Coaching change
December 22, 2009
Dieter Hecking, 45, is a former coach of Bundesliga club Hanover 96 and had been widely considered the favorite for the Nuremberg job.
Nurmeberg fired their previous coach, Michael Oenning, on Monday after losing their last four matches without scoring a single goal. Oenning had been with the team since August of 2008 and last season he led the then second division club to promotion to the Bundesliga.
Hecking resigned as coach of Hanover last August, despite the fact that his contract with the team ran through the end of this season.
New coach has work cut out for him
Hecking was not immediately available for comment, but Nuremberg's president, Franz Schaefer, had previously described what he was looking for in a coach.
"You need a coach who has experience, especially with fighting against relegation," Schaefer said.
Hecking saved VfB Luebeck from relegation from the second division in 2003, and kept Hanover in the Bundesliga after taking over there in 2007.
Nuremberg will be hoping that Hecking can work his magic for a third time - halfway through the season, the team is second from the bottom, with just 12 points from 17 games.
acb/dpa/AFP/SID
Editor: Chuck Penfold