YB sacks Patrick Rahmen and once again relies on Joël Magnin on an interim basis. blue Sport takes a closer look at the YB champion coach.
No time? blue Sport summarizes for you
- Joël Magnin takes over as interim coach at champions YB. As soon as a new head coach is found, he will resume his current job as U21 coach.
- Magnin is one of the veterans of the Bernese youth team. The man from Neuchâtel coached the U21s for a total of around 13 years.
- Last season, Magnin was already on the sidelines with the YB professionals on an interim basis. He succeeded in his mission to secure the championship title for YB. YB became champions with a twelve-point lead.
Joël Magnin lifted the championship trophy with YB last May as interim coach. "I thought I was dreaming," said Magnin about winning the title before returning to the club's U21 team after his work was done.
It's quite possible that Magnin is rubbing his eyes in amazement now too. This time, however, the situation is likely to give him less pleasure. Still flying high in May, YB, the reigning champions, are surprisingly bottom of the table after nine league games.
Coach Patrick Rahmen, who was hired in the summer, will have to call it a day in the fall. Magnin once again steps into the breach. Last March, the YB management brought the U21 coach to the sidelines to replace the sacked Raphael Wicky. The mission back then: to bag the championship title. And he succeeded.
Impressive figures in his last interim assignment
Under Magnin, YB won eight of their last twelve games in 2023/24, lost two and drew twice. The haul of 26 points was impressive. YB became champions with a twelve-point lead.
Now the starting position for Magnin is different: YB are in the basement of the table. Magnin should get the Bernese team out of it. "He proved in the spring that he can get the best out of the team in a difficult situation with the coaching staff," sporting director Steve von Bergen is quoted as saying in a club press release.
Spycher on the recall: "I am convinced that Joël is the right man. He brought extreme clarity last season. He communicates well and has a good connection with the players. He shows his absolute loyalty to YB."
Yellow and black blood in his veins
Magnin knows Young Boys inside out. As a professional, the former midfielder spent four years chasing points for YB in addition to his stints at Lugano and GC. He played over 150 games for the yellow and black team in all competitions.
After his career ended in July 2006, his first commitment at YB outside of playing followed a year later. He took the job as coach of the U21 team. With interruptions, he coached the capital's youth team for around 13 years. David von Ballmoos, Lewin Blum and Michel Aebischer, among others, laced up their boots as juniors under Magnin's wing.
Detour to the Super League only short-lived
In addition to YB, Magnin also gained experience in the Super League at Neuchâtel Xamax. He was head coach of the Neuchâtel club in 2019/2020 - with little success: six wins in 31 games. He was sacked around four weeks before the end of the season. The French-speaking Swiss side were unable to avoid relegation.
In January 2021, six months after his departure from Xamax, Massimo Rizzo recruited him as assistant coach at FC Zurich. Less than six months later, his adventure at FCZ was already history.
Magnin's next Super League adventure is also likely to be short-lived. According to Spycher, he will return to coaching the YB youth team in the medium term. So short the duration, so important the task: to teach YB how to win again.
