Krönika: We were known as Ilves...
”It’s just bussiness” mentalitet. Funkar det så funkar det. Om det inte gör det så ”fuck it and let it burn to hell”.
Tammerkoski flyter på som den alltid gjort förbi staden Tampere/Tammerfors som upprättades först som marknadsplats av Gustav III, 1775. Marknadsplatsen fick så småningom stadsrättigheter och blev den första och största industristaden i Finland. Smeknamnet ”Manchester of North” eller den finska förkortningen Manse lät inte vänta på sig då textilfabrikerna radades upp tätt efter varandra. Det är dock inte bara för industritillväxten som staden är känd för. Staden är också historisk på andra sätt i och med att det var ett av kärnområdena för det blodiga inbördeskriget 1918. C. G. E. Mannerheim satte in en offensiv mot staden den 25 mars det året. Den 6 april var striderna över. 11 000 krigsfångar på den röda togs och torterades. Industristaden Tammerfors låg i ruiner och spillror. Ni som är intresserade mer av detta inbördeskrig så kan jag varmt rekommendera historikern Heikki Ylikangas enorma tegelsten ”Tie Tampereelle” (Vägen till Tammerfors i svensk översättning) som återger mer än lovligt detaljerade uppgifter. Boken som gavs ut 1993 var tämligen omdebatterad och rev upp gamla sår hos många som fortfarande levde under 1990-talet.
Nyare och positivare tider skulle dock komma och som fick staden att förknippas med någonting annat än bara industrier och krig. Finlands första ishall Hakametsä/Tampereen jäähalli, upprättades 1965. SM-liigalagen Tappara och Ilves spelar fortfarande där. Fjorton år senare, 1979 inrättade Finlands hockey hall of fame sitt kontor i en del av Vapriikki museum. Så det finns starka anledningar till varför Tammerfors också kallas för Finlands hockeyhuvudstad. En av de största bidragande orsakerna till den benämningen - Tapparafansen får ursäkta - förutom ishallen och hall of fame organisationen är laget Ilves. Fast tyvärr skulle de sämre tiderna återkomma. Sedan många år har laget legat mer eller mindre i ruiner och det har pågått ett ”inbördeskrig” i längre eller kortare perioder ända sedan amerikanen Vincent Manngard blandade sig i leken och köpte upp majoriteten av klubbaktierna.
Ilves som bildades 1931 har vunnit finska mästerskapen hela 16 gånger. Alltså, hittills mest av alla lagen. Senaste guldet intecknades dock senast 1985. Någon gång därefter har de varit hyfsat nära, men inte längre än till ett silver 1998 och ett brons 2001. Därefter har framgångarna uteblivit totalt. Istället har kriser och turbulens avlöst varandra under åren. Den senaste tiden har det inneburit mer än vanligt verkar det som. Jag kontaktade en rad människor som har större insikter i klubben och frågade vad det är som händer med denna minst sagt klassiska klubb. I ett nordiskt perspektiv så kanske man kan jämföra Ilves med Leksands IF eller Djurgårdens IF ifråga om att vara en ”klassisk hockeyförening”, men det är en smaksak förstås. En rättelse i sammanhanget är att Ilves drivs som aktiebolag, liksom alla andra SM-liiga lag. Jänkaren Manngard köpte alltså större delen av Ilves redan 1993. Och han är än så länge fortfarande huvudägare. Pekka Jalonen på Iltalehti gav i ett mejl sin syn på saken, att ägaren Vincent Manngard som inte vet någonting om hockey har lagt sig och lägger sig i ”alla” beslut vad gäller laget. Detta sätt har skapat misstroende för Manngard hos de som suttit i ledningen och ledningsfolk har bytts ut hela tiden. Senast i höstas var det dags igen. I stort sett försvann hela ledningen efter bråk. Enligt svenskspråkiga YLE:s nätsida menade SM-liigas VD Jukka-Pekka Vuorinen att problemet med förtroendet för Manngard bottnar i att huvudägaren Manngard inte tyckte att styrelsens och strategigruppens planer för laget passade honom. Lägg därtill de tunga ekonomiska problem som plågat föreningen. 1,633 miljoner liter Euro har blodtappet varit ända sedan 2008, vilket har inneburit att laget inte alls haft möjlighet att köpa in spelare som kan lyfta klubben till högre höjder. Nej, NHL-förstärkningarna Max Talbot och målvakten och målvakten Anders Lindbäck kommer inte kunna bära hela laget på sina axlar (Förresten... så kan man ju undra vars fan deras löner kommer ifrån om det nu är så dåligt?)
