Introduction
Michael Frontzeck (born 26 March 1964) is a German football coach and former footballer, who last managed Hannover 96. For the (West) German national football team, he earned 19 caps and was in the squad for Euro 1992.
Playing career
Frontzeck began his career in the Bundesliga in 1982 with Borussia Mönchengladbach. From 1989 to 1994, he played for VfB Stuttgart as left wing back. He returned to Borussia Mönchengladbach for the season 1995–96 but then had his first stay abroad in the 1996–97 season with Manchester City. After playing for SC Freiburg and a last season for Borussia Mönchengladbach, he ended his player career in May 2000.
He played for the German national team from 1984 to 1992 in a total of 19 games and won a runners-up medal in UEFA Euro 1992.
Coaching career
Frontzeck started as assistant coach of Borussia Mönchengladbach from 2000 to 2003 and for Hannover 96 from 2004 to 2005. He was head coach of Alemannia Aachen from 13 September 2006 until the end of the season 2006–07 when he resigned due to the club's relegation. In January 2008, he was named head coach of Arminia Bielefeld and took over for interim head coach Detlev Dammeier after the winter break. Eventually, it was announced that his contract was extended until 2010 but on 17 May 2009, Frontzeck was fired.
On 3 June 2009, Borussia Mönchengladbach announced Frontzeck's return to the team as new head coach. He signed a two-year-contract until 30 June 2011. Following the loss against FC St. Pauli on 13 February 2011 Frontzeck was released as head coach by the club management of Borussia Mönchengladbach. He finished with a record of 16 wins, 14 draws, and 31 losses.
On 3 October 2012, he was named new manager of FC St. Pauli replacing André Schubert. He was sacked on 6 November 2013. He finished with a record of 15 wins, 10 draws, and 5 losses.
He was appointed the new head coach of Hannover 96 on 20 April 2015. His first match was a 2–1 loss to 1899 Hoffenheim. To finish out the 2014–15 season, Hannover defeated FC Augsburg and SC Freiburg, both by a 2–1 scoreline, and two draws against VfL Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen. The win against Augsburg was Hannover's first win of 2015. On 28 May 2015, Hannover removed the interim tag and gave Frontzeck a two–year contract. He resigned on 21 December 2015. He finished with a record of seven wins, four draws, and 13 losses.
Coaching record
- As of 29 December 2015
| Team | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | W | D | L | Win % | Ref. | |||
| Alemannia Aachen | 13 September 2006 | 19 May 2007 | 33 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 27.27 | |
| Arminia Bielefeld | 4 January 2008 | 17 May 2009 | 53 | 8 | 22 | 23 | 15.09 | |
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 3 June 2009 | 13 February 2011 | 61 | 16 | 14 | 31 | 26.23 | |
| FC St. Pauli | 3 October 2012 | 6 November 2013 | 40 | 15 | 10 | 15 | 37.50 | |
| Hannover 96 | 20 April 2015 | 21 December 2015 | 24 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 29.17 | |
| Total | 212 | 55 | 58 | 99 | 25.94 | — | ||
Honours
- UEFA Euro 1992 runner-up
- Bundesliga champion: 1991–92
- DFB-Pokal finalist: 1983–84