Stöger will stay as BVB coach if the team goes unbeaten

After picking up 15 points from seven league games without losing, Peter Stöger just needs to maintain his current level if he wants the Borussia Dortmund job long term, BVB chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said on Sunday.

"He has not lost a game in the Bundesliga. If we continue not to lose any, we would be pretty stupid if we did not continue our relationship. We are happy because he is an exceptionally good coach," Watzke told Sky.

Stöger, who was fired from his previous job at Cologne in December after overseeing a long winless run, has tasted defeat just once since being appointed at Signal Iduna Park - to Bayern Munich in the German Cup.

With trips to Munich and Leipzig as well as the Europa League to contend with, the chances of Stöger maintaining his league record seem slim. Watzke stopped some way short of saying that was the only way Stöger could keep his job though, alluding to the Austrian's relationship with the club's fans as another positive.

"I think the fans have already taken Peter Stöger to their hearts because he has a relaxed style," Watzke said.

In the same interview, Watzke dismissed the suggestion that the Bundesliga should introduce end-of-season play-offs to decide the champion as a way of ending Bayern's monopoly on the title.

"By far the most honest competition is the German championship. There you will be rewarded for your performance over 34 games," he said. 

"If we say, we want under all circumstances, that Bayern Munich are no longer German champions, although they have by far the best German team then ... that has nothing to do with football any more."

mp/jh (DPA/SID)