While a press conference was scheduled to be held to explain the 777 Partners project to Rouches supporters, it was in a press release that the co-founder of the American company, Josh Wander, wanted to reassure his supporters this Thursday. The American ensures that the US decision-makers are fully occupied in strengthening the organizational structure, both sporting and operational, of the main club. Josh Wander explains that it is for the sake of a job well done that decisions are delayed in being announced. He also ensures, once again, that the Liège DNA and training will be respected. The people who will board the Standard boat will always be aligned with this philosophy. New heads, starting with the T1, will arrive in the coming days, weeks and months.
Finally, contrary to what some say this Thursday, Will Still did not accept the post of T1 of the U23. The former assistant to Luka Elsner has not had any contact with the American management for a while and he is still considering which direction his career will take. Nothing even allows us to say that he will stay at Standard.
Here is the full statement from Josh Wander:
“On behalf of 777 Partners, I would like to thank you for your patience during these first weeks since our takeover of Standard de Liège.
We are very happy and proud to become the new custodians of this truly historic and prestigious club. I am aware of the weight of responsibility that comes with this honor and I am truly touched by the challenge ahead of us. It is for this reason that we have deliberately taken a thoughtful approach to our work over the past few weeks as we seek to assess what is currently in place and bring our vision for the future of the club to life.
Our goal is to take Standard de Liège to the next level, on and off the pitch. This means creating a structure that lays a solid foundation for lasting success. We understand that it will take patience to achieve these goals. We know that building this success together will take time, but the Board of Directors and I are committed to this long-term project.
As you have probably heard, this week we hired a Football Group CEO, Don Dransfield, with the mission of developing an ambitious football project with a network of clubs around the world. As part of this, Standard Liege will benefit from additional support which will include robust statistical data, analytics and improved performance monitoring and development technology to help the club achieve its goals.
We also understand that it is essential to retain the history, traditions and culture that are the DNA of the club. In particular, we are aware of the importance of cultivating the training of young people and the attacking style of football for which Standard de Liège is renowned. The people we bring into the club will always be aligned with this philosophy. Some of them will be people with global expertise, starting with our new Sporting Director, Fergal Harkin. Others, more local, will join them in the months to come.
There will be further announcements in the days, weeks and months to come, with our top priority being the appointment of a head coach for the first team. We look forward to communicating this to you soon. In the meantime, I promise that the Board and Management team will always work tirelessly for you, the supporters of the club.”