Savior desperately wanted: what last-minute change on the coaching bench

So again Friedhelm Funkel. As the long-running favorite among German football coaches regularly spends part of the winter in a Robinson club on Fuerteventura, the football teacher is so reliable in spring.

As soon as he had chatted on the occasion of his 70th birthday in a shot from the sun island for the “wonderful world of football” by Arnd Zeigler that he would listen to an interesting request at any time, the 1, FC Kaiserslautern at that time soon knocked on.

Lebemann Funkel not only saved the Palatinate from relegation, but was also saved on May 25 of last year with the red devils in the cup final against Bayer Leverkusen. After that, he even explained his willingness to continue working. The FCK had other plans.

Friedhelm Funkel has already worked twice in Cologne

Now with the 1st FC Köln, another traditional club from the 2nd Bundesliga on the 71-year-old, who feels like each of his ex-clubs, is on an imaginary list of helpers. The Effzeh receives a good acquaintance from the region who understands Rhenish cheerfulness – and at best on May 18, in the cathedral city, celebrates the desired Bundesliga promotion. The game plan wants the 1. FC Köln on the 34th matchday to have a home game against 1. FC Kaiserslautern.

It is not possible to avoid that this coaching change also bears folkloric features on Monday (05.05.2025). Just as a reminder: Funkel comes to the Geißbockheim for the third time. Once he descended (2002) and immediately rose again (2003), the other time he saved the club in the relegation against Holstein Kiel (2021) after only taking over the luckless Markus Gisdol in mid -April.

Frank Schaefer rose in 2012

But what does a change of coaches bring shortly before the end of the season, even if the Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg with Ralph Hasenhüttl releases his trainer two game days before Ultimo with Ralph Hasenhüttl again? The 1. FC Köln, not surprising, has used this panacea several times. Three game days before the end in the 2010/2011 season, once again in the relegation sump, sports director Volker Finke took over for Frank Schaefer – and saved the club with three wins.

That Frank Schaefer was entrusted to the 2011/2012 rescue mission four game days before the end. Lukas Podolski, of all things, went wrong – the club crashed. Deep in the west there is still a daunting example: In 2009/2010, VfL Bochum also pulled the ripcord two game days before the end: Heiko Herrlich received the passport, VfL-IDOL Darius Wosz. But after two defeats, the Bochum had relegated and therefore only second -class for many, many years.

Klaus Augenthaler saved Leverkusen

What failed in Bochum led to success in Leverkusen. In 2002/2003 the Werkelf, plagued by the title trauma, was only table-16 two games before the end. Bayer separated from Thomas Hörster and installed the original Bavarian Klaus Augenthaler. A good move: Due to victories against 1860 Munich and the 1st FC Nürnberg, the runner -up from 2002 turned the descent. That had just gone well.

Later, only Arminia Bielefeld took up the famous straw in Bundesliga history. For the last matchday 2008/2009, Jörg Berger once again hired on the Alm, from which it was said that he would have saved the “Titanic” from the downfall ten years earlier.

Jörg Berger failed with Bielefeld

At that time, Berger had actually preserved Eintracht Frankfurt in an epochal descent drama with a 5-1 against 1. FC Kaiserslautern from relegation – and joker Jan Age Fjörtoft made the saying that should stick to Berger like chewing gum.

But with the firefighter, who died in 2010 after a cancer, Bielefeld only managed a 2-2 against Hannover 96 – the Arminia had to go down – and has never become a Bundesliga club since then. After all, cup finalist 2025.

Udo Lattek helped in Dortmund

A quarter of a century ago, Borussia Dortmund (after a home defeat against SpVgg Unterhaching) also got into a shortage of relegation. At the Borsigplatz, the bosses at the time came up with the idea of ​​signing Udo Lattek. At that time, the 64-year-old not only brought an funny cap, but also the hoped-for success: BVB stayed in 1999/2000.

Werder Bremen recorded the best long -term effect in 1999. Felix Magath had almost raised the whole city and the entire club against himself more than a quarter of a century ago when the amateur coach Thomas Schaaf, who had been working in the quiet until then, took over for the last four games before a catch -up game against FC Schalke 04.

Thomas Schaaf as a stroke of luck in Bremen

A few weeks later, his objectivity and expertise not only gave the green-whites not only in relegation and cup victory, but also the most successful era in the history of the club. Later in Hanover it became clear that Schaaf should not be for short -term success.

The record champions FC Bayern also tried to turn the paper with late coaching changes. However, Munich was never about relegation, but larger goals. When the experiment with Otto Rehhagel failed in 1995/1996, Franz Beckenbauer should make Bayern a master. But just four points from four games jumped out under the “emperor”.

And when Jürgen Klinsmann was released in 2009, Jupp Heynckes took over the Champions League ticket. After all, Bayern should still be runner -up. By the way, two years later, Andries Jonker also had to secure the premier class in the final sprint after the separation from Louis van Gaal. This mission also succeeded. The example of Bavaria proves: The late change of coach is by no means a guarantee of success.