Christian Gross
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Jürgen Gross | ||
| Date of birth | 14 August 1954 | ||
| Place of birth | Zürich, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Young Boys (manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1973–1975 | Grasshopper | ||
| 1975–1978 | Lausanne-Sport | ||
| 1978–1980 | Neuchâtel Xamax | 50 | (3) |
| 1980–1982 | VfL Bochum | 29 | (4) |
| 1982–1985 | St. Gallen | ||
| 1985–1988 | Lugano | ||
| National team | |||
| 1978 | Switzerland | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1988–1993 | Wil | ||
| 1993–1997 | Grasshopper | ||
| 1997–1998 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| 1999–2009 | Basel | ||
| 2009–2010 | VfB Stuttgart | ||
| 2011– | Young Boys | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Christian Gross (born 14 August 1954 in Zürich) is a Swiss professional football manager of and former footballer, currently managing Young Boys.[1] Before that, he managed VfB Stuttgart until his dismissal in October 2010. He was manager of FC Basel from 1 July 1999 to 27 May 2009.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
Gross began his playing career at Grasshoppers, which he left in 1975. After three years at Lausanne Sports and two seasons at Neuchâtel Xamax, he moved to Germany in 1980 to play for VfL Bochum of the Bundesliga. In two seasons Gross made 29 appearances in the Bundesliga and scored four goals. He then returned to Switzerland and spent three years at FC St. Gallen and FC Lugano. Gross was capped once for Switzerland.
[edit] Management career
[edit] Early success
Gross began his managerial career at Swiss side FC Wil in the 2. Liga (the fourth-highest level), for whom he was active as player-manager. During his reign from 1988 to 1993 Wil climbed into the 1. Liga and then the Nationalliga B (now the Challenge League). While at Wil, Gross developed a reputation for an emphasis on fitness and hard work.[3] He then joined Grasshopper Zurich as head coach in 1993. Under Gross, Grasshopper won two Swiss championships and the Swiss Cup. Gross's success with Grasshopper meant he was a very highly-rated coach in his native Switzerland, but he was still little-known outside central Europe and it was a major shock when in November 1997 he was chosen to succeed Gerry Francis as manager of Tottenham Hotspur.
[edit] Tottenham Hotspur
Gross endured a tough nine months at Tottenham starting in the relegation zone. To further his troubles, his most trusted aide, the Swiss fitness coach Fritz Schmid, who had been an integral part of Gross' training plans at Grasshopper, was denied a work permit by the British government and so was unable to take up this role at Tottenham.[4]
Gross' initial fortunes were mixed; his debut was a 1–0 to Crystal Palace at White Hart Lane, followed by a 2–0 win over Everton at Goodison Park, with a heavy 6–1 home defeat at the hands of Chelsea. However, despite some signs of improvement, he was relentlessly ridiculed by the British tabloids.[3] The tabloid ridicule of Gross was often linked to his poor grasp of English and first (infamous) Spurs press conference, where he arrived late from Heathrow airport brandishing a London Underground ticket with the words I want this to become my ticket to the dreams.[5][6][7]
Gross' position became increasingly untenable as the 1998–99 season approached, and when Spurs lost two of their opening three matches, chairman Alan Sugar decided enough was enough and ended Gross' contract, blaming the media for destroying his reputation.[8]
[edit] Basel
After being sacked from the Tottenham job, Gross returned to his native Switzerland, finding work as the coach of Basel. He worked to rebuild Basel into the premier force in Swiss football and achieved greater success than when manager of Grasshopper.
Under Gross' guidance, Basel won four Swiss championships, four Swiss Cups, and mounted a fairytale run in the UEFA Champions League in 2002, beating eventual finalists Juventus as well as knocking out Celtic and drawing with Liverpool (twice) and Manchester United. Gross' success in these games against British sides went a long way towards restoring his reputation among the British media and fans.[3] He took Basel on another European adventure three seasons later as they reached the quarter finals of the UEFA Cup in 2005–06, before bowing out to English side Middlesbrough 4–3 on aggregate despite leading 2–0 after the first leg at St. Jakob-Park.
On 17 May 2009, Gross was attacked by fans of Zürich on a tram after Basel defeated Zürich that day. He received no serious injuries.[9]
On 27 May 2009, Gross was sacked by Basel after ten years.[10]
[edit] Stuttgart
On 6 December 2009, Gross became manager of Stuttgart[11] and signed a contract until 30 June 2011.[12] His dismissal from this job was announced on 13 October 2010.[13]
[edit] Young Boys
Following the poor results, Young Boys sacked the former manager Vladimir Petković on 7 May 2011 and appointed Gross as the new manager. He agreed a two-year contract with the club.
