2014-10-16 01:35:15

George Ogăraru made his managerial debut for Universitatea Cluj at the start of September. The pressure was on for him to succeed after he replaced Mihai Teja, a fan favorite. Even though the fans have challenged Ogăraru from the very beginning, his mentality, ambition, and subornness - along with hard work and results - may change those fans' opinions. "U"'s manager gave his thoughts in an interview for the fans' web site.

ucluj.ro: You retired as a player when you were only 32 years old. Why did you retire at such a young age and what made you want to become a manager?

George Ogăraru: I retired at 32 because the team I played for couldn't offer me the challenge that I wanted such as contending for the league or winning a trophy. At that time I decided to become a manager particularly because Ajax's second team was looking for a manager and were looking to win the league. It was extraordinary for me to start my career at Ajax because I admired their philosophy and play-style; two things that I always try to implement wherever I manage.

ucluj.ro: What convinced you to take the job as Universitatea Cluj's manager?

George Ogăraru: I took the job because I knew that I'd be managing a club with history. Also, Mr. Walter proposed a project that seemed reasonable enough to me. Univeristatea is a club that has immense potential, in part due to its infrastructure. It's also an ambition of mine to take "U" where it hasn't been for awhile.

ucluj.ro: How did you see Universitatea in the context of a person involved with Romanian football and how do you see it now that you "hold the riens"?

George Ogăraru: For one, I didn't know as much about the club then as I do now. I think I understand the club as a whole and its history a lot better. I never looked to "hold the reins." The club is one that I'm happy to be involved with. I always try to do what's best for the club in the locker room as well as outside of it.

ucluj.ro: What are the goals that you set for yourself when you took the job and do you think that you'll accomplish them ahead of schedule?

George Ogăraru: Sometimes you can reach goals earlier than you would've thought, but other times you can't. The only goal I have is to win the next match each week. I don't think about what will happen at the end of a season or after two or three matches, rather, I only think about the next match. I'm not hiding the fact that I want to do well in the Romanian Cup; I know what the trophy means for this club. My main objective after the league matches is to beat FC Brașov in the Romanian Cup. There are managers out there that won't play their best side in cup matches in order to rest their best players for league matches, but I'm not that kind of manager.

ucluj.ro: How would you describe "U"'s current squad in the context of the club's main objective - avoiding relegation?

George Ogăraru: It's a quality squad. The players and I, we work together every day to get better because there's always room for improvement. And, since we're talking about the squad, there's room for improvement there as well.

ucluj.ro: What style would you want to implement in the team's play?

George Ogăraru: Since I was an attack-minded player, I want my team to be attack-minded as well. As I mentioned earlier, I admire the Dutch style of play and would like to implement it here. Of course, any new idea or strategy takes time to implement. Every project needs time to suceed. This certainly applies to the team's current situtation. For the time being, we need to adapt and try to change the team's play towards what we want to see.

ucluj.ro: Universitatea Cluj's long term project involves collaborating with the Dutch school of football; among the project's goals is that of implementing a new menality. What steps need special and immediate attention to ensure that this project will succeed?

George Ogăraru: The club and I both admire the Dutch school of football. We're trying to implement what works there over here. We're trying to improve the youth academy with the experience that I along with our technical director have obtained in the Netherlands. We're doing what we can to help. There's no doubt that certain things need to be changed as far as mentality is concerned, but we've already seen signs of improvement. Romanians, in my opinion, are a very adaptive people.

ucluj.ro: In your first three weeks at the club, you took part in your first match against our local rivals. Outside of the goal conceded in injury time, what did you make of the match? Does it deserve to be called a derby?

George Ogăraru: Yes! There's no doubt that the match deserves its status as a derby. Contrary to what the opposition's manager said, it's quite obvious that this fixture is a derby. Not only is it a derby historically speaking, but it's a derby in that the result matters to both sides. I think we treated it as such. Unfortunately, we had to play for over an hour with 10 men. That match made me realize how committed the players are; they were willing to make sacrifices out there on the field. It's not easy to play a man down against a team that's contending for the title. After playing quite poorly against FC Bihor, I saw how much the team changed and now understand that you can accomplish anything as long as you want it and are willing to make sacrifices for it. In my opinion, we didn't lose that match - we got something from it. 

ucluj.ro: Universitatea has had a solid run in the Romanian Cup and the League Cup thus far. In 1965, when Mihai Neșu's father played for the club, "U" won their only trophy in their history - the Romanian Cup. With the cup win's 50th anniversery approaching, can "U" hope to win another trophy?

