“What talented children the Russian oligarchs have!”: Rotenberg became the head of SKA

Over the past four years, SKA hockey has changed five head coaches. In the new year, the St. Petersburg club was headed by Roman Rotenberg, who ousted Valery Bragin in this post. The appointment of the vice-president of SKA Rotenberg as a coach angered the hockey community – MK-Sport gathered a reaction.

What happened?

Things are going well for SKA in the Continental Hockey League (KHL): after 44 regular season games, the team is second in the Western Conference with 62 points, one point behind Dynamo Moscow. But what has been happening to the club in the last five years is similar to the TV series – over the years, five head coaches have been replaced, and the last appointment looks strange at all.

At the beginning of the year, SKA decided to change the structure of the coaching staff: now the team will be headed by Roman Rotenberg – the vice-president of the club in 2019 graduated from the Higher School of Coaches of the Siberian State University of Physical Culture and Sports (SibSUPC) in Omsk. And the functionary began to appear on the SKA bench since September 2020.

“In accordance with the decision of the club’s board of directors, in order to improve the management of the headquarters and the team, Roman Rotenberg has been appointed head coach. Valery Bragin will take the position of a senior coach. Alexander Titov will become an assistant to the head coach of the SKA-1946 team. The club would like to thank Valery Bragin for his work as head coach and for the fact that Valery Nikolaevich, with his great experience, will continue to help the staff and the team , ”said SKA.

Bragin’s work on the SKA bench lasted only one and a half seasons. In total, Rotenberg became the fifth specialist as head coach of the St. Petersburg club in four years: in the 2017/18 season, the team was headed by Oleg Znarok, then Ilya Vorobyov, Alexey Kudashov and Bragin.

How did you react in Russia?

The news of the appointment of Rotenberg, who has held managerial positions at SKA since 2011, angered the hockey (and not only) public. Andrei Nikolishin , a former Russian national team player and coach of the KHL clubs, spoke out the brightest.

“I am no longer surprised by anything that happens around Rotenberg. I don’t even want to think about where this will lead. There is nothing hockey behind this decision. This is possible only in Russia “ , – quotes Nikolishin” Championship “.

Even the football columnist Vasily Utkin was outraged :

“What an irrepressible guy he is. No, well, it’s necessary. However, he even has three names. Michael Oliver Roman Rotenberg is the head coach of SKA.

So outrageous as to be delightful. A laughing stock in the Olympic year.

If he had headed not SKA, but CSKA right now, it would not have been more outrageous or delightful ”.

The fans are also at a loss:

– It’s even difficult to find a word that would describe this process. Clownery is too shallow. And yes, apparently, this is the next coach of the national team.

– An incurably sick country.

– Roman Rotenberg became the head coach of SKA. Without moms, dads and loans!

– What talented children Russian oligarchs have!