[edit] Managerial stats
- As of 12 February 2012.[14]
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Wil | 1988 | 1993 | — | ||||
| Grasshoppers | July 1993 | July 1997 | 144 | 80 | 42 | 22 | 55.56 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 25 November 1997 | 5 September 1998 | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 34.62 |
| Basel | 1 July 1999 | 27 May 2009 | 357 | 212 | 84 | 61 | 59.38 |
| VfB Stuttgart | 6 December 2009 | 13 October 2010 | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 53.85 |
| Young Boys | 8 May 2011 | Present | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 45.00 |
[edit] Honours
| Career as manager | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Club | Titles | |
| 1988–1993 | FC Wil | Promoted to 1. Liga Promoted to Nationalliga B |
|
| 1993–1997 | Grasshopper Club Zürich | 1994 – Swiss Cup 1995 – Championship 1996 – Championship |
|
| 1997–1998 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| 1999–2009 | FC Basel | 2002 – Swiss Cup 2002 – Championship 2002 – UEFA Champions League 2nd Group Stage 2003 – Swiss Cup 2004 – Championship 2005 – Championship 2007 – Swiss Cup 2008 – Swiss Cup 2008 – Championship 2008 – Super League Coach of the Year |
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| 2009–2010 | VfB Stuttgart | ||
[edit] References
- ^ "FC Luzern v Young Boys 1:1". justcantbeatthat.com. 9 August 2011. http://justcantbeatthat.com/2011/fc-luzern-v-young-boys-11/. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- ^ FC Basel. "FC Basel – Die offizielle Homepage". Fcb.ch. http://www.fcb.ch/core.phpdat=Y29tcG9uZW50PXBhcnRuZXImYWN0aW9uPXNob3cmY2F0ZWdvcnk9NDAzJnBhcmVudElEPTQ5MCZuYXZpZ2F0aW9uSUQ9NDUyJnhJRD10cmFpbmVyYmV0cmV1ZXI=. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
- ^ a b c Doyle, Paul (20 November 2007). "Guardian Unlimited: Sport blog: On Second Thoughts: Christian Gross". London: Blogs.guardian.co.uk. http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/11/20/on_second_thoughts_christian_g.html. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
- ^ "Maier claims first downhill skiing victory Jordan equals Abdul-Jabbar record as Bulls down Mavs Kallis leads South Africa to safety in first test cric". Turkish Daily News. 31 December 1997. http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/archives.php?id=5519.[dead link]
- ^ "Christian Gross: 25 November 1997–5 September 1998". Topspurs. http://www.topspurs.com/cgross.htm. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
- ^ "September 5 – Sir Alan Sugar's Apprentice". 5 September 2007. http://www.onthisfootballday.com/football-history/september-5-sir-alan-sugars-apprentice.php. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ "F365's Most Memorable Press Conferences – F365 Features – Football365 News". Football365.com. http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8750_4239904,00.html. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
- ^ "Gross: 'I was sacked'". BBC News. 6 September 1998. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/fa_carling_premiership/165785.stm. Retrieved 8 April 2009.
- ^ "Former Tottenham manager attacked by yobs". The Daily Mirror. 19 May 2009. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2009/05/19/yobs-spit-on-gross-115875-21370832/. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ "Gross to leave Basel". Sky Sports. 27 May 2009. http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12003_5351223,00.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ "Christian Gross is new VfB trainer". vfb.de. 6 December 2009. http://vfb.de/archiv/en/aktuell/news/2009/34425.php. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
- ^ "I demand passion". vfb.de. 6 December 2009. http://vfb.de/archiv/en/aktuell/news/2009/34421.php. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Gross beurlaubt – Bobic: "Keine Lösungsansätze"" (in German). kicker.de. 13 October 2009. http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/vereine/543509/artikel_Gross-beurlaubt---Bobic_Keine-Loesungsansaetze.html. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
- ^ "Christian Gross – profile". Soccerbase. Racing Post. http://www.soccerbase.com/managers/manager.sd?manager_id=1316. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
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- 1954 births
- Premier League managers
- Expatriate football managers in England
- Living people
- Swiss footballers
- Swiss expatriate footballers
- Swiss football managers
- Grasshopper-Club Zürich players
- FC Lausanne-Sport players
- Neuchâtel Xamax players
- VfL Bochum players
- FC St. Gallen players
- AC Lugano players
- FC Wil players
- Fußball-Bundesliga players
- Expatriate footballers in Germany
- Fußball-Bundesliga managers
- Expatriate football managers in Germany
- VfB Stuttgart managers
- Tottenham Hotspur F.C. managers
- FC Basel managers
- Grasshopper-Club Zürich managers
- BSC Young Boys managers
