According to Topi Nättinen, Lauri Marjamäki’s firing was not a surprise, but the timing surprised the expert. According to Nättinen, Kärpät now needs a coach from outside the Kärppä family.
Kärppä coach Lauri Marjamäki Urheilu’s hockey expert came as a bit of a surprise to the timing of the kicks Top for Nättine. The Oulu team announced in the morning that Marjamäki’s contract has been terminated due to the team’s poor athletic success.
Kärpät is currently fifth in the league, 21 points away from the top team Tappara.
– I would have expected that Marjamäki would have been continued to the end, when it has already gone this far. I expected Marjamäki’s firing earlier. When you think about Marjamäki’s episode in Kärpi, this was really expected news, Nättinen stated.
– However, it does come to mind a bit, what prompted this decision and how long had this been considered? There are a lot of question marks here.
Served as Marjamäki’s assistant coach Ville Mäntymaa will continue as the responsible coach of Kärppi for the time being.
– The firings are a bit surprising when a new head coach hasn’t been found yet. This indicates that either there are no people willing to take the position of head coach, or that the decision to fire was made quickly.
According to Nättinen, Kärpät still has time to change his direction. The team is now on a losing streak of two matches, when Lukko and KooKoo seeded the team from Oulu.
“The team atmosphere is not right”
According to the expert, the Kärppie’s recent setback is due to the fact that the players and coaching have not found a common language. According to Nättinen, the style of play chosen by the coaching has not served the team.
– There have been small glimpses, but this season the goalkeepers and certain individuals have scored points for the team. The statistics show that if Kärpät has conceded more than two goals this season, the team has not won.
According to Nättinen, the atmosphere in the team is not good. So far, the club has failed at all levels.
– The spirit that exudes from there is not okay. The players and coaches have been searching for faith and trust. There has never been peace of mind or relaxation at any point. Right from the management of the club, it has not been performed at a sufficiently hard level, Nättinen analyzes.
Nättinen sees that it would be worthwhile for Kärppien to acquire the next head coach from outside the Oulu puck thinking.
– A person who has not been to Oulu would bring completely new ideas to the team. I mean a person who hasn’t even played in Oulu. The team and club management need someone who will shake up the club and bring new ideas.
– You have to bring courage, cheerfulness, open-mindedness and activity to the club.
Marjamäki should take a break from coaching
According to Nättinen, Marjamäki’s career went off the rails after the national team defeat. The expert warned that the pilot still has many years of coaching ahead of him, but it would be good for him to take a break in the meantime.
Marjamäki served as Leijoni’s head coach from 2016 to 2018, and he was the first Finnish head coach in more than 30 years who did not achieve a prestigious medal. After this, Marjamäki coached the Jokers from 2018 to 2022.
– It went in the wrong direction in the national team and it certainly could have gone better in the Jokers. Then came this Kärppä clip, which lasted less than two years.
Nättinen believes that Marjamäki will still coach in a tough league.
– We must remember that Marjamäki is still a top coach. I bet that it would be good for him now as a person and as a coach to take a little longer break and get some oxygen.
Kärppie’s next match is already on Tuesday, when the team meets Sport in Vaasa.
Edited 17.11: Updated that Kärpät will face Sport in Vaasa, not Pelicans.