Hitzfeld to leave Bayern at end of season

tracylynn

Hitzfeld to leave Bayern at end of season

Associated Press
January 2, 2008, 1:00 PM EST
MUNICH, Germany (AP) - Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said Wednesday he will leave the club at the end of the season.

The 58-year-old coach, one of two men to win European Cup titles with different clubs, ended weeks of speculation about his future after he was stung by public criticism from Bayern's management in November.
Hitzfeld said he told Bayern three weeks ago he will leave when his contract runs out on June 30. He said he may coach the Swiss national team or return to a job as television commentator.

"I will try for the next half year to be as successful and win as many titles as I can," Hitzfeld told the German sports news agency SID.

Hitzfeld took over as Bayern coach on Feb. 1, his second stint at Germany's top club. During his first stint between 1998-2004, Hitzfeld won the 2001 Champions League title, four Bundesliga titles and the German Cup. He also won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in 1997, matching the achievement of Ernst Happel, who won the European Cup with Feyenoord in 1970 and Hamburger SV in 1983.

Bayern's management apparently wasn't happy this season after spending ?70 million (US$103 million) on new players to assemble the most expensive team in Bundesliga history.

The team's results have slumped after a record start, although it still leads the league on goal difference ahead of Werder Bremen. In November, Bayern president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge criticized Hitzfeld publicly for resting most of his regular starters for a 2-2 UEFA Cup draw against the Bolton Wanderers.

Hitzfeld, who rested the players for a Bundesliga match two days later, called the criticism a "severe blow."

Hitzfeld met with delegates from the Swiss national team over Christmas. He began his coaching career in Switzerland, where he claimed four titles at Grasshoppers.

"The options I had were Bayern Munich, the Swiss national team or working for television," Hitzfeld said. "Now it's down to two options."

Hitzfeld would replace Koebi Kuhn after Switzerland co-hosts the 2008 European Championship in June with Austria. When Hitzfeld left Bayern the first time in 2004, he said he was "burned out" and spurned offers from Real Madrid and other top European clubs.

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I wasn't sure where to actually put this article so I figured that this would be a good area because we can gossip about who the next coach will be.

Anway, I'm not surprised to hear that he is leaving. Hitzfeld was a pretty good coach even though he appeared, at times, to be moderate in his decisions and made some mistakes, who hasn't, but he did well overall. I wish him all the best in whatever he plans to do next.

So, any ideas of who will be Bayern's next coach? Anyone in particular that you want to see in Munich? I know some folks want Mourinho but I don't see that happening since the heads at Bayern want a German speaker.

draconaut

I hope Bayern would get Matthaus .

FCBinNYC

Mourinho would be ok, Klinsmann might be better. Van Basten is the favorite if you believe the press, but if they're going to go Dutch, I'd rather see Rijkaard. As for Matthaus, I don't know if he has the experience at the very top level of coaching. You could say the same for Klinsmann, but he's obviously a great motivator if nothing else, which seems to be what Bayern need most.
It's too bad Hitzfeld is leaving, but the writing's been on the wall for a while now. I just hope Uli and co. make the right decision and don't pull another Magath. German doubles are great, but Bayern really needs to be challenging for the Champions League every year, and we just can't compete with the AC Milans and Barcelonas without a top coach, even though our team is great.
Or here's an idea: let's get Steve McClaren!

andresdonado15 · Woah, this feels cool! Joined: 02 Sep 2007 Posts: 61

NOOOOOOOOOO...............Mc Claren really isnt our coach, he is a disaster under the coach bench.

I hope that Bayern brings Matthaus in......................

draconaut

Paddy · I'm a chatterbox! Joined: 07 Jan 2007 Posts: 737 votes: 7

Schweini_rules

FCBinNYC

HAHAHA I should've put a smiley after the McClaren thing huh? OF COURSE I'M KIDDING! AHAHAHA That's great! Very Happy