SYMBOL OF GUNNERS IN AZERBAIJAN

The replacement of Qabala's head coach at the end of the Azerbaijani Premier League season was a bolt from the blue. Although the team had reached its target in the championship, getting into the top six, the club management decided to replace Ramiz Mammadov.

The famous Tony Adams was invited to take on the post of chief coach. This is the same Tony Adams who played many years for England and was captain; his only club team was Arsenal, becoming the symbol of the Gunners.

To be honest, although the English coach did not avoid contact with the press, he was not a willing talker to journalists. Nevertheless, during one of Qabala's workouts, we managed to persuade him to talk to us.

- Tony Adams in Azerbaijan! The British press was extremely surprised by this news. Why did Qabala interest you?

- After the release of information about my contract with Qabala, the British press spent all week writing only about me. It was as if I had given the journalists some food. Some claimed that Adams had made a bad decision, while others wrote that I was supposedly driven to your country by my desire to earn more money. But it's all nonsense.

- Why? After all, everyone wants to earn...

- You're probably familiar with my career. I spent years playing for England and Arsenal. I have never denied that during this time, I managed to earn enough money. So I do not need money. I'm just impressed by the ambitions of the Qabala club management. Everything has to start from scratch here. That suits me - I want to start with a clean slate and put my name to it.

Azerbaijan is showing a lot of interest in football. I am sure that great things await you in the future, and I want to contribute to the development of football in your country.

- Why didn't Tony Adams find a job in his own country?

- Your colleagues have asked me this question many times. In England, I worked with Portsmouth, but was forced to leave for financial reasons. The Premier League does not really trust young coaches. Actually, in England we are used to relying on experienced and celebrated coaches.

- What do you know about Azerbaijan?

- Now, everything. I was fascinated by the beautiful scenery in Qabala. I've heard that there are plenty of places like this in Azerbaijan. I also know that your country is rich in oil. Various sports are developing rapidly here. In the near future there will be good results in football, too.

- Under what conditions is Tony Adams working in Qabala?

- The same as all coaches. The most important thing is that the management believes in me. We will employ the right players and build the team of the future together. Together, we will lead Qabala to new heights.

- The British press wrote that your annual salary will exceed 1 million pounds...

- Journalists exaggerate. That is wrong - I did not ask for such a large sum. My management and I reached agreement on my salary, but I will not talk about that. I can only say one thing - it is far less than the journalists say.

- What target you have set for the first year?

- To play as well as possible and to improve. Qabala must take one of the top places in the table. But you need good training to do that. The first season is a period for the team to get stronger and other projects will be developed in the future. You can be sure that we will be fighting for medals.

- Are you satisfied with the budget for the club?

- The management has created very good conditions for the team. However, the question of the budget is difficult to answer unambiguously. Everyone wants more. The same applies to the budget. Every coach wants to work for a team with a large budget. But the rumours about our team having an astronomical budget are not true. We are thinking about the future.

- If it is not a secret, what is the budget for the team?

- I cannot answer that question - that's not my responsibility.

- It must be at least 15 million euros.

- If only! With that budget, I would take Qabala to the Euroleague group stage... Our budget is much smaller.

-  Foreign coaches usually like to import players from abroad. Will you also go that way?

- Foreign players are very important and are necessary to increase a team's professionalism. But we cannot forget the local footballers. In Qabala, there are many promising young players. I am working with them. I would like to discover new stars for Azerbaijani football.

- You probably followed the World Cup finals in South Africa?

- Of course.

- And what did you think of the result?

- In the final, I was rooting for the Netherlands. I wanted Bert van Marwijk's team to win. But Spain won well. Vicente del Bosque's team played perfectly. As the saying goes: the winners are not judged...

- What did you think of England's performance?

- To be honest, I did not like it. Although I have great respect for the coach, Fabio Capello, England did not play to their reputation. We felt that the team had problems. I know the causes, but I do not want to talk about them.

- You will play your first fixture in the Azerbaijan championship against FC Xazar-Lankaran in Lankaran. Do you have any information about the opposition?

- I do not agree with the view that the Azerbaijan championship is at a low level. Your country has plenty of experienced coaches and players. So I cannot say that I am participating in a weak league. We must make every effort to live up to expectations.

 - Some well-known experts leave their clubs before their job is done. Is Tony Adams not afraid of tarnishing his reputation?

- I have never been afraid of that. Otherwise, I would not have become a coach. You must take risks and look to the future. I will listen to your opinion about our team's playing when we meet after the first few games.

- Of course, time is the best judge. We can only wish you success in Azerbaijan.

Thank you.