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1.FC Nürnberg, from now on known as FC Nuremburg or 1.FCN, had two great periods in its history. The first was during the tulmutous ‘20s when the Bavarian club won five first division titles from 1920 to 1927. The second was during the ‘60s when the club won two titles (1961 & 1968), runner-up in another (1962) and added a German Cup to the trophy case (1962). Since then the club has fallen on hard times. Immediately after its success in the ’60s the club dropped down all the way into the regional leagues. From then on the club has bounced up and down between the varying German leagues and only in the early 80s did it get a whiff of significant silverware when it reached the Finals in the German Cup, only to be denied. Where the city was once famous for its football pedigree it was now infamously tied to the Nazi rallies held there in the 30’s. Only something dramatic could change this negative image.
After another demotion from the Bundesliga in 2003 and the unexpected exit of Klaus Augenthaler who went to Leverkusen to repair their disastrous year, Nuremburg was left once again looking for a manager who could build a solid Bundesliga foundation. Which is why I was surprised when I received the call from the 1.FCN President asking if I was interested in the position. Perhaps a bit of explanation of my career is in order at this point. My name is Wolfgang Rauf. After a very undistinguished youth career at Bayern Munich I realized my football playing career was destined for leagues far lower on the German football food chain than the Bundesliga. After bouncing around on various Bayern league sides, I eventually settled at FC Kempten and became a relatively successful player/manager for the Allgaü side.
It was my acumen for getting the most out of a semi-pro side and sending them deep into the German Cup last year that brought my name to the 1.FCN board as a prospective manager. During my interview, the Board gave three tasks for the manager they would hire. First, the new manager was expected to lead the club to promotion in the upcoming year. Secondly, upon promotion Nuremburg was expected to stay up for a more extended period than in recent Bundesliga campaigns. Failure in either of these tasks would be grounds for an immediate sacking and the stern gaze on their collective faces left no doubt that they were serious about this ultimatum. The third task was less dramatic, but the seriousness of it also could not be understated. I was expected to guide Nuremburg with as many German faces as possible, preferably one’s who grew up wearing lederhosen (read: Bavarians) in order to market the club to the city and the surrounding countryside, where Bayern Munich obviously ruled supreme. I wasn’t certain any of the three tasks could be successfully completed, but I wasn’t about to pass up the chance to guide a side with the resources of 1.FCN so I readily accepted. A few days later I was phoned again and was offered the position. My career at 1.FC Nürnberg had begun. God have mercy upon me.
Upon my first day at the club I came to the horrible realization that I had made a gigantic mistake. One that might just end my coaching career before it had even gained firm footing. After managing a dozen and a half players and an assistant manager who was a mechanic during the day at FC Kempten, I felt completely overwhelmed that first morning as I took the practice fields in charge of over fifty players from the under-19 level to the senior side plus a full retinue of coaches, scouts and physiotherapists.. And speaking of my coaching staff, I doubt a less remarkable lot could ever be assembled. And bitter to boot for being passed over by some Alpine upstart. It was time to call in reinforcements.
My first call was to Liverpudlian great Peter Beardsley, who through channels I had learned was looking for a coaching position. I wasn’t hopeful that he would be interested but I was desperate and phoned him anyway only to be surprised that he was indeed interested having not had much luck finding positions in England. While I was stuck with a pre-existing assistant manager, I planned to use Beardsley as a shadow assistant manager who would be in charge of the under-19 side among other tasks. To round out the staff I hired a Bulgarian by the name of Ananiev who would be placed in charge of training the goalkeepers. And upon recommendation from Peter I hired an Englishman by the name of Clifford who was said to be proficient in training defenses. The latter sparked “English Invasion” headlines for a time in the local papers as my coaching staff anonymously sniped at the two Englishmen to reporters. I, however, was quite happy to have them along and my initial fears were eased as they helped loosen the burden on my shoulders. There were still panic attacks. Not the least being that Wolves immediately offered Beardsley an assistant manager position with the club, but Peter honorably kept his word with us and turned down the offer. As soon as my assistant manager’s contract ends or the buyout becomes more palatable I plan to officially name Beardsley as my AM in gratitude.
After settling the staff, my attention turned to the players at my disposal. With only a £400k transfer kitty, I decided to build it up a bit by selling off some players who other clubs were interested in and who I didn’t see as a long-term option at Nuremburg. So, I sent Pavel David back to the Czech Republic (Sparta Prague) for £325k and Rafael to Corinthians for £350k. But the coup was when Besiktas came in and offered £950k for Oktay, who is poor in the air and not especially fast which is a bad combination for a striker.
