• The Pelicans, who are third last in the league, changed their head coach on Monday.
• Juhamatti Yli-Junnila will become a project coach.
• Expert Top Nättinen criticizes the lack of clarity in the announcement.
• The new head coach is not yet known.
The Pelicans announced on Monday that there will be changes to the coaching of the league club, when it returns the head coach who worked during the early season Juhamatti Yli-Junnilan job description back as a coach according to the contract. Full announcement from here
– I have to say that I thought I had seen some bad announcements, but something even worse always comes out. This announcement is really cryptic, confusing and leaves a lot of questions open, wonders ‘s hockey expert Top Nättinen.
According to the Lahtelaisueura, Yli-Junnila will continue working for the company as a coach, who will have project-based tasks during the contract periods 2024–2025 and 2025–2026.
Pelicans says that they have discussed the matter with Yli-Junnila verbally, but initially Yli-Junnila has rejected the relocation according to the contract.
– If we think about the role of head coach Yli-Junnila, and if the responsible coach is released from his duties, his motivation to continue in another, smaller role and refuse it is completely understandable.
– I’ve never seen something like this, where they are transferred to some project-based tasks, unless it has been mutually agreed upon, Nättinen says.
Nättinen points out that in the vernacular, being fired means you are released from your duties, but the salary continues to be paid.
– In this case, there is no talk of release, but it smells a bit like the head coach is being forced to do some work, which he gets tired of and quits himself, so that the salary payment is interrupted.
Who will be the head coach?
We will see behind the Pelicans bench in this situation Jussi Taipale, Tony Virta and Toni Pasurireads verbatim in the announcement.
The expert does not believe that the head coach for the rest of the season will be found in the trio.
– If we look at the situation from a sporting point of view, even though Taipale has done a good job in the Tappara U20 team and with the youth, at the men’s level, with a team and organization under such pressure, the place is too tough for him. Virta is an assistant coach again, not the head coach, analyzes Nättinen.
According to the expert, Pelicans, operating with a player budget of three million euros, is in a difficult situation because it has made big investments; invested in three goalkeepers, brought in foreigners in the middle of the season and also brought in almost a record number of foreign players.
– Will there be a new head coach from outside now? In my opinion, you should definitely come, because if the qualifiers or possibly the playoffs are ahead in Lahti, then a top professional coach is needed there.
According to Nättinen, the Lahti club, which has been in the finals twice in a row, has already been tested enough during the season, the club would not have needed to dig such a new hole.
– The players must be thinking a lot about what the hell is going on here.
December extension
About a month ago, on December 17, the Pelicans attracted extraordinary attention when they published a video on social media in which Yli-Junnila and the team captain Miika Roine gave fire speeches at the point when the Lahtela team was second last in the SM league.
– Any kind of slippage in operating methods will no longer be overlooked, Pelicans head coach Yli-Junnila declared at the time.
After the “new arrival”, Yli-Junnila’s proteges have played 12 matches, where they collected 19 points. It entitles the last 12 games to eighth place in the fitness scale of the SM league.
Despite the small change in posture, the Pelicans are currently still bottom of the league, third last.
– When the video was published, I got the feeling that we are now on time-extra. When you’re on extra time, for example in a relationship, you take a break and then try again, everyone knows that it’s quite difficult to succeed after that, says Nättinen.
Pelicans “wasted” games
The expert says that Yli-Junnila should have been relieved of his duties earlier at that point, and not go playing, wasting games.
– Halfway through the season, we know what the direction of the team is. It cannot be changed with one video or meeting in the booth, but then a more radical move should have been made, Nättinen states.
The Pelicans’ season has been a huge disappointment compared to the stakes so far.
– I myself have been thinking throughout the season and especially at the beginning of the season, whether the Pelicans should have pulled the brakes a little after two silver seasons. Did it make sense to go all-in in poker terms and still with a new rookie head coach?
Also for the team’s supporters and sponsors, the season is full of failures after the hype seasons. The public has voted with their feet.
After two years of great sporting success, the restoration of faith in Lahti ice hockey and the introduction of its own Juniors, which was talked about a lot, has failed.
In addition to the fact that the Pelicans have done poorly in terms of results, the team practically no longer has its own juniors, instead a legion of foreigners play there.
Pretty impossible task
According to the expert, it is difficult for him to see success for the Pelicans in the current framework.
– They have been trying to improve in terms of play throughout the season. In my opinion, this is a pretty impossible task. Little by little, that qualifying troll will probably start creeping into the booth as well. The championship of the team and the organization would be to get there in the playoffs.
Is there a coach of that level on the free market who could turn the course around?
– Even with Jukurei, many (coaches) had refused, because they don’t want to be part of a team that might have to qualify. The Pelicans might have the trump card if they could offer a coach a contract for next season as well.
– I personally feel that experienced, long-term coaches want to choose their position carefully. I don’t see that it’s easy to get anyone into that wash. Maybe a coach with a Pelicans background who has a Lahti heart could take on the task, Nättinen thinks.
Pelicans will next play back-to-back matches against KooKoo on Friday and Saturday.