Werder Bremen sack head coach Nouri

Berlin (AFP) – Alexander Nouri on Monday became the third Bundesliga coach sacked this season when Werder Bremen fired him with the club second from bottom in the Bundesliga and winless this season.

Bremen’s 3-0 thumping at home to mid-table Augsburg on Sunday was the last straw for Werder’s board after cries of “Nouri out!” were heard by home fans after the final whistle.

The defeat left Bremen 17th with just five points from five draws and as many defeats in Germany’s top flight.

The 38-year-old Nouri took charge in September 2016, taking them from the relegation places to challenge for a place in Europe before they eventually finished eighth last season.

“Alex took over during a very difficult situation last year and successfully mastered it, for that we’d like to thank him,” said Bremen’s CEO Frank Baumann as Nouri bid farewell before Monday’s training session.

Florian Kohfeldt, the coach of the club’s Under-23 team, will take charge for Friday evening’s league match against Eintracht Frankfurt.

He will be helped by ex-Germany international and Bremen midfielder Tim Borowski.

“We are convinced that this team of coaches can give a new impetus to the team in the coming days and solve the uncertainty,” added Baumann.

Bremen qualified for the Champions League in 2010, but have struggled to stay out of the relegation places in recent seasons.

Nouri is the third Bundesliga coach fired this season after Wolfsburg sacked Andries Jonker in September before league leaders Bayern Munich showed Carlo Ancelotti the door five weeks ago.