Eduard Geyer
Encyclopedia
Eduard Geyer is a German
football
manager and former player. He has had a long and varied career, particularly notable for being the last manager of the East German national team.
He has recently been sacked from his second spell as manager of Dynamo Dresden
.
, Upper Silesia
. His family fled to Dresden
after the end of World War II
, and he began his football career with SC Einheit Dresden. In his youth was a goalkeeper
, but he began his career playing as an attacker
, later moving into defence. He joined Dynamo Dresden
in 1968, where he played until his career ended in 1975 for health reasons. In total he had played 112 games for the club, scoring twelve times, and was twice East German champion
and won one cup
.
, whom he succeeded in 1986. He won the DDR-Oberliga
in 1989, ending Dynamo Berlin
's 10-year dominance. He also reached the UEFA Cup
semi-finals that year, before going onto manage the East German national team
. His time in charge was to be short-lived, however, as the side disappeared with the reunification
of East and West Germany
. After a brief spell scouting at Schalke 04, he moved to Hungary
, managing BFC Siófok
for a year before returning to Sachsen Leipzig. Under Geyer the team captured the NOFV-Oberliga (IV) title in 1993, but the club was denied promotion due when denied a licence to play in the Regionalliga
(III) for financial reasons. He moved on a year later, joining Energie Cottbus
where he enjoyed great success, advancing the previously unheralded club through two promotions into the first division Bundesliga. Under his direction the team was able to stay up for three years despite having a very small budget. He also took his side to the DFB-Pokal
(German Cup) final in 1997. After relegation to the 2. Bundesliga in 2003, the team was unable to bounce back, finishing 14th in 2004/05, which spelled the end of Geyer tenure at Cottbus. He spent six months in the United Arab Emirates with Al Nasr
, before returning to Sachsen Leipzig, initially as sporting director, but later as manager. He left Sachsen at the end of the 2006-07 season, due to financial problems, and returned to Dynamo Dresden three months later, hoping to spearhead their qualification for the 3. Bundesliga or higher. They did qualify for the third division, but results were generally poor, and Geyer was sacked in June 2008.
"Manche junge Spieler haben eine Einstellung zum Leistungssport wie die Nutten auf St. Pauli. Die rauchen, saufen und huren rum, gehen morgens um 6 Uhr ins Bett."
(Some young players tackle the sport like the whores at St. Pauli. They smoke, they drink, f*ck around and go to bed at 6 in the morning)
"Die Fans wollen keine Spiele, bei denen man erkennt, dass manche Spieler nachher kein Deo brauchen."
(The fans dont want to see games where you can tell that the players don't need an antiperspirant afterward.)
"Wer so doof ist, gehört nicht in die Bundesliga."
(Someone, who's so stupid doesn't belong in the Bundesliga.)
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
manager and former player. He has had a long and varied career, particularly notable for being the last manager of the East German national team.
East Germany national football team
The East Germany national football team was from 1952 to 1990 the football team of East Germany, playing as one of three post-war German teams, along with Saarland and West Germany....
He has recently been sacked from his second spell as manager of Dynamo Dresden
Dynamo Dresden
SG Dynamo Dresden are a German association football club, based in Dresden, Saxony. They were founded in 1950, as a club affiliated with the East German police, and became one of the most popular and successful clubs in East German football, winning eight league titles...
.
Playing career
Geyer was born in Bielitz (Bielsko)Bielsko
Bielsko was until 1950 an independent town situated in Cieszyn Silesia, Poland. In 1951 it was joined with Biała Krakowska to form the new town of Bielsko-Biała. Bielsko constitutes the western part of that town....
, Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
. His family fled to Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and he began his football career with SC Einheit Dresden. In his youth was a goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
, but he began his career playing as an attacker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
, later moving into defence. He joined Dynamo Dresden
Dynamo Dresden
SG Dynamo Dresden are a German association football club, based in Dresden, Saxony. They were founded in 1950, as a club affiliated with the East German police, and became one of the most popular and successful clubs in East German football, winning eight league titles...
in 1968, where he played until his career ended in 1975 for health reasons. In total he had played 112 games for the club, scoring twelve times, and was twice East German champion
DDR-Oberliga
The DDR-Oberliga was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the elite level of football competition in the DDR , being roughly equivalent to the Oberliga or Bundesliga in West Germany.-Overview:Following World...
and won one cup
FDGB Pokal
The FDGB-Pokal was an elimination football tournament held annually in the former East Germany. It was the second most important national title in East German football after the DDR-Oberliga championship...
.
