In December, VfL Bochum was considered as good as descended. But at the beginning of March, the district club suddenly had every chance again to save itself.
It is not uncommon to use the meaning of “dead life longer” in football if a player, a team or a club, contrary to general expectations, has great sporting success. But with no club from the Bundesliga, this message seems to have internalized itself as much as at VfL Bochum. Because the team from the pot could jump to the metaphorical death, i.e. the descent into the 2nd league, again unexpectedly from the shovel.
Bochum had already succeeded in spectacular way in recent years. In the 20222/2023 season, VfL started with a point from the first eight games and then started an impressive catch -up. When 16th of the table started in the last match day, Bochum Favorit Bayer Leverkusen made 3-0 and thus secured the direct league. A year later, the team underpinned the meaning mentioned at the beginning in a way that Football Germany had probably never experienced before. In the relegation, VfL lost its home game 0: 3 against Fortuna Düsseldorf – only to win 3-0 in the second leg and to secure the relegation through penalty shootout.
For the current season, the brilliant comeback against Düsseldorf did not give a buoyancy. Since the beginning of the season, VfL has been canceling the league table cellar, and Bochum’s fans had to wait for the first victory of the season until the 15th matchday. In the meantime, however, the team and club are defending themselves with everything they have against the impending descent. The impulse for this turn gave a change of coach – but VfL finally found it again in the fight for relegation after a very controversial incident.
Just seven games in the Bundesliga had played this season when VfL Bochum pulled the ripcord. Peter Zeidler, who was only installed as a chief coach in the summer as the successor to interim coach and savior Heiko Butscher, had to go after just one point in the league and a embarrassment in the DFB Cup at second division Jahn Regensburg. For him, assistant coach Markus Feldhoff took over this time, but could not recommend himself for higher tasks in the following two weeks. Under him, two disastrous appearances set a 0: 5 home bankruptcy against FC Bayern and a 2: 7 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Striker Philipp Hofmann was stunned after the debacle against the Hesse. “I have rarely experienced such a game. Our appearance does not work,” said the 31-year-old. Quite a few saw the first fixed relegation of the current season at VfL Bochum. Midfielder Gerrit Holtmann also did not want to say the situation after the package in Frankfurt. Despite the winless series and table 18, he emphasized: “I have known the club for a long time and I am still convinced that we can create the turnaround.”
In order to realize this project, the club subsequently reached deep into the trick box and reactivated a trainer who, as such, was hardly actually appeared. Dieter Hecking had trained in the Bundesliga, among others, Hannover 96, the 1st FC Nürnberg, VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach. He had also been active in the 2nd Bundesliga for a year at HSV before moving back to Nuremberg in 2020, but this time as a sports director. Apart from an intermezzo as an interim coach at the “Club” in 2023, he had not stood on the sidelines since his departure from Hamburg – and should now save VfL Bochum from the crash in November 2024.