Dieter-Klaus Hecking (; born 12 September 1964) is a German
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
manager for
1. FC Nürnberg
1. Fußball-Club Nürnberg Verein für Leibesübungen e. V., often called 1. FC Nürnberg (, en, 1. Football Club Nuremberg) or simply Nürnberg, is a German association football club in Nuremberg, Bavaria, who currently compete in the 2. Bund ...
and former professional player. He played for
Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betw ...
and
Eintracht Braunschweig
Braunschweiger Turn- und Sportverein Eintracht von 1895 e.V., commonly known as Eintracht Braunschweig () or BTSV (), is a German football and sports club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding members of the Bunde ...
. He returned to manage Hannover despite the long-standing and bitter rivalry between the two clubs.
Managerial career
Early career (2000–2004)
On 1 July 2000, Hecking moved into management as he took over as manager at
Regionalliga Nord
The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
outfit
SC Verl.
His first match was a 2–0 loss to
Eintracht Braunschweig
Braunschweiger Turn- und Sportverein Eintracht von 1895 e.V., commonly known as Eintracht Braunschweig () or BTSV (), is a German football and sports club based in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. The club was one of the founding members of the Bunde ...
on 1 August 2000.
However, Hecking's proclamations that he was seeking a new position irked the club to such an extent they fired him after just 20 games in charge. He was sacked on 31 January 2001.
[ His final match was a 2–1 win to ]Tennis Borussia Berlin
Tennis Borussia Berlin is a German football club based in the locality of Westend in Berlin.
History
The team was founded in 1902 as ''Berliner Tennis- und Ping-Pong-Gesellschaft Borussia'' taking its name from its origins as a tennis and ta ...
. Verl were in seventh place when Hecking was sacked.
Hecking wasn't free for long as another Regionalliga Nord
The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
side, VfB Lübeck
VfB Lübeck is a German association football club playing in Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein in the country's north. In addition to its football side the 1,000 member sports club also has departments for badminton, women's gymnastics, handball, and ...
, came calling on 27 March 2001. His first match was a 1–0 loss to Fortuna Düsseldorf
Düsseldorfer Turn- und Sportverein Fortuna 1895 e.V., commonly known as Fortuna Düsseldorf (), is a German football club in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga.
Founded in 1895, Fortuna entered the league ...
on 30 March 2001. Hecking achieved a solid job in the remaining games, leaving the club in third place, just one short of promotion. This set the basis for the following season as the team claimed the title and moved up into the 2. Bundesliga. Lübeck were knocked out of the German Cup
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is consider ...
by Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are best known for the ...
. Hecking then managed to secure Lübeck an 11th place in the 2002–03 season. Lübeck were knocked out of the German Cup
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is consider ...
by MSV Duisburg. The following season proved to have mixed results. In the league, the club slipped back down to the Regionalliga Nord
The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
, occupying the final relegation position. However, they also got to the semi-finals of the German Cup
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is consider ...
, where they were eliminated by Werder Bremen. This proved the catalyst for VfB Lübeck
VfB Lübeck is a German association football club playing in Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein in the country's north. In addition to its football side the 1,000 member sports club also has departments for badminton, women's gymnastics, handball, and ...
to announce that they would not be extending his contract further and he left the club on 25 May 2004.
Alemannia Aachen (2004–2006)
Once again, Hecking was not short of work as just a week later 2. Bundesliga side Alemannia Aachen
Alemannia Aachen () or ATSV Alemannia 1900 is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long term fixture of the country's second division, ''Alemannia'' enjoyed a three-year turn in the Bundesliga in the ...
announced that he would be taking the managerial reins at their club, after the departure of Jörg Berger.
Hecking's first match was a 1–1 draw against Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
on 9 August 2004. During the 2004–05 season, Alemannia Aachen participated in the UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
, where they got to second round when they eliminated by AZ Alkmaar
Alkmaar Zaanstreek (), better known as AZ Alkmaar or simply AZ (), is a Dutch professional football club from Alkmaar and the Zaan district. The club plays in the Eredivisie, the highest professional football league in the Netherlands, and host ...
. In the German Cup
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
, Alemannia Aachen were eliminated in the second round by Bayern Munich. In the league, Alemannia Aachen finished in sixth place. The 2005–06 season started with a 2–1 loss to Erzgebirge Aue
Fußball Club Erzgebirge Aue e.V., commonly known as simply FC Erzgebirge Aue or Erzgebirge Aue (), is a German football club based in Aue-Bad Schlema, Saxony. The former East German side was a founding member of the 3. Liga in 2008–09, ...
on 8 August 2005. Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betw ...
eliminated Alemannia Aachen in the second round of the German Cup
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
. Alemannia Aachen finished second in the 2. Bundesliga
The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
and was promoted to the Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
.
