#HTTV speaks to Assistant Head Coach Andreas Winkler for the first time
- Watch Andres Winkler’s first interview with Huddersfield Town
- Assistant Head Coach on his nickname, relationship with Jan Siewert and his role
- Watch the full interview below on #HTTV
Assistant Head Coach Andreas Winkler spoke to #HTTV for the first time after joining Huddersfield Town in January.
The 49-year-old joined Jan Siewert’s coaching set-up after leaving Sky Bet League 1 side Barnsley.
The pair first met on a coaching course before going on to work with each other at Rot-Weiss Essen.
Town’s Assistant Head Coach discussed his relationship with Jan Siewert.
“We worked together in a professional way. We knew each other from the course, we were on it together for 10 months, and then we worked together at Rot-Weiss Essen.
“I was Sporting Director, a young Sporting Director, and he was the Coach. I’ve been Head of Academy, Sporting Director, Coach so I can go in different roles. I like to assist him, help him in his work.
“I have sometimes a different view, not a different opinion of football, but view as an Assistant. I think it compliments each other.”
What does the role of Assistant Head Coach entail? Well, Winkler explained to #HTTV.
“On one hand it’s on the pitch, preparing the exercises together; Huddy (Mark Hudson – First Team Coach), Clem (Paul Clements – Head of Goalkeeping), myself and Jan (Siewert). We prepare it, do different exercises.
“On the other hand, I’m Jan’s Assistant, so if you’re in his position, sometimes you have to share information, your thoughts and sometimes for him it’s easier to talk in his language. Obviously, he’s talking very good English, but sometimes you feel more comfortable with that.
“We don’t have this role in Germany, you call it trainer, coach or co-trainer. You have two or three of them. Here you have First Team Coach and Assistant, but I think it brings it to the point, I’m his Assistant but on the other hand when we have training I am a coach.”
Town faces Southampton this weekend in the Club’s final game of the 2018/19 Premier League season.
Town’s Assistant Head Coach explained what he wants to get out of the game at St. Mary’s.
“We want to reward us for some good matches, but it’s also about our supporters; they are really outstanding.
“Some friends came over from Germany and watched our home games, they said it was unbelievable, they thought the Stadium would have no support, so they were so surprised about the crowd and how they tried to support us.
“If we can give our supporters back a point or maybe a win and reward us for good matches.
“The last game in the season stands in your mind, you keep it in your mind, so I would be very happy if we could have a good result.”
One thing that Huddersfield Town supporters may not know about the Club’s Assistant Head Coach is his rather unusual nickname.
Around PPG Canalside and the John Smith’s Stadium, he is known as ‘Jimmy’ by the rest of the First Team staff and the players.
He explained where that name came from and how it’s stuck.
“We have to go back to when I was young. In my closest friends there were lots of Andreas’, so we had to change it. We started the nickname Jimmy because I was a great supporter of James Dean; all the pictures in my room.
“It continued and a friend of mine, who was playing with me in Hannover, brought it into football, then everyone called me Jimmy, especially the newspaper! The headlines were Jimmy Winkler, they didn’t know my name was Andreas.
“After that I wanted to push this name out of football, but then it came back, it came back when I did the pro license course with Jan Siewert.
“Then I came to England, went to Barnsley and I was sure no-one knows me as Jimmy, but, how it goes, I come to Huddersfield and Jan said first time ‘Jimmy’. He said, ‘it fits to England, it fits to Huddersfield, now you’re Jimmy again!’.”
You can watch Jimmy’s full interview below on #HTTV!