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The three from the bank office: The new OFC head coach Christian Neidhart (54, second from right) together with his assistant Jouke Faber (61, second from left) and goalkeeping coach Rene Keffel (55, left) is “probably the oldest coaching team in the league”. Far right: Sport Managing Director Christian Hock. © hübner
Christian Neidhart has been the coach of the regional soccer team Kickers Offenbach for about a month now. He spent almost two hours with us. Here is the detailed interview.
Offenbach – SV Meppen, Rot-Weiss Essen, Waldhof Mannheim and now Kickers Offenbach: Christian Neidhart has a soft spot for traditional clubs. If he hadn’t ended up in professional football, he would still be a fan in the curve, says the new OFC coach. In the interview, he also talks about the downsides of modern football, two strange stations as a player, a near-accident and enjoying his job.
As a coach you have experienced the Emsland, the Ruhrpott, the Electoral Palatinate and now the Rhine-Main area. What type of person did you meet here?
From day one, my assistant coach Jouke Faber and I felt very welcomed. People here are very positive. A fan braked at the traffic lights in front of the stadium and almost caused an accident to say hello and wish us luck. Of course we are happy about that.
Have you already tried the culinary specialties of the region?
Yes, schnitzel with green sauce. The intensive preparation has not allowed more. But I like going out to eat with the staff or the coaching team to get to know the city and the people. For me it’s important to get a feeling for how people tick. We ask every employee to be open and present in the city. In return, we want this cohesion from the fans, the spectators. If we become one, that would be great. You can also talk critically to each other and get angry about something. But then you have to go in the right direction again. Negative experiences show how strong the team spirit really is.
Was there also something that was a big change for you here?
No. But I was told relatively quickly and often what I was not allowed to do, namely to name the club from the other side of the Main. This is nothing new for me. I grew up in Braunschweig, where the relationship with Hannover 96 is similar. I find it kind of cool too. Rivalry is part of it, as long as it is lived out on the pitch.
They coached a traditional club for the fourth time in a row. Coincidence?
I don’t want to coach a team where nobody cares what happens. I wouldn’t enjoy that. I was recently at a youth game at Rosenhöhe and was approached. I was asked if I got lost (laughs). It’s good to be noticed in the city. People should know that there is someone who identifies with the club and is up for this task. Otherwise I wouldn’t have made the step from the 3rd to the 4th league.
You had already taken this step in 2020, back then from Meppen to Essen. What were the motives at the time?
I was in Meppen for seven years and had experienced everything there. Something like that brings people together. But I wanted to know what makes me tick in a club that is much bigger – in a city with 650,000 inhabitants.
At SV Meppen, the fans said goodbye to you with a banner…
They stood at the office after the game. That was madness. You get goosebumps there. And when they say that’s one of us, I think that’s the greatest honor a coach can receive. I think that’s what I worked for – through humanity and a lot of hard work.
Is your open nature one of the reasons?
I can’t even explain it myself when I’m asked about it. I’m like that as a guy. I’m actually a boy from the curve. If I hadn’t become a footballer or a coach, I would be on short notice at the weekend and support my team. I went to football with my dad and then with my son. So I know how fan culture works and how fans think. It’s important to treat these people as equals, that they have trust and that you can discuss things that remain in the group. I think I’ve always managed that quite well, most recently in Mannheim.
How important is it to have the fans behind you?
You just need that. I had such an experience in Essen. It was 0-0, 95th minute. corner kick It was repeated five times and the thing went in the sixth time. Any referee would have called off the game after the first corner. But he was muffled because behind the curve everything was full and the fans whipped up. The fifth corner comes in, 1-0. You’ll go off like a schnitzel. That’s what makes the fan culture, the difference. Fans can also shout in a goal like that.
You were released in Essen two games before the end of the season, but are considered a promotion coach there…
When I was a guest with Mannheim in Essen last season, the stadium announcer announced me and 20,000 spectators stood. A goosebump moment, really cool. In retrospect, the supervisory board of Rot-Weiss Essen apologized to me for the dismissal. I accepted. A lot of things went wrong there. You can see how they cleaned up at the end of the season. These were all points that I had addressed to the club. It was still a very successful season for me.
What was the key to this success?
The club was in a great position, we had a top team and the opportunity to change certain things. That foundation was important. If that fits, you can’t stop certain things. Then it will happen automatically.
Do you see it the same way at Kickers Offenbach?