George Ogăraru: Of course we can! I don't know if winning the cup is an official objective, but in my mind it is. Be that as it may, we need to take everything step by step. We shouldn't talk about winning the trophy, rather, we should focus on winning our next match.

ucluj.ro: Universitatea's squad has several young players that have shown promising signs. Could any of these players play for a foreign club or even Romania's national team at some point in the future?

George Ogăraru: It depends on each player. I believe that each of our players's respective futures lie in their hands; it depends how much they want it. In my opinion, there are two kinds of people: those want to achieve and those who do not; there aren't people who are talented and others who aren't. All of our young players are talented; they would be in our squad if they weren't. I know there's great expectations for Kovacs. He showed his quality in our last home match. While he still needs to improve certain things, he could become an important player for the national team if he keeps it up.

ucluj.ro: As we know, you recommended Mihai Neșu, the club's new video analyst, to the club. His experience and wisdom are a plus for Universitatea. What do you expect from bringing him to the "U" Cluj family?

George Ogăraru: Next year I'd like to see him, a part of Universitatea Cluj, celebrate winning the same trophy that his dad won 50 years ago. I'd really like to see it happen. At the moment, he's a win for Universitatea Cluj, for players and staff alike, because his experience not only in Romanian football, but also in Dutch football helps the club a lot.

ucluj.ro: Universitatea has an important match coming up against the Romanian champions. How do you feel about facing a team that you played for a while as a player?

George Ogăraru: It's an away match that can take us higher up the table should we win it. I know that it's an important match for our fans. We're going there to come back with all three points. There's no doubt that I have a connection to Steaua. I have never and I will never speak poorly of the club. As a manager, I want to win the match.

ucluj.ro: As you probably know, Universitatea Cluj ended their partnership with the Hans Spalinger Association (HSA), an organization that provides theraphy and education for special needs children in Cluj. Recently, you founded an association to promote culture and sport and you also work with the Mihai Neșu foundation. What's your association's mission and what do you make of the club's involvement with the local community?

George Ogăraru: I think that each club has some influence on society, on fans, and people; as such, each club has some responsibility towards them. Some fans happen to be in wheelchair, others happen to be sick. They're normal people, accepting them as they are and helping them is something extraordinary. I'm happy that this happens at Universitatea Cluj! My association aims to help children and their families develop their talents. I think that this improves the community a little bit and lets us hope that we can help someone who will improve the country in some way later in life.

ucluj.ro: How would you describe George Ogăraru?

George Ogăraru: As a God-fearing man. A man who puts his family first. I like children and I've always been aware of their problems and their needs. An ambitious man who doesn't shy away from working hard. Sometimes stubborn. A nationalist to the marrow of my bones.

ucluj.ro: What would like to say to the fans of Transylvania's team?

George Ogăraru: The fans should never stop loving the club, regardless of who has or continues to run this club - be it managers, owners, the local government, etc. After reading part of Alin Fornade's book and from what I know about the club's history, I can say that there are few clubs out there who can say they have a history that is as beautiful and as special as Universitatea's. I think this is the most important thing that defines a club.

Personal Info:

Name: George Ogăraru

Date of Birth: February 3rd, 1980

Height: 178 cm

Main position: Right back

Teams that he's played for: Steaua București; CSM Reșița (on loan); Oțelul Galați (on loan); AFC Ajax; FC Sion

Matches played: 274 official matches for the above; 11 matches for the National team.

Goals scored: 9 goals (He's scored for every team that he's played for except for Ajax)

First goal scored in Liga 1: September 9th, 2004 for Steaua București against Farul Constanța (3-1) - his goal in the 62nd minute made the score to 3-0.

Trophies won: Romanian Champion in the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 season; The Romanian Cup in 1998-1999; The Dutch Cup in 2006-2007; The Dutch Supercup in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008; and the Swiss Cup in 2010-2011.

Violeta Merie