The name Gernot Messner is probably only familiar to the greatest football experts. He is now supposed to save Grasshoppers from relegation. But who is the Austrian anyway?
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- Gernot Messner successfully led the GC U21s towards the promotion play-offs in the Promotion League with five wins from six games.
- Now he is taking over the first team at Grasshoppers with the aim of staying in the league instead of continuing to fight for promotion.
- Messner will probably rely on a back three and, in addition to keeping the team in the league, should also ensure success in the Cup and possible international qualification.
Gernot Messner has been in charge of the Grasshoppers U21s in the Promotion League since the beginning of November. He did so quite successfully, winning five of his six games on the sidelines. They only had to settle for a 2-2 draw against FC Schötz. He thus kept the team on course for the promotion play-offs. But instead of the promotion race with the U21s, Messner's motto is now to stay in the league.
His predecessor Gerald Scheiblehner himself was partly responsible for Messner's appointment. In October 2025, Messner visited his colleague at GC as a coach without a club in order to further his education. One month later, Messner made the move to the record champions.
Before joining GC, the 45-year-old coached at Grazer AK in Austria for almost three years. In 2024, he and the club were promoted to the Austrian Bundesliga. However, success failed to materialize after promotion, with no wins in the first ten games, and Messner had to leave his post in Graz in October 2024.
Similar to Scheiblehner, Messner prefers a back three in defense. A system adjustment is unlikely to be an option anyway in the short time Messner has until the end of the season.
At best, the Austrian should lead the Hoppers to direct relegation. Otherwise, they want to stay in the league via the barrage for the third time in a row. In addition to the daily league routine, Messner still has the opportunity to win the Cup for the first time since 2013 and make himself immortal with the associated qualification for international business at the record champions.
