VfL Bochum has said goodbye to coach Thomas Letsch. This was announced on Monday by the relegation-threatened Bundesliga football team from the Ruhr area. “In our current situation, we no longer have the conviction that we can succeed in the current constellation,” commented sporting director Patrick Fabian. Recently there has been a worrying negative trend at VfL. The VfL would like to inform you about the new coaching position as soon as possible.
Bochum seemed to be on the back of a 3-2 victory against FC Bayern In fact, Munich was saved on matchday 22. In mid-February the lead over the relegation zone was already a comfortable nine points. Bochum was closer to the international classification than to second place. Bundesliga. However, a subsequent series with just one point from six games saw concerns mount week after week.
The candidate to succeed Letsch would be the former national under-21 coach Stefan Kuntz
One candidate to succeed Letsch is said to be former national under-21 coach Stefan Kuntz. The 61-year-old played for VfL from 1983 to 1986 and 1998/99. From 2006 to 2008 he was coach of the Revierclub and, more recently, national team coach. from Türkiye employee. In addition, the Revierclub would have negotiated with Peter Stöger. For the 57-year-old Austrian, it would be a return to the upper house of German football after his spells in Cologne (2013 to 2017) and Dortmund (2017 to 2018).
Against bottom club Darmstadt 98, VfL gave up a 2-0 lead and only drew. However, the experience in the away game in Cologne on matchday 28 was even more dramatic. Two goals conceded in added time led to a 1-2 defeat and, at least in the short term, a “big void” in Letsch.
Suddenly, Bochum were just three points clear of 16th place. “We didn't manage to stabilize ourselves in the long term and make the last games as successful as we could have been. “The team has the quality to compete in the Bundesliga, so we want to take advantage of this measure to give a decisive push to achieve relegation,” commented VfL sporting director Marc Lettau.
Sports director Fabián had already avoided clearly committing to the coach in Cologne. However, the 36-year-old spoke of not wanting to fall into activism. “We will discuss with him what his solutions are. “We must all keep our ranks closed,” he stated after the defeat against his direct competitor.
Fabián also explained: “We will go home, analyze everything and then draw the right conclusions.” From the point of view of those responsible, one of those conclusions was the separation of the technician.
Letsch took over at VfL as the last-placed team in September 2022. The 55-year-old managed to stay in the league with Bochum last season and was then celebrated at the Ruhr Stadium.
Also this year the VfL pleasantly surprised many experts for a long time. “I took charge of VfL Bochum last season, when they were at the bottom of the table with just one point and together we managed to stay in the league thanks to a sensational performance. I will never forget it and it is not only this special experience that will always connect me with VfL, the city and its fantastic fans,” said Letsch.