Senaste nytt kring Ilves soppan är att aktiebolaget ska sälja uppåt 100 000 nya aktier vilket verkar innebära att det blir trots allt nya ägare som ska sköta ruljangsen, efter att Manngard har nu äntligen förstått att utan nya pengar så kommer Ilves hamna i konkurs. Ryktena säger att en Timo Laine i restaurangbranschen tillsammans med en annan finsk affärsman bosatt i Monaco kommer att köpa upp större delen av dessa nytillkomna aktier. De nya ägarnas stora uppgift är att stötta den operativa ledningen i deras arbete att upprätthålla en god balans. Ekonomin är förstås fortfarande hotad, men det finns hopp förbi Ilves. De ekonomiska problemen har ju naturligtvis lett till att klubbledningen haft svårigheter att betala ut löner. Men den nuvarande Vd:n Heikki Tarvainen har försäkrat att de har kunnat betala ut löner efter den överenskommelse som finns.
Coachen, legenden, med 6 OS-turneringar i bagaget, Raimo Helminen har givetvis haft ett übertungt arbete hela säsongen att få laget att vinna. Förlusterna har varit ändlösa. De ligger just nu hopplöst i botten och frågan är om de inte får kvala. Vad betyder det för finsk hockey om de till och med skulle åka ut? Ja, vad ska man säga? En annan sitter ju och skakar på huvudet åt eländet. Självklart vore det tragiskt, att en klubb där många storspelare haft sin fostran eventuellt får eventuellt harva i Mestis, i Finlands andra liga och kanske i flera år. Å andra sidan är man inte heller dugg förvånad att även klubbar i Finland har drabbats av samma sorts ägarhybris som många andra klubbar inom fotboll och hockey. Men problemet är förstås inte var ägarna kommer ifrån, utan det beror snarare mer på brist på förståelse för verksamheterna. Jag beskyller nu inte Manngard för att vara lika despotisk som ex Abramovich men nog kan man misstänka det en smula. Många amerikaner verkar ju tänka något annorlunda än vad vi kanske är vana vid. ”It’s just bussiness” mentalitet. Funkar det så funkar det. Om det inte gör det så ”fuck it and let it burn to hell”. Det går dock inte att låta bli att känna för Ilves fansen som oroat sig under hela hösten och jag hoppas att Ilves stannar i SM-liiga, för det är där de hör hemma. Men även om de nu får ordning på ekonomin och styrelsearbetet så lär det dröja många år till innan de har fått ihop ett lag som kan tampas om ”Kanada-malja” (pokalens namn) på riktigt allvar.
Fann det här långa stycket från en Ilves-supporter till Vincent Manngard. Och det här brevet får avsluta den här krönikan.
***Notera att detta är ett stort brottstycke av en text. I början skriver författaren som kallar sig för ”Toskala” i ett kortare stycke att han gjorde en Google översättning av detta maratonbrev.
”Dear Mr. Vincent Manngard:
This letter is long, but I hope you have patience to read it. It is also emotional, but my aim is not to be too pathetic but to identify some of the thoughts and ideas that I have not only during the last few days, also last few years gone through.
I will not go through my own history as a supporter of Ilves, but it has taken a relatively long time. We both know for sure that great feeling of euphoria when Ilves scores, Hakametsä ice rink Slams and shouts, and the "We are the Kings' goal song begins to play. Similarly, we know that abysmal sense of emptiness when the opponent scores a goal and the irritation that comes when your opponent and the fans celebrate the goal. Previous years have been bad for both of us due the heavy athletic success and to uncertainty Ilves ice hockey's future. Therefore, I believe that because we have a unifying factor, I am able to write to you directly.
Ilves flight at the level of top has lasted over 80 years. Each time has its own challenges, but I hope and I believe that we are living now in darkest age in the history of Ilves. The present cannot be understood without a sense of history. Crises generally come as a surprise to contemporary persons, but when you examine their development over a longer period, they have clear reasons and lines. Ilves causes result of the current crisis, I think, at least the following issues:
- Lack of red line in the decision making: Over the years, Ilves has been launched in a number of strategies, long-term plans and visions, such as "Poika ja Ilves", "Ilves Academy", "Strategy 2010" and the former sport manager Seppo Hiitelä goal was to make Club own juniors a competitive team in 2014. None of these plans is lasted or desired to hold on and they have fallen by a lack of patience or poor execution.