With the money accrued from these sales, I went shopping. First was a call to the States to secure the services of Eddie Pope from DC United for the very cheap price of £90k. He isn’t the commanding center-back I desire, but he is well suited for 2.Liga play and could still contribute in the Bundesliga. My second purchase was to buy a young Bulgarian striker by the name of Pavel Beganskiy from BATE for £300k. Finally, I bought Petar Djenic from Ahlen to add much needed depth to the left side. Then I went to the player bank and took out some loans. Suprisingly Stuttgart offered Christian Tiffert out on loan and I snatched him up. Likewise, Dinamo Kiev offered a dynamic Romanian midfielder by the name of Tiberiu Ghioane on loan and I secured his services for the year as well. With Robert Vittek (Slovan Bratislava) and Lawrence Aidoo (M’gladbach) already at the club these additions put my number of loans at four.
I still had a tidy sum in the kitty, but I decided to wait until the January window to take advantage of perhaps a favorable buying market before I spent more money.
In the goalkeepers box, 1.FCN had an embarrassment of riches. Both Raphael Schäfer and Kristian Nicht were Bundesliga quality keepers. My coaching staff, including the new additions, informed me that Nicht was the better of the two, but my own thought was for Schäfer. While I don’t like over-ruling such a consensus I felt safe in my choice. Nevertheless, I planned to give Nicht at dozen or so appearances during the year, so it could be a year long battle. Darius Kampa is also a quality keeper but he was sent down to the Amateur side with an available to loan tag.
My backline is a mixed bag. On the right-side I’ve earmarked American international Tony Sanneh as the man with Christian Wiesner as his understudy. In central defense, newly arrived Eddie Pope will team up with Tomasz Kos. Kos is a bit slow footed, but anticipates well and has good positional sense which should make up for the lack of speed. Marek Niki and Thomas Stehle will relieve them during the year. Finally on the left-side Frank Wiblishauser is penciled in as the starter by default. I have no cover at the position but could bring Djenic down from midfield in a pinch.
The midfield is full of stark choices between player development and winning now. Of course, if I don’t win now I will be sacked so maybe it is full of easy choices. On the right-side Christian Tiffert gets the nod with Lawrence Aidoo, another loanee, acting as cover. A couple of decent men owned by the club will need to develop on the Amateur side. Poland born Mariusz Kukielka will be the ball winner in central midfield and currently injured Dieter Frey, Kempten born, will be his back-up. I’m not the least bit confident with Frey so Larsen might see time there as well. In the attacking position of central midfield, Romanian Tiberiu Ghioane will be the starter and the aforementioned Tommy Svindal Larsen backing him up. There are a couple of other decent players who could fill in as well, but like at right-side they will spend the bulk of 2003/04 on the Amateur side, injuries naturally changing things. Finally, on the left-side newcomer Petar Djenic will start with Leverkusen bound Jacek Krysnowek playing in attacking situations.
Up front, the well named Martin Driller will act as the target man with 22 year-old Pavel Beganskiy acting as his strike partner. Brazilian Vlademir will nominally back-up Driller but I’ll probably shift Beganskiy over in the position should Driller get injured or need rest. Backing Beganskiy is Robert Vittek, on loan from Slovan Bratislava, and should see plenty of time on the pitch as I’ll try to keep Beganskiy’s appearances in the low 20s. And that is the side we start the season with. I would like to find a more robust ball winner in midfield, add cover at left back and add depth on the front line during the course of the season.
The Formation
I began the pre-season utilizing an counterattacking 5-3-2, but it was an abysmal failure. Goal opportunities dwindled in each successive friendly until our last I was left with only two against a poor French side. So, I’ve switched to a 4-4-2. Away I will instruct the wingers to play positionally sound as we counterattack against the opposition momentum. At home, I look for my wingers to bomb forward, getting the ball to a pair of strikers who are strong in the air. We will begin the season playing mostly a direct style, but I hope to switch to a more short passing game as our players become more familiar with each other. Defensively, Pope will act as a stopper with Kos as the sweeper. In certain situations I’ll push Sanneh forward, but Wiblishauser on the left-side will play cautiously due to his limited attacking ability.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I began the pre-season utilizing an counterattacking 5-3-2, but it was an abysmal failure. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Good
If you want to do something for Nürnberg's reputation, step one will be ditching negative football I say :cool:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Raptor:
Weren't you the one who admitted to never seeing a soccer match in person? :p<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Rap- I watch soccer on TV when I can and besides, my above statement is a truism that applies to 90% of sports. It is possible to play good defensive ball if the coach knows how and the players are suited to the system.
Rallying From Infamy 
I watch soccer on TV when I can and besides, my above statement is a truism that applies to 90% of sports. It is possible to play good defensive ball if the coach knows how and the players are suited to the system.
Linear Mode
