FC Augsburg were one of two teams without a permanently installed head coach to win in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon. The Bavarian Swabian Fuggerstädter actually might nevertheless have a permanent candidate in mind. Former FCA head coach Manuel Baum returned to the bench and helped lead the team to a home upset victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
Baum – taking over temporarily for the sacked Sandro Wagner – made some solid tactical calls, moving the versatile Robin Fellhauer back to a midfield deployment and giving intriguing summer acquisition Anton Kade his first deployment as a center-forward. Newly tapped squad captain Keven Schlotterbeck assisted on Dimitrios Giannoulis’ 6th-minute 1-0. Some 20 minutes later, Giannoulis set up Kade’s 2-0.
Augsburg went on to win the match by that final scoreline. The result notwithstanding, the Augsburg ultras in the Tribune – as they have already done several times this season – protested the club’s new direction following last summer’s administrative and coaching shake up.
Augsburg sacked former head coach Jess Thorup and sporting director Marinko Jurendic despite a decent season last year. Amid all of the new faces in the front office, the club attempted to re-brand itself by paying homage to the city’s Roman heritage as the former “Augustus Vindelicum“.
Augsburg fans mock the new direction of the club
One of the most notable protests from the ultras came during the home loss against Dortmund on October 31st. The FCA faithful mocked the club’s personnel changes and re-branding as an “Image change that made Augsburg the league’s doormat.“
The banners once again cropped up on Saturday. Banners labeling the “image change” as one that turned Augsburg into the “laughing stock” of the league. Other banners insisted that over 30,000 club members weren’t fooled by the “New FCA“.
A particular banner unveiled later in the match endorsed Manuel Baum’s appointment as the club’s new permanent head coach whilst calling for the resignations of managing director Michael Ströll and club president Markus Krapf.
At the end of October, Wagner famously strode first to the FanKurve despite the protests. He would later remark that he “hadn’t seen his name mentioned“. Baum obviously had no idea that the banners would support him prior to the match, but went to the FanKurve before kickoff anyway.
Quotes on the Fans from Augsburg professionals
“I went to the fans and told them that we needed ten percent more than their best,” Baum remarked at the post-match press conference. “And I asked them to send the team some warm vibes over the next few weeks.”
Speaking in the mixed zone, Baum’s newly tapped skipper Schlotterbeck and newly installed sporting director Benni Weber both addressed the ultra banners. Schlotterbeck attempted to interject some humor into the situation.
“I think they were confused about the fact that we won a game at home for just the second time this season,” Schlotterbeck said, being sure to add: “As I’ve always been saying, we [and the fans] can only do this together. It’s been a successful day for both the FCA fans and us.“
“This is an opinion we can tolerate,” Weber added. “As a club, we are working to set matters right and improve as much as possible.“
Will Manuel Baum be part of the “New, Old Augsburg”?
The long-time FCA head coach insisted that his appointment would last for three games only, noting that the club has “something cool and big planned“. Given that this is precisely what the fans are protesting, however, one wonders of something “cool and big” will satisfy the supporters.
Ströll left open the matter of whether Baum might be installed permanently. Speaking in the mixed zone, Ströll simply noted that things would be reassessed after Baum’s three matches in charge. The club will have plenty of time to mull things over during the winter break.
