The start of the new season did not go as planned for Viktoria; they picked up just two points in their first three league matches. Adolf Šádek, the club’s chairman and chief executive, spoke about this and other matters in an interview for the club’s website.

Mr Šádek, Viktorka have picked up just two points from their three matches so far. What’s your assessment?

I’ll be frank. I’m very dissatisfied. And it’s not just about the points we’ve picked up, but also about the performance we’ve put in. The opening matches weren’t good from our point of view; we need to admit that, and there’s no point in trying to gloss over it. I expect a marked improvement, and I expect it straight away.

How do you explain such a start to the season?

We’re analysing everything in great detail, and I’d like to emphasise that we’re certainly not taking this lightly. We have a number of international players in our squad who’ve had a demanding summer, not least because of the World Cup, and it simply wasn’t possible for them to complete a full pre-season. Logically, they had to be given time to rest, and we can see they’re not quite in top form yet. We’re working on that now and need to get them up to the required level. But I accept that as a fact. At the same time, I’d say that three matches aren’t enough to draw definitive conclusions, but they’re enough for us to take them as a serious warning.

The fans’ dissatisfaction is evident. There’s also been a lot of speculation in the media and in discussions.

This dissatisfaction is only natural! I’d like to emphasise once again that nobody is satisfied – from the coaches and players right through to the club’s management. Naturally, I’m hearing all sorts of speculation, and I’ve decided to respond to it because one thing deserves a clear stance: the question of who makes the decisions at the club.

So what is the role of the club owner?

Michal Strnad is an ambitious owner who approves both the strategy and the budget. He is kept fully informed, takes an active interest in current affairs, asks questions and sets very high standards for the work carried out. In this respect, our approach is absolutely identical. Sporting decisions – that is, decisions concerning coaches and players – are made by the club’s sporting management, which falls under my remit. I bear full responsibility for those decisions and am accountable for them to him and the shareholders. This is how it should work in a professionally run club, and this is how it works here. From the outset, we’ve had a clearly defined system of responsibilities, and everyone knows exactly what theirs is. At the same time, we won’t make decisions hastily or under the influence of negative emotions.

The position of head coach is the one most frequently discussed.

I won’t publicly assess the performance of individual people; I don’t do that with the players, and I won’t do it with the coaches either. We sort these matters out internally within the club, and that’s how it should be. What I can say is this: all our energy is now focused on getting the team back on track. Our coaching staff has everything they need from the club to do that job. At the same time, I wouldn’t be honest if I claimed that we don’t carry out ongoing assessments. We do assess our performance – every well-run club does – and the upcoming matches are, of course, part of that assessment.

As I said at the start, we’re not satisfied and I expect to see an improvement. Our sole aim is to get back on track as quickly as possible, and everything else is secondary to that.

Another topic that has been widely discussed – and which also came up at the post-match press conference – is potential new signings.

We managed to keep all our key players over the summer; nobody left, which was very important for us. If anyone else were to join, they would have to be an exceptional player whose quality surpasses that of the current squad. We won’t be signing players just to calm the situation down after three rounds. However, the transfer window is still open for a long time and, as I said at the pre-season press conference, we are monitoring the transfer market closely.

Goals were also set out before the season – does the current situation affect them?

Our ambitions are the highest possible, and I will never waver from them. Everyone who knows me is aware of this. But Michal Strnad didn’t buy Viktoria for just one season; it’s a long-term investment, and following the arrival of the new owner, a whole series of changes has been set in motion at all levels, driven by a clear vision. To take the club to a new level — the squad, the facilities, youth development, the entire way the club operates. It’s a project spanning several years, and it’s only natural that such a transformation takes some time. We’re thinking about everything in the long term, over several years. But I wouldn’t want there to be any misunderstanding. This sense of security doesn’t mean we can afford to waste time. And closely linked to that is the fact that we’re deeply dissatisfied with our poor start to the season.

So what are the immediate goals?

We’re working on this quite intensively with sporting director Martin Vozábal, and we’re talking to the coaches and individual players. We expect an immediate response from the team, specifically in Saturday’s match against Zlín and in the upcoming Europa League play-off fixtures. That’s exactly what we’re fully focused on right now.

What message would you like to send to the club’s fans and partners?

That they have always been, and continue to be, an important part of Viktoria. The two home matches at the Doosan Arena were practically sold out, and a large number of supporters travelled with us to Teplice too – we don’t take that for granted. I believe they’ll turn up on Saturday too and get behind the team. And our goal is clear. Everyone must realise what shirt they’re wearing and what colours they’re fighting for. It’s a huge responsibility, and we need to approach it as such. We’ll do everything we can to ensure the fans leave the stadium satisfied after the match.