Hecking's time guiding Alemannia Aachen in the top flight was short. Just three games in, he requested to be able to leave the club for his former club and fellow Bundesliga
The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...
side Hannover 96
Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betw ...
on 7 September 2006, to fill the vacancy left by their sacking of Peter Neururer
Peter Neururer (born 26 April 1955) is a German professional football manager, notable for coaching a number of Bundesliga clubs.
Managerial career
Neururer had a minor playing career in the lower leagues before moving into coaching at TuS Hal ...
. Ironically, the final straw for Neururer was a 0–3 home defeat to Hecking's Alemannia Aachen
Alemannia Aachen () or ATSV Alemannia 1900 is a German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long term fixture of the country's second division, ''Alemannia'' enjoyed a three-year turn in the Bundesliga in the ...
.[ Alemannia Aachen were in 14th place when Hecking left the club.] Hecking finished with a record of 42 wins, 14 draws, and 27 losses in 82 matches.
Hannover 96 (2006–2009)
Hecking became manager on 7 September 2006.[ Dieter Hecking officially took over the manager's job with immediate effect on 7 September 2006.][ However, caretaker manager Michael Schjönberg managed the ]DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
match against Dynamo Dresden
Sportgemeinschaft Dynamo Dresden e.V., commonly known as SG Dynamo Dresden or Dynamo Dresden, are a German association football club based in Dresden, Saxony.Grüne, Hardy (2001). Enzyklopädie des deutschen Ligafußballs 7. Vereinslexikon. Ka ...
on 9 September 2006. Hecking recovered Hannover from a dismal start that left them bottom at the time of his arrival. The team also achieved a good run through to the quarter finals of the German Cup
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
, and finished comfortably in 11th place in the Bundesliga. During the following season, Hanover were knocked out of the German Cup
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...
in the second round by Schalke 04
Fußballclub Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e. V., commonly known as FC Schalke 04 (), Schalke 04 (), or abbreviated as S04 (), is a professional German football and multi-sports club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine ...
. Hannover improved on their league position by finishing in eighth place. Hannover started the 2008–09 season with a 5–0 win against Hallescher FC
Hallescher FC, sometimes still called by its former popular name Chemie Halle, is a German association football club based in Halle an der Saale, Saxony-Anhalt. The club currently plays in the 3. Liga, the third highest level in the German footb ...
on 9 August 2008. They were eventually eliminated in the second round by Schalke, for the second consecutive year. Hannover defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach 5–1 on 14 September 2008. The following week, on 19 September 2008, Hannover lost to Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...
4–0. Hannover lost to 1899 Hoffenheim
Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V., or simply TSG 1899 Hoffenheim or just Hoffenheim () is a German professional football club based in Hoffenheim, a village of Sinsheim municipality, Baden-Württemberg.
Originally founded in 189 ...
5–2 on 18 October 2008. Hannover lost 4–0 to Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...
on 22 November 2008. The match against VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB S ...
on 14 February 2009 finished in a 3–3 draw. Hannover lost to Bayern Munich 5–1 on 7 March 2009. The match against Borussia Dortmund
Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...
on 14 March 2009 finished in a 4–4 draw. Hannover lost to Wolfsburg 5–0 on 16 May 2009. Hannover finished the 2008–09 season in 11th place. On 19 August 2009 Hecking resigned voluntarily from his post after a disappointing 2008–09 season and a slow start to the 2009–10 season. Hecking's final match was a 1–1 draw against Mainz. Hannover were tied for 14th place with 1899 Hoffenheim when Hecking left the club. Hecking finished with a record of 39 wins, 30 draws, and 40 losses in 109 matches.
1. FC Nürnberg (2009–2012)
On 22 December 2009, he was named as the new manager of 1. FC Nürnberg
1. Fußball-Club Nürnberg Verein für Leibesübungen e. V., often called 1. FC Nürnberg (, en, 1. Football Club Nuremberg) or simply Nürnberg, is a German association football club in Nuremberg, Bavaria, who currently compete in the 2. Bund ...
, replacing Michael Oenning. His first match was a 1–0 loss to Schalke on 17 January 2010. Nürnberg finished in 16th place and went into the relegation playoff. Nürnberg won both legs of the relegation playoff. During the 2010–11 season, Nürnberg reached the quarter-finals of the German Cup, where they were eliminated by Schalke. Nürnberg finished in sixth place in the league. They had finished one spot and 11 points behind Mainz for a Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
spot. Nürnberg started the 2011–12 season with a 5–1 win against Arminia Bielefeld in the German Cup. They were eventually eliminated in the round of 16. Nürnberg finished in 10th place in the league. Hecking used a clause in his contract to leave the club. His final match was a 1–1 draw against Werder Bremen on 16 December 2012. Nürnberg were in 14th place when Hecking left the club. Hecking finished with a record of 42 wins, 23 draws, and 47 losses in 112 matches.
