German Football League - Bochum manager's perspective on splitting with Letsch: "Misjudgement"
Hans-Peter Villis, the head of VfL Bochum, defended the decision to part ways with coach Thomas Letsch recently. It's been two months since Letsch was removed from his position after VfL lost to 1. FC Cologne with a 1:2 score during the final minutes of the game. Villis expressed his disapproval of their strategic move, stating, "In my opinion, that was a mistake." He added, "He switched to a defensive strategy. Eventually, someone had to lose, and that's what happened."
Villis further explained the reasoning behind the separation, saying, "We received signals from the team members. They felt Letsch wasn't providing any support from the outside. We were under pressure to introduce significant changes." Letsch responded with shock, acknowledging the situation.
After replacing Letsch with Heiko Butscher, VfL landed in the relegation spot and barely managed to cling onto the second division spot with a win over Fortuna Düsseldorf in a dramatic penalty shootout. Villis shared his dissatisfaction with the outcome, stating, "We should have secured our place in the second division earlier. A lot didn't go smoothly."
Villis went on to claim that Butscher had already expressed a desire to quit as head coach before the relegation return match. The position will be filled by Peter Zeidler next season, who is moving from FC St. Gallen to the Ruhr region.
