Hecking’s rescuer mission in Nuremberg: “Take full responsibility”

“Hopefully straighten it myself”

A steadily falling performance curve and just one win from the first four league games in 2023 were Markus Weinzierl’s undoing at 1. FC Nürnberg earlier in the week. While the 48-year-old, who only took over from his predecessor Robert Klauß in October and has since scored 1.38 points in 13 games, was “very surprised” by his premature exit from the “Club”, FCN took over with Dieter Hecking Sports director personally at the helm – before the important game against bottom of the table Sandhausen, Hecking now gave an insight into the motives for his savior mission and spoke about the relationship with the ex-coach and the relegation battle in the 2nd Bundesliga.

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“I saw how it was viewed from the outside. ‘Now he has to save himself’ I read. That’s not what it is about. It’s not about Dieter Hecking. It’s about the fact that we have a sporting situation at 1. FC Nürnberg that we didn’t want because we’re playing for relegation this year. As far as I can, I’m trying to finish the season reasonably well in my dual function. Then we will see. It’s not about whether I lose my job as sports director or not. If it should be so, then so be it. Thank God I have the composure to say: ‘Okay, then I’m the one responsible.’ I take on this responsibility because I sit in the coach’s chair. I shouldn’t have done that. But I’m also giving a clear signal to the outside world. Hopefully I’ll straighten it myself,” said the 58-year-old on the Sky TV channel.

It is the ninth coaching station for Hecking, he had already been on the sidelines with the Franconians between 2009 and 2012. “Getting a third, external coach who needs a week or two to get used to the team in order to warm up – we have too important games for that in the next few weeks. That’s why, in consultation with Olaf Rebbe, I came to the decision that I would take matters into my own hands – with Cristian Fiél as assistant coach. We saw that as the best solution so that we didn’t need to run in advance, but could get on board immediately,” continued the native of Castrop-Rauxeler.

Hecking on the relationship with Weinzierl: “You don’t want to hear anything anymore”

The playful performances of the team under Weinzierl were “mau”, confirmed Hecking: “We didn’t create many chances to score and often didn’t act as I had hoped. I asked myself: is there input that will help us or not? After the Heidenheim game, I felt like I had to act. Not because we lost, it was about the way.”

“Markus Weinzierl and I spoke on Monday, but not afterwards. I’ve been fired before and I know: you don’t want to hear anything anymore. It was the same for both of us. From his point of view, he explained what could be the reason why the success did not come. I saw it differently – otherwise I wouldn’t have done it myself now. That’s it. My remarks were interpreted as a criticism of the coach. But no. I also accept criticism: that our squad may have an overall imbalance that we don’t want to see. We’ll put the shoe on when the season is over,” announced the sporting director and interim coach.

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Hecking is fully aware of his responsibility: “The club will also react if things go wrong. I’m fully aware of that, but it doesn’t matter to me now. That’s why I don’t sleep more calmly or more restlessly. I take responsibility for the current situation. 100 percent. Where we are is my responsibility. Not that of the trainer, who we no longer have. Not that of the team. Not Olaf Rebbe’s. I take full responsibility for what we find and with all consequences at the end of the season should that go wrong.”

Hecking on Nuremberg’s goal for the season: “We can all read the table”

After Sandhausen, Hecking’s former club Hamburger SV, Eintracht Braunschweig, Arminia Bielefeld and leaders Darmstadt 98 are waiting for the Valznerweiher team in the coming weeks.

When asked, the coach reiterated the statements he made at the beginning of the week that they were in the middle of a relegation battle: “We can all read the table. I saw the need because at the end of November I said at the annual general meeting: ‘If we get off to a good start in the second half of the season, I see our goal for the season as achievable.’ We were seven points down on sixth place, our goal for the season was the top third of the table. Not places one to six, but the top third of the table. I didn’t have in mind that we were promoted or a candidate for promotion. That was interpreted into my statement. I wouldn’t put it that way afterwards. Then came the start of the second half of the season: four competitive games in the league, we lost three. The table situation is incredibly tight. To say again that we want to be in the top third of the table would be unbelievable to myself.”

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