by CRAIG MAHOOD
Newmains United don’t play professional football – and the boss of New Mainz didn’t either.
We’re adopting 1. FSV Mainz 05 as our Bundesliga club this season.
Their head coach Achim Beierlorzer might be a rookie in professional management but he has quickly settled into life in top-level German football.
Born in the Bavarian city of Erlangen Beierlorzer, 52, turned out for FC Nürnberg II and more prominently at SpVgg Greuther Fürth.
Older brother Bertram did make the jump into FC Nürnberg’s first team before joining Bayern Munich for a star-studded spell where he won two Bundesliga titles and three German Cups.
The younger Beierlorzer actually started the season in charge of tomorrow’s opponents FC Köln.
But after a poor opening run – which included a cup defeat to fourth tier 1. FC Saarbrücken – he was replaced by Markus Gisdol.
He had previously had an interim spell managing RB Leipzig, where he stayed on as assistant. The chance with Köln came after a successful two-year spell at Bundesliga 2 side SSV Jahn Regensburg, where he led the club to fifth and eighth place finishes.
Beierlorzer was appointed Mainz’s fifth head coach in six years last November.
After just one defeat in the five games prior to lockdown they currently sit a place outside the relegation zone.
Beierlorzer will kickstart things tomorrow back at the Müngersdorfer Stadium, where there will be no home supporters to jeer his return.
If Beierlorzer wants to build his reputation then safety for Mainz this year is paramount. He only has to look at how far former Mainz bosses Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel have gone to see what can be achieved.
