Hannover were one of a handful of sides who limped over the finish line on the final day of the season. The north German side started the campaign wíth Tayfun Korkut as coach and after adding one or two players with Bundesliga experience to the squad he looked like he had a solid side with which to start the campaign. Indeed this was not far from the truth at all as a somewhat inconsistent but generally solid side got up as high as third at the end of a few rounds but finished the opening half of the season in eighth place, a solid place to start after the winter break it seemed. The goals of Joselu were the main driving force as he made an excellent start his time at the club and, coupled with a very solid defence, they were able to secure narrow wins over the likes of Dortmund and Augsburg who would go on to finish in the top seven. However Hannover failed to capitalise on the solid foundations they had laid for themselves. From the beginning of the second round, Korkut’s side would embark on a winless run that extended until the penultimate day of the season. The goals dried up and their defence began to become more leaky. They suffered a lot of injuries in the midfield and that led to the coach trying any number of players who were not experienced enough to be thrown into the pressure of Bundesliga matches. Furthermore his tactics became complicated and convoluted, more appropriate for a side playing well than one which simply needed to toughen up. Their league position dropped week on week until they found themselves very much caught up in the relegation battle. Korkut survived until the end of the 29th round when he was replaced by coaching veteran Michael Frontzeck. The improvement was immediate and though he had to wait four games until his first win, their performances were much better and he also picked up a couple of decent points. He was aided by some important players coming back from injury, but his return to a more simple style of football was what ultimately helped get his side out of danger. The performances of Lars Stindl in the closing matches were also a real highlight and the club captain was good throughout the year, even though his transfer to Borussia Mönchengladbach for next season was made announced mid season. He would be a candidate for their player of the year but he missed a lot of games and instead goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler is their stand out man. He appeared in every match of the season and helped his team pick up some crucial points with his defensive work. He is a candidate to lead the team next season and has proven his worth for the club. Next season will bring its own challenges, namely trying to stablise the club in the league again, but under Frontzeck they seem to have a solid base.
