Christian Gross Explained

Full Name:Christian Jürgen Gross[1]
Birth Date:14 August 1954
Birth Place:Zürich, Switzerland
Height:1.83 m
Youthyears1:–1965
Youthyears2:1965–1972
Youthclubs1:SV Höngg
Youthclubs2:Grasshopper
Years1:1972–1976
Clubs1:Grasshopper
Years2:1976–1978
Clubs2:Lausanne-Sport
Years3:1978–1980
Clubs3:Neuchâtel Xamax
Caps3:50
Goals3:3
Years4:1980–1981
Clubs4:VfL Bochum
Caps4:29
Goals4:4
Years5:1981–1985
Clubs5:St. Gallen
Caps5:109
Goals5:11
Years6:1985–1987
Clubs6:Lugano
Years7:1987–1988
Clubs7:Yverdon-Sport
Nationalyears1:1978
Nationalteam1:Switzerland
Nationalcaps1:1
Nationalgoals1:0
Manageryears1:1988–1993
Managerclubs1:Wil
Manageryears2:1993–1997
Managerclubs2:Grasshopper
Manageryears3:1997–1998
Managerclubs3:Tottenham Hotspur
Manageryears4:1999–2009
Managerclubs4:Basel
Manageryears5:2009–2010
Managerclubs5:VfB Stuttgart
Manageryears6:2011–2012
Managerclubs6:Young Boys
Manageryears7:2014–2016
Managerclubs7:Al-Ahli
Manageryears8:2016–2017
Managerclubs8:Al-Ahli
Manageryears9:2018–2019
Managerclubs9:Zamalek
Manageryears10:2019–2020
Managerclubs10:Al-Ahli
Manageryears11:2020–2021
Managerclubs11:Schalke 04

Christian Jürgen Gross (born 14 August 1954) is a Swiss football manager and former player who most recently coached Schalke 04. He played as a sweeper and central midfielder.[2]

Gross was manager of Basel from 1999 to 2009, winning four Swiss Super Leagues and four Swiss Cups.

As manager of Tottenham Hotspur between November 1997 and September 1998, Gross became the first Swiss to manage in the Premier League.[3]

Playing career

Gross began his playing career at SV Höngg before moving to Grasshopper in 1965,[4] which he left in 1976. After two years at Lausanne-Sport 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 St. Gallen, Lugano and Yverdon-Sport. Gross was capped once for Switzerland, making his debut on 8 March 1978 in a 3–1 friendly away defeat to East Germany.[5]

Managerial career

Early career

Gross began his managerial career at Swiss side Wil in the 2. Liga (then the fourth-highest level), for whom he was active as player-manager. During his reign from 1988 to 1993,[6] 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.[7] He then joined Grasshopper as head coach in 1993.[8] 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.[9]

Tottenham Hotspur

Gross was hired on 19 November 1997,[10] and endured a tough time; lasting nine months with Tottenham starting in the relegation zone.[11] 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.[12] [13] According to the Tottenham Hotspur programme for the match against Crystal Palace on 24th November, Gross watched the match from the stands with coach, Chris Hughton in charge of the team against Palace.

Gross' initial fortunes were mixed; his debut was a 2–0 win over Everton at Goodison Park, followed by 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.[7] The tabloid ridicule of Gross was often linked to his poor grasp of English and first 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".[14] [15] [16]

Gross' position became increasingly untenable as the 1998–99 season approached, and when Spurs lost two of their opening three matches, chairman Alan Sugar ended Gross' contract on 5 September 1998 citing gross misconduct. In a statement, Sugar blamed the media for destroying Gross' reputation.[17] He had won three of his last ten matches.[11]

Basel

Gross returned to his native Switzerland, finding work as the manager of Basel on 15 June 1999.[18] 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 the 2002–03 season, 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.[7] 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.[19] On 27 May, he was sacked after ten years at the club.[20]

VfB Stuttgart

On 6 December 2009, Gross was revealed as the new manager of VfB Stuttgart.[21] Sensationally, he guided the team to qualification to the UEFA Europa League. Gross was dismissed from his managerial job on 13 October 2010 after six defeats in seven matches, when Stuttgart found itself at the bottom of the table.[22]

Young Boys

Gross signed a two-year contract on 8 May 2011 to become the new manager of Young Boys, following the sacking of former manager Vladimir Petković.[23] However, after a run of poor results, Gross was sacked on 30 April 2012.[24]

