This post has aged within a day of its conception. Read for yourself.
Just a few years ago, Rostock was the envy of Magdeburg supporters. For one, the most successful coach Magdeburg had post-1990, Jens Härtel has guided Rostock to promotion to Bundesliga 2 in 2021 and managed to stay up the following season. This happened while Magdeburg were hovering above the abyss, i.e. the relegation zone from division 3 to the badlands of the regionalised fourth division(s). At this point many were still suffering from the separation from Härtel and were longing for those days when things seemed easier, the communication was clearer.
Just a reminder: Härtel arrived at Magdeburg in 2014 and within four years took the Club to two promotions: 2015 to the third division at the first attempt and in 2018 into Bundesliga 2. In November 2018 the Club sacked him as the results were not going as planned. A few weeks later he was in Rostock. Magdeburg however went down again after just one season and had a difficult time in Liga 3 between 2019 and January 2021.
The parallels are striking: Jens Härtel has done a good job in Rostock but in November 2022 he was sacked, despite sitting in 12th place, without any urgent worries of relegation. His successor, Patrick Glöckner was briefed to keep the club in midfield and away from the drop zone. Yet, exactly this has happened and Rostock have edged closer to the bottom with each game in 2023. Their last win was in early February at Bielefeld; their last five matches were four defeats and just one draw.
Update 20 March, 2023: Glöckner has been suspended and Rostock need a new coach – their third of the current season. The international break might help to smoothen the arrival of whoever comes next and may make life for supporters of their next opponent more difficult: Rostock are playing away at Magdeburg on April, 2.
Here this little story of the joint fate of Magdeburg and Rostock comes to an end. Either club might go down at the end of the season or both stay up.
The other chapters are
Jens vs. Jahn
42 Years of Hurt
FCM I vs FCM II
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