Hennes Weisweiler

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Lore & Background

Weisweiler took over as manager of Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1964. The club's most recent major title had been its win in the German cup in 1960, and it had found itself in the second division after the inception of the Bundesliga, finishing eighth in the year before he arrived. Weisweiler found a team with young local talent, such as the 19-year-old Günter Netzer and Jupp Heynckes, as well as Bernd Rupp and Herbert Laumen, who later played for the national team. The next year Borussia, the average age of the players a mere 21.5, finished first in its division and gained promotion to the Bundesliga. With the beginning of the new season another 19-year-old, Berti Vogts, joined the team. The first two years in the Bundesliga were learning years. Despite the later addition of another talented player, Herbert Wimmer, Borussia finished in 13th and 8th place in the league. In its third year the club came to the attention of a wider audience and finished third, despite losing Heynckes to Hannover 96. The team, by now known for their attacking style, repeated that success the following year. At the beginning of the 1969–70 season Borussia was even widely tipped as being the holders Bayern Munich's main rival for the Championship, as the defense had been strengthened with the arrival of international Ludwig Müller, and the attack boosted by the addition of Danish international Ulrik Le Fevre. Decisive also was Weisweiler's ability to find and add further gifted young players, and younger talents including players like Horst Köppel reached sufficient maturity to hold their own on the highest level. This "youth culture" eventually gave Borussia the nickname they still carry today: the Foals. At the end of the year the team was crowned champion for the first time, and twelve months later the club from the small town became the first side in Bundesliga history to defend the league title. This was secured with a 4–1 away win in Frankfurt, which enabled Borussia to fend off a late Bayern challenge on the last match day. The team's first European Champions Cup participation had ended in the second round, when after two 1–1 draws with Everton, Borussia lost in the penalty shoot-out. During their second challenge, Helenio Herrera's catenaccio specialists Inter Milan, at the time one of Europe's most celebrated sides, visited the Bökelberg stadium. During the first half of t

In Their Own Story

The 1972–73 season was overshadowed by the first major conflict of Weisweiler with his star Günter Netzer. Many thought Netzer was the tournament's most glamorous player at the 1972 European Championship. Weisweiler may have resented that he himself was no longer the star of the team. The conflict ended in separation, and a few weeks before the end of the season Netzer's departure to Real Madrid was announced. There was still one important match to go: the DFB-Pokal cup final in Düsseldorf, against Weisweiler's original club 1. FC Köln. The coach left Netzer on the bench. In the short break before extra time Netzer removed his track suit and, it is said, told Weisweiler he would be playing. Shortly after the game resumed, Netzer, with only his second possession of the ball, scored a winner for Borussia after a give-and-go with Bonhof. Thus ended one of the major 1970s coach-player associations, with Weisweiler and Netzer winning the DFB-Pokal cup.

Reader's Guide

Weisweiler moved in the summer of 1975 to the Spanish top club Barcelona, replacing Rinus Michels, who returned to Holland after four years with the Catalans. When asked why he would leave Mönchengladbach, the source article does not provide further details.

Did You Know?

• Weisweiler was in the first ever line-up for 1. FC Köln after the club was founded in 1948.
• The 1971–72 match against Inter Milan, annulled after a can-throwing incident, is called 'the Match of the Can'.
• Allan Simonsen, initially regarded as a dud, was voted Europe's Player of the Year five years after joining Borussia.

The Architect of the Foals

Hennes Weisweiler took over as manager of Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1964. The club's most recent major title had been its win in the German cup in 1960, and it had found itself in the second division after the inception of the Bundesliga, finishing eighth in the year before he arrived. Weisweiler found a team with young local talent, such as the 19-year-old Günter Netzer and Jupp Heynckes, as well as Bernd Rupp and Herbert Laumen. The next year Borussia, the average age of the players a mere 21.5, finished first in its division and gained promotion to the Bundesliga. With the beginning of the new season another 19-year-old, Berti Vogts, joined the team. At the end of the 1969–70 season the team was crowned champion for the first time, and twelve months later the club from the small town became the first side in Bundesliga history to defend the league title. This was secured with a 4–1 away win in Frankfurt, which enabled Borussia to fend off a late Bayern challenge on the last match day.

A Master of Talent Development

Weisweiler's ability to find and add further gifted young players gave Borussia the nickname they still carry today: the Foals. Younger talents including players like Horst Köppel reached sufficient maturity to hold their own on the highest level. The 19-year-old diminutive lightweight Allan Simonsen was immediately regarded a dud by everyone who saw him in one of his rare appearances in the first team. Weisweiler's expressions of belief in Simonsen were met with general disbelief, but five years later Simonsen was voted Europe's Player of the Year. Weisweiler also developed talents including Rainer Bonhof, Uli Stielike, and others.

The Match of the Can and European Drama

During Borussia's second European Champions Cup challenge, Helenio Herrera's catenaccio specialists Inter Milan visited the Bökelberg stadium. During the first half of the match, with Borussia leading 2–1, Inter's Roberto Boninsegna was allegedly hit in the head by a soft drink can thrown from the stands, and had been stretchered off. It is disputed that he had actually been struck, or if it had truly caused him injury. Borussia had obliterated Inter by a final score of 7–1. Netzer later said his team had played so well they would have defeated any side in Europe by a huge margin, however Inter players said that when Boninsegna got stretchered off they essentially stopped playing. The empty can was presented to the referee, and afterwards when Inter's officials complained, the governing authorities annulled the match and ordered it to be replayed on a neutral ground. Inter won its home leg against Borussia 4–2, and the neutral match played in Berlin ended 0–0. The annulled match has come to be called 'the Match of the Can'.