Interview with Winti sports director "Rahmen was immediately on fire"

FC Winterthur brings in Patrick Rahmen as the successor to Uli Forte, who was released on Monday. FCW sporting director Oliver Kaiser explains in an interview with blue Sport why the club is once again relying on the Basel native.

On Wednesday morning, Patrick Rahmen signed a contract valid until the summer of 2027, and in the afternoon he led his first training session with the Super League's bottom club. On the artificial pitch behind the Schützenwiese stadium, which Rahmen is already very familiar with.

Now it's fixedPatrick Rahmen returns to Winterthur

The Basel native already coached FCW in the 2023/24 season and sensationally reached the final round. Rahmen's team finished the season in 6th place, FC Winterthur's best finish in 50 years.

This performance brought Rahmen to the attention of Young Boys and he was on the sidelines of the reigning champions the following season - at least briefly. After a disastrous start to the season, he was released 79 days after the season opener. Since then, Rahmen has been without a coaching position.

Change of coach not planned for a long time

But the crisis at his former employer opened another door. FCW dismissed Uli Forte on Monday. "We had no contact with any coach before the weekend. It wasn't at all clear that we were making a change of coach. After the game in Basel, we analyzed the whole situation again, thought it through and came to the conclusion that we had to change something," said FCW sporting director Oliver Kaiser in an interview with blue Sport.

"We got in touch with Patrick Rahmen. He was immediately on fire," says Kaiser. YB also released him quickly, which is why everything happened so quickly, he explains.

How did the search for a coach go? "It was about finding a coach who we thought would suit us. Who has the quality we need. We know him, which is an advantage. He knows us and definitely a large part of the team."

Kaiser is convinced that the 56-year-old Basel native has what it takes to be successful again. What does that mean in concrete terms? "We haven't yet succeeded in exploiting the team's potential and getting closer to our performance limits again."

Kaiser: "Can't expect any miracles"

Can we already see Patrick Rahmen's signature at the home game in Lucerne on Saturday? "You can't expect miracles either," says Kaiser, putting the brakes on euphoria. "But we all know that a new approach can also release energy. New ideas, everyone's senses are sharpened again. Sometimes there's a different dynamic in training again," says Kaiser, who also praises the work of predecessor Uli Forte: "Uli Forte always did everything he could. He did a good job. Unfortunately, it wasn't reflected on the pitch."

Kaiser's hope: "It's about clearing our heads, recharging our batteries, finding positivity. We hope to see that on the pitch this weekend."

One thing is clear: the mission for Rahmen will not be easy: Winterthur are bottom of the table with just two points, no wins this season and a goal difference of 10:28.