Feldhofer & Predecessors: These Coaches Were Dismissed the Fastest

End: January 3, 2000

Successor: Goran Stanisavljevic

Lustenau had not won ten consecutive games and thus spent the winter in second-to-last place. When only one team was worse at the indoor tournament in Dornbirn, club boss Hubert Nagel pulled the plug.

Whether the players were happy about it is not really clear. After all, their winter holiday was extended by a few days. Successor Goran Stanisavljevic also couldn't change anything – the Ländle club was even relegated.

End: August 28, 2000

Successor: Hans Krankl

Eight winless rounds and then a 1:5 defeat against GAK. That was simply too much for the Südstadt board.

"After the 1:5, Miklavic was very depressed," manager Norbert Plihal described after the mutual separation. Hans Krankl came at just the right time.

The Goleador had previously been coach of Fortuna Köln for four months and secured Admira's league survival with a three-point lead.

End: August 12, 2001

Successor: Walter Hörmann/Toni Pfeffer

What do you do after a 2:1 derby win? Sack the coach. Frank Stronach did not miss out on this curiosity either.

An hour and a half after the final whistle, the Austro-Canadian announced his decision. "I made the decision entirely on my own," he wanted to be noted.

This was followed by the consistently unsuccessful duo Hörmann/Pfeffer. Incidentally, Rapid coach Ernst Dokupil was also history one day later.

End: August 12, 2002

Successor: Christian Keglevits

Cup win, Supercup win, and a chance to enter the Champions League. Thijs Libregts was the celebrated hero in Graz.

But five winless games at the start of the league were enough for GAK boss Rudi Roth to show the Dutchman the door. Even the drop in spectator numbers was blamed on the then 61-year-old.

Assistant coach Christian Keglevits took over the head coach position. Less than two months later, he also lost his job.

End: July 28, 2003

Successor: Heinz Hochhauser

Georg Zellhofer spent just two games – both of which were lost – on the Pasching bench in the 2003/04 season. He then resigned for health reasons.

His knee was causing him serious trouble. "For us, this is all like a huge blow. We were a sworn team to the core," said a dismayed manager Stefan Reiter. "I missed the best time to quit during the summer break," the coach admitted to "bad optics". Heinz Hochhauser succeeded him.

End: September 22, 2004

Successor: Dominik Thalhammer

Tuesday night into Wednesday was a long one in Südstadt. "There was no reproach from the club's side, and I tried until 2 AM to get him to continue," explained club boss Hans Werner Weiss the day after.

Sixth place after the first quarter of the championship and elimination from the ÖFB Cup were enough for Bernd Krauss to throw in the towel. His previous assistant, Dominik Thalhammer, was appointed as his successor.

End: August 17, 2005

Successor: Robert Pflug

"When you give everything for a club for six years, such a procedure leaves a strange taste," Dominik Thalhammer complained.

Club boss Hans Werner Weiss had not deemed it necessary to inform him personally of his dismissal. Manager Manfred Polster took on this task.

The then 34-year-old had no objections to the reason – he had remained without a point in the first six rounds. Amateur coach Robert Pflug took over the position.

End: August 27, 2006

Successor: Peter Pacult

Josef Hickersberger's footsteps were big. Too big for Georg Zellhofer.

The Lower Austrian native and Rapid – it somehow didn't fit. In the spring, the former Pasching coach missed out on an international starting spot, and in the first seven rounds of the autumn season, the Hütteldorfers collected only seven points.

Rapid then found Peter Pacult in their search for a coach. Less than two months later, Zellhofer signed with arch-rival Austria Wien.

End: October 22, 2007

Successor: Helmut Kraft

Across seasons, FC Wacker had been winless for no fewer than 17 games when Lars Söndergaard had to vacate his coaching chair. The Dane had to contend with injury misfortune, and there was also repeated unrest within the club off the pitch.

"I certainly made mistakes too, but not very big ones," the dismissed man was sure after separating from the Innsbruckers.

Helmut Kraft was appointed as sporting director and also took over as coach. What was intended as an interim solution would not change until the end of the season – with relegation to the second division.

End: August 30, 2008

Consistency in the coaching hot seat is not Altach's strong suit. At the beginning of their third Bundesliga season, the Vorarlbergers already parted ways with their third coach. This time, it was Heinz Fuchsbichler who had to go.

The Styrian had a very weak start to the season. Before the eighth-round match against Kapfenberg, it was announced that at least a draw was needed for the coach to remain in office. The game was lost.

The SC Rheindorf board allowed the coach to hope for one more night before the separation was decided. Successor Urs Schönenberger was also history ten games later. Georg Zellhofer came but was relegated with Altach.

