Ralf Rangnick

Ralf Rangnick

Rangnick with RB Salzburg in 2012.
Personal information
Full nameRalf Rangnick
Date of birth29 June 1958
Place of birthBacknang, West Germany
Height1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionDefensive midfielder
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
Southwick
Teams managed
1983–1985Viktoria Backnang (player/manager)
1985–1987VfB Stuttgart II
1987–1988TSV Lippoldsweiler (player/manager)
1988–1990SC Korb
1990–1994VfB Stuttgart (youth)
1995–1996SSV Reutlingen
1997–1999Ulm 1846
1999–2001VfB Stuttgart
2001–2004Hannover 96
2004–2005Schalke 04
2006–20111899 Hoffenheim
2011Schalke 04
2012–RB Leipzig (sporting director)
2012–Red Bull Salzburg (sporting director)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ralf Rangnick (born 29 June 1958 in Backnang) is a German football manager and former amateur player. Rangnick was most recently manager of Bundesliga team Schalke but resigned in September 2011 due to health issues. As of June 2012 he is the sporting director for both Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig.

Playing career

Rangnick began his playing career at VfB Stuttgart, but was unable to progress any further than their amateur side, playing in the lower leagues. This was to prove his level, as he played at a string of small lowly clubs, including a stint at English non-league side Southwick while studying English on a guest year at the University of Sussex in Brighton where Rangnick studied astrophysics and was shortlisted to join the FGR's Space Programme.[1]

Coaching career

Early career

His first taste of coaching came in his playing days at Ulm 1846 in the early 1980s, when he was entrusted to coach the youth side. He stepped up to becoming player/coach at his hometown club Viktoria Backnang, then TSV Lippoldsweiler. After hanging up his boots, he became the coach of SC Korb in 1988, remaining there two seasons before returning to his original club VfB Stuttgart to now manage the amateur side he had once played in.

Rangnick stayed at VfB Stuttgart, as both amateur and youth coach, through the early 1990s, before moving to Regionalliga South side SSV Reutlingen in 1995. He took the club to a fourth place finish in his first season, and they began the following campaign brightly too, with the club in the midst of the promotion push by Christmas. Rangnick would not complete the season with the team though, as he moved to his former club SSV Ulm 1846 in January 1997.

SSV Ulm 1846 were also positioned in the Regionalliga South, and although Rangnick could only manage a sixth place position from the remainder of the 1996–97 season, the next year they won the league. Rangnick adapted well to life at his highest level yet in the 2. Bundesliga, and SSV Ulm 1846 mounted a strong promotion push.

However, during the winter break, he signed a deal to move to top flight VfB Stuttgart for the next season. This was supposed to remain secret until the end of the season, but in February it leaked out into public knowledge. This caused an outcry, especially as the team began to lose ground in the table, and by the end of March, Rangnick quit the post prematurely and took control of VfB Stuttgart for the final five games.

Bundesliga entry

Rangnick was now first-team coach at the club he had served as a player and coached at amateur and youth level previously. His first full season at Bundesliga level in 1999–00 saw the team finish a respectable eighth, but the following season was much tougher. Despite making the semi finals of the DFB-Pokal and the round of 16 in the UEFA Cup (via the Intertoto Cup), their league form was mediocre and they were sat in the relegation zone by the halfway point. After their European exit in February 2001, VfB Stuttgart fired Rangnick.[2]

The next season brought a new post, as Rangnick took over 2. Bundesliga side Hannover 96 on 23 May 2001.[3] His first season was a complete success as they romped home as champions and were promoted back to the Bundesliga after a 13-year absence. Their first season back at the top level saw them consolidate with an 11th place finish, but, as their form nosedived in the second half of the 2003–04 season, Rangnick was fired after a 0–1 defeat at Borussia Mönchengladbach in March 2004.[4]

Schalke 04 and beyond

After missing out on the assistant role in the German national side to Joachim Löw, Rangnick was hired by Schalke 04 on 28 September 2004,[5] after Jupp Heynckes left just weeks into the 2004–05 season. Rangnick again tasted European action as the club had earned a UEFA Cup spot via the Intertoto Cup. He led them through the group phase, but they exited in the knockout rounds to Shakhtar Donetsk. The DFB-Pokal was to prove more successful, though, as Rangnick took the club to the final, where they fell 2–1 to Bayern Munich. Bayern would also pip Rangnick's side in the league as Schalke ended as runners-up.

