Bernd Hollerbach
Hollerbach in 2015
Personal information
Date of birth (1969-12-08) 8 December 1969 (age 54)
Place of birth Würzburg, West Germany
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1976–1988 ASV Rimpar
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1991 Würzburger Kickers
1991–1995 FC St. Pauli 143 (6)
1995–1996 1. FC Kaiserslautern 10 (0)
1996–2004 Hamburger SV 197 (4)
Managerial career
2005–2006 VfL 93 Hamburg
2006–2007 VfB Lübeck
2008 VfL Wolfsburg II
2014–2017 Würzburger Kickers
2018 Hamburger SV
2019–2020 Mouscron
2021–2023 Sint-Truiden
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Bernd Hollerbach (born 8 December 1969) is a German professional football manager and former player.[1]

Throughout his playing career, he operated as a left-back for Würzburger Kickers, FC St. Pauli, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, and Hamburger SV, with the latter being the club where he spent the most extended period of his career, spanning over eight and a half years.

Upon concluding his playing tenure, Hollerbach transitioned into coaching, initially undertaking roles with VfL 93 Hamburg and VfB Lübeck. Subsequently, from 2007 to 2012, he served as an assistant coach under Felix Magath at VfL Wolfsburg—during which they secured the Bundesliga title in 2009—and Schalke 04. Following this period, Hollerbach assumed the position of head coach for Würzburger Kickers from 2014 to 2017, successfully guiding them from the Regionalliga Bayern to the 2. Bundesliga. However, his tenure concluded after the club's relegation in their inaugural season in the second division. He then had a short stint as manager of Hamburger SV in 2018, before moving to Belgian football where he coached Mouscron and Sint-Truiden between 2019 and 2023.

Playing career

Hollerbach started his career playing football for ASV Rimpar.[2] In 1988, he joined Würzburger Kickers, where he contributed significantly to their promotion to the Bayernliga in 1990. His noteworthy performances attracted attention, leading to a mid-season transfer to FC St. Pauli in the Bundesliga. Despite being unable to prevent relegation, Hollerbach remained a key figure in the 2. Bundesliga for four years. In the 1994–95 season, he played a pivotal role in St. Pauli's promotion to the Bundesliga but opted to join 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Following a brief stint, he made a move to Hamburger SV in early 1996, where he continued to play in the Bundesliga until 2004 and secured the DFL-Ligapokal in 2003.[3]

Hollerbach gained a reputation as a resilient left-back, earning the moniker "Holleraxt" (Holler-axe).[4][5] His robust style of play resulted in consistently accumulating over ten yellow cards almost every season. Throughout his Bundesliga career, he received a total of 93 yellow cards, three yellow-red cards, and three red cards. Only Stefan Effenberg and David Jarolím received more bookings, albeit with significantly more appearances.[6]

Managerial career

VfL 93 Hamburg and VfB Lübeck

Following his extensive eight-year tenure with Hamburger SV, Hollerbach transitioned into coaching, beginning with a role at VfL 93 Hamburg in 2005.[7] Subsequently, on 1 July 2006, he assumed the position of head coach at VfB Lübeck in the Regionalliga Nord.[8] However, his tenure was cut short on 28 February 2007, after two consecutive defeats raised doubts about their promotion aspirations, leading to his dismissal.[9]

Assistant coach to Felix Magath

In June 2007, Hollerbach assumed the role of assistant coach alongside Felix Magath at Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg.[10] In a dual capacity, he also took charge of the reserve team competing in the Regionalliga Nord in July 2008,[11] before leaving the position to Lorenz-Günther Köstner from January 2009.[12] Under his coaching influence, VfL Wolfsburg clinched the Bundesliga title at the end of the 2008–09 season.[13]

For the 2009–10 season, Hollerbach, still in collaboration with Felix Magath, moved to Schalke 04 as an assistant coach, maintaining this role until March 2011.[14] However, following Felix Magath's dismissal on 16 March 2011, Hollerbach, along with his coaching colleague Werner Leuthard, terminated their contracts with Schalke 04 a day later.[15] Subsequently, on 18 March 2011, they reunited with Felix Magath at VfL Wolfsburg.[16] Hollerbach voluntarily departed the club on 25 October 2012, following Magath's dismissal.[17]

