Suche
Mein Konto
Peter Stöger returns: New chapter at Rapid Vienna begins!
Peter Stöger becomes Rapid Vienna's new coach. He wants to master the challenges and is planning a round table with the ultras.
Peter Stöger returns: New chapter at Rapid Vienna begins!
A new wind is blowing through the SK Rapid Vienna office. Peter Stöger, an old friend of the club, was introduced as the new coach today. The 59-year-old has a long and successful past, both as a player and as a coach, but as he emphasizes, he does not want to overestimate it. Stöger succeeds Robert Klauß, who was placed on leave at the end of April, and is now taking over the coaching bench after most recently working as sports director at Admira Wacker. His return after an absence of more than twelve years in Austria is causing a lot of interest.
The club has big plans for Stöger. A collaboration is planned over the next two seasons. The signing of the contract was announced on Monday, and immediately after his signing, Stöger was optimistic about the quality of the squad and the potential of the club's own academy. The first big meeting with the Ultras is already on the schedule, indicating that communication between club and fans could be blossoming again.
A victory that gives courage
On Monday evening, Rapid Vienna also celebrated an important 3-0 win against LASK in the second leg of the European Cup play-offs, which resulted in a narrow 4-3 win overall. Although this victory does not completely make up for the messed up Bundesliga season, it does bring a certain level of bearability to the current situation. The last four seasons have been tough for Rapid: two fourth and two fifth places are anything but what the fans and club were hoping for.
Stöger, who played for Rapid from 1995 to 1997 and won the championship with the club in 1995/96, has already shown a good hand. He can look back on an impressive career with successes at Austria Vienna and 1. FC Köln, among others. In the Bundesliga he led Cologne to the European Cup and also gained a foothold at Ferencváros in Budapest. Nevertheless, he now has to create a change at Rapid.
A political field
However, the circumstances surrounding Stöger's commitment are not entirely unproblematic. While the club's Ultras have already organized the first protests against the sporting management and former coach Goran Djuricin, President Michael Krammer emphasized that other factors should play a role in the coaching decision than fan protests. The question remains how the current unrest will affect Rapid's new sporting ambitions.
The challenge for Stöger will be great. He not only has to bring an unsettled team together, but also win back the trust of the fans. His background of experience could play an important role. Whether he is able to lead Rapid back to its former glory remains to be seen.
Rapid Vienna and Peter Stöger - this is a connection that many in Vienna will be following with excitement. The first steps have been taken, but the next games will show whether the new constellation can prove itself.