Horst Wohlers

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Wohlers was born in Brunsbüttel, Schleswig-Holstein. He joined first teams of SC Brunsbüttelkoog and FC St. Pauli until his 1975 transfer to Borussia Mönchengladbach. He was a midfielder, who played during Borussia's golden years in the 1970s, when he won with Borussia the Bundesliga two times, the DFB-Pokal once, and the UEFA Cup in 1979. Wohlers made 95 Bundesliga appearances for Mönchengladbach, scoring six times. He appeared in total 232 times in the Bundesliga, playing also for 1860 Munich and Arminia Bielefeld until he retired from playing in 1985.

In Their Own Story

After hanging up his boots in 1985 following stints at 1860 Munich and Arminia Bielefeld, Wohlers transitioned into management with a dramatic chapter in Denmark. In 1989, he became a coach for Bayer 05 Uerdingen alongside former colleague Rainer Bonhof. By 1990, the Danish Football Association (DBU) identified him as the ideal replacement for Sepp Piontek, a recommendation driven by his former teammate Allan Simonsen. Wohlers was publicly presented as the new national coach at a press conference while still under contract with Uerdingen. This situation escalated into a public farce because he could not break his contract to join Denmark. Consequently, Richard Møller Nielsen was appointed instead. In 1991, Wohlers returned to manage his former club FC St. Pauli, though his tenure as a Bundesliga coach ended that same year. He later worked as an assistant to Horst Köppel with Urawa Red Diamonds in the Japanese J-League.

Reader's Guide

After his playing career ended, Wohlers became a coach for Bayer 05 Uerdingen in 1989 assisted by his former colleague Rainer Bonhof. The Danish Football Association (DBU) contacted him in 1990, because he was pointed out as the ideal replacement for another German, Sepp Piontek, by his former teammate Allan Simonsen. Wohlers was even presented as new national coach at a press conference, though he was still under contract at Uerdingen. This led to a public farce in Denmark, because he was never allowed to break his contract at Bayer 05 Uerdingen. Therefore, the later successful Richard Møller Nielsen was appointed as new Danish coach instead. In 1991, Wohlers became the coach of his former club FC St. Pauli, where his career as Bundesliga coach ended in the same year. He worked for a while as assistant to Horst Köppel in the Japanese J-League with the Urawa Red Diamonds. In the 2004–05 season, he became the coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach II (or U23), which he led to the German third tier (Regionalliga Nord). His contract ended on 30 June 2010.

Did You Know?

• Wohlers made 95 Bundesliga appearances for Mönchengladbach, scoring six times.
• He was presented as new Danish national coach at a press conference but never took the job due to his contract at Uerdingen.
• He led Borussia Mönchengladbach II to the Regionalliga Nord in the 2004–05 season.