41-year old Canadian Nick Dasovic was elevated to TFC interim head coach after the firing of Preki Radosavljevic and the side’s original general manager, Mo Johnston.
A player for 17 years from Zagreb to North York to Scotland and many places in between, and a coach for eight, Dasovic now has less than six weeks to turn around a team poised to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season and, in the process, prove he deserves the job on a full-time basis.
Q: Are you scared?
A: “No, I’m not scared. It’s a challenge. I’m looking forward to it.
“There’s no point in being scared. . . . The team’s in a position right now where we’re out of the playoffs. We’re still in the Champions League although it wasn’t a great result (Wednesday) night.
“It’s one of those where we’ve talked to the players and the staff and we’re all on board. We know it’s going to be a difficult job but it’s one that we know if we stick together it’s definitely doable.”
Q: Players said Preki’s strict discipline wore thin. You made a point the day you got the job that you want guys to come to work with a smile, have fun. How do you do that?
A: “What I mean is that when I played as a footballer, when you go to work and you play hard, you know after a good session you can come off and have a smile on your face and then you can enjoy the rest of your day.
“I don’t want guys coming into the office moping and being upset about being there. If you don’t want to be there, you shouldn’t be there. You’ve got a talent. You’re fortunate enough to be involved in a professional sports team. And you should be thankful you can be in a soccer team.”
Q: But when you’re not winning, isn’t fun the last thing you should be worrying about?
A: “It’s not about having fun per se. It’s about enjoying what you’re doing.
“If you go to any job and you put on your computer and you sit at your desk and you don’t want to be there you’re not going to do a good job.
“But if you come in and you enjoy what you’re doing and you enjoy the environment you’re in, it’s going to help you to succeed.”
Q: You’re known for a sense of humour. Is that tougher as a head coach?
A: “Yes. I’ve gone from being one of the assistant coaches, the players’ buddy, to being the head coach. So, it’s a transition.
“I am always a bubbly character. I never like to sulk around and be grumpy because people feed off it and it just brings everybody down.
“Am I going to be, for lack of a better word, the same type of comedian? No. But will I be miserable? Grumpy? No, absolutely not.”
Q: How do you describe your coaching style?
A: “I don’t need to be liked by anybody but I need the players’ respect. But I think because I give them respect I normally get it back and people like working with me.
“I like to think I’m diligent when we do get together and I do get the team tactically aware and make sure we’re prepared for what we’re going to do.
“I am vocal. When I played I was a tough midfielder. That was my job. I was an organizer and I was vocal to lead the team. I lost my voice (Wednesday night in 4-1 loss to Real Salt Lake in CONCACAF Champions League) because even when you’re yelling they can’t hear you anyway.
“I am passionate. I don’t like losing games. I like to win.”
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