02.11.2007, 02:04
H&H – brothers on the bench

Herbert and Helfried Müller are coaching the team of Nürnberg together since 2003, but they spent almost their whole (handball) life together. The story of a family enterprise by Björn Pazen.

H&H – brothers on the bench

There are brothers in the Champions League (see for example the three Günthers in A1 Bregenz) – but it is really rare that you have two brothers on the bench.

In Nürnberg, the combination H&H – Herbert and Helfried Müller - means success. Even in their daily life, the brothers are always together. In an exclusive interview with Eurohandball.com Herbert (45) and Helfried (41) tell us about their relationship and how it works that the two brothers never quarrel during their work.

The brothers were born as members of the German minority in Timisoara (Romania) – and this life was hard.

“For us the most important thing was – and still is – the family. This was the biggest part of our education, that we all shall stand together very close,” says Herbert Müller. “Accordingly, Helfried is still my best friend – and the best brother you can imagine in the whole world.”

Both liked sports already in their younger days, and when they came to Germany (the family settled down near Augsburg in Bavaria) they started their sports career.

“I was always the younger brother and Herbert had to look after me. He always helped me in my whole life when I had problems. Simply great!”

In Augsburg both started handball in the team of DJK Hochzoll. “Helfried was the brilliant playmaker, who had all the calmness and inspiration. I was the a fervent runner and a hard fighter – so we have always been different – on the field and on the bench.”

After their playing career, they started coaching at DJK Hochzoll. “We were equal. There was no boss, we both had the same rights,” Herbert is looking back. In the year 1999, Herbert Müller, who works as a mathematics teacher at a university, signed a contract at Nürnberg.

The club was in the fourth division that time and it was mostly the Müller’s work that brought the club in the first league in 2002. One year later Helfried joined his brother’s club as assistant coach.

“We are completely different: When we were in Augsburg I was the calm one and Helfried was the one with energy who was shouting on the bench. Afterwards it changed completely: since I have become the head coach of Nürnberg and Herbert is my assistant, the roles changed. My job is to motivat and Helfried is the calm one.”

Even in their spare time, the Müller brothers do sports: they play tennis or squash, and – as Herbert says – “Helfried is the living sports encyclopaedia. He knows everything about any sports.”

However, the Müllers do not talk only about handball. “There are a lot of subjects we discuss and Helfried is totally crazy with my two children,” says Herbert Müller.

When they train together, the roles are split: Helfried is specialised on the individual coaching of players and goalkeepers, while Herbert is responsible for the complete strategy and the team (spirit).

“We never have any problems with each other, there are no quarrels,” says Helfried who is always impressed by the “positive thoughts” of his brother:

“He never gives up; he is always looking at the positive sides of life – especially in handball. He is totally different from me.”

And Herbert thinks, that “one look is enough to communicate, in certain situations we do not have to talk, because the other one understands at once”.

Beside this, Herbert is impresses by the intuition of his brothers: “when we are in critical situations in a match, he has the great idea – and everything is running brilliant again.”

And the most important thing – as both say: “we can always rely on each other. This makes life much easier.”

But is there noting to make the brothers angry at each other?

“Yes, there is,” says Helfried: “When we play tennis, and the 100th ball of Helmut is touching exactly the line – otherwise there’s nothing.” 

TEXT: Björn Pazen