Würzburger Kickers

At the start of the 2014–15 season, Hollerbach took on the role of head coach for his hometown club, Würzburger Kickers.[2][18] On 31 May 2015, he secured promotion to the 3. Liga following a decisive win over 1. FC Saarbrücken.[19] A year later, on 24 May 2016, Hollerbach marked another notable milestone by guiding Würzburger Kickers to promotion to the 2. Bundesliga through a play-off victory against MSV Duisburg.[20] However, in the aftermath of the team facing direct relegation from the second tier, Hollerbach tendered his resignation as head coach on 22 May 2017.[21]

Hamburger SV

On 22 January 2018, Hollerbach assumed the managerial position for Bundesliga club Hamburger SV, positioned at 17th place with 15 points after the nineteenth matchday of the 2017–18 season.[4][22] He signed a contract until 30 June 2019.[23] Following a winless streak of 17 games in his final stretch with Würzburger Kickers, Hollerbach faced a similar fate with Hamburger SV, failing to secure a victory in any of his seven matches in charge (three draws, four losses), thereby establishing a new negative record in German professional football.[24]

On 12 March 2018, merely seven weeks after his appointment, Hollerbach was relieved of his duties as HSV found themselves in 17th place, trailing seven points behind the relegation play-off spot, with eight matchdays remaining in the season. Christian Titz succeeded him as head coach.[25] The club suffered its first relegation to the 2. Bundesliga at the end of the season.[26]

Mouscron and Sint-Truiden

Ahead of the 2019–20 season, Hollerbach assumed the managerial role at Belgian top-flight club Mouscron, succeeding Bernd Storck.[27][28] His contract, extending until 30 June 2021, marked a new chapter in his coaching career. Unfortunately, Hollerbach faced a setback as illness forced his absence from the end of January 2020. Philippe Saint-Jean, the head of the academy, temporarily assumed managerial responsibilities until the end of the preliminary round in the 2019–20 season.[29] Hollerbach resumed his duties on 25 February 2020.[30] Under his guidance, Mouscron achieved a 10th-place finish in the table, as the season was prematurely concluded after 29 matchdays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite securing the license for the 2020–21 season through the intervention of the Belgian Court of Arbitration for Sport, Mouscron encountered financial constraints, resulting in a reduction of Hollerbach's salary. On 10 June 2020, an agreement was reached between the club and Hollerbach to terminate his still-valid contract for another year.[31]

The 2020–21 season saw Hollerbach without employment. However, for the 2021–22 season, he returned to coaching, taking on the role of head coach at Sint-Truiden upon their return to the top division.[32][33] The team finished the season in ninth place, narrowly missing out on the UEFA Europa Conference League play-offs due to a less favorable goal difference.

In December 2022, Hollerbach announced his impending departure from Sint-Truiden at the end of the season, as the club finished in 13th place at the end of the season.[34]

Career statistics

Manager

As of match played 23 April 2023
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref.
P W D L Win %
VfL 93 Hamburg 1 July 2005 31 May 2006 34 18 10 6 052.94
VfB Lübeck 1 July 2006 28 February 2007 24 11 3 10 045.83 [9]
VfL Wolfsburg II 1 July 2008 31 December 2008 17 7 4 6 041.18 [11]
Würzburger Kickers 1 July 2014 30 June 2017 122 58 38 26 047.54 [18]
Hamburger SV 22 January 2018 12 March 2018 7 0 3 4 000.00 [22]
Mouscron 1 July 2019 10 June 2020 24 8 9 7 033.33 [28]
Sint-Truiden 1 July 2021 30 June 2023 67 26 14 27 038.81 [33]
Total 295 128 81 86 043.39 —

