.jpg) Benthaus in 1970 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1935-06-05)5 June 1935 (age 90) | ||
| Place of birth | Herne, Germany | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Westfalia Herne | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1954–1961 | Westfalia Herne | 167 | (19) |
| 1961–1963 | 1860 Munich | 18 | (1) |
| 1963–1965 | 1. FC Köln | 52 | (3) |
| 1965–1971 | FC Basel | 112 | (17) |
| International career | |||
| 1958–1960 | West Germany | 8 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1965–1982 | FC Basel | ||
| 1982–1985 | VfB Stuttgart | ||
| 1985–1987 | FC Basel | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Helmut Benthaus (born 5 June 1935) is a German formerfootball player and coach.[1] He spent his best playing days atWestfalia Herne and his best coaching days atFC Basel.
Born inHerne, Benthaus played youth football and started his professional career atWestfalia Herne in 1958. In 1959 he won theOberliga West title but left just a year later to join1860 Munich before moving to1. FC Köln. He won the Oberliga West again in 1963 with Köln, then the GermanBundesliga in 1964 and was Bundesliga runner-up in 1965.
He played for theWest Germany national team on eight occasions between 1958 and 1960.
To the beginning of the1965–66 season Benthaus transferred from Köln toFC Basel and was appointed asplayer-coach. He replacedJiří Sobotka as team manager, who went on to manage theSwitzerland national team.
Fourteen teams contested the1965–66 Nationalliga A. Basel finished the season in sixth position with 27 points. They ended the championship with ten wins, seven draws and nine defeats in their 26 matches. They scored 64 goals and conceded 57.[2] Team top league goal scorer wasRoberto Frigerio with 15 goals. After playing seven test games Benthaus made hisSwiss League debut on 22 August 1965 at theLandhof in the home match againstFC UGS Genève. Basel won the game 4–1.[3] He scored his first goal for the club in his eighth appearance, a home 3–1 win againstLugano.[4] That season Benthaus played in 26 league matches and scored three goals.
In their1966–67 season Basel became Swiss Champions for just the second time in their history. They won theNationalliga A championship one point clear of bothFC Zürich andFC Lugano who finished in second and third respectively. Basel won 16 of the 26 games, drawing eight, losing twice, and they scored 60 goals conceding just 20.[5] Benthaus played in 18 league matches and scored three goals. In that season Basel won thedouble. Basel played an away match in theStadio Cornaredo against FC Lugano in the semi-final which ended goalless and therefore a replay was required. The replay was played in theSt. Jakob Stadium and goals fromKarl Odermatt and Benthaus himself gave Basel a 2–1 victory to qualify for the final which was to take place three days later. In the Cup final Basel's opponents wereLausanne-Sports. In the formerWankdorf Stadium on 15 May 1967,Helmut Hauser scored the decisive goal via penalty. The game went down in football history due to the sit-down strike that followed this goal. After 88 minutes of play, with the score at 1–1, referee Karl Göppel awarded Basel a controversial penalty.André Grobéty had pushed Hauser gently in the back and he let himself drop theatrically. Subsequent to the 2–1 for Basel the Lausanne players refused to resume the game and they sat down demonstratively on the pitch. The referee had to abandon the match. Basel were awarded the cup with a 3–0 forfait.[6][7]
As reigning champions, Basel played a mediocreseason 1967–68 season. Although they were within reach of the table top the entire campaign, they messed everything up towards the end of the season as they lost five games out of seven. Therefore, they finished the season in fifth position. They were seven points behind the trioZürich,Grasshopper Club andLugano who all ended the season with 38 points. Basel won 13 of the league 26 games, drawing five, losing eight times, and they scored 49 goals conceding 33.[8] Benthaus played in 23 league matches and scored three goals. In theSwiss Cup Basel started in the round of 32 with a home match against lower classed FC Le Locle, but the game had to go into overtime. After Le Locle took the lead just after half time break, Frigerio netted the equaliser shortly before the end. In the overtime player-manager Benthaus managed the winning goal. In the next round Basel played an away game againstFC Zürich and were defeated 1–0 and the campaign was ended.
