A third of the championship has been played and FC Thun is sensationally leading the Super League table. The blue Sport experts Admir Mehmedi and Rolf Fringer explain the secret of the promoted club's success.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- FC Thun beat Servette 1-0 thanks to a last-minute goal and celebrated their sixth win in a row.
- With 31 points after 13 rounds, the newly promoted club surprisingly leads the Super League - thanks to team spirit, self-confidence and a clear plan. "Simply impressive," says Admir Mehmedi.
- According to the blue Sport experts, continuity in the staff and identification with the club are the key to success, despite being financially inferior to big clubs such as YB or Basel.
It is not an exhilarating game on Saturday evening at the Stade de Genève. For a long time it looked like a 0-0 draw. But then Leonardo Bertone scored Thun's winner against Servette with a dream free kick in the 90th minute. It was the sixth win in a row for the Bernese Oberland side, who lead the Super League after matchday 13.
"These Thun players are getting scary. Now they're picking up three points again and already have 31 points after 13 games. That's really impressive," enthuses blue Sport expert Admir Mehmedi.
But what is the secret of the promoted team's success? "We know that we work well and hard, but we don't lose sight of reality either. That's why we keep our feet on the ground," free-kick hero Bertone told blue Sport after the win in Geneva. "Just keep going, step on the gas and then we'll see what happens."
In the blue Sport studio, the experts get to the bottom of the matter. "They have a clear plan, are patient and play with confidence. And at the moment, they're simply succeeding at everything," says Rolf Fringer. "When you're in the flow like that, the team is better than the eleven individual players you compare with other teams."
A simple secret to success
Continuity and identification are the be-all and end-all in the Bernese Oberland. "You've built something up over the years. You can see that in every function at the club," says Mehmedi. "Goalkeeping coach Patrick Bettoni has been with us for years, as have Nelson Ferreira on the staff, coach Mauro Lustrinelli, president Andres Gerber and the fitness coach (Eric-Pierre Zürcher). They know what it means to work for FC Thun."
The club does not have as much money at its disposal as Basel or YB. "But you can see that you can be successful without big money if you bring in the right people and have a clear plan. That's the beauty of football. It's no coincidence that they reward themselves," says Mehmedi.
Fringer agrees: "They've known each other for years, everything fits together. FC Thun is a model club. You can always get more out of it than you think. Every other club can only take their hat off to them, you can't begrudge them that."
