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Less than nine months ago, Ivan Prelec left his job as head coach of Vejle Boldklub after a terrible start to the season.
Now the Croatian is back in the same position.
The Superliga club announced in a press release that Prelec has signed an agreement that will be valid until the summer of 2027.
Sports director Mikkel Hemmersam had set four criteria for a new coach, and Prelec met all of them.
In addition to being a skilled leader, the coach should have knowledge of Danish football, be tactically and technically skilled and have experience with academy football “at the highest level in European football”.
– In my conversations with Ivan, it has been important for me to understand Ivan’s last career at Vejle Boldklub, the ownership Ivan worked under, as well as to discuss the direction that Vejle Boldklub wants and needs to take from now on and in the future with the competencies that should be in a coaching team.
– At the same time, it was important for me to ensure that we get a head coach who is both hungry and who will work based on the course that has been set, explains the sports director.
Prelec was replaced in the autumn by Mihai Teja, but the Romanian was dismissed immediately before the spring season.
Instead, Steffen Kielstrup and Johnny Mølby stepped in as rescuers, and the duo managed to impressively pull Vejle over the line and ensure survival.
Nevertheless, the club chose to pass on the keys.
37-year-old Prelec takes over a team that is still in the country’s best football league. But he actually said yes to a 1st division team.
– I said yes to return because everyone was convinced that we should start the new journey in the NordicBet League, but I also said yes because I believe that I am the right man for what Vejle Boldklub wants to be and develop towards. Together with the rest of the coaching staff, I can add what is needed in the development that the owners want, says the Croatian.
Prelec first took over Vejle in March 2022 and was relegated shortly after with the team. The following year, he led Vejle back to the Super League, and in the first season after the promotion, the team finished in ninth place.
But a run of nine defeats in as many matches at the start of last season made Prelec realize that he had used “all the tools in the toolbox”.
In the coming season, the Croatian will have Morten Bisgaard as an assistant. The former midfielder was most recently the U19 coach at FC Copenhagen, but has held several different functions in Vejle throughout his coaching career.
Prelec’s compatriot Marijo Jovic will also be an assistant coach, while a third assistant is expected to be in place before the start of the new season.
Less than nine months ago, Ivan Prelec left his job as head coach of Vejle Boldklub after a terrible start to the season.
Now the Croat is back in the same seat.
The Superliga club states in a press release that Prelec has signed an agreement that will be valid until the summer of 2027.
Sports director Mikkel Hemmersam had set four criteria for a new coach, and Prelec met all of them.
In addition to being a skilled leader, the coach should have knowledge of Danish football, be tactically and technically skilled and have experience with academy football “at the highest level in European football”.
– In my conversations with Ivan, it has been important for me to understand Ivan’s last experience at Vejle Boldklub, the ownership Ivan worked under, as well as to discuss the direction Vejle Boldklub wants and needs to take from now on and in the future with the competencies that should be in a coaching team.
– At the same time, it was important for me to ensure that we get a head coach who is both hungry and who will work based on the course that has been set, explains the sports director.
Prelec was replaced by Mihai Teja in the fall, but the Romanian was dismissed immediately before the spring season.
Instead, Steffen Kielstrup and Johnny Mølby stepped in as rescuers, and the duo impressively managed to pull Vejle over the line and ensure survival.
Yet the club chose to pass on the keys.
37-year-old Prelec takes over a team that is still in the country’s top football league. But he actually said yes to a 1st division team.
– I said yes to return because everyone was convinced that we should start the new journey in the NordicBet League, but I also said yes because I believe that I am the right man for what Vejle Boldklub wants to be and develop towards. Together with the rest of the coaching staff, I can add what is needed in the development that the owners want, says the Croatian.
Prelec first took over Vejle in March 2022 and was relegated shortly after. The following year he led Vejle back to the Superliga, and in the first season after promotion the team finished in ninth place.
But a run of nine defeats in as many games at the start of last season led Prelec to conclude that he had used “every tool in the toolbox”.
In the coming season, the Croatian will have Morten Bisgaard as his assistant. The former midfielder was most recently U19 coach at FC Copenhagen, but has held several different positions in Vejle throughout his coaching career.
Prelec’s compatriot Marijo Jovic will also become an assistant coach, while a third assistant is expected to be in place before the start of the new season.
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