The off-season has barely begun, but the club has been very active already. The first announcement came on Tuesday, when Mika Suonsyrjä was announced as the new head coach. This choice was certainly met with enthusiasm by the supporters. Suonsyrjä has shown just the kind of attitude on the field that the supporters expect from everybody on the team. He demands a lot of himself and expects the same from others. A leader as a player, but also has coaching experience that goes back several years. He also seems to understand and share the ideals of the club, which is very important. Moreover, having already spent a season with the team, he provides continuity. Next year he will be a player-coach for TamU-K, so expect to see him crushing opponents’ legs at the bottom of the midfield next year too.

On Wednesday the club announced seven player contracts. The most anticipated ones were goalkeeper Ilkka Innola and central defender Sami Kriikkula, two players with solid experience from Kakkonen (Finnish third tier) in recent seasons. Both players would have been able get contracts at much higher levels, but they seem to be committed to TamU-K for the long haul. Kriikkula described TamU-K as an ”exceptional, even unique club” and stated that he wants to ”be part of the team, the club, and the growth process.” Music to the ears of every Tampere United supporter. Innola commented on the atmosphere in the promotion matches, and said that it was something he had never experienced, not even when he played for TPV in derby matches against Ilves in Kakkonen. We all knew that, but it is still so awesome to hear it from him.

The other five players that are now under contract for 2013 are full-backs Ahmed Lakra and Alaa Adeeb and midfielders Lauri Heittola, Retu Harju, and Mika Suonsyrjä. These players fill key roles in the defensive line and central midfield. One indication of their quality is that they were all starters in the promotion final match.

Word around the team is that more or less every player would like to stay with the club for next year. Of course some know that the reality is that they don’t have the quality that it takes to play in Vitonen. In part to accommodate those players, the club is setting up a second team in the same recreational league where the first team played in 2011. It is great to see that all players from last season are given the possibility to stay with the club if they want to. I hear that many are planning to do that, which is absolutely wonderful. The second team should also prove helpful for the first team, as players who are not getting a lot of playing time will be able to get minutes in the second team. It could also be used to test potential incoming players during the season.

Of course many players that have not yet been re-signed are going to go to the off-season training with the goal of earning a spot on the team. It will be very interesting to see who will make the cut. That of course also depends on new players that the club will be able to attract. There aren’t any specific rumors at this time, but word is that the club is talking with a few players that would be excellent reinforcements for any team in Vitonen. In addition to using existing contacts with players, the club has sent out an invite for players to come to a tryout with the team. We will see.

Head coach Mika Suonsyrjä has a very interesting puzzle to solve during the off-season. The players that have already been signed form a core for the team next season, but the reality is that the team needs upgrades in a few positions if we want to fight for promotion. I’m confident that even last year’s team would be able to fight for mid-table spots next year in Vitonen, but fighting for mid-table spots is not what this club is about. We already have the players that will make our defense one of the best if not indeed the best in the league, but the question all supporters are surely asking is who will score the goals. I remain confident that we will get some good answers to that question in the coming weeks and months.