1987–2013: Werder Bremen 1987–99: Early career Schaaf began his managerial career while still an active player, taking care of Werder's youth sides. After this he proceeded to manage
the reserve team which competed in the third-tier
Regionalliga Nord, before succeeding
Felix Magath on 10 May 1999 as the senior side's coach, with the club under serious threat of relegation until the last day of
the season: he managed to steer the team clear out of relegation, going on to win
the campaign's domestic cup immediately afterwards, defeating
Bayern Munich in a
penalty shoot-out.
2000–04: Building up the team and "the Double" Schaaf led Werder to
the double (Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal) in
2003–04, as well as the team's first-ever
DFB-Ligapokal two years later.
2004–09: European adventures From 2004 the club managed to qualify five consecutive times for the
UEFA Champions League, coming short in
2008–09 but
winning the cup (his third as a manager – fifth overall – and Werder's sixth), thus qualifying for
the following season's
UEFA Europa League. That same season he also guided the club to the
2009 UEFA Cup Final, lost 1–2 to
Shakhtar Donetsk after
extra time.
2009–13: Final seasons On 14 December 2009, Schaaf signed a new contract with Werder Bremen. He led the side to the third place in the league and the playoff stages in the
2010–11 Champions League, as well as to a second straight
German Cup final, which was lost to Bayern Munich. Schaaf left Werder on 15 May 2013 by mutual consent after finishing a disappointing fourteenth in
the domestic championship, ending 14 years in charge of the club and ending his 41-year association with the club since joining as an 11-year-old youth player. He oversaw 645 games as a coach during his stint, finishing with a record of 308 wins, 138 draws, and 199 losses and leading it to six major trophies and six appearances in the Champions League, and was linked to the organization for four decades since his days as a youth player. During the press conference where he announced his resignation, he spoke of his admiration of the club and the joy of his time spent at the
Weserstadion, saying, "I had an extraordinary time here, connected with a lot of positive experiences and great successes. I would like to thank everyone who accompanied me along the way and supported me. I wish Werder Bremen a successful future."
2014–16: Post-Werder Bremen years 2014–15 season: Eintracht Frankfurt On 21 May 2014, after one year out of football, Schaaf was appointed head coach of
Eintracht Frankfurt, signing a two-year contract. During the course of
his first season he led his team to a ninth-place finish, being in charge of his 500th Bundesliga match in the process. Schaaf resigned on 26 May 2015. He finished with a record of 12 wins, 10 draws and 14 losses from 36 games and was ultimately succeeded by
Armin Veh.
2015–16 season: Hannover 96 Schaaf was appointed as the head coach of
Hannover 96 on 28 December 2015, signing an 18-month contract and being formally introduced to the media after his first training session on 4 January 2016. Hannover then failed to score a goal in their next four matches. Schaaf was sacked on 3 April 2016, after a 3–0 defeat to
Hamburger SV. He finished with a record of one win and ten losses. His first and only win On the last matchday, Bremen lost at home 4–2 against
Borussia Mönchengladbach to finish 17th in the league table; hence, they were relegated to the
2. Bundesliga for the first time since the 1979–80 season. ==Career statistics==