Robert Ohlsson led Skellefteå to SM gold in the spring. But after a worse start to the season, dissatisfaction with the 49-year-old hockey coach grew.
It didn't get better after Ohlsson's interview with P4 Västerbotten.
I don't care about the fans either. Fans are something I can't influence, what they think and think. It's usually like this: When it goes well, they think you're fantastic, and when you don't win matches, you're terrible, Ohlsson said to the channel.
The next day, he got fired. And on Thursday evening, he sat in TV4 Hockey's studio and gave his picture of the tough week that had passed since then.
It has stung, of course. I'm a proud hockey coach and have been that in Skellefteå AIK, he says.
"A classic"
About the radio interview, Ohlsson notes that he wasn't entirely in balance when it was made, directly after he stepped off the ice after a training session.
It became a classic in a negative sense. I actually meant to express myself that I don't want to be influenced so much by people's opinions, he says.
When the interview is played back to Ohlsson in the studio, he says:
How angry I sound. Almost bitter, I really don't recognize myself.
I felt myself (right after) that I had done a bad interview and given bad answers. Clearly, it's unfortunate, I have to apologize to the fans in Skellefteå AIK. That didn't go well.
Frölunda next?
According to several media reports, it's already clear that Robert Ohlsson will take over after Roger Rönnberg in Frölunda from next season. Ohlsson didn't want to confirm it in TV4 Hockey's studio, but only said that he made it clear with his new employer already in November last year.
Robert Ohlsson confirms, however, that there was a discussion last summer about him quitting Skellefteå already then.
There was such a discussion, there were several parties involved in that. But I stayed. I, Niclas (Lundkvist, sports manager) and Erik (Forssell, general manager) decided together that we would go for winning our second consecutive gold together, shook hands on it. It was sour that it didn't become so.
Skellefteå meets Malmö on Thursday evening, the team's first SHL match after Ohlsson left.