Coaching career
Geyer moved into coaching, working with Dynamo's youth team, and assisting first-team manager Klaus SammerKlaus Sammer
Klaus Sammer is a German former footballer and coach. He spent the early part of his career with Stahl Gröditz and Einheit Dresden, before joining Dynamo Dresden, the club were he would spend the majority of his career, in 1965...
, whom he succeeded in 1986. He won the DDR-Oberliga
DDR-Oberliga
The DDR-Oberliga was, prior to German reunification in 1990, the elite level of football competition in the DDR , being roughly equivalent to the Oberliga or Bundesliga in West Germany.-Overview:Following World...
in 1989, ending Dynamo Berlin
Berliner FC Dynamo
Berliner FC Dynamo is a German association football club and is the successor organization to the club that played in East Berlin as Dynamo Berlin from 1953 to 1966.-Founding and Stasi patronage:...
's 10-year dominance. He also reached the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
semi-finals that year, before going onto manage the East German national team
East Germany national football team
The East Germany national football team was from 1952 to 1990 the football team of East Germany, playing as one of three post-war German teams, along with Saarland and West Germany....
. His time in charge was to be short-lived, however, as the side disappeared with the reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
of East and West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. After a brief spell scouting at Schalke 04, he moved to Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, managing BFC Siófok
BFC Siófok
Bodajk FC Siófok, or generally short BFC Siófok is a Hungarian football club based in Siófok, a small town on the shores ofLake Balaton. The club was founded in 1921 as Siófok SE . The component Bodajk in the club's name stems from a merger with Bodajk FC in 2005. The colours of the club are...
for a year before returning to Sachsen Leipzig. Under Geyer the team captured the NOFV-Oberliga (IV) title in 1993, but the club was denied promotion due when denied a licence to play in the Regionalliga
Regionalliga (football)
The Fußball-Regionalliga is the fourth tier of football in the German football league system. Until 1974, it was the second tier of the league system before being disbanded. The Regionalliga was then re-introduced as the third tier of the system in 1994...
(III) for financial reasons. He moved on a year later, joining Energie Cottbus
Energie Cottbus
FC Energie Cottbus is a German association football club based in Cottbus, Lusatia . It was founded in 1963 as SC Cottbus in what was, at the time, East Germany...
where he enjoyed great success, advancing the previously unheralded club through two promotions into the first division Bundesliga. Under his direction the team was able to stay up for three years despite having a very small budget. He also took his side to the DFB-Pokal
DFB-Pokal
The DFB-Pokal or DFB Cup is a German knockout football cup competition held annually. 64 teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga. It is considered the second most important national title in German football after the Bundesliga...
(German Cup) final in 1997. After relegation to the 2. Bundesliga in 2003, the team was unable to bounce back, finishing 14th in 2004/05, which spelled the end of Geyer tenure at Cottbus. He spent six months in the United Arab Emirates with Al Nasr
Al-Nasr Sports Club
Al-Nasr Sports Club , is a professional association football club located in Dubai and plays in the UAE Pro-League. Al-Nasr, literally translating to "victory" in Arabic was founded in 1945 and considered as the first and the oldest club in the UAE...
, before returning to Sachsen Leipzig, initially as sporting director, but later as manager. He left Sachsen at the end of the 2006-07 season, due to financial problems, and returned to Dynamo Dresden three months later, hoping to spearhead their qualification for the 3. Bundesliga or higher. They did qualify for the third division, but results were generally poor, and Geyer was sacked in June 2008.
Lack of political correctness
Eduard Geyer is well known in Germany for his outspoken manners. While coaches usually wrap critical statements in media friendly euphemisms, he's known to speak his mind in a very forthright manner. Examples include:"Manche junge Spieler haben eine Einstellung zum Leistungssport wie die Nutten auf St. Pauli. Die rauchen, saufen und huren rum, gehen morgens um 6 Uhr ins Bett."
(Some young players tackle the sport like the whores at St. Pauli. They smoke, they drink, f*ck around and go to bed at 6 in the morning)
"Die Fans wollen keine Spiele, bei denen man erkennt, dass manche Spieler nachher kein Deo brauchen."
(The fans dont want to see games where you can tell that the players don't need an antiperspirant afterward.)
"Wer so doof ist, gehört nicht in die Bundesliga."
(Someone, who's so stupid doesn't belong in the Bundesliga.)
As a manager
- DDR Youth Championship: 1976, 1985
- DDR Oberliga: 1989
- NOFV-Oberliga: 1993
- Regionalliga NordostRegionalliga (football)The Fußball-Regionalliga is the fourth tier of football in the German football league system. Until 1974, it was the second tier of the league system before being disbanded. The Regionalliga was then re-introduced as the third tier of the system in 1994...
: 1997 - DFB Pokal: Runner-up 1997
- 2. Bundesliga: Third place 2000