Funkel, premier class & Huddersfield
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After leaving SpVgg Greuther Fürth, Thomas Kleine talks to Transfermarkt about the fast pace and lack of patience in the football business. The 47-year-old explains why trainers are “often the first to be sacrificed”, what influence legendary coach Friedhelm Funkel had on him, how he benefits from the experience of his active professional career on the sidelines – and why he is now ready for the next task.
Transfer market: Mr. Kleine, have you now digested your departure from SpVgg Greuther Fürth at the end of November?
Thomas Kleine: Yes, after all, a few months have passed. Exemptions are part of our job description as trainers. I’ve worked through my time in Fürth and now I’m clearly looking ahead: I want to get back on the pitch. This is the work that I love and why I became a trainer.
Transfer market: Jürgen Klopp’s agent Marc Kosicke recently said on Transfermarkt: “My first saying is always: keep your eyes open when choosing a career!” Many clubs have become more impatient. Are coaches the poorest pigs in the football business?
Small: The tenure of coaches is now actually very low. They are often the first to be sacrificed in order to provide the famous impulse in critical phases. I wish many coaches – and I include myself here – that the clubs will have more patience again in the future. I think that many colleagues do good work and a change is certainly not always the best solution and does not always bring the hoped-for success.
Transfer market: If it were up to you, you would definitely still be the Fürth coach right now.
Small: Of course, I had the desire and idea to hold this position for a longer period of time. Especially because we managed to keep the 2nd league last summer and this season we also implemented a lot of what had previously been discussed and determined. I was completely convinced until the end. But the club made this decision and I accept that.
With our coaching team we managed to bring calm to the club last season.
Transfer market: Everything started well for you.
Small: During my time as a professional, I learned how important it is to stay calm and not only have a clear plan, but also follow it consistently. With our coaching team we managed to bring calm to the club last season. And we took this positivity with us into the new season. A major change has been initiated with 15 new players and it takes two to three transfer periods to complete such a restructuring. You need time, which is often not available in this business.
Transfer market: They couldn’t turn things around anymore. What other factors played a role?
Small: The 2nd league has continuously become stronger over the years. And for a club like Fürth, given the limited financial conditions, it is always a tough fight to assert themselves in this league. Many competitors have other options. This was already evident last season when we narrowly avoided relegation. But I still firmly believe that Fürth will manage to stabilize itself again and take the decisive step out of the basement and I wish the club all the best from the bottom of my heart. I remain close to many people there.
Small ones about new tasks: More say in squad planning
Transfer market: What lessons have you learned from your involvement in Fürth? What would you do differently next time?
Small: It is important to be involved and involved in squad planning from the coach’s perspective. That was only partly me. For me it was important to accept the existing squad and work with them. I will continue to stick to a clear footballing plan in the future and make sure to develop and integrate young players. I managed to do this in Fürth despite a tense sporting situation: under my direction, three youngsters from our own NLZ alone celebrated their debuts in the second division.
Transfer market: What have you done since you left SpVgg?
Small: I used the first few weeks to spend time with the family. It’s also important to switch off a bit. Now I meet different people from football, the media and companions every week in order to have a good exchange, and I also watch as many games live as possible. I position myself broadly, want to be open and prepared for a lot of things.
Thomas Kleine had to leave Fürth again after almost five months
Transfer market: You were an assistant at Fortuna Düsseldorf in 84 games under coaching legend Friedhelm Funkel.
Small: For me, as a young assistant coach at the time, it was great that I was already able to make a lot of decisions and take on responsibility. Friedhelm has placed enormous trust in his coaching team. We had a very successful time together, were promoted with Fortuna Düsseldorf and confidently retained the Bundesliga in our first year. I benefited enormously from Friedhelm Funkel and received input for my work: the confident style of leadership, the human, communicative approach to a team and, above all, the fact that you have to stay calm even in difficult situations. This manuscript is undoubtedly his. On the last matchday of last season, I was able to give something back to him: We won with Fürth against HSV and helped Friedhelm and Cologne win the second division championship. That was a good fit. (smiles)
Transfer market: As a professional, you have experienced virtually everything: the 2002/03 Champions League with Bayer Leverkusen against Manchester United with Ruud van Nistelrooy and FC Barcelona with Patrick Kluivert, but also the Bundesliga, 2nd League, Regional League and Oberliga.