End: November 21, 2009

Successor: Joze Prelogar

Having arrived as Sporting Director, Frenkie Schinkels switched to head coach of SK Austria Kärnten in February 2008. One and a half years later, the former championship-winning coach of Wiener Austria resigned as coach of Kärnten, with the team at the bottom of the table.

Joze Prelogar took over but could no longer lead Austria Kärnten away from the bottom of the table. Just a few weeks later, the club was history; in June 2010, bankruptcy was filed, and operations ceased.

End: November 10, 2010

Successor: Georg Zellhofer

Eight points after 14 games were enough for LASK to part ways with Helmut Kraft in autumn 2010, who had led the Linzers to a seventh-place finish the previous season.

Georg Zellhofer succeeded Kraft, but without success. The next coaching change to Walter Schachner followed as early as March – however, relegation was unavoidable for the Linzers that season.

End: November 22, 2011

Successor: Thomas von Heesen

Werner Gregoritsch wrote a special story with SV Kapfenberg when they were promoted to the Bundesliga in 2008.

The Styrian successfully kept the "Falcons" in the league in the following years, but in November 2011, this era came to an end.

Lying in last place in the table, Kapfenberg decided to show Gregoritsch the door and brought in Thomas von Heesen instead. However, the turnaround did not materialize, and with the German, they returned to the second division at the end of the season.

End: October 10, 2012

Successor: Roland Kirchler

In 2010, Walter Kogler led FC Wacker back to the Bundesliga, and in the following two seasons, the former ÖFB defender also secured league survival with the Innsbruckers.

After a mere three points from eleven games, Kogler, unsurprisingly, had to vacate his coaching chair at the start of the 2012/13 season. Roland Kirchler took over and still led the Tyroleans to league survival with an eighth-place finish.

End: August 8, 2013

Toni Polster's era as a Bundesliga coach lasted exactly three games. The ÖFB record goalscorer succeeded Didi Kühbauer in Südstadt in the summer of 2013 but could not earn a single point with Admira.

The 1:7 thrashing against Grödig was enough for Admira's officials to release Polster after just three games. Oliver Lederer took over for a month and a half before Walter Knaller arrived and still led the Südstädters to league survival with a ninth-place finish.

End: September 21, 2014

Successor: Franco Foda

Darko Milanic concluded his only full season as head coach of SK Sturm in 2014 with a fifth-place finish. After an average start to the following season, however, the Slovenian's era on the touchline for Graz was already over.

Then-English second-tier club Leeds United came knocking and poached Milanic. Shortly after, Sturm presented an old acquaintance, Franco Foda, as his successor. The German would hold the job for three more years.

End: August 16, 2015

Successor: Paul Gludovatz

Helgi Kolvidsson was not allowed to stay on the SV Ried touchline for long.

After just five Bundesliga games, in which the Icelander, who had joined from SC Wiener Neustadt the previous summer, could only secure one point, the decision was made to relieve Kolvidsson of his duties.

The Innviertlers reverted to tried-and-tested methods, reinstating Paul Gludovatz as head coach. The veteran coach handed over to Christian Benbennek at the end of the season, with the team in seventh place. Ried was relegated the following season.

End: October 25, 2016

Successor: Jochen Fallmann

Together with Karl Daxbacher, the Lower Austrians achieved promotion to the Austrian top flight in 2015/16.

"Some players came to me and said they no longer felt confidence," explained SKN Sporting Director Frenkie Schinkels about the separation after just one win this season.

"It bothered me that Daxbacher said the squad wasn't Bundesliga level. We don't share that opinion at the club," said Schinkels about the background. Assistant coach Jochen Fallmann, after his promotion to head coach, proved that the squad was good enough for the league, securing survival as ninth in the table.

End: September 9, 2017

Successor: Ernst Baumeister

Damir Buric's first spell in Südstadt was anything but unsuccessful. The Croatian took over the club in January 2017 and led them to sixth place in the Bundesliga.

In the following season, they had just thrashed SV Mattersburg 5:0 when the surprising news broke that Buric was leaving Admira for the 2. Bundesliga in Germany. Greuther Fürth called, and Buric followed. Admira reacted with understanding and installed Sporting Director Ernst Baumeister as head coach. With him, the season ended in a strong fifth place.

End: August 21, 2018

Successor: Klaus Schmidt

SV Mattersburg finished in seventh and sixth place in their first two seasons under Gerald Baumgartner, but after the 0:6 defeat against WAC on the fourth matchday of the 2018/19 season, the officials had had enough of Baumgartner.

