Manfred Schwabl is what you call a gut person. And that’s still true, even though the former professional footballer has lost a lot of weight since the summer. As far as his plans and decisions are concerned, Schwabl, in his role as President of SpVgg Unterhaching, continues to listen to what his inner self tells him – the famous gut feeling.
And that is what motivated him a year and a half ago to rely on an internal solution to succeed Sandro Wagner, who set off for new shores after Hachinger’s return to the third division. Marc Unterberger, who had previously worked as a youth coach in various years for 13 years and was most recently responsible for the U19, moved to the position of head coach – and Schwabl dreamed of having found the most long-term solution possible with the then 34-year-old. He spoke more than once about how Unterberger could “shape an era”. Maybe like the trainers Frank Schmidt in Heidenheim or Christian Streich in Freiburg – clubs that are role models for Haching’s boss about how smaller clubs can be successful in sport without losing their down-to-earth attitude.
That seemed to work at first, Unterhaching was usually closer to promotion last season than to the regional league. But now, after the 2-0 defeat at Energie Cottbus, the twelfth league game in a row without a win, Unterberger has been released. Manfred Schwabl explains that he and his son Markus, the Vorstädter’s sports director, told the coach “in a friendly conversation.” The reason he gives is that “in our current sporting situation we need a new impulse”.
As can be heard from those around the team, some players’ confidence in Unterberger’s ability to turn the tide has recently waned. But the timing of the exemption is at least surprising: Unterberger took his final exams for the UEFA Pro license on Monday and Tuesday. Because he lacked this, Schwabl had to shell out around 80,000 euros in fines in order to have his plan carried out by the trainer from his own stable. Now that he has the license, Unterberger has to go.
Sven Bender, 35, who most recently served as Unterberger’s assistant and reportedly already had the backing of some players, is now taking over, at least until the winter break. The timing of the change is also strange in this regard, because after the 14-day period during which you are allowed to operate in League Three without a licensed coach, fines are now due before the winter break – which the DFB is said to have already informed the club based on Haching’s history . The seven-time national player is said to be highly regarded in the team due to his experience (around 33 games in the Champions League). The problem is that the financially strapped club would have to pay further high fines for Bender: he won’t take his exam for the A license until January, and only then can he register for the Pro license. “We now have the next problem,” says President Schwabl.
In interviews and press conferences, Unterberger always came across as very eloquent, as someone who didn’t use phrases and therefore represented the rustic suburban club well. The arguments he had with referees were certainly not helpful. Among other things, according to the verdict of the DFB sports court, he is said to have “physically and verbally attacked” the fourth official after the game against Sandhausen (0-0); to this day he denies any intention.
Schwabl doesn’t want to overstate this; it’s more like the referees are becoming more and more inaccessible. “But it’s clear that he didn’t present a good image for the club,” said Schwabl. The main thing that helped was Sven Bender. Because of Unterberger’s suspension, he was on the sidelines for the home derby against 1860 Munich (2:2), so he was in the spotlight during one of Haching’s better games. Schwabl says that Bender is overall a “calmer guy” than Unterberger.
Together with Verl, Unterhaching has the lowest budget in the third division, “the table situation is now making things more difficult,” says Schwabl
Schwabl doesn’t want to be accused of giving Unterberger bad conditions with his personnel planning in the summer: “We put together the squad together using the limited options we have,” emphasizes the president. None of the numerous well-known departures were avoidable and the budget for new players is known to be limited – together with Verl, Unterhaching has the lowest budget in the third division. “The table situation is now making things more difficult, which is also a mental problem for many of the boys,” says Schwabl.
If there is no money for a better squad, the question naturally arises as to why a license-free coach should be subsidized for a long time through fines. Schwabl doesn’t want to rule out Unterberger’s return at some point in the future: “The collaboration over 15 years was far too good for that,” he says. But the “Hachinger Weg”, a straightforward, down-to-earth strategy that should above all be designed for the long term, has reached a dead end with Unterberger’s departure.
Especially since there are people in the club environment who think that Schwabl is currently sawing off the branch on which he is sitting. He is economically dependent on transfer proceeds from his own talent. And it was Unterberger who was the first to recognize the talent of a young boy without a club over a decade ago and brought him to Haching. His name: Karim Adeyemi, now a player for Borussia Dortmund; where Sven Bender was assistant coach until recently.
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