In their1968–69 season Basel finished theNationalliga A season as champions one point ahead ofLausanne Sports in second position. Basel won 13 of the 26 games, drawing ten, losing three times, they scored 48 goals conceding 28.[9] Benthaus played in 11 league matches and scored five league goals. In theSwiss Cup Basel started in the round of 32 with a win againstThun and in the round of 16 they beatLuzern. In the Quarter-final Basel played an away game againstServette but lost this 1–0. In theInter-Cities Fairs Cup Basel were drawn againstBologna. Bologna won both games. In the1968 Cup of the Alps the team managed to win the group and played in the final againstFC Schalke 04 but were defeated 3–1 after extra time.[10]
Benthaus won his third championship with Basel at the end of their1969–70 season. The team again finished one point clear ofLausanne Sports who ended the season in second position again. Basel won 15 of the 26 games, drawing seven, losing four times, they scored 59 and conceded 23 goals.[11] During this season Benthaus played 23 league matches and scored five goals. On 14 September 1969 Basel started in the Swiss Cup in the round of 32 with a 10–0 home win againstMinerva Bern (as result of merger later renamedBreitenrain Bern). In the round of 16 played on 12 October Basel had a home match againstGrenchen which was won 3–2. In the quarter-final, played in November, Basel had a two legged tie against Xamax-Sports NE (later renamedNeuchâtel Xamax). This was won 7–2 on aggregate. The semi-final was also a two legged tie and this against [Servette FC|Servette Genève]. Basel won both legs and 6–1 on aggregate. The final was played on 18 May 1970 in theWankdorf Stadium, but was lost againstZürich after extra time. Benthaus played all seven Cup games. In theEuropean Cup Basel were drawn against Scottish clubCeltic. The first leg, which played on 17 September 1969 in theSt. Jakob Stadium in front of 37,587 spectators, ended in a goalless draw. The return leg on 1 October inCeltic Park attracted 49,976 spectators. Celtic won the game 2–0 and advanced to the next round. Benthaus played both games. In the1969 Cup of the Alps Basel won their group and in the final they beatBologna 3–1 after extra time.
Towards the end of his playing career Benthaus stood on the side line as team manager and he only substituted himself into the game if it was not running as he wanted it. Benthaus played 11 games in the1970–71 FC Basel season, just four of which in the starting formation and seven as an inwards substitution. Basel won 18 of their 26 league games, drawing six, losing just twice and they scored 67 goals conceding 26. Basel completed the regular season level on points withGrasshopper Club Zürich. Therefore, the teams had to contest a play-off game. This took place on 8 June 1971 to decide the title winners. Grasshopper won the play-off 4–3 after extra time.[12]
Basel started in the 1970–71Swiss Cup in the round of 32 with a 5–1 home win againstCS Chênois. In the round of 16 they had a home match againstBellinzona which was won 2–0. In the quarter-final they had an away tie against Mendrisiostar (after club merger later renamedFC Mendrisio-Stabio). However, this was lost 2–0 after extra time. Benthaus played only as a substitute in the match against Bellinzona. In theEuropean Cup Basel were drawn againstSpartak Moscow. The first leg, away from home, was lost 3–2 withOdermatt and Benthaus himself scoring for their team during the last 12 minutes of the game after they had gone three down. In the second leg played in theSt. Jakob Stadium Basel won 2–1, the goals being scored byUrs Siegenthaler undWalter Balmer. Thus the tie ended 4–4 on aggregate. Basel won on away goals and advanced to the second round. Here they were drawn againstAjax, first away from home, but they suffered a 3–0 defeat. The second leg at home also ended with a defeat, 2–1, despite the fact thatOdermatt put Basel one up with a penalty after 36 minutes. Benthaus played in all four European games.[13]
In theBasel 1971–72 season Benthaus substituted himself in during just one single game. This being the second last home match of theseason on 27 May againstLuzern[14] Basel won 18 league games, drew 7 and only suffered one defeat. They ended the season as Swiss Champions with 43 points, four points clear of second placedZürich. The team scored 66 goals and conceded 28. In the Swiss Cup Basel advanced to the final, which was played on 22 May 1972 in theWankdorf Stadium but they were defeated 1–0 byZürich through a goal byDaniel Jeandupeux in extra time. In the1971–72 UEFA Cup Basel were drawn againstReal Madrid, but they were defeated in both games.
