He was a great champ this past spring when he brought the HV71 to the SHL.
Nine months later, Tommy Samuelson, 63, was fired following a board decision:
– Kent’s (Norberg’s) eye did not dry up when he announced this. I think someone on the board could have been involved in rigging the decision, says Samuelsson.
This past Saturday, HV71 fell hard against Lulea. Yesterday Tommy Samuelson spent a thorough match analysis and prepared himself and the squad for another challenging week with three matches in five days.
He and Frederick Stillman, together with Charles Berglund, also led the exercises in the morning. After lunch, they went back to their office in the locker room and at 1:30 PM, athletic director Kent Norberg came in and told them the two were going to be fired.
According to Samuelson, Norberg was “merely a messenger” of a decision made by the council.
Tommy Samuelson has no say in his dismissal, “the industry works that way and you have to distinguish between things and people,” but he reacts above all to two things.
The time – and the absence of anyone from the Board of Directors when the announcement was to be made:
– Kent had to be a messenger, I think someone on the board could have been involved in rigging it, says Samuelson.
And do you realize that was the case, that Kent Norberg was just following the Council’s instructions?
– I suppose so and trusting Kent, we’ve been working closely for eight months. Nor was Kent’s eye dry when he announced this.
So your understanding is that Kent Norberg didn’t want to fire you?
– I didn’t ask, but of course I understood that he didn’t want to. As you describe, he was very sad.
What is the rationale?
– I only received the justification that it was the board’s decision and that there was no development.
“The timing wasn’t right.”
Tommy Samuelsson also reacts to the fact that the decision did not come earlier, when the now HV board of directors did not want to keep it.
– The timing is never good, but I think they could have already arrived yesterday or 8 o’clock, and so I could have shamed the group of players and bid a gracious farewell.
Samuelsson has now led Monday’s practice session and is in the middle of preparations for tomorrow’s meeting with Timrå. Players were also able to leave the stadium and return home.
When Sportbladet spoke to Samuelsson, it had been less than two hours since he received the news:
– Of course it’s never fun to receive this kind of message, but we know the business we’re in. It is important to distinguish between things and people, and I hope they do it for the sake of things, which I also believe in. I’m no worse coach today than I was on May 4 last year.
what is happening now?
– I sat all day Sunday preparing after Saturday’s loss and the next game on Tuesday. Now there will be some later work with all media and such.
Don’t you feel like leaving Jönköping as soon as possible?
– Of course it feels special, but I’ve been here for 18 months and I’m not one to run away. I’ll do the right thing for myself with an apartment and meet people in the organization and get a decent ending. My biggest wish is for HV to remain in SHL. This city and these fans deserve it. Tommy Samuelson says they never let us down but clapped and supported us through thick and thin.