Manager Carsten Wehlmann is behind the upswing of the second division leader Darmstadt 98. Born in Hamburg, he has been working in southern Hesse for four years.
On Sunday there was a short meeting before the big duel. Hamburger SV were guests at their home Volkspark Arminia Bielefeld, narrowly won 2-1 and thus consolidated second place in the 2nd Bundesliga. All of this was observed from the stands by Carsten Wehlmann, the manager of the very club that is currently four points ahead of HSV in first place in the table: Darmstadt 98.
Wehlmann had after 1-0 success for his Lilien on Saturday evening in Rostock used the physical proximity and spent the Sunday in Hamburg. On the one hand, to take a closer look at the opponent of the absolute second division top game on Saturday (8:30 p.m.) and to have a short chat with HSV manager Jonas Boldt, but on the other hand, to spend a little time in the city, which the 50-year-old himself calls his “home port”.
The career is pure northern Germany
Because the maker of Südhessen is not only a native of Hamburg, who grew up in the Eidelstedt district, but also a North German through and through. Wehlmann now lives in Mainz and works in Darmstadt, but before that the stages in his playing, coaching and scouting careers were: Eidelstedter SV, VfL 93 Hamburg, FC St. Pauli, Hamburger SV, Hannover 96, VfB Lübeck, Holstein Kiel . More northern Germany is not possible.
Wehlmann has been sporting director in Darmstadt for almost exactly four years – and during this time he has formed a team that last season narrowly missed promotion to the Bundesliga and this year is on the verge of reaching the once-missed goal.
Sport director in Darmstadt for four years
The son of a captain and trained shipping merchant himself would never proclaim promotion as a goal so boldly, but at least he was able to during the winter break a hint can be elicited before the turn of the year: “If we end next year like this, something nice should come out of it.” Ergo: the ascent with the 98ers.
In February 2019, when the father of a daughter had just been promoted from sports coordinator to sports director, things were not looking so rosy for the lilies. Coach Dirk Schuster, a sanctuary in Darmstadt, had just been fired, a new one had to be presented in the relegation battle. Surprisingly, Wehlmann chose Dimitrios Grammozis, who was still inexperienced in the professional field. An unusual choice at first glance, but which turned out to be the right one in the end.
No coach fired yet
Grammozis first led the Lilies to stay up in the league and in the following season to fifth place. After disputes about the contract period, the ex-Bundesliga professional did not extend in Darmstadt. And Wehlmann had to go back to looking for a coach. He presented the next unusual choice and brought in Markus Anfang, who had previously been fired in Cologne. After difficulties at the start, this step also worked, the Lilien finished seventh – and Beginning said goodbye to Bremen.
“Since he took office, Carsten has shown a good hand in selecting coaches,” emphasizes Lilien President Rüdiger Fritsch. “All of the coaches hired under him have brought the club a step further. We have also built up many structures together over the past few years, both among the professionals – especially in squad planning – and in the youth academy and thus further developed the club.”
A man of calm tones
With his third choice of coach, Wehlmann hit the mark completely. Torsten Lieberknecht, who had previously been dismissed from third-division basement child Duisburg, took over in Darmstadt in the summer of 2021 and stirred up the league with a team cleverly put together by Wehlmann. The third rather unusual coach decision – not a single dismissal – could, in the not entirely unlikely case, lead to Bundesliga football being seen again soon in southern Hesse.
While a lot has been written and reported about the trainers Lieberknecht and especially the beginning, Wehlmann remains more of the maker in the background and is actually a little neglected in public. The ex-goalkeeper flies under the radar in the media, rarely gives TV interviews and is not a classic speaker like other colleagues. Anyone who has a conversation with the native of Hamburg hears no declarations of war, no public scolding or outbursts of anger. Everything stays calm with the man from the north, everything stays factual.
Bundesliga as a goal
And yet the work done by the lilies has also been noticed outside of Darmstadt. There has been a real transfer market in the sporting director position for quite some time. Fabian Wohlgemuth, who recently moved to Stuttgart from Paderborn, is the most recent example. Wehlmann is silent about concrete poaching attempts. Most recently, however, he was already mentioned as a potential candidate for the post of sports director in Stuttgart and at FC Schalke.
If Darmstadt wins the top game against HSV on Saturday evening, it is very possible that he will reach the Bundesliga with the lilies. And should Hamburg ultimately rise together with southern Hesse, Wehlmann would certainly have nothing against it. Northern lights are just northern lights.
