Football's Pioneers: Ernst Happel

In 1978, Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging, or simply Club Brugge, reached the final of the European Cup against Liverpool at Wembley – the only Belgian club to do so.

Despite losing 1-0, it was Brugge’s finest hour. Two years previously, they had lost to the same opponents in the final of the UEFA Cup. In charge on both occasions was Ernst Happel (1925-92), one of European football’s most successful coaches, and the most significant figure in post-war Austrian football.

Happel was the first coach to win the European Cup with two different clubs – Feyenoord (1970) and SV Hamburger (1983) – and he also lifted national championships with teams in four countries – Holland, Belgium Germany and Austria.

He reflected the cosmopolitan nature of European football as many players and coaches crossed national boundaries to find work. A taciturn character who was famed for his pithy quips, he was nevertheless very tactically astute.

After the 1970 European Cup Final even Celtic’s Jock Stein admitted that Happel had outsmarted him.

Happel, born in Vienna, was a part of Austria’s rich footballing tradition. He began as a player with Rapid Wien in 1942, at a time when it was the team of the 17th Gau of the Greater German Reich.

He was also an Austrian international who played in the team that finished third at the 1954 World Cup.

His peripatetic coaching career began in the Netherlands, with Den Haag (1962-69), before moving to Feyenoord (1969-73). After a brief sojourn at Sevilla, he was appointed coach at Brugge.

Under him, Brugge enjoyed a golden period, winning three consecutive titles (1975/76, 1976/77 and 1977/78). During their run to the final in 1978, they beat European powerhouses Atlético Madrid in the quarter-final and then memorably Juventus in the semis. The 1978 final itself was a dull affair. Brugge played a counter-attacking game and hardly created a chance.

Happel also created an unwelcome record that year; he was the only coach to lose a European Cup Final and a World Cup Final in the same year. In 1977, he had been appointed Dutch coach on a part-time basis.

The Netherlands went to Argentina without Johan Cruyff, but still reached the final. In 1981, he found employment with Hamburger SV. The mid-'70s through to the mid-'80s were Hamburg’s golden years and Happel is still the club’s most successful coach, winning two Bundesliga titles and the European Cup in 1983 after beating Juventus 1-0.

For his final position, he returned to Austria to coach FC Swarovski Tirol, which had been newly formed in 1986. The club was actually dissolved in 1992, but not before winning two championships under Happel.

In 1992, Happel’s career came full circle when he was appointed the national coach of Austria. It was a brief reign. He died of lung cancer in the same year. Such was the esteem that Happel was held in Austria, after he died, the national stadium in Vienna, the Praterstadion, was renamed in his honour.

For more information about sports history at DMU visit www.dmu.ac.uk/sportshistory.