- Faulty personal relationships: the operative management of the Ilves has had many visitors frequently in recent years. Risto Jalo, Juha Hautamaa, Esa Honkalehto, Seppo Hiitelä, Ville Raunio, Hannu Meskanen, Jyrki Lumme, Kari "Epe" Helenius and now most recently resignated club board, director of coaching, GM and the strategic management team. All have left the club in more or less contentious atmosphere. It is hard to believe that all of the above would be a losers, difficult people or incapable of duties. The essential question would be to ask why people in Ilves did not get along with each other. Why is it a bad working atmosphere in the club, and why people do not commit themselves to work in front of goals?
- Poor coach options: the 2000s, Ilves has had under 12 years 10 different coaches (Heikki Mälkiä x 2, Ari-Pekka Selin, Teijo Räsänen, Vaclav Sykora, Curt Lindström, Kari Eloranta, Sakari Pietilä, Juha Pajuoja, Seppo Hiitelä, Raimo Helminen ). Of these, only Heikki Mälkiä’s 1st and Sakari Pietilä’s season have been such that the coach has been coached by the end of the contract term. Is it really so that Ilves has a curse that makes even good coaches to fail, or will the coach be just a scapegoat for the operational management for bad choices?
- Poor housekeeping: the 2000s, Ilves played mediocre seasons, with a financial result was slightly positive or only a bit negative. In summer 2008, Ilves built a team with a calculated risk, which realized. After this, Ilves Hockey has made a total public according to the data 1, 6 million euros in losses. Raise eyebrows is that where the money has gone, as the teams have since been relatively cheap and no big stars except Ville Koistinen has not seen in Ilves.
- Sporty underachievement: Due to a large extent the above-mentioned reason,Ilves is also not possible to obtain from outside the actual good or star players who would be ready to solve the matches in person. This and the other above-mentioned reasons, Ilves has fallen in SM-league category "and others" which means primarily that team plays for glory and is not the prospect of success. This is supported by the fact that the Ilves had to go to the current season league player at the lowest budget. This in turn leads to a vicious circle where the Ilves is not an option to player who wants to go on in his career. Ilves is unable to offer competitive salaries and opportunities for success, and then follow players that could come to their own input to help her succeed. Byproduct of Ilves cannot keep even its own junior in organization, but grows the league players to other teams, mainly for use. Therefore, at the moment our team consists of the other teams leftovers and A-juniors. In game against Tappara our no. 1 center Kai Kantola could barely fit in the Tappara’s assembly.
I emphasize that these are all my own personal views and interpretations. They are based not only on facts but also on the knowledge which has been in the public eye. When the activities of the Ilves looks back in the 2000s, I think it is fair to say it has been lived from crisis to crisis. This crisis has been in sport, economic or personal crisis. Now, in the current moment, the current crisis is a mixture of all of these, or you could say that all crises are on at the same time.
What is the fans of Ilves role in this summary? We Ilves fans over the years, we have been forced to hear a large number of assurances and promises of a better future and sporting success, all of which are later proven to be false. We have believed, trusted, encouraged, remained in support, cried out and bought the losses and frustration. Above all, we have been waiting for. Waiting for the prize from all this suffering which, however, never been there. Over the years, the child's naive belief that success comes when you really long enough to wait it has changed to grim realism that the Ilves cannot succeed because it is Ilves. Why again Ilves cannot succeed, it’s because, I think, a lot of the issues mentioned above. But you cannot leave Ilves because it is Ilves. It is a club, which you have fallen in love with long time ago, with which you have lived and grown and still offers you so much in the good and bad, and that in spite of everything you just love. Since you yourself have said that you are after all only a fan who has lost his heart for Ilves, I believe that this is issue you will understand.
