Ralph Hasenhüttl

Ralph Hasenhüttl (born 9 August 1967) is an Austrian professional football manager and former player who last managed Premier League club Southampton.

During his playing career, he played as a centre forward.

Born in Graz, Hasenhüttl began his career with hometown club GAK, making his first team debut in the 1985–86 season.

He transferred to Austria Wien in 1989, with whom he won three successive Bundesliga titles and two Austrian Cups.

He moved to Austria Salzburg in 1994, where he won another Bundesliga title as well as an Austrian Super Cup.

In 1996, Hasenhüttl moved abroad, with spells at Mechelen and Lierse in Belgium.

In season 1998–99, he signed for 1. FC Köln, for a fee equivalent to €200,000.

In his two years in Cologne, however, he only scored three goals and in 2000 moved to SpVgg Greuther Fürth.

Hasenhüttl finished his career at Bayern Munich II, in the Regionalliga Süd.

Hasenhüttl played eight times for the Austria national team, scoring three goals.

Between 2004 and 2005, Hasenhüttl was a youth-team coach at SpVgg Unterhaching.

Following the sacking of Harry Deutinger in March 2007, he became caretaker manager until the appointment of Werner Lorant, under whom he worked as assistant coach.

On 4 October 2007, Hasenhüttl became the new head coach.

His first match was a 2–2 draw against SSV Reutlingen 05.

Unterhaching finished in sixth place that season.

In the 2008–09 season, in the newly formed 3. Liga, the team's performances earned them fourth place in the table, missing out on a play-off place by one point.

Unterhaching were eliminated in the first round of the German Cup.

In the 2009–10 season, they failed to build upon their success, achieving 31 points in 24 games, resulting in Hasenhüttl's sacking on 22 February 2010.

His final match was a 1–1 draw against Borussia Dortmund II on 21 February 2010.

He finished with a record of 40 wins, 20 draws, and 28 losses.

In January 2011, Hasenhüttl succeeded Rainer Scharinger as the coach of third division VfR Aalen, then in 16th place, one point above the relegation zone.

His first match was a 1–1 draw against VfB Stuttgart II.

Aalen's survival in the 3.

Liga earned him a year's contract extension.

In the 2011–12 season, he completely rebuilt the team, bringing in eight new players and releasing 14, with the aim of a mid-table finish.

After a slow start to the season, the team found itself in sixth place at the winter break, only a point behind the play-off position.

The team's run continued into the second half of the season, which included an eight-game winning streak, earning Hasenhüttl a further two-year contract extension in November 2011.

At the end of the season, Aalen finished in second place, earning automatic promotion to the 2. Bundesliga.

During pre-season training in the summer of 2012, Hasenhüttl contracted a Hantavirus infection, but returned to work three weeks into the 2012–13 season.

Hasenhüttl had switched from a 4–4–2 to a 4–5–1 formation, to facilitate a fast, counter-attacking game, with success.

By the winter break, Aalen were in fifth place.

The team finished the season in ninth place, the highest of the newly promoted teams.

After two-and-a-half successful years at Aalen, Hasenhüttl resigned in June 2013, when Aalen lost its main sponsor and sporting director Markus Schupp imposed an austerity programme for the following season, with several departing players not being replaced.

He finished with a record of 36 wins, 28 draws, and 29 losses.

In October 2013, Hasenhüttl was appointed as coach of Ingolstadt 04, replacing Marco Kurz.

In his first season, he took them from bottom of the 2.

Bundesliga to tenth place.

In the 2014–15 season, Hasenhüttl took Ingolstadt to the Bundesliga for the first time, finishing the season as 2.

Bundesliga champions.

In the 2015–16 season, he was successful in securing Ingolstadt's Bundesliga survival, finishing in 11th place, but chose not to extend his contract.