Reserve coaches take over at Nuremberg

BERLIN- Reuters

Struggling Nuremberg is fifth from bottom in the Bundesliga standings. EPA photo

Michael Wiesinger and Armin Reutershahn were appointed joint coaches of struggling Nuremberg following Dieter Hecking’s decision to take over at Bundesliga rivals VfL Wolfsburg at the weekend.

Wiesinger, 39, who has recently been working with the club’s youth academy, and Reutershahn, 52, an assistant under Hecking, will take the reins for the second half of the season.

The team is fifth from bottom in the table after a 1-1 draw at Werder Bremen, its final match before the mid-season break.

Nuremberg said Wiesinger, who played 186 league games for the club in the 1990s, would have the final say on team matters.

“In Michael Wiesinger and Armin Reutershahn we have two coaches from our own ranks that enjoy a great amount of trust and acceptance,” sporting director Martin Bader told Nuremberg’s website (www.fcn.de). “Michael has achieved great things with the youth setup and should bring a fresh impetus with him.”

Wiesinger played for several clubs during his career including Bayern Munich.

He was a Champions League winner with Bayern in 2001 and won the Bundesliga title twice and the German Cup once.

“Nuremberg is my club,” he said. “I was a player here and have put my heart and passion into my work here over the past year and a half.”