Steinbruckner Wins Round One, TFC Coach To Turn Tide With New Attacker

KUALA TERENGGANU, Sept 6 (Bernama) -- Time is on the side of Tomislav Steinbruckner, whose position as head coach of the Terengganu FC (TFC) team is secure for now, said Terengganu Football Association (PBSNT) president Hishamuddin Abdul Karim.

Hishamuddin said he was aware of the insistence of a cluster of supporters heckling the Croatian-born coach, for his services to be terminated following a lacklustre run in several matches recently but added that TFC are presently still in the upper rungs of the Super League standings.

However, he assured that the FA and the management of Terengganu Football Club (TFCSB) have discussed and reached an agreement to give Steinbruckner space and opportunity to improve his performance in the remaining matches of the first round of the 2024/25 Super League season.

“For us, coach Tomi (Steinbruckner) needs to be given the opportunity to do something. We can’t take him to task every time team performance drops for a while.

“We have called coach Tomi up and asked him to buck up and lead the team in a stronger direction. I hope he will use this opportunity to empower the team,” he said when contacted.

Hishamuddin also hopes that the presence of new import player Nelson Bonilla will be able to help the head coach create victories for the Turtles soon.

According to him, despite facing financial constraints, the club secured the services of the El Salvador national footballer to sharpen the machinery in the attack department which is one of the causes of the decline in TFC’s performance lately.

“Based on the request of the coaching staff, only the position of striker was deemed vital. (Because) TFC cannot go forward when there is no genuine striker (to score goals).

“With a small cost, we took Bonilla in through the league's second transfer window and we hope he can call on his prolific form to satisfy everyone,” he said.

 -- BERNAMA