Al-Ahli

Gross was appointed manager of Al-Ahli on 18 June 2014,[25] He achieved with Al-Ahli the Saudi Professional League, the King Cup and the Saudi Crown Prince Cup but refused to renew his contract allowing him to leave on 30 May 2016.[26] On 3 October 2016, with the sacking of José Gomes, Gross returned to the club for a second spell.[27]

Zamalek

In April 2018, Gross signed a two-year contract with the Egyptian club Zamalek. He won The Egyptian-Saudi Supercup 2018, and followed that up with a win in the African Confederation Cup in May 2019, which was the first African title for the Egyptian giants since 2002. The deal appeared to collapse in May after the confederation cup final, but it was confirmed to be a one-year deal on 3 July 2018.[28] On 1 June 2019, Egypt Today confirmed that Gross had been fired from his position, President Mortada Mansour of the club told Mehwar TV that "Gross is specialist in failure".[29]

Third spell at Al-Ahli

On 16 October 2019, Gross returned to Al-Ahli for a third spell.[30] On 17 February 2020, Al-Ahli terminated his contract.[31]

Schalke 04

On 27 December 2020, Gross became the fourth head coach for Schalke 04 during the 2020–21 season.[32] [33] [34] On 28 February 2021, Gross was sacked.[35]

Managerial statistics

Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamFromToRecord
Wil1 July 198830 June 1993<-- -->– <-- Unknown sources for record. -->
Grasshopper1 July 199319 November 1997
Tottenham Hotspur19 November 19975 September 1998[36]
Basel15 June 199927 May 2009
VfB Stuttgart6 December 200913 October 2010[37]
Young Boys8 May 201130 April 2012[38]
Al-Ahli18 June 201430 May 2016[39]
Al-Ahli3 October 201620 June 2017
Zamalek3 July 20181 June 2019[40]
Al-Ahli16 October 201917 February 2020[41]
Schalke 0427 December 202028 February 2021[42]
Total

Honours

Player

Grasshopper

1974–75[43]

Manager

Grasshopper

1994–95, 1995–96[44]

Basel

Al-Ahli

2014–15[46]

2015–16[47]

2016[46]

Zamalek

2018[48]