Small: These experiences helped me a lot, also to see what is possible for you as a player – I would like to pass that on as a coach. From the Leverkusen amateurs, where I had barely played, I later made it to the professionals. I have to highlight Peter Hermann here, he had a great influence on me and was an incredibly important coach for me. I later replaced him as assistant coach in Düsseldorf when he moved to Bayern Munich. He helped me as a player to believe in myself and go my own way – and later as a coach. For example, I took over from Peter Hermann the idea of staying on the pitch after training with young and experienced players and working individually. We are still connected to this day.
Transfer market: What stuck with you from your premier class time as a professional?
Small: In the Champions League I was able to play with great players and compete against the big players. In a way, this was the reward for many years of hard work. It impressed me that amateurs can make it there with ambition and passion. I was promoted to the Bundesliga as captain, but I also learned what it’s like not to play or not even be in the matchday squad. I benefit from all of these experiences as a trainer today. I can imagine myself in many situations involving players on my teams. I have experienced it myself.
Transfer market: How did your duels against van Nistelrooy & Co. go?
Small: I played a lot of games in the season after reaching the Champions League final. Due to second places, also at the 2002 World Cup, the team lacked a bit of looseness and the load was heavy. I still remember: I got a yellow card after five minutes against Man United, but I still managed to play through. (smiles) Van Nistelrooy, Beckham – they were absolute top stars. It also worked well for me in Barcelona, only against Inter Milan I had to admit that I was shown my limits a bit. The players there simply performed at a different level.
Transfer market: Her path as a coach seemed to be mapped out early on.
Small: It was clear to me early on that I would take this path. And as a result, I was able to prepare well. (smiles) In 2010 I moved from Gladbach back to Fürth and there were discussions that I would stay at the club after my playing days to continue working there as a coach. As captain and extended arm, I grew into this role a little under Benno Möhlmann and Mike Büskens during my playing days. During this phase I acquired my first coaching license and also worked for the Fürth U19 team.
Small over difficult coaching market: Don’t just focus on one league
Transfer market: The coaching jobs in the first three leagues are very limited. How do you deal with it?
Small: First of all, with absolute openness. I have already worked as a coach in the regional league, the third, the second and the first league. I worked in the NLZ and also abroad. In my opinion, as a coach you can’t allow yourself to only focus on a certain league and mentally exclude the rest. For me, the only thing that matters is that the club and the position suit me.
Unbelievable: We were relegated and the fans still cheered for us.
Transfer market: For a short time, from February to May 2024, you worked as assistant coach to André Breitenreiter at Huddersfield Town. What differences have you noticed compared to Germany?
Small: Even though it was short, the time in England was extremely interesting. André is a very experienced trainer, we worked very well together and were on the same wavelength. We have similar footballing thoughts and want to play offensively. What was particularly striking for me in England was the power of the championship. I was very impressed by the athleticism of the teams and the individual players. This quality is brutal. But it’s no coincidence: great emphasis is placed on athleticism in training. There were about 15 coaches exclusively for this area. Physically, the players are at an absolute top level. Although Huddersfield Town is just a comparatively small club, what is amazing to me is how big the team behind the team is. For example, there were also seven video analysts! In terms of mentality, we had a team in Huddersfield that wanted to march and give it their all. Standard situations were extremely important. Unbelievable: We were relegated and the fans still cheered for us. They were also very respectful of the coaching staff.
Interview: Philipp Marquardt
