A Tribute to Christoph Daum: Remembering his distinguished tenure in Stuttgart

 

Christoph Daum, the German manager who recently passed away, had exceptional glory days at VfB Stuttgart in his notorious near-miss in his managerial career.

The name Christoph Daum might not have been as famous as Otto Rehhagel or Ottmar Hizfield in German football back in the 1990s. The two Rehhagel were identical to Werder Bremen’s success, while Hizfield was an integral part of Dortmund’s silverware in the decade.

However, Daum had been equal to Rehhagel-Hizfield in terms of the Bundesliga title. He managed to lift the trophy in the 1991–92 season, toppling his two rivals and finishing ninth and second, respectively. It remained his only major silverware on the home soil. Yet, it did not stop DFB from targeting him to take the reins of the German national team after their devastating campaign in EURO 2000.

Eventually, he did not get the job due to the cocaine controversy, which was proven following the rumour of his dark lifestyle rolled by the press. The former Bayern man and legend, Uli Hoeness, who happened to be his long-term nemesis for years, had, in fact, already stated that Daum had not been a suitable candidate for the Die Mannschaft post.

That was the beginning of his decline, especially in his own country, as he was dismissed from his current side, Bayer Leverkusen. Fortunately, his negative reputation in Germany did not affect his career abroad, as he won league titles in Turkey and Austria before another near-miss in Belgium with Club Brugge.

Throughout his long managerial career, his stint in Stuttgart remained the most memorable one, compared to his spells in FC Koln or Bayer Leverkusen, which he once said was the best club he had ever worked for. Here are his triumphant years with Die Schwaben.

Bundesliga 1990/91

Daum was named Stuttgart boss in late November 1990 after his sudden dismissal from Koln in the previous season, despite having led the Billy Goats to the UEFA Cup semifinal, losing 3-2 only to the eventual champions, Juventus. Eike Immel and Co were sitting on 15^th in the standing at the time of his arrival. Daum’s first game was a bittersweet reunion with Koln, as he guided them to a comeback 3-2 win despite having conceded twice in 50 minutes.

The gaffer, who had no professional playing experience, did the unthinkable after leading his team to finish sixth and secure a spot in the continental competition, the UEFA Cup. Die Schwaben snatched 12 wins and seven draws in 23 games. Their most notable victory was a 1-0 win over Rehhagel’s Werder Bremen on the road, an unbeaten record against Hamburg (2-0 and 1-1), and a 6-1 away rout against his former club, Koln.

Bundesliga 1991/92

His first full season at Neckarstadion surprisingly ended with the most coveted silverware, the Bundesliga. Guido Buchwald and Co. were involved in a three-horse race for the title. Yet neither of their contenders was Bayern Munich. Die Roten were stuck in the midtable and finished tenth in the final standings.

Daum’s Stuttgart had to deal with a three-way battle with Eintracht Frankfurt and Ottmar Hizfield’s Dortmund. It was a dramatic season, as they were not the favourites despite having shared the same exact points with their rivals prior to their final week. They were able to pick up a 2-1 win over Die Werkself on the road in a stunning comeback one more time. Daum’s men conceded in the 20th minute after Martin Kree successfully converted the penalty. They managed to equalise in the second half, also from a penalty spot by their top scorer, Fritz Walter, not related to the legendary striker in the 1950s. Their winning goal came in the 88^th minute from the header of German international Guido Buchwald.

Die Schwaben’s fans were sent to raptures as the final whistle blew, marking their last league title before clinching another one in 2007 with the likes of Mario Gomez and the future World Cup winner, Sami Khedira, in the team. At the same time, Dortmund’s win did not help them secure the title despite collecting the same point as Stuttgart, which had a much better goal difference, while the league leader, Frankfurt, shockingly slumped to a defeat against Hansa Rostock.

Eike Immel and Co. sealed 21 wins, were held ten times, and suffered seven losses throughout the campaign. Their forward, Fritz Walter, snatched an additional accolade as he won the Bundesliga top scorer award with 22 goals.

Their campaign in Europe, unfortunately, ended prematurely as they were knocked out in the second round. Daum’s men lost 3-2 at home to Osasuna after holding them to a goalless draw in the reverse fixture.

Bundesliga 1992/93

His second season in Stuttgart did not end well, despite their flying start with a 3-1 victory against Hannover 96 in the German Super Cup. They only sat seventh on the table with only 36 points. Die Schwaben was also already eliminated in the first round of the UEFA Champions Cup while taking on Leeds United.

That season was more notorious for Daum’s mistake in fielding the fourth foreign player in the Champions Cup second leg versus Leeds United. At that time, this was considered a violation, as only three foreign players were allowed to be on the pitch at the same time. They were eventually beaten 3-0 by the English champions, but were not instantly suspended by UEFA for such a mistake. As Leeds filed their request to European football governing body, the match was replayed in a neutral place and Stuttgart suffered another defeat from The Whites. 

Bundesliga 1993/94

Daum’s last campaign only lasted until December. The former Koln boss was only at the helm of the team until matchday 19, before he was released. It was his worst season in Stuttgart, after only securing four wins in 20 matches in all competitions.

Despite having Brazilian international Dunga and Swiss forward Adrian Knupp, the manager, who was also well-known as a distinguished motivator, was unable to lead them back on track. In fact, they were winless in the past six games and scoreless in the last three games in charge.

Notable players during his tenure in Stuttgart:

• Eike Immel (GK)
• Guido Buchwald (DC, DM)
• Mathias Sammer (DM)
• Carlos Dunga (MC, DM)
• Adrian Knupp (ST)
• Thomas Strunz (RW, MR)