It is said that the Franconian is sometimes peculiar.

According to the cliché, the people in this region are mostly odd, solitary, moody, lazy, in Franconian mumbflerd.

They tend to be more pessimistic than optimistic, which is the motto of some residents: not being scolded is praised enough – or in short: Bassd scho.

Of course, Marc Schneider also heard that the Franconians can sometimes be a strange people.

If you ask the new head coach of Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth about it, he laughs heartily at first.

Then the Swiss says that he cannot confirm the clichés.

That the people in and around Fürth have so far met him very openly, neither negatively nor taciturn.

Friendly and warm

At the season opening of the cloverleaf, Schneider was last seen talking to many fans – and laughing.

With his friendly and warm-hearted nature, the Swiss has apparently already inspired many people in Fürth and wants to do the same with beautiful and successful football from this Saturday.

At 1 p.m. (in the FAZ live ticker for the 2nd Bundesliga and on Sky), the new season in the 2nd Bundesliga begins for the Spielvereinigung with a home game against Holstein Kiel.

After a very sobering year in the first division with only 18 points and without an away win, the Fürth are back in their usual environment.

In the league, where they lead the all-time table by 104 points ahead of FC St. Pauli.

But also in the league, where the relegated team often has a very difficult time because things are different there, because different football is played there, a harder one – and less the beautiful offensive football that they have always wanted to stand for in Fürth.

Sporty quality was missing

A year ago, those responsible for the Kleeblatt could see their philosophy of the "Fuerther Flachpass" confirmed.

In the 2020/2021 season, the Spielvereinigung brought this sometimes exciting style of play to the Bundesliga - with what is said to be the second-lowest budget of all second-division clubs.

The then coach Stefan Leitl had formed a strong climber from a sporty stumbling team within two and a half years.

One class higher, however, the sporting quality of the team was not enough to continue on the path consistently.

Instead of Klose, a stranger comes

The descent was the logical consequence.

Leitl was no longer interested in a fresh start a league lower.

The coach was repeatedly associated with first-division clubs, but decided to switch to league rivals Hannover 96. The tabloids traded names like Miroslav Klose and Martin Demichelis as Leitl's successors.

But instead of ex-professionals from FC Bayern, the Fürther signed Marc Schneider.

Whom?

It was a name no one had on the slip.

The 41-year-old from the Bernese Oberland celebrated amazing success after playing with the small FC Thun, once led his home club to fourth place in the Super League ahead of the big clubs from Zurich and was allowed to play in the Europa League qualifier.

Schneider provided managing director Rachid Azzouzi with Rainer Widmayer, who was with VfB Stuttgart for a long time, an experienced man.

With Stefan Kleineheismann, a young co-trainer also came, who was once the captain of the Fürth A-Youth and U-23s and had most recently worked with Frank Kramer at Arminia Bielefeld.

Two top talents committed

The new coaching team is allowed to look after a team in which a major upheaval has failed to materialize.

Leading players Paul Seguin and Sascha Burchert left the club, as did Havard Nielsen and high-flyer Jamie Leweling.

Nevertheless, after relegation, the Fürth have an experienced axis from goalkeeper Andreas Linde over the entire field to captain Branimir Hrgota, who is openly flirting with a change, but is going ahead as a leader for the time being.

Azzouzi almost always made up for the departures with talents, in the summer six players who are under 20 years old came - including two top German talents in the 19-year-old Armindo Sieb from FC Bayern and the only 17-year-old Sidney Raebiger from RB Leipzig and youth internationals.

What unites everyone in Fürth is the idea of ​​a beautiful game.

The new coaching team wants to change the cultivated offensive football in nuances.

It should go faster forward, with very short ball contact times, which some finesse who have the ball longer at their feet were reluctant to start with.

"You have to play the opponent again and again, you have to wear them down until they make a mistake at some point," said Widmayer.

"And then you have to strike."