Stendel looking for something a bit special to lift his lowly Hearts
DANIEL STENDEL watched enough of Steven Gerrard as a player and has followed enough of the Rangers manager’s development since hanging up his boots to be convinced he is on his way to becoming a ‘special coach’.
But the German is eager to prove his own credentials today by steering Hearts to a win that would not only boost their own attempts to extricate themselves from the bottom of the Premiership but help keep their opponents away from the top.
Stendel’s own playing career saw him turn out as a striker but one who could appreciate the artistry of those performing in midfield. Gerrard’s performances for Liverpool and England did not go unnoticed by the new Tynecastle head coach.
Stendel confesses it was only once he arrived on these shores as manager of Barnsley that he took a greater interest in English football, particularly in following the exploits of compatriot Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
However, he is aware of the esteem in which today’s opposite number was held as a player and expects Gerrard to prove himself deserving of similar levels of adulation in his managerial career.
‘I like a player in his position who pushes the team, works hard and can also score goals from midfield,’ said the 45-year-old.
‘I think he was a special player and he is on his way to being a special coach.
‘Although he was on a different level than I, I watched some of his games in the past, especially some of the Champions League games and England games.
‘I think we had some very good central midfielders in Germany who played very similarly but Gerrard is Gerrard. He is a legend with Liverpool and in England also.
‘This is my first game against Rangers and I expect that we have a chance. The favourites are not us, it is Rangers, but I say to my players: “Why can’t we win? I think we have a chance to win”.
‘We need to believe that we can do it when we play to our plan in the right way and we take our chances. Yes, we can win.
‘I can see Steven Gerrard is doing a good job at Rangers and they have a good chance of winning the title this year after a long time. But it might be difficult when they are not going to win against us!’
Last weekend’s 5-0 rout of Airdrieonians in the Scottish Cup and the midweek stalemate away to Ross County have hinted at the kind of continual developments required to ease Hearts away from the foot of the Premiership — and the arrivals of striker Liam Boyce, a £150,000 capture from Burton Albion, and defender
Toby Sibbick on loan from Barnsley will also help the cause.
‘I have said to the players I want to improve every player in every training session and every game,’ added Stendel. ‘It is the same for me, that I can improve from every training session and every game, every day, every experience.’
Meanwhile, as he prepares to take on Rangers, Stendel has revealed one of his heroes pulled on the hoops of Celtic.
Growing up in the old German Democractic Republic, Stendel idolised Andreas Thom, the communist country’s star player in the 1980s.
Only after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 and Germany was reunified did Thom leave the east behind to become the first player to sign for a club in the west.
Later, after that groundbreaking move to Bayer Leverkusen, the striker would depart his homeland for three years at Celtic, where he lifted the League Cup in 1997. More importantly for the Parkhead outfit, Thom helped them clinch the league title the following year to prevent
Rangers from sealing an historic 10 in a row.
Stendel admits his compatriot was his idol — as well as Diego Maradona, despite the part played by the legend in Germany losing the 1986 World Cup Final.
‘My hero growing up was Diego Maradona,’ he explained.
‘But the other player, who also played in Scotland with Celtic, was Andreas Thom.
‘I was born in East Germany and he was my idol in my own country and maybe our best striker. That was when he played in East Germany, but I remember he also played here in Scotland.
‘He is also a coach now. Some years ago, he was the youth coach with Hertha Berlin and we played against them in a cup final and we won!’