Ewald Lienen

Football manager infobox
playername= Ewald Lienen


height = height|m=1.76
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1953|11|28
cityofbirth = Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock
countryofbirth = West Germany
currentclub =
position = Manager "(formerly Midfielder)"
youthyears =
youthclubs = VfB Schloß Holte
years = 1974-1977
1977-1981
1981-1983
1983-1987
1987-1992
clubs = Arminia Bielefeld
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Arminia Bielefeld
Borussia Mönchengladbach
MSV Duisburg
caps(goals) = 093 0(24)
118 0(23)
060 0(12)
126 0(13)
154 0(23)
manageryears = 1993-1994
1997-1999
1999-2002
2002-2003
2003
2004-2005
2006-
managerclubs = flagicon|Germany MSV Duisburg
flagicon|Germany Hansa Rostock
flagicon|Germany 1. FC Köln
flagicon|Spain CD Tenerife
flagicon|Germany Borussia Mönchengladbach
flagicon|Germany Hannover 96
flagicon|Greece Panionios

Ewald Lienen (born November 28, 1953 in Schloß Holte-Stukenbrock) is a German former professional footballer, who is currently manager of Greek club Panionios.

Playing career

Lienen began his professional career at Arminia Bielefeld of the 2.Bundesliga North in 1974. After three seasons, he moved up to the top flight with Borussia Mönchengladbach. The club had just won three successive titles, but Lienen did not manage to achieve this as the team finished runners-up in his first season then failed to mount a title challenge in the subsequent years.

However, Europe was to prove a more successful venture as the club's runners-up finish of 1977/78 qualified them for the UEFA Cup. This, they duly lifted beating Red Star Belgrade 2-1 on aggregate in the final in May 1979. Lienen played in the final, and in each of the previous rounds, scoring 2 goals along the way (against Manchester City and future club MSV Duisburg).

As holders, they were entered into the following seasons tournament, where Lienen again would make it through to the UEFA Cup final. This time, he was not to capture the prize as the team frustratingly lost on away goals to countrymen Eintracht Frankfurt. Lienen again played in all rounds of the trophy and again chipped in with 2 goals (against Viking Stavanger and Saint Étienne).

After a further season here, he returned to Arminia Bielefeld, newly promoted to the Bundesliga. The club managed to survive and stabilise as a top flight team during Lienen's spell here in the early 1980s, but he decided to move back to Borussia Mönchengladbach after two seasons.

Here, he and the team achieved a string of top 4 finishes but fell short of collecting a league title medal. He did, however, play in the 1984 DFB Cup final where he narrowly missed out as the team lost on penalties to Bayern Munich.

In Summer 1987, Lienen left Borussia Mönchengladbach to set up a union for professional footballers in Duisburg, along with Benno Möhlmann and Frank Pagelsdorf. He also concentrated on studying for a football coaching license, which he achieved with an A grade in 1989.

Meanwhile, he also continued his football career at MSV Duisburg of the Oberliga, winning promotion at the second attempt to the 2.Bundesliga in the 1989. He was a virtual ever-present here, winning promotion again to the top flight two years later and playing out a final year in the Bundesliga. When the club suffered relegation in May 1992, Lienen hung up his boots.

Management career

Lienen remained at MSV after ending his playing days, coaching the club's amateurs. He quickly got the opportunity to move up into the first team management in Summer 1993, after the club regained its Bundesliga status. His first season coaching at this level saw him attain a comfortable 9th place finish in the 1993/94 season. The next year started less favourably though, and saw MSV Duisburg rock bottom by November (with just 2 points from 22). Lienen was fired after a 0-5 home defeat to Hamburg SV.

He then accepted the invitation of his former Borussia Mönchengladbach coach Jupp Heynckes to join him at Spanish club CD Tenerife as his assistant. The team achieved an excellent 5th place spot in 1994/95 in La Liga. The following season was not as spectacular but still a solid 10th place position. When Heynckes left the club to move to Real Madrid, Lienen's time in Spain was up and he returned to his homeland as head coach of Hansa Rostock.

Lienen's first season with the eastern club was a success, as they repeated their highest ever finish of 6th in the Bundesliga of 1997/98. The next season proved a far trickier affair as the club sat in the relegation zone throughout the majority of the campaign. Lienen paid the price for a 0-4 home defeat by Bayern Munich in March 1999 and was fired (the club would miraculously manage to avoid the drop).

Another opportunity soon fell his way as 1. FC Köln, newly relegated to the 2.Bundesliga, called on his services. Lienen immediately returned the club to the Bundesliga, as champions in his first season. The 2000/01 season saw them finish a comfortable 10th, but the next season proved tougher and they slipped back down to the second tier, ending Lienen's time here.

He returned to Spain in the following season, when CD Tenerife returned to him after suffering relegation. His spell back in the Canary Islands was less successful as before as the team failed to mount a promotion challenge. After a string of poor results, Lienen was fired in January 2003, just six months after his appointment.

Lienen was not on the sidelines for long, as his former club Borussia Mönchengladbach looked to him after the sudden retirement of Hans Meyer in March 2003. The club had slumped into the relegation zone, but Lienen stabilised them in their remaining 11 games and moved them up to 12th. He was retained for the next season, but after a weak start (1 win in 6), he was replaced by Holger Fach on September 21, 2003.

After a six month absence from the Bundesliga, Lienen was recruited by Hannover 96 after their dismissal of Ralf Rangnick in March 2004. The club were flirting with the drop, but Lienen again proved adept at taking over in such circumstances, as he maintained the club's top flight status with a 14th place finish. The 2004/05 season was Hannover's best Bundesliga finish yet, as they recorded a 10th place position. The next season began poorly though, and hopes of building on the previous campaign's strong outcome evaporated. The club acted quickly and fired Lienen in November 2005, after 12 games.

Lienen again looked abroad for his next position, and headed for a new challenge in the Greek Super League with Panionios for the 2006/07 season. His first season in Athens was a success, as the club finished 5th, enough to qualify for the UEFA Cup.

Politics

Lienen was involved in the peace movement during the early 1980s. He took part in the Peace List, for which he was a candidate for the European elections in 1984. He is also a member of the `Future Council´, an advisory council to the Government of North Rhine-Westphalia on matters of sustainable development [http://www.agenda21.nrw.de/zukunftsrat_en/mitglieder/index.html] .