The sun was shining, only a few harmless veil clouds could be seen in the sky. Pal Dardai, wearing a T-shirt with the Hertha crest, was looking for a place in the shade in his vacation home on Lake Balaton when he started the camera on his smartphone. What he then had to say was anything but harmless.
“It’s time for a real fresh start,” said Dardai, record player for the Berlin Bundesliga club Hertha BSC and former coach of the club. Hertha was looking for a new president, Kay Bernstein and Frank Steffel were the most promising candidates – and Dardai clearly and quite surprisingly took sides in this dispute: “In my opinion, Frank Steffel is a very interesting and honest candidate.”
Bernstein, who nevertheless prevailed against Steffel in the end, was not particularly happy about the interference of the club legend Dardai in the election campaign – to put it mildly. But he doesn’t seem to hold grudges. Most recently there were pictures that showed Dardai and Hertha’s presidents in the grandstand of the Olympic Stadium in an intimate embrace. They are likely to cross paths more often in the future.
Dardai has already been the head coach of the Berliners twice
Pal Dardai, the third. The Hungarian, 47 years old, is to become the head coach of the Hertha BSC professionals again and replace the hapless Sandro Schwarz. According to information from the Tagesspiegel, the message that the Sky television broadcaster first announced on Sunday afternoon is correct. So far, however, Hertha has not officially announced the dismissal of Schwarz or the appointment of Dardais. According to the magazine “Kicker”, the Hungarian will receive a contract until the end of the season.
It’s not a real new beginning, but in the current situation, which is once again more than critical for the Berlin Bundesliga team after falling to the bottom of the table, the decision for Dardai is at least a plausible choice.
The club means something to him, which is one of the reasons why he has now once again agreed to give in to the pressure of the club management and take over the post. Dardai knows Hertha inside and out. And he also knows the squad and the team in which his middle son Marton, among others, plays.
Above all, Dardai is an expert in relegation battles. He has already stepped in twice for the pros in difficult situations. In February 2015 he was promoted as a coach from the U15s to the professionals. Dardai took over the team in 17th place and ended up staying up in the league. More than that: The interim solution became a permanent solution. Dardai remained in office for almost four and a half years. During this time he even led the team twice to the European Cup.
Hertha had bigger goals, Dardai was too piefig for the bosses
In the end, Dardai had to go because Hertha had bigger goals in spring 2019. Goals that have never been reached. It meant that the ex-coach had to step in again in January 2021. After a 1:4 home defeat against Werder Bremen, Dardai took over the coaching post from his successor Bruno Labbadia. At that point, Hertha was in 14th place, two points ahead of the relegation rank.
Under difficult conditions, Dardai managed to stay up again – and was allowed to stay beyond the end of the season. However, it quickly became apparent that the relationship with the new sporting director, Fredi Bobic, was not without tension. The coach struggled with the squad that was available to him. Bobic, on the other hand, found Dardai too pinched and the team’s performances too despondent.
Bobic and Dardai couldn’t get along
Already in November, after only 29 Bundesliga games, the Hungarian had to vacate his place again. Two days after a 1-1 draw against FC Augsburg, in which Hertha conceded the equalizer in the seventh minute of added time. Even if he won, Dardai would have had to go, said Bobic.
But things didn’t get any better under Dardai’s successors. After the experiment with Tayfun Korkut, the team only saved themselves from relegation under the veteran Felix Magath in the relegation. According to his own statement, Bobic did not think for a second that Dardai’s dismissal could have been a mistake.
In the meantime, Fredi Bobic himself has long been history at Hertha. Only then did Dardai’s return become possible at all. Hertha’s new, old coach has experience with difficult tasks, but it has never been as difficult for him as it is now. He has six games left to avoid relegation to the second division. Maybe eight if the team makes it into the relegation again. Given the current state of affairs, that would be a great success.
