FC St. Pauli

Göttlich began by welcoming Stöver to the Millerntor. "We're delighted to have secured Uwe's services and that he'll be helping to shape the club's fortunes in future," he said. "We are now perfectly placed at management level. Andreas Rettig will be responsible for our commercial activities and Uwe Stöver for the sporting aspects."

A delighted Stöver said. "It's great to be getting started on 1 October. St. Pauli are a great challenge and an interesting one. Over the last few months I've been able to gain a deep insight into the club and the people in charge. I've seen almost every first-team game live and I've been to the Under-23s and the Under-19s as well. I've also had lots of discussions that have helped me get to know the club better. I've seen a club that doesn't simply focus on its core business, sport, but is also active at the society level, which is something that makes St. Pauli very likeable."

Göttlich added: "The arrangement that Uwe doesn't start work until October has the advantage that decisions won't be taken with 'tunnel vision'. Instead, Uwe will be able to consider strategic matters from the outside without having to deal with the day-to-day business at the same time. Another reason why there was no pressure for Uwe to start was the fact that our squad planning for the 2017/18 season had already been completed when we agreed terms."

Explaining the choice of Stöver as new director of sport, Göttlich continued: "We wanted someone with experience in this position, someone who has already seen everything there is to see in the professional game and who puts St. Pauli above all else. It's all about the club, not someone's career plan. Uwe has extensive experience and is therefore an ideal fit for the requirements profile drawn up by the board."

Stöver then explained his priorities for the next few weeks. "The next transfer period is coming up fast and we need to be prepared. Another thing at the top of my to-do list will be the contracts that expire in summer. All that will be done alongside the day-to-day operations and in close cooperation with Olaf Janßen, of course. It's about having a philosophy that is also expressed in what we do. We want to play dynamic football from a sound defence. Different systems can be employed to achieve that, for which we also need a certain degree of variability, of course."

The 50-year-old said he was satisfied with the way things are progressing in the league. "The team have carried on where they left off in the second part of last season, although we are still lacking a bit of consistency due to all the injuries. That means the onus is on every player in every training session and every game. The lads are doing a good job. You get games like the one against Ingolstadt. As for our objectives, we'll see how things go until the winter and take stock of where we are at Christmas. Obviously we want to perform as well as we can."

In conclusion, Stöver said: "It's now about settling in for me. Even though I come from Mainz I'm more of a northern type of person really, so it won't be too difficult to acclimatise." In that, we wish you all the best, Uwe. Welcome to the Millerntor!

Photo: Witters