Stuttgart failed to learn anything from their experiences in previous seasons and ended up repeating the same mistakes. For the second season in a row they limped over the line under the guidance of Huub Stevens whose second coming at the club ended with another nail biting finish. A comeback win on the final day of the season against Paderborn was how they eventually secured their safety but the road to that point was rocky and they looked dead and buried at one point. Like many of the clubs at the bottom of the table, they started the season full of hope that they would not end up clinging on to their Bundesliga status for dear life. Title winning coach Armin Veh came back to the club after managing Eintracht Frankfurt and he seemed like the perfect man to steady the ship. Unfortunately that was entirely wrong and he only lasted twelve games in charge, jumping ship after defeat to Augsburg before he could be pushed by an increasingly irritated board. But the decision makers at the club were also to blame as the fans correctly pointed out each week and a number of board members also resigned throughout the course of the season, including sporting director Fredi Bobic who was replaced by Thomas Dutt. The man brought in to get them off the foot of the table was their saviour from last season, Dutchman Huub Stevens. This time he had over half a season to work his magic and in the games leading up to Christmas his side performed well. They started the second round of matches in fifteenth but quickly dropped to the foot of the table, beset by defensive errors and an awful goalscoring record. The low point was an away defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in which the team looked in tatters, giving away two of the four goals for free. But the return to fitness of striker Daniel Ginczek and a narrow home win over Werder Bremen turned the tide. 13 points in their last seven games ended up saving VfB including wins over fellow strugglers HSV and Paderborn along with a draw against Freiburg. Whether they would have stayed up had it not been for other sides around them playing just as badly is another matter, but even at their lowest point they were still in contact with the sides above them. No player stands out this season in any real way. Many of the longer serving players have to take a look at themselves before the new season, especially Vedad Ibisevic who may remain at the club but failed to score this term. New signing Florian Klein played all their league matches and was decent at full back or wide midfield while Sven Ullreich was average in goal although he was dropped at one point for six matches. Martin Harnik and Ginczek also chipped in with a few goals but were not ever present. The fighting spirit of the coach was reflected in one player though, namely captain Christian Gentner, who led the side impeccably throughout and helped out with some crucial goals. With Huub Stevens leaving after the end of his short term contract the club will once again be looking for someone to guide them forward. The new coach will hope to build a side around him but whoever it is has a huge challenge on his hands.