VfL Wolfsburg (2012–2016)
Hecking at a press conference with Wolfsburg in 2014
Hecking became manager of Wolfsburg on 22 December 2012.[ He made his debut on 19 January 2013 in a 2–0 win against Stuttgart. During the 2012–13 season, Wolfsburg lost to Bayern Munich twice.] Wolfsburg lost to Bayern 2–0 in the league on 15 February 2013 and 6–1 in the German Cup on 16 April 2013. Wolfsburg finished in 11th place. Wolfsburg started the 2013–14 season with a 3–1 win against Karlsruher SC
Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909, and won the DF ...
. Wolfsburg again got to the semi-finals of the German Cup. This time losing to Borussia Dortmund. Wolfsburg finished the season in fifth place and won a spot in the Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
. Wolfsburg started the 2014–15 season by knocking out SV Darmstadt 98. The match finished in a 0–0 draw before Wolfsburg defeated Darmstadt in a shootout. Wolfsburg started the league season with a 2–1 loss to Bayern Munich. However, in the reverse fixture, Wolfsburg won 4–1. In March 2015, in the Europa League, in the round of 16, Wolfsburg defeated Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
by a 3–1 score in the first leg and 2–1 in the second leg for a 5–2 aggregate score. Wolfsburg were eliminated by Napoli
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
. Wolfsburg finished the league season in second place, 10 points behind Bayern. The second-place finish qualified Wolfsburg for the Champions League. On 30 May 2015 Wolfsburg defeated Borussia Dortmund 3–1 in the German Cup final. This was Hecking's first major trophy. Wolfsburg started the 2015–16 season by defeating Bayern Munich in a shootout to win the German Super Cup. In the Champions League, Wolfsburg won Group B, finishing two points above PSV Eindhoven
Philips Sport Vereniging (; en, Philips Sports Association ), abbreviated as PSV and internationally known as PSV Eindhoven (), is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department, w ...
. Wolfsburg were eventually eliminated by Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. Wolfsburg finished the league season in eighth place. Wolfsburg sacked Hecking on 17 October 2016. Hecking's final match was a 1–0 loss to RB Leipzig
RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V. (), commonly known as RB Leipzig, and colloquially referred to as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bul ...
. Wolfsburg were in 14th place when Wolfsburg sacked Hecking. Hecking finished with a record of 81 wins, 41 draws, and 43 losses in 165 matches.
Borussia Mönchengladbach (2016–2019)
On 21 December 2016, Hecking was appointed as the new head coach by Borussia Mönchengladbach with a contract spanning until 2019. On 2 April 2019, Gladbach's sporting director Max Eberl announced that Hecking's term would not be extended beyond the end of the 2018–19 season.
Hamburger SV (2019–2020)
On 29 May 2019, Hecking signed a one-year contract to be the new manager of Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...
, replacing Hannes Wolf. He departed by mutual consent on 4 July 2020.
Return to Nürnberg (2023–)
In February 2023, he took the head coaching spot on interim until the end of the 2022–23 seasn.
Managerial statistics
Honours
Manager
VfB Lübeck
* Regionalliga Nord
The Regionalliga Nord ( en, Regional League North) is the fourth tier of the German football league system in the states of Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Hamburg. It is one of five leagues at this level, together with the Regional ...
: 2001–02 ( Promotion to 2. Bundesliga)
* Schleswig-Holstein Cup
The Schleswig-Holstein Cup (German: ''Schleswig-Holstein Pokal'') is one of the 21 regional cup competitions of German football. It is a qualifying competition for the German Cup, with the winner of the competition being automatically qualified fo ...
: 2001
Alemannia Aachen
* 2. Bundesliga
The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...
promotion: 2005–06
VfL Wolfsburg
* DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...
: 2014–15
* DFL-Supercup: 2015
Individual
* German Football Manager of the Year The title Football Manager of the Year (''Trainer des Jahres'') has been awarded in Germany since 2002. The award is determined by a poll of German football journalists from the Association of German Sports Journalists (''Verband der Deutschen Spo ...
: 2015
References
External links
*
Dieter Hecking
at KSV Hessen Kassel Archive
at kicker.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hecking, Dieter
1964 births
Living people
People from Castrop-Rauxel
Sportspeople from Münster (region)
German footballers
Association football midfielders
Germany under-21 international footballers
Bundesliga players
2. Bundesliga players
Borussia Mönchengladbach players
SV Waldhof Mannheim players
1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig players
Hannover 96 players
Eintracht Braunschweig players
KSV Hessen Kassel players
German football managers
Bundesliga managers
2. Bundesliga managers
SC Verl managers
VfB Lübeck managers
Alemannia Aachen managers
Hannover 96 managers
1. FC Nürnberg managers
VfL Wolfsburg managers
Borussia Mönchengladbach managers
Hamburger SV managers
Footballers from North Rhine-Westphalia
West German footballers