We are in the process of pouring the floor slab. I believe that we managed to create a positive atmosphere in a short time. This is important. And we have a team that understands what is at stake. It would be ideal if we were in touch from start to finish so that anything can happen and everyone feels like if it happens then it’s awesome, but if it doesn’t then we have a foundation to build on.
Patience is an increasingly rare commodity in modern football. What else bothers you about the development of the sport?
PC and tactics board sometimes seem to play a bigger role than the ability to lead a team. But you also need good assistants. With Jouke, Rene Keffel and me, we probably have the oldest coaching team in the league. We can prove that the younger generation is not necessarily better, but that experience is also necessary. I’m still totally modern. You can no longer work as a trainer without a laptop.
“Laptop trainers” are associated with a very special language, for example the diametrically tilting six…
I think football always has to be easy. Unfortunately, some trainers make it too complicated. There can be no common basis. Then the team closes completely. Many players have question marks in their heads, feel uncomfortable and therefore make mistakes.
How do you deal with mistakes?
One should never pretend to know everything and make no mistakes. I can admit mistakes and admit them openly, also to the team: ‘Hey guys, don’t worry, I screwed up because I did something without taking you with me.’ It’s important to take the team and the leaders with you. This is the only way to build something that everyone stands behind. As a coach, you also need phases in which the boys stand behind you. You have to work for something like that. On the other hand, the boys also need backing when they play badly.
What is a leader for you?
It’s not enough to slide tackle, you have to lead within the team. This also includes telling fellow players what you think. You need guys who are there longer in the dressing room, but also take responsibility on the pitch. It’s also part of being able to treat yourself – or to tell the coach that someone else should play because you’re not at 100 percent. This is leadership, this is responsibility. However, 20 chiefs cannot say where to go. Anyone who has good input should say so. However, there will always be a certain hierarchy with me.
There seems to be quite a lot of players in the roster who want to get into this role…
First of all, it would be good if everyone saw themselves in the role. You quickly realize what’s behind it. For example, our number one Johannes Brinkies is outstanding for the dressing room. Then there’s Maximilian Rossmann, who fits in really well because he clearly says what he doesn’t like. Björn Jopek is different as a guy: calm and motivating. Then there’s Dimitrij Nazarov and Marcos Alvarez, who takes on a lot of responsibility inside the dressing room. Nevertheless, one is of course measured by the sporty. And responsibility is also part of it when you’re not playing.
Key point: social media. You withdrew completely. For whatever reasons?
I didn’t really have a negative experience, but it was too much for me. People have contacted me because they wanted a shirt from a player. But basically, social media in sport has developed in such a way that everyone expresses their displeasure there. In every club there are experts who write everything badly. I can therefore only advise every player to shut it down and not read everything. Some just throw crap out without knowing the reason, and the inhibition threshold is extremely low.
occupational hazard?
No. It’s not part of football, you don’t have to endure it and you don’t get paid for it. I also don’t go out and swear at someone who takes a 15-minute smoke break at work. If fans whistle in the stadium, that’s okay. But what I don’t like are people who pretend to be explainable without having been to the stadium. I can also be emotional and hit back when I feel something is unfair or untrue. But I can also take it and admit that we have to do something better.
How long can you survive without football?
When I go on vacation and I don’t have football, I get bored after a week. I’ve been a coach for twelve years and said after each station that I would take a year off. I didn’t manage that either. But I’m happy that I’m the one who gets to coach such traditional clubs. But you also need a family that goes along with it all. My son is a second division soccer player himself. My daughter and my wife also played. Still, having someone by your side who can do all of this is not something that can be taken for granted. I’ve broken off vacations for football. When our little one was christened, I was in church in the morning and on the sports field in the afternoon. You can’t stay away from football. I never really managed to come down emotionally and switch off completely. I put my heart and soul into it. I like going to work. It’s not stressful for me to drive to Stuttgart after twelve hours and watch a friendly there. It’s fun and a hobby for me.
The interview was conducted by Jörg Moll and Christian Düncher
Access Müller threatens a break of several months
It would be the second bad news for the OFC within a few days after the serious injury to the returnee Sascha Korb (rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament): Leon Müller (22), who twisted his ankle in the test at Hanau 93 on Wednesday, is threatened with a longer break. First diagnosis: tear of the deltoid ligament in the ankle. Teammate Damjan Balic had already suffered this injury. He has had an operation and will be out for three or four months. However, Müller wants to get a second opinion first. But he will definitely miss the test against FC Schalke 04 II on Saturday (1 p.m., Wiener Ring). (CD)
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