The defeat of «Spartak» in the match with Minsk «Dynamo» in the regular season of the KHL was the sixth in a row for the «red-whites» and the last for Boris Mironov as the head coach of the Muscovites. For the derby with CSKA, the team was prepared by his assistant Alexei Zavarukhin. Having beaten their principal rival at a party, the Red-Whites broke the unsuccessful streak and got ready to work with a new coach. They became Igor Grishin from the Resurrection «Chemist». Igor Vladimirovich watched the winning derby for Spartak from the stands of the arena in the Park of Legends.
The sports director of Muscovites Roman Belyaev frankly spoke to reporters about the appointment of Grishin, the development of the club and the grandiose exchange of Alexander Nikishin in SKA.
— Congratulations on winning the derby. What are your impressions?- Good game. Well done guys, that in such a difficult time for Spartak, they found strength and emotions in themselves, played to the end. I congratulate all the fans and the team on the victory.
— On the eve of the match with CSKA Spartak announced the resignation of Boris Mironov from his post head coach. How was this decision made?
— The decision to part with Boris Mironov was very difficult for us. Together with Boris Olegovich, we have come a long way, we achieved a good result last season. But when a team has such a series of bad matches, then something needs to be done. There were no results in the last six matches. The team played well in these matches, there were no indifferent players on the ice. In every match we all try to play to the maximum. In most matches of the season, we moved our rivals. Unfortunately, there was no result. In sports, the result, the score on the scoreboard is the most important thing. The decision was very difficult. And I want to thank Boris Olegovich on behalf of the club for the great work he has done.
— Tell us about Igor Grishin. Why did they decide on his candidacy?
— Igor Vladimirovich was present at the match with CSKA. He looked at the game of the team from the side. It's not easy to move from one team to another at once. And although a large group of Spartak players were already in Khimik and were familiar with Grishin's requirements, a transitional period was needed from the team of Boris Mironov to the team of Igor Grishin. The match with CSKA became this period.
— Were there other options?
— We did not consider other candidates for the post of head coach. When we had to make a decision on the resignation of Boris Olegovich, we had a clear understanding of who we want to see as the new mentor of Spartak. We watched hockey played by Khimik. It is clear that the team plays in the VHL, but you see that now many KHL teams are trying to play similar hockey — fast, aggressive, with an attack bias, where there is a place for young hockey players. This approach is consistent with the development strategy of our club. In the current situation, it is necessary to invest in young players, work for the future, think about the future. We are of the opinion that a coach should want and be able to work with young cadres.
— It turns out that talking about inviting Dmitry Kvartalnov is nonsense? br>—We have never had any contacts with Dmitry Vyacheslavovich.
—What powers will Grishin have?
— Everyone should do their own thing: the coach — to train, management — to help the coach in inviting players. Why impose hockey coaches that he does not need? After all, he will put them on the bench, and the club will simply lose money and ruin relations with the coach. There is a moment that the coach, due to lack of time, needs assistance and assistance in a comprehensive study of the player's abilities. For this, the club system has special people, scouts, who understand all the requirements of the coach, look for hockey players who meet them, offer them, and then, together with the coaching staff, these candidates are discussed by the management. I think that our scouting department works quite well. Egor Savikov, Daniil Orlov, Matvey Zaseda are players with very good prospects, they already have long-term contracts with Spartak. You can build a team around them.
— By the way, about Matvey Zased. How would you rate his game?
— Matvey is a player who makes himself this season. By his age, he was always considered a promising hockey player, but something interfered with him in the system of other teams. What exactly is hard to say for sure. But it happens that hockey players, growing up, change their views on the process. Back in the summer, when signing a new contract with Zaseda, he said to Matvey: «Give your best, work hard, you will get your chance.» Having got a chance, he took advantage of it in such a way that he became a full-fledged player in the base of Spartak. The main thing is that he does not relax. Matvey has a two-way contract, and if the player does not meet the requirements of the KHL — this applies not only to the meeting, but also to any other hockey player — then the club has the option to send him to the VHL. Matthew, to be honest, well done. In a match with CSKA, he scored a chic goal, brought victory to Spartak. In the dressing room, the team recognized him as the best player.
— Are you afraid that other clubs will be able to poach him?
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— Matvey has a contract for two years. And we count on it very much. Last season, he was on the free agent market, but was unclaimed. We believed in his potential, we knew that we could get a great player in the future.
— What is the fate of Dmitry Kugryshev in Spartak? He missed nine matches, there is a lot of talk about the exchange.
— So far we have not received specific proposals from other clubs that would interest us. Whether Dmitry can return due to changes in the coaching staff, it's hard to say now, we'll discuss it with the new head coach.
— Before the start of the season, Spartak held the loudest exchange of the summer, giving Alexander to SKA Nikishin for a large group of players and rights to hockey players. Don't you think that the Petersburgers, and not Spartak, still benefited from this deal?
— Nikishin's exchange must be evaluated after a longer time. Maybe two seasons, maybe three. Since for a ready-made player we got young and promising ones, with whom we still have to work. In this exchange, we received both players with a great future and the rights to players playing in North America. If one of them returns to Russia, it will be a completely different Spartak. These players have something to prove. Many of them played for the Russian national team. As for Nikishin, we are happy for him that everything is working out for him now. I understand the feelings of the fans who miss Alexander and worry, comparing the current performance of Nikishin and the guys who participated in the exchange. But we do not know how he would have developed if he had remained in our team. Now Nikishin plays for a club with one of the best squads in the league, he plays in the majority and with such partners, thanks to which it is easier to score points. We wish Alexander only good luck and will continue to help our young people develop.
— How did the negotiations with SKA go?
— The negotiations with SKA were long. They lasted several months. No, we were not put before the fact. No one can decide for Spartak. This is our decision, and at that time we thought that the exchange would be beneficial for the club in terms of development and prospects. I repeat, all the guys who came are potentially very strong. But everything depends only on them, as in the case of the meeting. No one will play and work for them, we will help in every way, but they themselves must go on the ice and prove that they were not mistaken. For the guys, this is a good opportunity. It would be difficult for them to prove themselves in the SKA system, Spartak gives them a chance.