2018–19

Individual

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gross: Christian Jürgen Gross: Manager . BDFutbol . 21 December 2017.
  2. Web site: Christian Gross at Sport.de . Sport.de . 4 December 2019 . de.
  3. News: Around the World: Switzerland and the Barclays Premier League. 31 May 2014. Premier League. 6 October 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151006144901/http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/features/around-the-world-switzerland.html. 6 October 2015.
  4. News: Peter . Herzog . Der neue Trainer hält YB bereits auf Trab . . 14 May 2011 . 4 December 2019 . de.
  5. News: Mac . Huber . Daniel . Leu . Nicola . Berger . Gross und andere Eintagsfliegen im Natitrikot . . 6 September 2018 . 4 December 2019 . de.
  6. Web site: Christian Gross. kicker. 29 January 2014. de.
  7. News: Guardian Unlimited: Sport blog: On Second Thoughts: Christian Gross . The Guardian . 20 November 2007 . 8 April 2009 . London . Paul . Doyle.
  8. Web site: Grasshoppers Zürich " Trainerhistorie. World Football. 29 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140203031701/http://www.worldfootball.net/teams/grasshoppers-zuerich/9/. 3 February 2014. dead.
  9. News: Sugar set to explain Gross appointment . FA Premier League . 19 November 1997 . 4 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/19990222014623/http://www.fa-carling.com/news9798/thfc/th19119701.html . 22 February 1999.
  10. News: Christopher . Davies . Mihir . Bose . Spurs find Swiss replacement as Francis departs . The Daily Telegraph . 19 November 1997 . 4 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050317093250/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=%2Farchive%2F1997%2F11%2F19%2Fsfngro19.html . 17 March 2005 . dead .
  11. News: Christian Gross to Juande Ramos: Tottenham managers that came and went. 29 January 2014. The Daily Telegraph. 30 September 2008. Macaskill, Sandy. Gilmour, Rod.
  12. News: Coach Gross' future at Tottenham in doubt after permit refused . . 31 December 1997 . 4 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070930171433/http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/archives.php?id=5519 . 30 September 2007 .
  13. News: Doyle. Paul. On Second Thoughts: Christian Gross. 29 January 2014. The Guardian. 20 November 2007.
  14. Web site: Christian Gross: 25 November 1997 – 5 September 1998 . Topspurs . 8 April 2009.
  15. Web site: September 5 – Sir Alan Sugar's Apprentice . 5 September 2007 . 30 April 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111005233604/http://www.onthisfootballday.com/football-history/september-5-sir-alan-sugars-apprentice.php . 5 October 2011 . dmy-all .
  16. Web site: F365's Most Memorable Press Conferences – F365 Features – Football365 News . Football365.com . 8 April 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081006050559/http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8750_4239904,00.html . 6 October 2008 .
  17. News: Gross: 'I was sacked' . BBC News . 6 September 1998 . 8 April 2009.
  18. News: Josef . Zindel . 120 Jahre FCB! . FC Basel official website . 16 November 2013 . 4 December 2019 . de . 4 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191204131453/https://www.fcb.ch/de-CH/News/2013/11/16/120-Jahre-FCB . dead .
  19. Web site: Former Tottenham manager attacked by yobs . Daily Mirror . 30 April 2010. 19 May 2009.
  20. Web site: Gross to leave Basel. Sky Sports . 30 April 2010 . 27 May 2009.
  21. News: Gross soll es richten. 29 January 2014. kicker. 6 December 2009. de.
  22. Web site: Gross beurlaubt – Bobic: "Keine Lösungsansätze" . 13 October 2009 . 13 October 2010 . kicker.de . de.
  23. News: Gross übernimmt die Young Boys. 29 January 2014. kicker. 8 May 2011. de.
  24. News: Peter B.. Birrer. Ende des grossen Traums. 18 May 2012. Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 30 April 2012 . de.
  25. News: Gross übernimmt club in Saudiarabien . . 18 June 2014 . 4 December 2019 . de.
  26. News: Gross verlässt Al-Ahli . . 30 May 2016 . 4 December 2019 . de.
  27. News: Ram . Youssef . Gross returns as Al Ahli coach . . 3 October 2016 . 4 December 2019.
  28. Web site: Swiss coach Christian Gross agrees deal with Zamalek after all . BBC . Tarek Talaat . 3 July 2018 . 13 July 2018 .
  29. Web site: Zamalek president fires team coach Christian Gross . Egypt Today . 1 June 2019 . 8 June 2019 .
  30. News: Official: Christian Gross returns to Al Ahli . . 16 October 2019 . 4 December 2019.
  31. Web site: Al Ahli terminate Christian Gross' contract. kingfut.com. 17 February 2020.
  32. Web site: Christian Gross is Schalke 04's new head coach. 27 December 2020. schalke04.de . . 27 December 2020.
  33. Web site: Christian Gross becomes Schalke 04's fourth boss this season. Reuters. 27 December 2020.
  34. Web site: Rücktritt vom Rücktritt: Gross offiziell neuer Schalke-Trainer . kicker.de . kicker . 27 December 2020 . 27 December 2020.
  35. Web site: FC Schalke 04 relieve sporting management of their duties with immediate effect. 28 February 2021. schalke04.de . Schalke 04 . 28 February 2021.
  36. Web site: Christian Gross manager statistics . Managerstats.co.uk . 4 December 2019.
  37. Web site: VfB Stuttgart – Trainer. kicker. 27 December 2020. de.
  38. Web site: Christian Gross at FootballDatabase.eu . FootballDatabase.eu . 4 December 2019.
  39. Web site: Al-Ahli fixtures and results . Soccerway . 4 December 2019.
  40. Web site: Zamalek SC fixtures and results . Soccerway . 4 December 2019.
  41. Web site: Al-Ahli 2019–20 fixtures and results . Global Sports Archive . 4 December 2019.
  42. Web site: FC Schalke 04 – Trainer. kicker. 27 December 2020. de.
  43. Web site: Switzerland – League Cup finals . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . 4 December 2019.
  44. Web site: Switzerland – List of Champions . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . 29 April 2018 .
  45. Web site: Switzerland Cup Finals . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . 29 April 2018 .
  46. Web site: Saudi Arabia – List of Cup Winners. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . 29 April 2018.
  47. Web site: Saudi Arabia – List of Champions . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . 29 April 2018 .
  48. Web site: Egypt's Zamalek win Saudi-Egyptian Super Cup with 2–1 victory at Hilal . . 6 October 2018 . 27 May 2019 . Hatem . Maher.
  49. Web site: Bester trainer in der Schweiz . Swiss Super League . 4 December 2019 . de . 4 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191204131458/https://www.sfl.ch/superleague/trophys/awards/bester-trainer/ . dead .
  50. Web site: FC Basel, Christian Gross and Tottenham's Swiss Connections . Fansided.com . Logan Holmes . 3 April 2013 . 29 April 2018 .