Peter Stöger: Five things on Borussia Dortmund's new coach
In Peter Stöger, Borussia Dortmund have moved to fill a coaching void with a studious tactician who has significant experience. But just where did it all begin and how did the footballing life of the new BVB boss develop? We round up Stöger's story in five bitesized chunks ...
1. Success at playing level
A combative midfielder with a keen eye for a clinical pass, Stöger racked up 125 goals in 527 league games during a playing career that spanned almost 20 years and which didn't end until he turned 38. The Vienna-native won three league titles and three cups with FK Austria Wien and also won a championship with rivals, SK Rapid Wien, where he was on the losing side in the 1996 UEFA European Cup Winners' Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain in Brussels.
2. International experience
Stöger was also a regular with the Austria national side, the midfielder going on to net 15 goals and win 65 senior caps after making his debut in a 2-1 reverse against Switzerland in 1988. His highlight at international level came when he was chosen to travel to France for the 1998 FIFA World Cup and was used in the team's Group B games against Cameroon and Italy.
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3. Coaching transition
His first steps into coaching came at Austria Wien, and after quickly impressing with the amateurs, he was promoted to take up the first-team reins. After only weeks in charge, an Austrian Cup was secured. Several months later, Stöger would watch the team become league champions having since stepped upstairs to become the club's sporting director. Prior to joining Cologne, Stöger impressed on his return to Austria Wien in 2012, leading the team to a league title triumph won with a record points haul.
4. Enjoying the Cologne highs
Introduced as Cologne coach in June 2013, Stöger's stay at the Billy Goats began with immediate success, the coach overseeing the Carnival Club's promotion to the Bundesliga as second division champions before they consolidated their place in the top flight with a 12th-place finish in 2015. A final position of ninth was recorded in the subsequent campaign but it was 2016/17 that represented Stöger's climax at Cologne, who finished fifth and returned to major European competition for the first time in 25 years under his guise.
Watch: Stöger gets a beer shower after returning Cologne to European competition!
5. ... and enduring the lows
The first Cologne coach to start a fifth campaign in charge of the club, things quickly began to turn sour in the current season and although a run of five straight losses was halted with a draw at Hannover, Stöger couldn't prevent the team from equalling the record for the worst-ever start to a Bundesliga campaign. The coach was relieved of his duties just prior to the Billy-Goats' exit from European competition. His hiatus from the game was short-lived, however, with Dortmund making the call a week after his departure from North Rhine-Westphalia.