TSG mourn the death of Helmut Gross

If you ever find yourself asking the question why so many successful coaches come from the south-west of Germany, you will automatically end up with one common denominator: Helmut Gross. The Geislingen native has inspired generations of football coaches with his vision of covering spaces based around the position of the ball. For former TSG head coaches Ralf Rangnick and Markus Gisdol, he was not only a role model, but also a consultant and mentor for a long time. Julian Nagelsmann, Jürgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel – they all came into contact with his footballing philosophy. The trained bridge-building engineer had tactically dismantled football and reassembled it like a true tinkerer. It was a Swabian revolution. As head coach, Helmut Groß led SC Geislingen into the German third tier in the late-1970s. But the father of two did not seek the spotlight. He preferred to stay in the background, encouraging and inspiring coaches – and in doing so, he changed German football. But Helmut Groß not only moulded many Hoffenheim head coaches, he was also officially a scout at TSG from 2008 to 2012. On Thursday 22 February, the Geislingen native died at the age of 77. TSG are mourning the passing of not only a former employee, but also a man who shaped German football.