Greuther Fürth had a very mixed campaign in 2016/17 starting poorly before flattering to deceive near the end of the season. The club started the season with Stefan Ruthenbeck in charge but it became clear fairly quickly that his side were likely to struggle with some very unconvincing and uninspired performances. Ruthenbeck was replaced before Christmas by former Fürth player Janos Radoki who started well and took the team out of the bottom three before Christmas. However it was in January and February that his side really showed what they were capable of, going 9 games unbeaten in the league including wins against both of the eventual top two. Ultimately, 1 win in their last eight showed some weaknesses in the team and the squad still has plenty to prove next season.
Fürth were one of the heaviest recruiters this season, especially as Radoki brought in a number of players in the January transfer window to strengthen the weaknesses he saw and to create a squad capable of playing as he wanted. His transfers were largely successful, with Adam Pinter and Johanness van den Bergh both holding down regular places in the team before injuries got in the way. Injury was also the cause of midfield playmaker Jürgen Gjasula not playing much this season and he was sorely missed. The experience of Marco Caligiuri and Andreas Hofmann at the heart of the team was crucial throughout, but they are not getting any younger and replacements will need to be found. Few players stood out this term, but the best amongst the squad was Robert Zulj who ended the season as second top scorer, but was involved in a lot of goals and was influential during their nine match unbeaten run.
