 49-year-old also coached for Uikomb Uondererz and Portsmouth.
