A former ice hockey professional who helped Canada to a gold medal at the recent Winter Olympics will today be named as chairman of Southampton. Ralph Krueger, a 59-year-old Canadian-born German, has agreed to succeed Nicola Cortese in a new boardroom structure at St Mary’s that will also result in the appointment of Hans Hofstetter as a director. Krueger has already opened talks with manager Mauricio Pochettino about extending the Argentine’s contract beyond 2015 and his immediate aim is to bring stability to the club following Cortese’s sudden exit. Katharina Liebherr, the owner, has taken a more hands-on role recently but Krueger will now have day-to-day control of the off-field operation. Liebherr turned £33 million of loans to Southampton into equity last year, although it is understood that there is still an outstanding loan of around £25 million for the cost of a state-of-the-art new training ground. Krueger has never previously had a job in football but his work in sports management and with the World Economic Forum on models of leadership has impressed the Liebherr family. He has written an acclaimed book on team building and leadership, Team Life: Beyond Setbacks to Success. He is adamant that the priority will be to build on the huge progress made by Southampton over recent years, although his management style is expected to be far more hands-off than Cortese’s. “It’s a question of continuing to grow what’s already there,” said Krueger. “This is the start of a new world for me. I’ve got to come in gently. I have met the coaching staff and Mauricio Pochettino and spoke to the team. He needs space to do his work, so that he can continue to grow the group. I get it, I totally get it. I feel the values that drive him.” In ice hockey Krueger was a special adviser to the Canadian Olympic team, and also coached Switzerland and Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 07:08:44 +0000