Farewell interview – Timuzsin Schuch

 

Timuzsin Schuch played eight seasons in the first team of Veszprém and he leaves our club as seven-time Hungarian Champion and eight-time Hungarian Cup winner. We were talking with him about his years at the “Építők”.

 

It is hard to estimate it. We had big plans in the beginning of the season and we are really sorry that we could not achieve our goals. Moreover it is also hard to think about that my last game was a lost final in the Veszprém Arena. Everybody was fighting hard in these finals but we did not succeed.

 

 

I spent eight seasons in the first team of Veszprém and earlier 4 years in its youth system. In those years I was also close to the adults, I trained with them a lot of times. Among us young guys the special handball atmosphere of Veszprém came exist quickly. We were working and going to all the trainings in those years to get into the first team. As young we were effected by that atmosphere like a religion. Of course, like everybody I have some bad memories but rather only good ones.

 

In high school we had a handball class just like two years earlier Péter Gulyás. Szilárd Kiss was our coach at the U16 team and our head teacher was Mihály Velky. This is how I started here and made my big goals. After that I “only” had to work.

 

I will never forget that I played my first game in the first class in Szeged. One day earlier we youngsters were helping to István Csoknyai at moving some furniture and he said that this activity would help us to perform well on the next day. Szeged just had agreed with a new big sponsor and they were extra motivated. We were preparing for that. But in the first ten minutes Evgeny Lushnikov got a red card and then Barna Putics as well so I was playing all game long starting the 15th minutes. I think I had a good game and we could win by eight goals. After that I got many chances in the first team by coach Zovko.

 

I was on loan at Balatonfüred then Győr bought me and after that I signed to Constanta which helped a lot in my improvement because I could play in the Champions League. I came back to Veszprém at 2011 when my contract in Romania expired however me and the club wanted this earlier. I came back as an almost ready player who was the member of the national team and gained a lot of experiences in the Champions League against teams like Cuidad real or Montpellier.

 

 

Everything. I was here approximately for fourteen years moreover I travel back here many times during my Romanian years because of my studies at the University of Pannonia. Before 2011 and mainly after that I called myself a Veszprém citizen. I settled down here. I think this is unique in Europe that the handball is the most important thing for a city. This sport is like a religion here.

 

I would remark the season 2015-16 when lack of fifteen minutes we almost won everything. We won the championship, the cup and the SEHA League. We get into the final of Champions League and we had a big chance to win it however in the beginning of the season everybody thought that even reaching the Final4 would be a big success.

 

I cannot say only one game. As a defender one of my tasks was take the burden from the shoulder of the offensive players. So if the team performed well then it was a good feeling for me because I knew that I made a good job. There were many games when our performances were fantastic, for example we defeated the PSG in the quarter finals or beat them by 8 goals in a group game. But the victories against teams like Kiel or Flensburg were always very worthy.

 

 

I have a lot of snapshots but it is hard to choose only one. But I still think about the lost final against Kielce and try to find what we had to do differently. I admit it is hard to say goodbye without a Champions League victory.

 

The most painful is the lost CL final in 2016 and this lost Hungarian Championship final against Szeged last weekend, especially because it happened at home in front of our fans in my last match. As the best ones I can mention all of the big victorious clashes like the earlier mentioned successes against PSG. But I cannot say only one.

 

I played against a lot of great players everybody was a hard opponent because of different reasons. There were very strong and skilled pivots, very fast playmakers and big shooters who could score from anywhere. I can mention at least twenty players who are almost unstoppable.

 

After the arrival of Spanish coaches I started really appreciate the importance of tactics. I learned that a good defender have to know the next step of the attackers in advance. It happened that I almost said to an attacker what he should do when their action got stuck. So the anticipation is very important but not only in the case of the opponent but also in the case of your teammates. You must react very quickly for his moves or mistakes. Beside this you have to be strong of course because of the big pivots and fast because of the quick playmakers. So it is a complex thing but I would highlight the part of tactics.

 

 

I spent the most time together with László Nagy but we also needed half or one year until we started to work together well, we got know each other on the court and we could react to the other’s moves. But it was similar with Mirsad Terzic who is a second position defender. I spent the most time with László and I think we were successful. But of course anybody was next to me – like Blagotinsek, Nilsson or Ligetvári – we always tried to do our best together. I felt myself also well with them on the court.

 

These fans, this atmosphere, the teammates so everything what can be found here. The whole atmosphere what is around the team and the club. So all in all everything what is Veszprém.

 

I would like to thank to everybody that I could be here and had so many wonderful memories. I am grateful for everything.

 

 

 

Photos: Dávid Vörös