Where are they now: Former Borussia Dortmund head coach Peter Stöger

Peter Stöger was Borussia Dortmund head coach for an eventful five month period. Now he has taken on a dual role with his hometown club.

Stöger answered the call when Borussia Dortmund were in tatters, reeling from a disappointing start to the 2017/18 season under Peter Bosz. The former FC Köln head coach did a fairly decent job all things considered. He helped the Black and Yellows finish fourth in the Bundesliga standings, and also gave young players like Jadon Sancho and Manuel Akanji chances to shine in the first team.

While he did the best that he could, his conservative and uninspiring tactics meant that he was never going to be the man to take Borussia Dortmund to the next level. At the end of the season, it was decided by mutual consent that Stöger’s contract would not be extended, and he was replaced by Lucien Favre.

After leaving Borussia Dortmund, Stöger made his return to hometown club Austria Wien, becoming the team’s sporting director before the start of last season. Die Veilchen finished seventh in the Austrian Bundesliga standings last season. And head coach Christian Ilzer made the surprise decision to leave the club and join Sturm Graz two weeks ago, leaving Austria Wien in a spot of bother.

Due to the “uncertain environment” situation caused by covid-19, Stöger decided to step in and take on the position of head coach for the upcoming season.

"“After the surprising departure of Christian Ilzer and his coaching team in the past 14 days, we racked our brains intensively, had many long and intensive discussions and it became increasingly clear to us how complex and difficult it was current situation is,” Stöger said while announcing his decision to become the new head coach.“When making our decision, we had to take into account the search for a strategic partner, the current budgetary situation, the uncertain environment caused by COVID-19 and the club structure. That’s why I decided to take on this position for a year in this difficult phase.”"

This will be Stöger’s third spell in charge of Austria Wien, and his second in the dual role of head coach and sporting director. During his previous spell with the club, Stöger helped Austria Wien win the Bundesliga title in the 2012/13 season. He also enjoyed two spells as a player for the club, making a total of 226 appearances, and winning three league titles.

Hopefully, Stöger can pick up where he left off in 2013 and guide Austria Wien back to Champions League football in the coming years.