"Working at Vidi in any position is a privilege"

You started coaching in Veszprém after long years of playing in NB II. What inspired you to choose this career after an active playing career?

It goes back 12 years, when I was playing for second division Ajka, that's when I did my C licence coaching qualification. I can't say that I consciously wanted to become a coach at any cost, but rather I tried to take life's opportunities step by step. I was 28 years old at the time of getting my C licence and I got feedback that I had a knack for this profession. So I started working with children, and in Veszprem, alongside my football career, I worked with age-group teams, which I really enjoyed. I started to orientate myself towards adult football under the influence of Tamás Pető. I was a player at Veszprém, he became the head coach and in time I became a player coach alongside him, and I was immediately attracted to the world of adult football. I completed the B licence before that and the A licence two years ago, and I look back positively on each course.

You have worked with Tamás Pető continuously since 2018. What has made your working relationship so smooth?

Tomi has taught me the ins and outs of coaching in adult football and I've enjoyed working with him for seven years now. When Veszprém were promoted to the NB III, I decided to focus more on my coaching career, but even after that, I still took to the pitch due to a wave of injuries or because the tactics demanded it. It was a good feeling to feel like a footballer again, but I knew it was only for those games.

Does the fact that you were still playing in NB III matches in the 2021/2022 season help you to think with the players' heads in certain situations?

I'm not a very old coach, and that might be a factor, but basically I'm a person who finds common ground with everyone very quickly, be it staff members, players or other club employees. That was the case in Veszprem and at Vidi. I consider myself a coach with a positive personality and I really enjoy working with young people and helping them develop.

After more than half a year of experience, what was new for you in Fehérvár compared to Veszprém in NB III?

While in Veszprém we had a three-man coaching staff, including the goalkeeper, here the tasks are much more divided. Tomi is a team player on the pitch as well as on the bench and in the dressing room. He sets the guidelines and makes the final decisions, but he always asks for our opinion, whether it's about training planning, management or matches. He likes us to share our thoughts with him, and he is a good team player.

Did you have a working relationship with anyone on the staff other than the head coach?

I knew goalkeeping coach Ferenc Hegedüs because we played a lot of training matches against Vidi's then second team, of which he was the goalkeeping coach at the time. Most of the staff were familiar faces, but we hadn't worked with anyone before. Everyone was welcoming and it was easy to settle in from day one. I appreciate every minute of working for Vidi, I think it's a privilege to work here in any position.

What do you feel you have improved most as a coach at Vidi?

Coaching is a never-ending learning process. In the last six months I've gained insight into every aspect of professional football, from data and statistics to strength and conditioning to the work of the medical staff, and that's where you really see the complexity of the sport. I'm happy to be able to improve my own knowledge on a daily basis, and to be able to help Tamás and the team with my work.

What is your coaching philosophy, what do you think are the characteristics of a good coach?

I think good communication is key. That's one of the hardest parts of coaching, how you talk to which players. Today's youngsters are much different and more sensitive than we were 10-20 years ago, they need a lot more conversation and care. I find that today's young generation needs much more positive feedback.

What are your long-term coaching ambitions?

I think everyone has head coaching ambition somewhere in their body, but I saw the call from Vidi last summer as an opportunity that I couldn't refuse. I haven't set any concrete goals, my coaching career will be shaped by life, I'm enjoying my work here now, I hope it will last as long as possible and that together we can achieve the goals we have set ourselves.

What turns you off when you're not working alongside the team?

Football is still a recreational activity for me, I still play in the senior boys league as a teammate of Tomi. Until last year, we were opponents, but now we also play together on the pitch on Friday nights when time allows.