Sharan Returns to a Club in Crisis
Volodymyr Sharan has been named the new head coach of FC Oleksandria, taking over from the dismissed Kyrylo Nesterenko. This marks Sharan's third stint in charge of the club. Nesterenko was relieved of his duties on Monday morning following a heavy 0-5 defeat to Kyiv's Dynamo. The club is in a precarious position, sitting second from bottom in the Ukrainian Premier League with just 11 points from 21 matches and mired in a five-game losing streak. This managerial change is a desperate attempt to salvage a season that is rapidly slipping away.
A Proven Track Record with the Club
Sharan is no stranger to Oleksandria, having previously managed the team from 2010-2011 and again from 2013-2021. His most notable achievement was guiding the club to a bronze medal finish in the 2018/19 season. He rejoined the club's structure in October 2023, initially taking charge of the reserve team, Oleksandria-2, where he oversaw ten matches, recording five wins, three draws, and two losses.
A native of the Ivano-Frankivsk region and a graduate of the Lviv Sports School, Sharan began his senior playing career with Lviv's Karpaty in 1989. During his playing days, he represented several prominent Ukrainian clubs:
- Dynamo (Kyiv)
- Dnipro
- Karpaty
- Lviv
- Polihraftekhnika (Oleksandria)
His honors include three Ukrainian league titles and the 1992/93 Ukrainian Cup. On the international stage, Sharan triumphed with the Soviet youth team at Euro 1990 and earned a bronze medal with the USSR U-20 side at the 1991 World Cup. He also earned one cap for the Ukrainian national team.
Sharan's coaching career has seen him at the helm of Kryvbas, Zirka, and Zakarpattia Uzhhorod in the Premier League during the 2007/08 season. Between his Oleksandria tenures, he had a brief spell managing Karpaty in early 2012. Following his second departure from Oleksandria, he led Zakarpattia's Mynai from 2022 to 2023. He now returns to a familiar club facing the urgent task of engineering a dramatic turnaround to avoid relegation.
The appointment of Volodymyr Sharan as head coach of Oleksandria indicates the club's desire to stabilize the situation after a difficult start to the season.
Source: sports news
With the club languishing at the foot of the table, immediate change is imperative to prevent dropping out of the top flight. Sharan's deep familiarity with the club and his past successes there are seen as critical assets in the fight to restore competitiveness and improve results in the remaining fixtures.
As FC Oleksandria embarks on this new chapter with Volodymyr Sharan at the helm, it's important to note that the entire coaching staff departed alongside Kyrylo Nesterenko. This significant shift in leadership has left the club at a crossroads, prompting a reevaluation of its strategies going forward. For more details on the changes within the coaching structure, you can read about the entire coaching staff's departure.