After the dismissal of Markus Weinzierl, sports director Dieter Hecking temporarily took over as head coach of 1. FC Nürnberg.
Shortly after Markus Weinzierl was dismissed as coach of 1.FC Nürnberg, sporting director Dieter Hecking announced that he would initially take on the position of head coach himself. Cristian Fiel, previously U23 coach, will become assistant coach. “In this team we will try to get the lurching ship afloat again,” said Hecking at the press conference at noon.
Decision made in the car
Hecking made the decision yesterday after the 5-0 defeat in Heidenheim on the way home. “Immediately after the game, I actually had the feeling that I wanted to play the Sandhausen game with Markus Weinzierl. But then in the car I came to the realization: I’ve really seen very little and not at all only yesterday, but also in the games before.”
Hecking had hoped that the two wins against Düsseldorf and Regensburg would give the team a boost. In Heidenheim, however, the FCN went under.
Hecking defends himself against criticism of the squad
Hecking and also Chairman of the Supervisory Board Dr. Thomas Grethlein was actually excluded when he took office in 2020. Hecking is now the best solution, Grethlein confirmed: “We welcome the fact that Mr Hecking has this courage. We welcome the fact that he is taking this risk. You can see that he has confidence in his squad. That is also a strong sign. “
Hecking has often been criticized for putting together the squad. Markus Weinzierl also told Hecking when he was being dismissed that the squad didn’t give more than the current table situation.
However, the sports director defended himself against this criticism at noon: “I saw it differently with Robert Klauss and I see it differently now. That’s why I think it’s the best solution that I take it on myself, because I have a lot more confidence in the team, especially in terms of football.”
Solution only until the end of the season
However, Hecking will give up his role as coach again at the end of the season and concentrate on his core tasks as sports director. Until then, the previous U23 coach Fiel will accompany him as assistant coach, whom Hecking once again praised at the press conference: “Cristian Fiel is doing a very good job in the U23s. I think he’s someone who brings in fresh energy, who too has a different speech than the previous assistant coaches.” But he didn’t want to use Fiel as head coach. Hecking stated that he didn’t think it was right to give him this responsibility in the current situation. Financial considerations should not have played a role in the search for a successor solution.
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Source: BR24 Sport 02/20/2023 – 1:55 p.m
