OTHER Marc Coucke has spoken out about the persistent problems at RSC Anderlecht. In the Play4 programme De Tafel van Gert the owner of the purple-and-white went into detail on the coaching situation, the departure of sporting director Olivier Renard, the cup tie at Antwerp and the future of Romelu Lukaku. The Kompany chapter was also discussed at length. "If he had stayed, everything would look different today." Although Coucke was absent in Genk on Sunday, where Anderlecht suffered another heavy defeat, he did not keep silent.
In the talk show he gave his view on the sporting crisis that followed the dismissal of interim coach Edward Still and Renard's exit. The businessman emphasised that since November there has been a new management structure in place that he strongly believes in. "With Michael Verschueren as chairman and Kenneth Bornauw as CEO we have laid a foundation. After a turbulent period we wanted to give people time to prove themselves, but in the meantime we have reached a point where it became clear that some do not fit that project."
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Continue reading With that he referred, among others, to coach Besnik Hasi and sporting director Renard. Like Bornauw earlier, he confirmed that Anderlecht wants to appoint a new coach first and only then a sporting director. "Normally it's the other way around, but the situation forces us to do it like this. A coach typically stays one to two years; a sporting director must last much longer. That choice therefore has to be perfect." Coucke said he does not interfere directly in appointments, but stressed that Anderlecht's ambitions must not be watered down. "You must never lower the bar. This is still Anderlecht. Last season everyone seemed content with the cup final, but if you lose it, in the end there is nothing left."
He called the cup return at Antwerp crucial. "Antwerp are the clear favourites, but we also have a decent squad. We must get more out of it. I expect a reaction; the players must surprise me." At the same time Coucke looked back critically on the policy of recent years. Without naming names, he pointed to the composition of the squad. "Too often we failed to find the right balance. If that goes wrong five years in a row, it's no longer a coincidence." Vincent Kompany was also addressed. According to Coucke, his project was ended too soon. "With Kompany we were building something, but there was too little patience. If he had stayed, everything would look different today. How exactly, nobody knows, but he combined an enormous winner's mentality with a long-term vision."
Finally Coucke commented on the much-discussed possible return of Romelu Lukaku. He is keeping that at arm's length. "He is still playing at Napoli and must first focus on his club and the Red Devils. The timing is entirely up to him. Maybe he will play elsewhere for years. Anderlecht cannot depend on that. Romelu himself would say the club always comes before the individual. The most important thing is that we now put the right people in the right places."
