Bundesliga team Bochum dismisses their head coach and sports manager.
The Final Chapter of Bundesliga's Struggles: Peter Zeidler, who took charge at the season's start, was abruptly dismissed by VfL Bochum. The sports director joined him in termination. Bochum has only accrued a single point from their initial seven matches.
This unfortunate statement might have sealed the deal for Zeidler. "Alright then, thank you," he concluded after analyzing VfL Bochum's 1:3 (0:1) loss against TSG Hoffenheim. A day after, the Swabian found himself jobless. But it wasn't his choice, it was the club who stepped in.
"Despite numerous discussions and attempts in the recent weeks, we haven't witnessed significant enhancements in sports or table performance. Considering these factors, the club's management, along with the sporting staff and the team, conducted an in-depth analysis. Conclusion: There's no conviction that VfL can maintain their league position with the current team structure," VfL announced late Sunday evening.
This marks the first coaching change of the Bundesliga season. Marc Lettau, the sports director, was also let go. The new temporary coach hasn't been named by VfL yet. "The club will share further details in due time," they stated.
With a horrendous record of no wins in the first seven games, one point, and last place in the table, Zeidler's tenure was increasingly under scrutiny.
Fans, and probably the decision-makers, were particularly anxious when looking at the upcoming opponents. Bochum is set to face Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen, and VfB Stuttgart in the near future. "If things go south, they'd have one point after eleven games," former national player Dietmar Hamann already joked in the Sky studio.
Despite the defeat in Sinsheim, Zeidler remained optimistic. "You know I'm fully committed, I work hard and am competent – otherwise I would've been gone by now. And since that's not the case, I'm still coach of VfL Bochum, hopefully for a long time. I can only promise we'll get back on track, we'll work hard and diligently." However, it wasn't enough for the club.
Against TSG, who had only managed one win before the game, things didn't improve. In front of a crowd of 19,281 spectators, Andrej Kramaric (11.), Marius Bülter (64.), and Haris Tabakovic (90.+3) scored for Hoffenheim. Gamboa's goal (76.) only delayed the defeat for Bochum. Just before the end, Hoffenheim's national goalkeeper Oliver Baumann saved a clumsily taken penalty from Lukas Daschner (89.).
"The first half was riddled with catastrophic mistakes," striker Philipp Hofmann concluded: "But should we give up now or what? We need to win now, no matter who comes."
Whether there will be victories under Zeidler remains to be seen. "That's up to others to decide," Hofmann replied to the question about the coach: "I don't want to comment on that."
On Sunday evening, the decision-makers made the call.
The struggling performance of VfL Bochum in the Football league, with only one point from seven matches and no wins, put Peter Zeidler's job as coach under scrutiny. Despite Zeidler's optimism, the club decided to make a change in the Football league's Bundesliga, letting go of both Zeidler and sports director Marc Lettau.