Benthaus retired from playing in 1971 aged 36. He played a total of 190 games for the club scoring a total of 34 goals. 112 of these games were in theNationalliga A, 20 games were in the domestic cup, 5 were in European competitions and 37 were test games. 17 of his goals were in the domestic league, 3 were in the cup, 13 were in European competitions and the other 9 were in the tests.[15]
The1972 Swiss League Cup was the inauguralSwiss League Cup competition. It was played in the summer of 1972 as a pre-season tournament to the1972–73 Swiss football season. Benthaus coached the team to beatServette 8–0,Lausanne Sports 2–1aet andSion 6–1 to reach the final. This was won by Basel who defeatedFC Winterthur 4–1 in the final which took place on 11 November 1972 at theLetzigrund inZürich.Ottmar Hitzfeld scored a hattrick in the final.[16]
Again in their1972–73 season Basel won the championship. The team won 17 games, drew five and were defeated four times. They scored 57 goals, conceding 30.Ottmar Hitzfeld was the team and the league top scorer with 18 goals. Basel won the championship four points clear ofGrasshopper Club who finished in second position. In theSwiss Cup Basel reached the final, which was played on 23 April 1973 in theWankdorf Stadium againstZürich. The game ended goalless after 90 minutes. In extra timePeter Marti (92) andFritz Künzli (101) scored the goals to give Zürich the title for the second consecutive year in a final against Basel.
The following season was not very successful. In the1973–74 season Basel finished the championship in fifth position, in the Swiss Cup they reached the quarter-finals. In the1974–75 season the team finished championship in fourth position. But in the 50th edition of the Swiss Cup tournament they reached the final. The final was played on 31 March 1975 in theWankdorf Stadium inBern againstWinterthur. The match went into extra time andWalter Balmer scored the winner after 115 minutes. Basel were Swiss Cup winners for the fifth time in the club's history.[17]
Basel finished their1975–76 season in third position in the table with 34 points, 10 points behindFC Zürich. In the Swiss Cup they only reached the round of 16 in the League Cup the semi-final. In the1975–76 European Cup Winners' Cup they were knocked out byAtlético Madrid in the first round.
For Benthaus and his team the1976–77 was again a very successful season. The league format was changed. Instead of 14 teams playing a single round robin, it now was reduced to 12 teams with a Qualifying phase and a championship round with the six top teams. This meant no longer 26 games, but now 22 plus 10.[18] In the Qualifying phase Basel obtained 33 points and were just two points behindServette. They managed to close the gap in the championship round and because both teams were level on points the championship was decided in a play-off match. This match was held on 26 June 1977. Basels goals were scored byMundschin andvon Wartburg as they won 2–1 and became Swiss champions.[19] In the1976–77 UEFA Cup Basel played first againstGlentoran F.C., Basel won 5–3 on aggregate, then in the second round againstAthletic Bilbao, here they were beaten 2–4 on aggregate.
In their1977–78 season Benthaus and his team ended the qualification round in fourth position and ended the Championship Group in third position with 27 points, two behindGrasshopper Club and one behindServette. In both domestic cups Basel reached the semi-finals. In the1977–78 European Cup they were knocked out in the first round byWacker Innsbruck.
During theseason 1977–78 they ended the qualification round in fourth position and finished the Championship Group in sixth position with just 18 points, 17 behind championship winnersServette. In the Swiss Cup Basel reached the quarter-final and in the League Cup the final, here they were defeated by Servette after a penalty shoot out. In the1978–79 UEFA Cup first round they were knocked out byVfB Stuttgart.
