Gislaved. Five years was enough.
Now Dick Runesson leaves Gislaved VK.
"I do not think anyone should be too long in one place," he says.
If you want to be exact, it was four and a half years that Dick Runesson trained GVK's elitserien team. During that time he took them to two SM-semifinal and two SM-quarterfinal appearances.
"I am happy with the athletic successes," he says.
We met at a café in Gislaved and had a long talk. Most of it will not be included in this text. But Dick is a thoughtful man who sometimes time let emotions control when he has trained GVK.
"I think many coaches put too much prestige in what they do and then they act overly-satisfied. By that I mean that they think they should act in a specific way because that's the way they are supposed to act."
"I'm a pretty emotional coach, for better or worse. But unless I show that I believe in what we do, who will do it? How can I expect my players to believe in what we're doing if I have a body language and mannerisms that shows that I do not believe in them?"
"No idea"
The question remains unanswered, but what is clear is that Runesson thinks it's quite nice to not think about volleyball, although he did travel Wednesday night to Halmstad to see the second match in the women's national finals.
"I have not the faintest idea what's happening now. And in all seriousness, it's a mixed emotions. But in the fall I might feel the urge again, it's very possible that I feel the urge when I see the SM-final matches. But right now it's best to land and let it go."
So you may train GVK in the fall anyway?
"You should never say never and I don't close any doors. But it would take a lot of compromises, and as it looks, now I'm done with it."
The reason for the breakup is that the club and Runesson have some different opinions about which way to walk in the future in Gislaved.
"I have had repeated conversations with our board of directors and put forward a number of suggestions as how to develop the association and it was received with enthusiasm initially, but I have felt gradually that 'No, there's something wrong.'"
"But now that I think about it, I see the explanation. I have set too high of demands on what the club should deliver. So, that I can buy."
"A fantastic team"
He has thus been the coach of the club for five years, add in over ten years as a youth coach and elite coaches. I asked simply question:
What season are you most pleased with?
"It depends entirely on which eyes you use to see it. If one should only count wins, points and overall standing, I would say the 2013/14 season. That year, the only thing that was wrong was that we went out to Lindesberg in the quarter-finals."
"It was a fantastic team, on paper the best we had. We finished second in NM (Nordic Championships), I'm pretty proud of that," he says, laughing.
But he does not end with just that season. There's more good memories.
"Developmentally, how fast it can go, was my first year. Then we went from an extremely mediocre teams from the previous season where we took only two wins in the season to becoming a team that narrowly missed the SM-finals. I'm quite pleased when it was a fantastic development year for the players."
"The following year, I am also pleased with the ... Damn I am pretty happy," he says, laughing.
Yes, he has every reason to be when he was a major contributing factor to the GVK being in the top several years.
But now, new challenges await for Runesson. And "challenge" is particularly a good word for him.
"I can honestly say that if the right challenge presents itself, I would very well be able to move forward."
One thing is for sure, if he moves on, the region would lose a great coach.
FACT: Dick Runesson
Age: 40 years.
Lives: Gislaved.
Best player he has trained: "Honestly, I can not say one name. However, it has been a privilege to have had retained the same players as long as I have. But I can not give you a straight answer."
Of his strength: "To bring together a group that flourished. Making teams from nothing. To get players to perform above of their ability."
Of his weakness: "I'm grumpy good and evil"
Current as: Retiring head coach of GVK.
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