Peter Stöger returns: New chapter at Rapid Vienna begins!

Peter Stöger returns: New chapter at Rapid Vienna begins!

A new wind blows through the SK Rapid Vienna office. Peter Stöger, an old acquaintance of the club, was presented today as a new trainer. 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 on leave at the end of April, and now takes over at the coaching bench after recently working as a sports director at Admira Wacker. His return after more than twelve years of absence in Austria ensures lively interest.

The club has big plans with Stöger. Cooperation over the next two seasons is planned. The signing of the contract was announced on Monday, and Stöger was optimistic about the quality of the squad and the potential of the club's own academy immediately after his obligation. The first big meeting with the Ultras is already on the plan, which points out that communication between the club and fans could bloom 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 ended in a short 4: 3 success in the overall score. Although this victory does not fully compete with the messed up Bundesliga season, it brings a certain amount of tolerance into the current situation. The last four seasons were hard for Rapid: two fourth and two fifth places are anything but what fans and clubs hoped for.

Stöger, who played at Rapid in his active time from 1995 to 1997 and won the championship with the club in 1995/96, has already proven a good hand. With successes at Austria Vienna and 1. FC Köln, he can look back on an impressive career. In the Bundesliga, he led Cologne to the European Cup and also gained a foothold at Ferencváros in Budapest. Nevertheless, he now has to design a change in Rapid.

a political field

The circumstances around Stöger's obligation are not entirely unproblematic. While the ultras of the association have already organized the first protests against the sporting management and the 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 influence the new sporting ambitions of Rapid.

The challenge for Stöger will therefore be great. He not only has to bring together an unsettled team, but also regain the confidence of the fans. His experience background could play an important role in this. It remains to be seen whether he is able to lead Rapid back to old shine.

Rapid Vienna and Peter Stöger - this is a connection that many will be pursued in Vienna. The first steps are taken, but the next games will show whether the new constellation can prove itself.