Unfortunately, much of the frustration the Ilves fans are currently experiencing the personification right to you, Mr Vincent Manngard. You have been a large part of Ilves in the 2000s in action and really the only unifying factor for all the crises in the 2000s. The situation is exacerbated by the conflicting messages provide to the public and, above all, to supporters on false promises. Examples are that you have promised that the Ilves’s success is not about money, but Ilves’s player budget is one of the lowest in the league year after year. You have also promised that you are ready to give up majority shareholdings, if a suitable buyer can be found, yet the companies fail, there is (are) the purchaser (s) who does not have enough "Ilves-spirit", you are asking overrated prices of the shares or the latest attempt crashed disagreements between you and a board of the Club. When there's excuses to withdraw from the negotiation, begins your promise to seem quite strange. You haven’t also given up, according the trade register, despite promises, Ilves-Hockey Oy's Board work. These and other issues and above all, the happenings the past few days are leading between you and Ilves fans to space which can be descript by a word lack of confidence
Confidence is built over a long period, it is easy to lose but hard to gain back any longer. When many of you and the other person's promises have proved to be false, is confidence in executive management currently very weak. When people in operative management is frequently chanced, but still there are no results, will building of trust and confidence between the management and the fans become each time more difficult. Old Finnish saying goes, that poured water does not stay in the well. This means that the success and confidence cannot be purchased with money. Fans trust is not bought, even though you would pay 10 million Euros to Ilves’s account right away.You won’t “win” fans by your side by saying “thanks for loyalty” when main question in fan’s head is “do we have tomorrow club to support?”. Fan supports because it’s fan mission to support, not for thankfulness for someone. Confidence is built with the clear target, by working together, by showing that the club has a clear action values on which it can rely on, providing the mistakes made fairly and if necessary, the position of responsibility and, above all, by being honest to the fans direction. Only when these things are in order, you can build confidence. Whoever to the new Board of Club is elected at all, I cannot stand this anymore and I cannot believe in this board's promises. During the years, we Ilves fans have heard so much promises and empty talk, so little success and real acts. I have already explained above to you what does Ilves means to me. Previously resigned group had the basic idea that “no one is bigger than Ilves.” I think at the moment Ilves is something that exists only for its owners, and where the owner (s) is bigger than the Club. Club is able to succeed if all of its employees are committed to success and to work for it together. This has been shown in the SM-league by e.g. Kärpät, JYP, Pelicans and KalPa. Such a sense of community and commitment I think is missing in the Ilves. Why?
It is not only the management and the fans of trust between. Poor athletic success and a nasty publicity are the cause that credibility of Ilves in the SM-league is weak. Ilves is openly mocked and openly insulted in the Finnish the ice hockey media, and the drop to directly in grade b is openly suggested in the Urheliulehti. Former captain Hannu Mattila said Friday in Helsingin Sanomat directly that the Pirkanmaa region has no longer anyone so "crazy" that would come along in Ilves leaded by Manngard. Again, this credibility can be cured only when the track of real changes happen, which already abdicated leadership called for.
Mr Vincent Manngard: You've been in since 1993 familiar father figure for Ilves, America’s uncle. The Ilves is doubtful important to you and in its present form you love Ilves-hockey as your own child. The child is not although the parent's own, he/she is only borrowed. The child cannot be prevented from growing and developing. A child doesn’t learn to walk unless he is not allowed out of the range. Doesn’t learn to swim unless he is afraid to go into the water and doesn’t learn bear the responsibility for his actions unless he was given the opportunity to learn how to act and how it effects. The child is not able to become independent if you aren’t willing to let him/her go. Is your elderly love for Ilves become jealous over the years, reflecting the desire of ownership?
I appeal to you Vincent Manngard, to finally let Ilves go! Give for Ilves real possibility to stand on its own feet and to evolve. The current road has come to its end, and in the end it is just waiting a drip from the highest level of top flight, so I dare say. I also appeal to you to get back to the table with the management who had already been abdicated, and try to make a contract. That leadership began a good work in the summer and gave the club a lot of credibility. I think it is too good to stop in this. Remember: this is a matter of Ilves for God’s sake!
We Ilves fans know that you have twice saved the club from bankruptcy and even after this acknowledged the loss of hundreds of thousands of Euros. It is an act which we appreciate very much. If you give up stake in Ilves, this does not diminish the value of your actions in any way. On the contrary, history would like to thank those who have stepped forward in difficult moments, and if we still see the Ilves’s success days, thank you also definitely for you. But if you want to hold on to the Club, do you really want to be remembered as someone who destroyed the legend of Ilves of Tampere?
Making dissolves everything!”
Källor:
http://www.iltasanomat.fi/sm-liiga/art-1288518885225.html
http://www.iltalehti.fi/smliiga/2012112316365335_sm.shtml
www.ilvesfoorumi.com
http://svenska.yle.fi/artikel/2012/09/26/ilves-ledning-avgar
http://hbl.fi/sport/2012-09-26/ilves-styrelse-avgar
http://www.sm-liiga.fi/joukkueet/ilves.html
http://tampereenilves.wordpress.com/tag/vincent-manngard/
www.tampere.fi
http://www.tampere.fi/vapriikki.html
Böcker:
Tie Tampereelle, 1993, Heikki Ylikangas.
***Ett enormt stort tack till Pekka Jalonen på Iltalehti urheilu.
