ABERDEEN have appointed a new sporting director described as the ‘craziest man in football’ as the club look to arrest their alarming decline.
The Dons are 11th in the Scottish Premiership after just two wins in nine games this season.
It now means they’ve picked up just 29 points from a possible 108 stretching back to last year.
They were also thrashed 6-0 by AEK Athens in the UEFA Conference League.
Chairman Dave Cormack had been looking for a new director of football since Steven Gunn left the club in September and had spoken to three candidates.
And now he’s got his man Lutz Pfannenstiel who will start at the club next month.
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Dave Cormack told the club’s official website: “We are pleased to welcome Lutz and his significant experience to Pittodrie.
“With extensive coaching, scouting, young player development and leadership expertise gained across different roles and cultures, we believe Lutz will be a catalyst in the club’s quest to deliver its football aspirations over the next few years.
“In particular, his technical knowledge, academy development experience and global recruitment network were key factors in the Board selecting him for this critical role, as we strive to align consistent on-field success with our player-development model.
“Lutz will oversee and be responsible for all football and performance areas of Aberdeen FC to deliver on our ambitious objectives in what, today, has become a highly competitive Scottish football league.”
Lutz Pfannenstiel. You might not know the name but he has some incredible stories to share after a nomadic career, which saw him play for more than 25 different clubs across 13 countries.
He’s the only player to represent a professional club across all six of Fifa’s confederations.
After turning down Bayern Munich at the age of 19, the German’s globetrotting journey saw him land in some tricky spots.
He was thrown behind bars in horrendous conditions in Singapore after being accused of match-fixing – the case was eventually quashed.
He told the Guardian: “It was a horrible time and I still have nightmares.
“When you wake up and you’re lying next to murderers and rapists without a toothbrush and without toilet paper, it makes you re-evaluate the life you had before. I soon realised that football wasn’t everything.”
He once stole a penguin and kept it in his bath tub while playing in New Zealand.
“That bloody penguin,” he recalls laughing. It’s all anyone asks me about. When I was told that I could be deported because of it, he was soon sent back!”
And he ‘died’ on the pitch after a sickening collision with former Hibs striker Clayton Donaldson while playing for Bradford Park Avenue in a match against Harrogate in 2002-03. It led to him being pronounced clinically dead three times.
But incredibly he turned out for Bradford Park a week later.
All these tales are in his autobiography – The incredible adventures of The Unstoppable Keeper.
His latest venture before coming to the Granite City seemed less dramatic as he was in the US where he was tasked with building St Louis City for the MLS.
He left in August this year after five years at the club.
He’s previously been at Hoffenheim as head of their international relations and scouting and Fortuna Dusseldorf as sporting director.
Pfannenstiel said on his move to Aberdeen: “Aberdeen FC has what many clubs around the world can only dream of – that is rich tradition, a storied history and a true football soul.
“I look forward to bringing my depth of experience in football to a Scottish city and region that lives for the game and look forward to being an active part of this great community.
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“Having spent time getting to know the club over the past two years, I’m inheriting a very strong infrastructure and team of staff at both Pittodrie and Cormack Park.
“So, for me, this is about building from a strong basis with one goal in mind, which is to elevate Aberdeen at all levels and make our fans proud of the club.”
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