Kutrieb
arrives at The Kufflink Stadium from Tennis Borussia Berlin (TB Berlin, or
'TeBe') where he took the club to the top of the NOFV-Oberliga Nord table when
the early season shutdown occurred.
The
fifth-tier NOFV-Oberliga Nord is renowned as one of Europe’s toughest lower
divisions and the 40-year-old Kutrieb led TB Berlin to second position in the
2018/19 season as well as the Berlin Cup Final, before dominating last season’s
(2019/20) league campaign with his mixture of academy youth and seasoned
professionals.
In
19 games this season, TeBe have lost only twice and scored 61 goals while their
frugal defence has conceded only 17 times.
The
premature shutdown of the Oberliga season halted table-topping Kutrieb’s bid
for a third promotion over a six-year period which includes last season’s
second-place achievement with TB Berlin and his prior hugely successful period
leading VSG Altglienicke who he took from the Berlin League to the fourth-tier
Regionalliga Nordost.
Leading
German football publication `Kicker` recently anointed Kutrieb with the title
of ‘Erfolgstrainer’ - a rare honour saved for the brightest up-and-coming
managers across all divisions.
And
Kutrieb created headlines on announcing he was not renewing his contract with
TB Berlin in early May, despite leading the league, attracting significant
interest from clubs across the German pyramid.
On
his decision to continue his rapid managerial progress in England with
Ebbsfleet Kutrieb said: “For me this is a logical step in my career. The
opportunity to create the same results and progression in the competitive
English system as I have enjoyed in Germany is something I am very ambitious to
do, and while I had options to remain in the German leagues and take on a role
at a higher level, I’m very hungry to work hard and succeed in England with
Ebbsfleet United.”
The
new Fleet boss – who played in an attacking role for clubs including TB Berlin,
BFC Dynamo, Rot Weiß Oberhausen and Ludwigsfelder FC – continued: “I’m excited
by the preparation and meticulous approach I’ve experienced already in my
discussions with Ebbsfleet and we share the same philosophy and belief in terms
of the high work ethic and standards that a club requires to consistently
progress and win football matches.”
Ebbsfleet
said of the appointment: “Dennis is one of Germany’s most highly regarded young
managers and we are extremely pleased to secure his services to take the club
forward. A feature of Dennis’ success has been his tactical flexibility and
dynamic tactical management during matches, along with his meticulous and
thorough approach to preparation.
“An
exhaustive and thorough process has been undertaken to identify and profile the
attributes that best suit our club going forward to provide the optimal
structure for stable and consistent football operations and results.”
Kutrieb
will be supported in his role by existing club director of football Steve
Lovell.
Lovell’s
vast league and local football experience will be integral in providing Kutrieb
with recruitment and retention support at Ebbsfleet and his role and position
at the club remains unchanged.
Ed
Miller
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