Feldhofer is supposed to save GAK from relegation – dreams of promotion are rekindled!

Feldhofer is supposed to save GAK from relegation – dreams of promotion are rekindled!

The Grazer Athletiksport Klub (GAK) has reacted to the sporting decline and hired Ferdinand Feldhofer as its new coach. The step comes one day after the official release of Rene Poms, who was only able to win three games in 13 games for the traditional club. Under his leadership, the GAK recently had no notable successes and fell to last place in the table, level on points with Altach. However, the club management was optimistic about the new era with Feldhofer, who has already gained experience in Austrian football as a former defender for local rivals Sturm Graz. Small newspaper reports that Feldhofer's engagement represents the third stop this season.

Feldhofer previously worked at SV Lafnitz, WAC and Rapid as well as internationally at Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia and most recently at Cercle Brugge. At the latter he spent a short spell of 17 games in which he recorded five wins, eight draws and four defeats. Matthias Urlesberger, GAK's previous assistant coach, will also be part of the coaching staff in the future. Feldhofer emphasizes the need to join forces in the club and is optimistic about the cooperation with the players.

Successor to Poms

The GAK leadership had already thought about possible successors in advance after the decision to release Poms had been made. Several coaches with Bundesliga experience were on the wish list, including two former Rapid coaches: Zoran Barisic and Andreas Heraf, in addition to Feldhofer. Barisic was recently without a club, while Heraf had to be relegated from the Bundesliga with Austria Lustenau. However, Feldhofer has emerged as the favorite for the coaching position.

Those responsible at GAK hope that Feldhofer can bring about a turnaround through his experience and commitment. Sports director Dieter Elsneg emphasizes that with Feldhofer they are relying on an experienced coach, but does not provide any information about the contract terms. Given the statistics on coaching changes, the question arises as to whether this measure actually has the desired effect. Mirror examines this phenomenon and points out that frequent changes of coach in the past do not necessarily lead to a positive result.

Feldhofer is aware of the challenges and has clearly communicated his ambitions. The next ten games will be crucial for GAK to secure a place in the league and avoid relegation. The club community has mixed feelings about this development, but remains optimistic that Feldhofer can reshuffle the team and lead it to new success.