Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Soccer: Lean Year Leaves Banants Hungry For Success

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Soccer: Lean Year Leaves Banants Hungry For Success

    LEAN YEAR LEAVES BANANTS HUNGRY FOR SUCCESS
    by Khachik Chakhoyan from Yerevan

    UEFA.com
    June 17 2009

    Having snatched a UEFA Europa League place from a poor campaign last
    year, Armenia's FC Banants want to make amends, with captain Arthur
    Voskanyan aiming "to improve our international standing and cheer up
    the fans".

    'Radical changes'

    A 10-0 aggregate defeat by FC Salzburg in the UEFA Cup first qualifying
    round and a fifth-place finish in the eight-team Armenian league
    represented a poor return for the Yerevan side, who had registered
    top-three finishes in the preceding six campaigns. As the 2008 season
    closed, club president Sargis Israelyan concluded: "Undoubtedly this
    campaign hasn't been good enough, so we have to make radical changes."

    Cup final The first such adjustment came last October when 42-year-old
    Armen Gyulbudaghyants replaced Danish coach Kim Splidsboel. His
    subsequent success in leading Banants to the Armenian Cup final
    earned his charges a spot in the UEFA Europa League first qualifying
    round. The final itself was lost 1-0 to national champions FC Pyunik
    on 9 May.

    Mentoring process Third in the top flight, or Bardzraguyn khumb, after
    eleven games of the new, 2009 season, Gyulbudaghyants has already
    revived the club with an increased emphasis on young talent. "We
    have to work with and improve our own local players," he said. "It
    won't be easy, but with experienced team-mates around them, these 18
    to 20-year-olds will find their feet. We have to be good enough for
    the Europa League as well as the Armenian league."

    Significant signing The arrival of Armenian international Hamlet
    Mkhitaryan, back home after a spell in Iran with Rah Ahan FC, should
    help in that respect. "The squad has its own style and character,
    giving us hope that we will be good enough on the international stage,"
    said the 35-year-old. "His team-mates can learn a lot from him,
    but he isn't going to be only our signing," added Gyulbudaghyants.

    European target "We have players from Ghana, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast,
    Russia and Belarus on trial, so I hope some of them can help us
    towards our main goal - getting as far as we can in the Europa League,"
    continued the coach. Banants have fallen at the first hurdle in six
    of their seven UEFA Cup seasons, but captain Voskanyan insisted:
    "We are aiming to qualify for the next round."
Working...
X