Four wins in thirteen games have seen Nürnberg slip to 14th place; on Monday night, following a 2-1 defeat to Sandhausen on Friday, the Bavarian side took the decision to sack Valérien Ismaël.
Appointed in early June, Ismaël was tasked with guiding der Club to the promotion places and an instant return to Bundesliga football. However, the Frenchman has failed to get the best out of a strong squad and they languish in the lower end of the table.
"In the past few days we have dealt intensively with the current situation, but also with an analysis of the entire season so far. After many discussions, we have come together with the Supervisory Board to take the decision to make a coaching change, even if we have this decision as been anything but an easy one." said Martin Bader, Head of Sports & Public Relations at Nürnberg.
Dr. Thomas Grethlein, chairman of FCN, added: "After careful deliberation, the Supervisory Board has relieved head coach Valérien Ismaël of his duties with immediate effect. We thank him for his co-operation and wish him well for the future."
As to a successor, that remains up in the air. Until a manager is found, fitness coach Mark Zidek and goalkeeper coach Daniel Klewer will oversee training. The international break will give them a good amount of time to deliberate over a possible replacement. The nine-time German champions will hope to have a coach in place for their next 2.Bundesliga game, against table-toppers Ingolstadt, in two weeks time.