Second division soccer team Hamburger SV has found a successor for Tim Walter. Steffen Baumgart was officially introduced as the new coach at HSV on Tuesday.
Baumgart made no secret of his joy when he was introduced at the Volksparkstadion: HSV was a “special club” for him and he was very happy to be there. The 52-year-old also added: “I’m not here because I’m a fan.”
Because the Rostock native has a clear mission: he should lead the third-place team in the 2nd league back to the Bundesliga. The club initially did not provide any information about the term of the contract.
Baumgart at HSV: first introduction, then training
At 4 p.m. Baumgart, who most recently coached the Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln, will lead the first training session on Sylvesterallee.
On Sunday (1:30 p.m., in the NDR Livecenter) he will celebrate his debut on the sidelines of the traditional club von der Elbe in the home game against Elversberg.
Boldt: “Baumgart is known for his captivating style”
“I’m really looking forward to the big challenge. It starts immediately, I’ll work directly with the boys. The goal is clear, we don’t have to talk around it: promotion,” said Baumgart, who met Merlin Polzin, Sven Höh and Loic Fave will be available as an assistant coach.
“Steffen Baumgart is known for his emotionally stirring style. It is important to maintain the fire that we have ignited and to continue our path in a targeted manner,” said sports director Jonas Boldt.
HSV for Baumgart the “childhood club”
Baumgart knows how to lead a team upwards: with SC Paderborn he once managed to move from the 3rd league to the Bundesliga. The former striker recently left Cologne by mutual consent after two and a half years; the decision was made shortly before Christmas.
Since then, the ex-professional has been repeatedly associated with the Hamburg team, as the 52-year-old is considered a fan of the traditional club and once called it his “childhood club”: “I’ve always been a bit of an HSV fan since I was a child. That I became when the club was still big.”
Walter had missed promotion with HSV twice in relegation and was released on February 12th after a weak start to the second half of the season. During the recent 2-2 draw at Hansa Rostock, assistant coach Polzin sat on the bench as interim coach.
Four points behind the direct promotion spot
HSV is already four points behind a direct promotion place in the table and seven points behind leaders FC St. Pauli. In the first two home games of the year against Karlsruher SC (3:4) and Hannover 96 (3:4), Hamburg also conceded a whopping eight goals.
Walter’s successor Baumgart will have to focus primarily on defensive stability if he wants to return to the first division with the former Bundesliga dinosaur in the sixth attempt.
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Hamburg Journal | 02/20/2024 | 19:30 o’clock