Three months have gone by since you started to work at the club. Please can you give us a summary of your experiences to date. 

I promised at the time of my appointment that I would work hard to make sure that we have a club that acts with European culture and behaviour, and a team that would also battle on the pitch playing good football. I also wanted the team to respect the opponents, the supporters and not finally the match officials. Furthermore I would like everybody who works at the club to always respect each other.

Looking at the first 6 league results of the new season, where Vidi have set a club record with 6 wins, it appears as if the decision to name Joan Carrillo as the new head coach was a good one.

At the time when I took over my new role, I was given a list that included 30 names, including well known foreign coaches. I could have started negotiations with anyone of them, and I was given a free hand to make the professional decision, in order to find the most suitable to sit on the Videoton bench. Our previous coach, Joan Carrillo, was also among that list, so I sat down several times to talk with him, and I found him to be a humble and respectful person who was also professionally a well prepared young coach. I arrived at the conclusion that this ambitious coach, who did not yet have any experience of being a first team manager, but who was familiar with our first team squad, also shared many of the same thoughts and aspects in football as I do, so he deserved the chance to sit on the bench as head coach. I wanted him to show that he was capable of meeting this task. He thanked me for the opportunity and he has lived with the chance so far. I know that personally it was a decision with lots of risks, when I made the choice, and many did not understand why I not choose a well-known coach instead. I am convinced that it is not only the big names that are able to achieve results. There are also diligent and talented people who are capable, and Joan is among them. The results so far seem to show that it was a good decision.

There have also been serious changes to the squad on top of the appointment of the new head coach. How successful do you consider this work to have been?

We spoke at the beginning about the players we wanted to bring back up to required level from within the club. We also discussed those that could not. Taking the opinion of the head coach in to account, we created a list of potential transfers. The plan was defined, which meant that Videoton would have to finish at the end of the first season in a top three position, meaning European qualification at the same time. Financial resources were also secured accordingly to help bring about the target. Another serious financial toll on the club was to sort out the first team squad, and to let players leave the club that we did not think were part of our future. This also helped the head coach to get on with his work undisturbed. We also had to prepare a strict list of guidelines and rules, as well as bring in to place a premium system, that would place the emphasis on winning matches. The more they do to help win matches, the more they would get to share from the bonuses. We are now at the stage today where the players focus a lot of attention on remaining in the premium system and to be a part of it. One example is not to pick up any cautions that would result in them being banned and not included in the team's share. Perhaps this has played a part in the team picking up a single yellow card in the last two league matches. This consistent and transparent system is a good basis for motivating them to produce good football. I am pleased that this has come in to operation and seems to be working. I also need to point out that I am delighted to see from the start that the players, as well as the coaching staff, with Joan at the helm, are working really well, and we can be really pleased with their attitude and the quality of training sessions. The quality of football and efficiency is getting better all the time. The head coach has done really well to meet the task in hand, with the team doing well, playing enjoyable and attractive football, resulting in six wins from the first six league games.

The Hungarian national side now includes players like Adam Gyurcso and Istvan Kovacs, who have been in really good form recently. What is this thanks to?

The young, Hungarian talents are a big asset. I have personally sat down to talk to each of them individually. I told them the expectations, and also the direction in which they needed to develop, and it appears that their ears were open. The conception - which I have said earlier - is to have players in the squad of a suitable level represented by Hungarian players, and they should enjoy the priority. It appears that they are living with this possibility. There are players such as Szolnoki and Kleinheisler, besides Gyurcso and Kovacs, who are producing better and better performances. It was not easy for them to step over the threshold, where they had remained for long periods last season. The best example of this is Adam Gyurcso, who with the right mental approach, coupled with his talent, has made the team much stronger. This is pleasing for both the supporters and the management of the club.

The experienced players have also performed well next to the youngsters. Juhasz for example as a defender has scored goals, Nikolics has just broken a club record, Simon and Sandor complement each other well in midfield.

Roland Juhasz is a true leader of the team. It appears with his attitude that he is setting a real example with his mentality within the squad. There is a must win approach out there on the pitch, and the same applies off it as well, where he is a good role model for the younger players. Every team needs players like this. Besides Juhasz is Nikolics, who I can calmly highlight. We are talking about a very good goalscorer, which every team needs. His statistics show that he deserves all the recognition he receives. Sandor is performing much better than he did last year. We can also talk about the new arrivals, with Tamas Horvath producing good work, despite the fact that Calatayud is currently the first choice keeper. There is Trebotic, who still needs time to adapt to the new surroundings, but is heading well in that direction. Adam Simon blended in within minutes, and Feczesin is also on the road to getting to full fitness.

You have mentioned several times that you would not like to see the team focusing on the match officials, and this appears to be the case in games. What feedback have you received in this area?

There has been a positive response. The match officials have evaluated the fact that neither the coaching staff nor the players are disputing their decisions, and they are showing respect towards the referee, and not kicking the ball away. We need to do the most to respect each other’s work..

Six games, six wins, 19-2 goal difference. Are you satisfied?

The hardest thing in sport is to keep success in place! I would ask everyone to behave with modesty, and pay attention to that when receiving praise for the results shown so far. The performances in the coming match will be taken in to account and not words or opinions. We need to carry on working while paying respect to each other, and take care that this current phase will remain unbroken. If we can achieve this, then a really nice future lies ahead of us.

The transfer window has just closed; can we say that the squad is now complete?

In the forthcoming period, we can only consider players that will represent a significant improvement in quality, but this is a long term aim. I am thinking primarily here about players that would come in and strengthen the team on the international stage. I would still like to sign a forward for the long term, but a player of a different level. We do not want to bring in players just to make up the numbers in the squad. The target was to determine just much we could achieve with this squad. Bringing in a higher calibre player would mean a significant financial outgoing. We can only consider such players that could come in straight away and be able to play. However, the unity in the team is quite strong. We have the plan in place so that when the time comes to strengthen the squad further, we will not push those players that have helped us achieved this success to the background.

Taking everything into account, do you feel that things are heading in the direction, which you would like it to, when you first took over as club director?

It is important to pay attention to each step. Today, we are one step ahead of where we were at the beginning of the summer. We could mention the fact that the fixtures have been kind to us, and that serious tests lie ahead of us, but we need to see at what tempo we can continue moving forward. I would point out carefully: I would always like to see the development, and while I can see this, the direction will be good. The work of the head coach is becoming more noticeable, and we can see what he would like to do and achieve, which is confirmed in the results so far. From the moment that Istvan Garancsi became the owner of Videoton FC, a very well organized and professional club has been formed, where all of the employees in the background work with full steam, to make sure that the best possible results can be achieved on the pitch. I would like to pay special recognition to each of the staff, from the medical department to the secretary, and beyond, as their role is also very important in securing good results. This can only happen if everyone plays their own part, working to the highest level, helping to pull Vidi towards the direction of success.