The1979–80 season was an exiting season for Benthaus. After the Qualifying phaseServette,Grasshopper Club and Basel were within three points of each other. The close rivalry remained until the end of the season. In the second last game Basel were hosts to Servette, winning 1–0, and in the last away against Zürich, winning 4–2. Basel became champions and were two points ahead of both Grasshoppers and Servette who finished second and third respectively.[20] The team scored 91 league goals during that league campaign. The team had three top goal scorersDetlev Lauscher andErni MaissenJoseph Küttel, all three managed to score 18 league goals in that season. In both domestic cups Basel were knocked out in the early stages.
As reigning champions,Basel's 1980–81 season was a disappointing one. They ended the championship ranked sixth with just nine victories, ten drawn games and seven defeats.[21] in both Cup campaigns they were knocked out at an early stage. But in the1980–81 European Cup Basel over stood the first round beatingClub Brugge 5–1 on aggregate. In the next round, however, they were knocked out byRed Star Belgrade 2–1 on aggregate, despite winning the first leg.
AlsoBasel's 1981–82 season was disappointing. Benthaus was first-team manager for the seventeenth consecutive season. The league championship format was expanded from the 1980–81 season to include sixteen teams. Basel ended the season in eighth position, 21 points behindZürich who became champions. This was the lowest ranking since he had taken over. In their 30 league games Basel won eleven, drew six and lost thirteen matches, which meant that the totaled 28 points, scoring 47 goals and conceding 51.[22] Basel entered into the Swiss Cup in the round of 64 and advanced to the final, but this was lost 1–0 againstSion. In the League Cup quarterfinal they were eliminated byAarau. Basel were not qualified to play any of the European competitions, but they did enter the pre-seasonCup of the Alps. They played together withLausanne-Sport in Group A againstBordeaux andBastia. Basel won the group and continued to the final, which was played on 29 September 1981 in Basel againstSochaux. They game ended 2–2 after extra time and Basel won on penalties.
Benthaus coachedFC Basel for 17 years between 1965 and 1982. He won theSwiss Championship seven times, theSwiss Cup twice and the first edition of theSwiss League Cup that was held in1972. He coached Basel's legendary team of the late 1960s and the 70s that won the Championship title six times (five of which in seven years) as well as the Cup in1967 and 1975.
After his time in Basel Benthaus joined German clubVfB Stuttgart for the1982–83 season. In his first season with his new club the team ended the championship with 48 points in third position in the league table, four points behind bothHamburger SV (champions) andWerder Bremen (runners-up). Stuttgart had won 20 games, drawn eight and had been beaten six times. In the1983–84 season Benthaus and his team ended the season again with 48 points, level with Hamburg andBorussia Mönchengladbach. Stuttgart won championship with the better goal difference. Benthaus stayed in Stuttgart for another season, but the reigning champions ended the1984–85 season in the second half of the league table in tenth position with 33 points.
Benthaus left Stuttgart in the summer of 1985 and rejoined Basel. In the meantime Basel had ended the three previous championships in the lower half of the table. In the previous season, during the winter break, managerErnst August Künnecke was sacked andEmil Müller was appointed as caretaker manager up until the end of the season.
In their1985–86 season Basel ended the championship in tenth position. in their1986–87 season they finished in twelfth position and had to compete in the Nationalliga A/B Play-outs. They won these play-outs and remained in Nationalliga A. Benthaus retired at the end of this season.
NOTE: TheCup of the Alps is not included as it is not classified as a competitive tournament.
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Basel | 1 July 1965 | 30 June 1982 | 616 | 346 | 115 | 155 | 056.17 |
| Stuttgart | 2 July 1982 | 30 June 1985 | 120 | 62 | 28 | 30 | 051.67 |
| Basel | 1 July 1985 | 30 June 1987 | 72 | 26 | 18 | 28 | 036.11 |
| Total | 808 | 434 | 161 | 213 | 053.71 | ||