“We want to play an important role”

There is great optimism at the German-Danish border: in an internet poll on the website of the club 53 percent of the users said that SG Flensburg-Handewitt will be able to win the second German title next season. 38 percent think that the team would finish second, third and fourth the Bundesliga-season. Coach of the Champions League finalist, the Swedish Kent-Harry Andersson (58) is just as optimistic.

A hard season is over

“We will be able to reach the top again,” he said. For Andersson it is the fifth year in Flensburg. Including his five years in Nordhorn, he has been working in Germany for 10 years. The last season was very hard for him: he had a serious head operation and was unable to train the team for some month. From January on he was with his team again.

“Now I’m healthy again, I only have a little trouble with my ear,” Andersson said before leaving with the team for the “Intersport-Masters” in Sindelfingen. Three weeks ago he started the preparation for this season. Andersson wants to break with being “always second” behind THW Kiel. His team was on top of Germany only in 2004 – besides the two CL-finals (2004, defeated by Celje and 2007, defeated by Kiel). These are the biggest successes in the club’s history.

Flensburg reloaded

“We have four new players now, so I have great expectations for the team, but we have to be patient with the news ones”, Andersson looks into the future. His club signed the young Thomas Mogensen, the experienced goalkeeper, Dane Sijan (Serbian), the Icelandic guy, Einar Holmgeirson (who just has started training after back-problems) and Alexander Petterson.

“Especially Dane Sijan will bring us – hopefully – some points. We will have a very strong goalkeeper duo with him and Dan Beutler,” says Andersson. The former number two in the goal, Flensburg-legend Jan Holpert, finished his career. Holpert’s brother, Fynn, is working in the management of the club now after former manager, Thorsten Storm, moving to Bundesliga rivals, SG Kronau/Östringen.

“I enjoy working with Fynn and the sports director, Anders Dahl-Nielsen, this is a very interesting – and I hope successful – combination,” says Andersson. In these weeks of the preparation he has certain problems with injured players: Frank von Behren has a broken thumb, Croatian national player, Blazenko Lackovic, is recovering after a knee operation and Danish international, Sören Stryger, also has also problems with his knee.

Great opponents

Andersson’s aim is not only winning the national title, but also to play an important role in the Champions League. “I was very glad to hear that we play in the first group phase against Drammen. I was coach there for more than five years in the 90’s. However, with Ciudad Real we have one of the biggest favourites for the CL title in our group. At the end, I am optimistic to reach the second group phase. In case we are lucky in the next draw, it will be possible to get very far. The only problem is that the players have many matches – especially this season when we will have the Olympic Games and the Euro.”

Andersson also wants to finish the Bundesliga in a position that qualifies for the CL as well.

“The third place is very important, but we will a greater number of strong clubs, not only Kiel, Flensburg and Hamburg, but also Kronau, Gummersbach, Magdeburg and Nordhorn.”