"It comes as a great surprise and hurts me," the coach had not expected the dismissal so early in the season. Klaus Schmidt succeeded Baumgartner, and with him, the team finished fifth at the end of the season.

End: September 2, 2019

Successor: Klaus Schmidt

In 2019, Reiner Geyer just barely managed to keep the team in the league, but the weak start to the season with just one point from six games prompted the Südstädters to act early.

"Our team needs a new impulse in the current situation," explained Admira manager Amir Shapourzadeh about the decision.

Klaus Schmidt took over but had to vacate his post again the following February. With Zvonimir Soldo on the touchline, they managed to secure league survival by the skin of their teeth, finishing eleventh.

End: September 13, 2020

Successor: Damir Buric

Admira lost 1:4 against Rapid on the first matchday of the new Bundesliga season – and suddenly the coach was gone.

Officially, Soldo offered his resignation to the Südstädters for private reasons, but Felix Magath, then Head of Global Soccer at Flyeralarm, likely had a hand in it.

Admira decided to bring back Damir Buric. However, Buric also had to vacate his post again in April 2021. Klaus Schmidt stepped in once more and saved the Südstädters from relegation.

End: September 13, 2021

Successor: Andreas Wieland

In 2021, Dominik Thalhammer led LASK to fourth place in the Bundesliga and into the ÖFB Cup final.

At the start of the following season, however, the Athletiker slid into a downward spiral that cost the LASK coach his job. After only one win in seven Bundesliga games, the LASK leadership was no longer convinced by Thalhammer and replaced him with assistant coach Andreas Wieland, who missed the championship group and had to vacate the position for Didi Kühbauer at the end of the season.

End: October 16, 2022

Successor: Zoran Barisic

In 2022, Rapid barely qualified for the European Cup qualifiers as fifth in the championship group, but then suffered an embarrassing defeat against FC Vaduz at the start of the following season.

The "negative basic mood in the club" that Ferdinand Feldhofer had identified at the time could no longer be smoothed over under his leadership. After twelve Bundesliga matchdays, Rapid pulled the plug and instead put Sporting Director Zoran Barisic on the coaching bench.

End: November 13, 2023

Successor: Alexander Schneider

It was a dismissal that had been anticipated for a long time.

After 14 winless games at the start of the Bundesliga season, Austria Lustenau pulled the plug and relieved Markus Mader of his duties. Mader had led the Vorarlbergers to the Bundesliga two years prior with the 2. Liga championship title and thus "will always play a formative role in the history of SC Austria Lustenau," as the club announced upon his departure.

Sporting coordinator Alexander Schneider is now stepping in as interim. He will be assisted by amateur coach Momo Gerdi. 

End: September 3, 2024

Successor: Markus Schopp (LASK) or Manfred Schmid (Hartberg)

Darasz joined LASK as interim coach and, thanks to a strong season finish (third place), recommended himself for a permanent position. In the new season, however, things did not go well for the Viennese at all.

After advancing in the ÖFB Cup and an opening victory in the Bundesliga (against Hartberg, of all teams), there were no more successes for Darasz's Linzers. The 1:5 defeat against WAC sealed the not-so-surprising exit of the head coach.

It was all the more surprising that Schopp was presented as his successor on the same day. In his second spell at Hartberg, he once again did a good job. TSV also expressed surprise and subsequently installed Manfred Schmid.

However, things went similarly poorly for Schopp in the Steel City; he was dismissed at the end of the season. Joao Sacramento took over in the new season.

End: September 23, 2025

Successor: Didi Kühbauer

Hard to believe, but: LASK actually started their double-winning year with Sacramento.

The later champions only won two of seven Bundesliga games under the Portuguese. However, the official reason for his resignation was not sports-related.

After his departure, there was talk of a disciplinary incident within the coaching team, which led Sacramento to draw a line "out of loyalty" to his team. However, in July 2026, he explained: "I left my family for LASK. I didn't want to regret missing my child's development and growing up later."

That the matter took a fortunate turn for LASK is almost an understatement. Two weeks later, Kühbauer took over and lifted the LASKlers from ninth place to a double victory.

End: August 17, 2026

Successor: Joachim Standfest (interim)

Ferdinand Feldhofer was GAK coach for a year and a half. He survived a twelve-game winless streak, while also keeping the club in the Bundesliga for two years – albeit narrowly.

However, the 0:8 humiliation against SK Rapid forced Graz to act. After the third Bundesliga round, the club pulled the plug. "We had to draw a clear consequence in the interest of the club," explained interim sporting director Andreas Lienhart.

Joachim Standfest is taking over on an interim basis; a long-term successor is still being sought.