Per-Mathias Hogmo: I am impressed by Ludogorets

The Norwegian Per-Mathias Hogmo was officially presented by sporting director Georgi Karamandzhukov as the new coach of Ludogorets. The 65-year-old specialist spoke to the media at a press conference in the Sofia hotel “Zoo.”

“I’m glad to see you. The last time I was in Bulgaria was in 2014 with the Norwegian national team. It is an honor for me to take charge of such a big and well-known team in Scandinavia and Europe. Many people ask me what the key is to this team’s success. I understood where the success comes from when I saw the facilities and conditions. I have worked at the national level for many years,” were Hogmo’s first words.

“I have coached men’s, women’s, and youth teams for 13 years. In Europe, I have worked for different clubs. I see coming to a big club like this as a major challenge. Together with the players, the assistants, the staff, and everyone at the club, we will work every day. The ambition is for Ludogorets to play in Europe every time—and to do it well.”

“I arrived late last night—actually at 4:30 in the morning—and held my first training session today. It’s impressive to see these conditions. When you’ve been successful for so many years, sometimes you suffer; it can be for different reasons. There are many injured players. When you play two matches a week, it’s difficult. I saw many good and interesting players with high quality. My staff and I are looking to build a strong connection with them. When someone is injured, we need to replace him.”

“It is a big challenge to work with people who want to develop and become better every day. In recent years, they have done very well and achieved many positive things. One of the main reasons football in Norway is very strong is that they have five European spots, and starting next year the champion will qualify directly for the Champions League. This is due to culture, high training intensity, and significant investment in youth academies; coach education is very good. The difference is big, but we must work every day to achieve these successes,” the Norwegian specialist stated firmly.

“Many of you showed the necessary respect toward Mr. Hogmo for what he has achieved in his career. The choice was not easy,” said sporting director Georgi Karamandzhukov. “You know that in the last 14 years, Ludogorets has become a dominant force in our football. The dressing room is one of Ludogorets’ main problems because there are many very good players—character is also needed, and those characters are difficult to manage. This led to several negative results. That wasn’t the real problem, though, but rather the overall play of the team and the many injured players, which are at the root of the weaker results. This led to the separation with Mr. Mota. We chose Mr. Hogmo’s candidacy,” Karamandzhukov added.

“In our view, the team currently needs calm. With his experience—after all, he has worked for so many years—he will be able to bring the necessary stability to the dressing room,” the sporting director of the “Eagles” said.