PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Kim Källström is the new football manager of the Swedish national team.
Now Olof Lundh expresses his concern about the recruitment to Blågult.
“He has never really had a regular job,” writes the TV4 profile in a column.
Swedish is entering an uncertain future, but a lot of changes await. The Swedish men’s national team has missed out on two straight championships and the national team captaincy Jan Andersson has had to leave work.
Chief Källström
The Swedish women’s national team may be world number one right now, but they have also missed the summer Olympics and several voices have been raised because they are lagging behind in development. There needs to be a major restructuring at the Swedish Football Association, SvFF, and several new names will come in.
The article continues after the picture.
On Wednesday came the very first message that the former national team player Kim Kallstrom gets the top job as football manager. The 41-year-old, who is currently an expert on TV4, is given the great responsibility of leading the A national team and player development at the confederation level.
Olof Lundh’s concern
A real dream job and a very vulnerable position as responsible for reversing the gloomy trend in Blågult. Källström made 131 A international matches, represented Sweden in five championships and was a professional abroad for 14 years with games in big clubs such as Lyon and Arsenal.
The article continues after the picture.
But despite his solid track record, the TV4 colleague is still Olof Lundh concerned about the national team’s recruitment of the former midfielder.
“He has a strong CV in most areas when he becomes football manager. However, we cannot conclude that Källström never had a managerial position. Never led staff. Never really had a regular job. Being a team captain in a competitive business prepares one for a type of reality, but leading a football department at the football association is a completely different challenge,” he writes in a column on Fotbollskanalen.
“In deep water”
Lundh obviously hopes that it will be a success for Källström in the national team and he is full of admiration for him as a person. But still raises a finger of warning for the future.
“I have great respect for Källström and also for his skills and it could be a successful appointment. No doubt that he will do everything to straighten out Swedish football, and where he had a sober and sensible view of the current situation, but general secretary Andrea Möllerberg is offensive in a partially unproven recruitment,” writes the columnist in his analysis.
“Swedish football is jumping in at the deep end with Kim Källström and then we will discover whether he can swim or not afterwards. What I think? Leaning more towards him being able to swim but that there might be some cold soups on the way. Internally, some wonder what he knows about women’s football and several point to the lack of managerial experience. Källström undeniably has something to prove”.
READ MORE: Olof Lundh says what everyone must hear when Caroline Seger ends her national team career: “I hope that…”
Lundh sees the choice of Kim Källström as new football manager as refreshing and daring. In addition, the former TV expert comes in with a large network of contacts in the football world.
“Kim Källström knows many old players and leaders that he has encountered during his long career. Clearly he has contacts and although he admitted that it is special to be able to bring in former teammates, he did not seem afraid of it. Football manager Källström can already leave a strong mark on Swedish football when he is involved and brings in new key people,” writes TV4 journalist Olof Lundh on the football site.
“No one can claim that it won’t be exciting to follow the football association and the national teams in the future.”
Do you agree with Olof Lundh about Kim Källström? Share the article and have your say!
Sign up for our newsletter
Share