Grasshopper are coming from a season of false dawns, which saw the Zurichers start poorly, vastly improve but then end up not only missing on an European place but also battling against the drop.
Their board made the risky move to make Carlos Bernegger, who had questionable managerial credentials, their boss last March, and he lasted only until August, as Grasshopper's poor form resulted in him being replaced by Murat Yakin.
Former Basel manager Yakin obviously had a lot to prove after seeing his stock plummet over the recent years and the Zurichers duly played some excellent football early in his reign and moved all the way up to fourth in the Super League season.
However, Yakin was always known mostly as a good defensive manager and, following the bright start, the limitations of his style started to emerge. Grasshopper found it increasingly difficult to win games, with their football getting worse over time.
A clash between Yakin and Milan Vilotic resulted in the experienced defender being relegated to the reserve team midway through the spring season but the poor results continued and Yakin was relieved of his duties in late April.
A couple of back-to-back wins following his departure were enough to keep the Zurichers up despite collecting only a point from their last four fixtures. Thorsten Fink was in charge for their final three games and has been named their boss for the upcoming season.
Needless to say, the former Basel and Austria Wien boss will be expected to deliver a campaign much better than the one that the Zurichers have just had.
