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Wolf with no pack Wolfsburg sacks coach Wolfgang WolfPosted: Tuesday March 04, 2003 6:55 AMUpdated: Tuesday March 04, 2003 12:08 PM
BERLIN (Reuters) -- Wolfgang Wolf certainly had the right name to coach VfL Wolfsburg but the German first division club ruled that he no longer had the right results and sacked him Tuesday. Wolf, who was expected to leave at the end of the season, was replaced by Juergen Roeber after his club dropped to 11th place in the 18-strong Bundesliga table. Former Hertha Berlin coach Roeber has been offered a three-year contract and takes over the coaching duties immediately, the club said in a statement. Roeber, 48, had been out of a job since being sacked by Hertha in February last year. In six years at the capital club, he won promotion to the first division in 1997 and took them to the Champions League second phase in the 1999-2000 season. "In Juergen Roeber we have a coach who has demonstrated his ability in the Bundesliga and who has international experience," said Wolfsburg's supervisory board chairman Lothar Sander. Wolfsburg, which started the season hoping to qualify for the UEFA Cup, is just five points above the relegation zone after just one victory from six games since the winter break. The club, from a small northern town that is home to car makers Volkswagen, its main sponsor, has failed to live up to huge expectations since signing former Bayern Munich captain Stefan Effenberg at the start of the season. The 45-year-old Wolf, who played for several German clubs including Kaiserslautern, joined Wolfsburg in March 1998 during the club's first season in the top flight. "Wolfsburg will always remain close to my heart," he said. "They can only have success in the remaining games with a quiet atmosphere, and discussions over my future would not help." Wolf became the fourth Bundesliga coach to lose his job this season after Andreas Brehme (Kaiserslautern), Klaus Toppmoeller (Leverkusen) and Hans Meyer (Moenchengladbach). Hertha's Marcelinho fined for partyingBERLIN (Reuters) -- Hertha Berlin's Brazilian midfielder Marcelinho has been fined 20,000 euros (US$22,000) for partying after his side's last two defeats, the German first division club said Tuesday. Marcelinho spent the night in Berlin clubs after Thursday's 1-0 defeat at Boavista that knocked Hertha out of the UEFA Cup and after a 1-0 Bundesliga defeat by Hamburg SV on Sunday. "Such behaviour cannot be tolerated," said Hertha commercial manager Dieter Hoeness. "Having fun after two bitter defeats is not the right attitude." Hertha dropped one place to seventh in the Bundesliga after losing to Hamburg and face a struggle to win a place in Europe next season. The club is also under investigation by UEFA over goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly's behaviour in the Boavista game. Hungary goalkeeper Kiraly ran across the field to manhandle opposite number Ricardo Pereira after Fernando Avalos hit the winner with seven minutes remaining in the match in Oporto. The Portuguese club qualified for the quarterfinals on the away goals rule after a 3-3 draw on aggregate. UEFA's disciplinary committee is expected to rule on the incident Friday. Moenchengladbach should stay up, says new coachBERLIN (Reuters) -- New Borussia Moenchengladbach coach Ewald Lienen is confident the five-time German champion will avoid relegation. "My first impressions are very good," Lienen, who was appointed on Sunday, said after conducting his first training session Tuesday. "The players are all highly motivated," he told a news conference. "I am convinced that we have the potential to remain in the top flight." Moenchengladbach, which won five German titles and lifted the UEFA Cup twice in the 1970s courtesy of a great team featuring German internationals Berti Vogts, Guenter Netzer and Rainer Bonhof, are third from bottom in the Bundesliga. The once-great club, who returned to the top flight in 2001 after two seasons in the second division, appointed Lienen after sacking coach Hans Meyer on Sunday. A former Bundesliga player, Lienen, 49, earned a reputation as being a tough coach with a hard line on disciplinary matters during previous spells at MSV Duisburg, Hansa Rostock and Cologne.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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