By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Partizan has had a rough start into the new season with a 2-3 record in 7DAYS EuroCup and a 2-2 record in the ABA League, far behind the team’s ideal start and the pressure is on.
Head coach Vlado Scepanovic commented on the team’s course and the rough start after this week’s EuroCup loss to JL Bourg. “We can only win if we leave our hearts on the court. Did they leave it? They certainly didn’t. A well-deserved victory for the French team. It was a lesson on how to love the club. You show on the court how much you love the club, not in interviews, by praising the fans, pictures on Instagram, hitting the heart… The court is a measure of how much the club is loved”.
Speaking to mozzartsport.com, Club President Ostoja Mijailovic talked about fans’ expectations from the club, while at the same time cutting some slack to Scepanovic.
“I know that today the main topic is the coach. But, on the other hand, he should be understood as well. I have no doubt that he came in with a great desire for Partizan to be the best. But Partizan’s crowd expects more from us than what we have today. To not make compromises of any kind”, he mentioned. “If I tell you anything more, at this point he will no longer be the coach. Expectations are not at the level of the club… Draw your own conclusions.”
He also spoke about the team’s decision to continue in 7DAYS EuroCup for one more season after the success of the previous one, despite the abrupt end due to the pandemic breakout.
“After the fantastic last season, our goal was to keep the team together that was the best in everything. We had offers at the end of the season to sell a few players, but we didn’t do that because we wanted the trophies that we want today as well. A lot of bad things have been following us since the beginning of the season, injuries to the main players, most of the coaching staff is infected with the coronavirus. There was a challenge to play FIBA or the EuroCup, we chose the Eurocup because most of the fans asked for it. Our hands are tied for many things, it is difficult to get money, but we continue to fight for this club.”