Reuters: Relation-threatening Bundesliga club Schalke 04 on Friday (December 18) fired manager Manuel Baum after a stupid 28-game run in the top flight and appointed Dutchman Hub Stevens as interim boss.
The 41-year-old Baum’s last match was a 2-0 home defeat by Freiburg on Wednesday, which saw him fall to the bottom of the standings with just four points after 12 games.
Baum, who was in charge of just 10 games, is the second coach to be sacked by Sechlke this season after 18 games without a league win in September.
“I spoke to Manuel Baum this morning. I wish him good luck for the future,” said caretaker boss Stevens, who is returning to Schalke for his fourth term. “My heart is still blue and white. When the club turns to me in difficult times, I can’t say.”
Stevens, 67, managed Schalke in 1996-2002 and 2011-12 before stepping down on an interim basis at the end of the 1996 – 192 season. He led them to a UEFA Cup win in 1997 and the German Cup in 2001 and 2002 and a runners-up run in Budesliga in 2001.
“We’re here and the side has a little bit of confidence, so it’s eating harder than last time,” Stevens said. “We need to clear our heads. Players need to experience victory, it’s the best medicine for a footballer.”
Stevens took charge of the home game against Armenia Billefield on Saturday, followed by the second round of the German Cup on December 22 at Ulm.