The next season started well, with Rangnick gaining revenge over former club VfB Stuttgart by beating them 1–0 to lift the Ligapokal. Their second place league finish of the previous year had also qualified them for the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, Rangnick's first entry into the prestigious competition. However, the team would fail to progress beyond the group stage, and sat 10 points off the pace in the Bundesliga, as well as having crashed 0–6 in the DFB-Pokal to Eintracht Frankfurt. Shortly before the winter break, these factors led the club to dismiss Rangnick. Rangnick was dismissed on 12 December 2005.[6]

Rangnick had to drop down the divisions for his next club, as he moved to 1899 Hoffenheim of the Regionalliga South for the 2006–07 season.[7] Again, he proved himself adept at this level, as the team instantly won promotion and played the 2007–08 season in the 2. Bundesliga for their first time in their history. The stay in the 2. Bundesliga was short: a second-place finish for Hoffenheim in 2007–08 earned the club, and Rangnick, promotion to the Bundesliga for the 2008–09 season.

On 2 January 2011, Rangnick resigned as head coach of Hoffenheim, citing the sale of Luis Gustavo to Bayern Munich, of which he had not been informed, as his reason for resigning from the club.[8][9]

In March 2011, Rangnick was named as the replacement for Felix Magath as manager of Schalke 04.[10] Just weeks after being named the new Schalke manager, Rangnick led his old club to their first UEFA Champions League semi-final by defeating holders Internazionale with a 7–3 win on aggregate.

On 22 September 2011, Rangnick stepped down as Schalke's manager due to exhaustion syndrome, stating that he currently does not have "the necessary energy to be successful and to develop the team and the club".[11][12]

Since June 2012, Ralf Rangnick has been the sporting director for both Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig.

Managerial statistics

As of 17 January 2014
Team From To Record
G W D L Win % Ref.
VfB Stuttgart II 1 July 1985[13] 30 June 1987[13] 70 28 16 26 40.00
Reutlingen 05 1 July 1995[14] 31 December 1996[14] 51 26 12 13 50.98
Ulm 1846 1 January 1997[15] 16 March 1999[15] 75 36 18 21 48.00
VfB Stuttgart 3 May 1999[14] 24 February 2001[2] 86 36 16 34 41.86 [16]
Hannover 96 23 May 2001[3] 8 March 2004[4] 98 44 22 32 44.90 [17]
Schalke 04 28 September 2004[5] 12 December 2005[6] 65 36 15 14 55.38 [18]
1899 Hoffenheim 22 June 2006[7] 2 January 2011[9] 166 79 43 44 47.59 [19]
Schalke 04 21 March 2011[10] 22 September 2011[11] 23 10 3 10 43.48 [18]
Total 634 295 145 194 46.53 —

Managerial honours

Ulm 1846 1997–1999

Stuttgart 1999–2001

Hannover 2001–2004

Schalke 2004–2005; 2011

Hoffenheim 2006–2011

References

  1. ↑ Walker, Michael (15 April 2011). "United are the favourites, but then so were Inter Milan...". Daily Mail (London).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Magath wird neuer Trainer beim VfB Stuttgart". kicker (in German). 24 February 2001. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Ralf Rangnick übernimmt die 96er". kicker (in German). 23 May 2001. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Ewald Lienen übernimmt bei 96". kicker (in German). 8 March 2004. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Ralf Rangnick übernimmt S04". kicker (in German). 28 September 2004. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Ralf Rangnick muss gehen". kicker (in German). 12 December 2005. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Rangnick trainiert Hoffenheim". kicker (in German). 22 June 2006. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  8. ↑ "Hoffenheim's coach Ralf Rangnick resigns after defender's sale to Bayern". London: The Guardian. 2 January 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Pezzaiuoli tritt Rangnick-Nachfolge an". kicker (in German). 2 January 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Rangnick: Team fehlt "die Überzeugung"". kicker (in German). 21 March 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Erschöpfungssyndrom: Ralf Rangnick tritt zurück". kicker (in German). 22 September 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  12. ↑ "Rangnick steps aside at Schalke". UEFA. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "VfB Stuttgart II .:. Coaches from A-Z". World Football. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Ralf Rangnick" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "SSV Ulm 1846 .:. Coaches from A-Z". worldfootball. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  16. ↑ "VfB Stuttgart" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  17. ↑ "Hannover 96" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "FC Schalke 04" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  19. ↑ "1899 Hoffenheim" (in German). kicker. Retrieved 17 January 2014.