Praise for squad
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Steffen Baumgart appeared with a HSV cap instead of the distinctive flat cap when he took office in Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion. The new Hamburger SV coach presented a slightly different look. However, he had by no means lost his drive to lead the recently wavering candidate for promotion from the 2nd Bundesliga back to the upper house. “The goal is clear, we don’t have to talk around it: promotion,” said the 52-year-old very clearly during his introduction on Tuesday and didn’t want to waste any time when he started.
For the former coach of 1. FC Köln, the job at HSV is another highlight in his career. This is less due to the club’s almost six-year membership in the second division and his personal relegation from the 1st to the 2nd division, but rather because he is now under contract with the club he loves. However, he quickly made it clear that the anticipation should not overshadow the tense situation of the recently shaky traditional club.
Veh to Baumgart: All HSV coaches since July 2010
“It doesn’t work with just sympathy, it takes a lot of work,” said the Rostock native. “I’m not here because I’m a fan,” he added. “There was good work here before, now we hope that we can continue it.” But getting to know each other in a quiet way is hardly possible in the middle of the season. HSV has to improve significantly in order to be ready for promotion. The competition is great. The gap to city rivals and league leaders FC St. Pauli is now seven points, with Holstein Kiel four points ahead of third-placed HSV.
Baumgart praises the HSV squad and builds on his companion Schonlau
Baumgart, however, praised the squad: “This is one of the best teams in the 2nd league.” About a week after coach Tim Walter left, the new coach signed his working paper, which is reportedly valid until 2025, in the HSV office on Tuesday. In the afternoon, he led his first training session in the Volkspark, celebrated by around 300 spectators.
His former companion Sebastian Schonlau (29) received particularly warm words. The HSV captain has a big role to play. The defensive man worked with Baumgart for four years at SC Paderborn and climbed from the 3rd to the first division. Schonlau’s personal development is enormous. “That’s why it becomes very important to me. Not just as a player, but as a personality.”
Because at the top of the to-do list is stability in defense. Hamburg have already conceded 33 goals. The new coach’s main task will be to stabilize the HSV defense, which was prone to errors under Walter. Baumgart’s predecessor, who missed promotion with the Hanseatic League twice in a row in relegation, rarely managed to do that. Baumgart will integrate his assistant René Wagner, his former companion from Cologne, into the assistant coaching group. Merlin Polzin, who most recently served as interim coach, will complete the trio alongside Loïc Favé. Sven Höh remains goalkeeping coach.
Baumgart can and knows advancement. In 2019 he led SC Paderborn into the upper house. As a gnarly and exciting coach on the sidelines, he not only made many friends in the team, but also among the fans of 1. FC Köln during his time between summer 2021 and the end of last year. In December, the Rhinelanders, who were in danger of relegation, announced that they were separating from Baumgart, who was considered the preferred candidate among HSV supporters after Walter left. In the past, the HSV fan had repeatedly shown his affection for the club since childhood. “I became a fan when HSV was still big. “I’ve stuck with it ever since,” he once said.
Baumgart new at HSV: The second division coaches by term of office
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