Honours

Hamburger SV

References

  1. ^ "Hollerbach, Bernd" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b Sterzbach, Jürgen (27 February 2014). "Würzburger Kickers: Vorstellung: Bernd Hollerbach als Trainer bestätigt". Anpfiff (in German). Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  3. ^ Di Grazia, Giuseppe (4 December 1995). "Bernd Hollerbach kommt – zum HSV" (PDF). Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). No. 283. p. 19.
  4. ^ a b "Neuer HSV-Trainer Bernd Hollerbach – fleißig, ehrlich, fair". Bundesliga (in German). 22 January 2018. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  5. ^ Krons, Manuel (28 January 2018). "Dino-Rettung: HSV vertraut auf "Holleraxt" statt Laptop". Sky Sport (in German). Archived from the original on 9 March 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Übersicht: Die "Gelb-Könige" der Fußball-Bundesliga". RP ONLINE (in German). 1 March 2019. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  7. ^ "VfL testet am Freitag beim VfL 93 Hamburg". Braunschweiger Zeitung (in German). 8 October 2007. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Regionalliga: Lübeck verpflichtet Hollerbach". Sportnord (in German). 30 May 2006. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Regionalliga Nord: VfB Lübeck beurlaubt Trainer Bernd Hollerbach". Rheinische Post (in German). 28 February 2007. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  10. ^ Neethen, Christoph (25 June 2007). "Fränkische Wuchtbrumme". Die Tageszeitung: taz (in German). p. 22. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  11. ^ a b Meyer, Michael (28 November 2008). "INTERVIEW MIT BERND HOLLERBACH, TRAINER DES VFL WOLFSBURG II: "Ich denke, dass in dieser Partie nicht so viele Tore fallen werden"". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Köstner löst Hollerbach ab". kicker (in German). 22 December 2008. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Fearless Wolfsburg land first Bundesliga title". ABC News. 23 May 2009. Archived from the original on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Fußball: Magath nimmt Arbeit bei Schalke 04 auf - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). 17 November 2011. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Bernd Hollerbach verlässt die Königsblauen". Schalke 04 (in German). 17 March 2011. Archived from the original on 20 March 2011.
  16. ^ "VfL präsentiert Felix Magath: "Solche Geschichten schreibt nur der Fußball"". VfL Wolfsburg (in German). 18 March 2011. Archived from the original on 21 March 2011.
  17. ^ "Bitte entsprochen". VfL Wolfsburg (in German). 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012.
  18. ^ a b "Regionalliga: Hollerbach wird Trainer in Würzburg". ran (in German). 27 February 2014. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  19. ^ "Würzburger Kickers schaffen Aufstieg in die Dritte Liga". SPORT1 (in German). Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  20. ^ "Würzburg macht Aufstieg in die zweite Liga perfekt". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 24 May 2016. Archived from the original on 26 May 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  21. ^ "Trainer Hollerbach verlässt Würzburg". SPOX (in German). 22 May 2017. Archived from the original on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  22. ^ a b Heike, Frank (22 January 2018). "Nach Entlassung von Markus Gisdol: Bernd Hollerbach ist neuer Trainer beim Hamburger SV". Der Tagesspiegel Online (in German). Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  23. ^ "HSV verpflichtet Trainer Bernd Hollerbach". Hamburger SV (in German). 22 January 2018. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  24. ^ Bierschwale, Jens (5 March 2018). "HSV-Trainer Bernd Hollerbach knackt Negativrekord von 1976 - WELT". DIE WELT (in German). Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Christian Titz übernimmt den Posten von Bernd Hollerbach". Hamburger SV (in German). 12 March 2018. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  26. ^ Fahey, Ciaran (12 May 2018). "Hamburger SV relegated from Bundesliga for first time amid chaotic scenes". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Officiel: Bernd Hollerbach est le nouveau coach de l'Excel". Excelsior Mouscron (in French). 22 May 2019. Archived from the original on 23 May 2019.
  28. ^ a b "Hollerbach übernimmt Trainerjob in Belgien". Nau (in German). 23 May 2019. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  29. ^ "Philippe Saint-Jean reprend les commandes de l'équipe première". Excelsior Mouscron (in German). 5 February 2020. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020.
  30. ^ "Bernd Hollerbach est de retour à l'Excel !". Excelsior Mouscron (in French). 25 February 2020. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022.
  31. ^ Parcinski, Julien (10 June 2020). "Bernd Hollerbach et Mouscron se séparent". DHnet (in French). Archived from the original on 1 May 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  32. ^ "Nieuwe coach STVV bekend!". Sint-Truidense V.V. (Press release) (in Flemish). 5 June 2021. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022.
  33. ^ a b "STVV stelt trainer Bernd Hollerbach voor. "Passie, vuur en aanvallend voetbal brengen"". Het Nieuwsblad (in Flemish). 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 29 June 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  34. ^ "Trainer Hollerbach hört zum Saisonende in St. Truiden auf". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 15 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 July 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.

External links

Bernd Hollerbach managerial positions
Authority control databases
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