“Right from the start it was this feeling that I was in the right place here,” says the former world-class striker to t-online. He was particularly impressed by the discussions with those responsible. These were “so open” that he quickly realized: “I want to do that!”
Negotiations via video switch
Not only the 2014 world champion was convinced early on that he was on the same wavelength as the club from Vorarlberg. “We also got the feeling very quickly that it fits,” says SCR Managing Director Christoph Längle. Längle, a dynamic guy in his early 50s, also reveals that the negotiations were not easy: “Because Miro was still on vacation, we only exchanged three or four times via video link.” That was about six weeks ago.
The sporting director Werner Grabherr was in charge. After he was dismissed as a trainer in Altach in 2019, he stopped by the Bayern youth campus for internships. “There he saw some of Miro’s forms of training,” reports Längle – and Grabherr was deeply impressed. When the SCR was looking for a coach in the summer, he remembered it.
Grabherr did not seek direct contact with Klose, but chose the detour via Bayern’s youth boss Jochen Sauer. He is a confidant for Klose and knows the Austrian league from his time as managing director in Salzburg.
“He got in touch with Miro and then it went very quickly,” reveals SCR boss Längle. “Miro jumped up straight away and a few minutes later he called Werner. That’s how the whole thing got rolling.”
“Work, work, build Hüsle”
The chemistry was just right – also “because we stand for similar values.” These are hard work, modesty and down-to-earthness. “His advisor said: Miro is the first to be on the training ground in the morning and the last to leave. And we expect that to a certain extent. It’s the mentality here in the region. The motto there is: ‘Work, create, build Hüsle,” says Längle.
Anyone who listens to him gets the impression that it was relatively easy to lure a world star like Klose to the Austrian provinces. A look at Altach’s season budget of around nine million euros – Bayern newcomer Sadio Mané is said to earn twice that every year – makes this appear doubtful.
