Rapid Vienna appoint new manager prior to Rangers clash

Dietmar Kuhbauer playing for Austria in 2004. Picture: Gettyplaceholder image
Dietmar Kuhbauer playing for Austria in 2004. Picture: Getty

Rapid Vienna have appointed former player Dietmar Kuhbauer as their new manager and he says he's determined to hit the ground running at Ibrox tomorrow.

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Rangers face the Austrian side, who have had a terrible start to their season, in the Europa League Group Stages.

They axed Goran Djuricin at the weekend and replaced him with the manager of the side who beat them - St Polten boss Kuhbauer - and forked out £400,000 to release him from his contract.

Dietmar Kuhbauer playing for Austria in 2004. Picture: Gettyplaceholder image
Dietmar Kuhbauer playing for Austria in 2004. Picture: Getty

The 47-year-old is nicknamed ‘Don Didi’ among Rapid fans, where he is regarded as a legend after helping them to an Austrian Bundesliga title, an Austrian Cup success and he also starred as Rapid reached the 1996 European Cup-Winners Cup Final against PSG.

Now he’s back at the club where he made over 200 appearances and is desperate to turn their fortunes around.

Kuhbauer said: “I have never made a secret of the fact my ambition in football was for me to be Rapid manager.

“Now I have finally got there.

“I want to repay the trust placed in me by the board and the fans. We face a real challenge, but if we are together, we can go great places.

“We start in Glasgow against Rangers. That’s an enormous challenge in a fantastic stadium, but I want the players to show me what they can do.”

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