Hansa Rostock II made a strong start to their first-ever season as a professional club, sitting safely in 3. Liga mid-table heading into the winter break. But manager Ruprecht Prusseit was acutely aware that a slip in form could quickly drag them into danger.
Ruprecht Prusseit overcame his hometown club to lead Hansa Rostock II to his first-ever title then defeated professional rivals Hannover II to gain promotion to 3. Liga for the first time. Now they faced a huge challenge as a professional club.
Life in tier four was off to a flying start for Ruprecht Prusseit with his free-scoring Hansa Rostock II side sitting top of Regionalliga Nordost at the halfway point of the campaign.
Five years into his OstDeutscher Sieg challenge to lead an East German club to Bundesliga glory, Ruprecht Prusseit had just enjoyed his second-best season as a Football Manager. And he was keen to test himself at a higher level.
Just over halfway through the season, Prusseit's Stendal side had already matched last season's points tally. So he was hopeful that maintaining that form and his newly acquired National B Licence would start to attract clubs higher up the German footballing pyramid.
A second successive relegation from the German tier five was narrowly avoided as Ruprecht Prusseit led 1. FC Lok Stendal to a solid run of form at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. Now he had a summer to strengthen his squad.
Ruprecht Prusseit's second role in football management had been packed with entertainment as his 1. FC Lok Stendal 21 games saw 81 goals. That resulted in a familiar position, with Stendal sitting four points above the relegation zone with 15 games remaining.
Cash-strapped SV Dessau 05 suffered relegation back into the German sixth tier on goal difference in 2024/25. And manager Ruprecht Prusseit needed a bit of time away from football to gather his thoughts and consider his options.
Relegation favourites SV Dessau 05 were performing above expectations to sit outside the drop zone of German Division North East - South. But Ruprecht Prusseit's young side were far from secure in the fifth tier, especially considering an increasingly concerning financial situation.
Ruprecht Prusseit came into the summer of 2024 unsure of whether to continue the work he'd started at SV Dessau 05 or seek pastures new. He'd worked wonders to keep Dessau in the fifth tier with a bunch of high-potential but low-current-ability teenagers and the club's finances were a huge concern.
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