Schalke fires Baum as coach, recalls Huub Stevens

By: The Associated Press Posted: 5:57 AM CST Friday, Dec. 18, 2020 Last Modified: 5:58 AM CST Friday, Dec. 18, 2020

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany - Schalke fired Manuel Baum as coach on Friday and turned once again to the experienced Huub Stevens.

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GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany - Schalke fired Manuel Baum as coach on Friday and turned once again to the experienced Huub Stevens.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/12/2020 (2071 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany – Schalke fired Manuel Baum as coach on Friday and turned once again to the experienced Huub Stevens.

The Dutch coach is returning to Schalke for his fourth stint for the last two games of the year.

Schalke is last in the Bundesliga standings with four points from 12 games and trying desperately to end its club-record 28-game run without a win in the league. Saturday’s 2-0 loss at home to Freiburg was Baum’s last game in charge.

FILE - In this Saturday, March 16, 2019 file photo Schalke's then interims coach Huub Stevens arrives at the arena prior to the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Schalke 04 and RB Leipzig in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file)

Sporting director Jochen Schneider said the upcoming game against Arminia Bielefeld has “huge significance” for the club.

“The disappointing performance against Freiburg showed us that the team needs a new impulse,” Schneider said.

Schalke said Stevens and assistant coach Mike Büskens were taking charge for Saturday’s game against Bielefeld and Tuesday’s German Cup match against Ulm.

The 67-year-old Stevens previously steered Schalke away from relegation trouble when he was in charge from March-July 2019. He guided Schalke to the 1997 UEFA Cup title in his first stint in charge from 1996-2002.

Baum had been in charge for 10 games after taking over from David Wagner in September. Wagner was fired after 18 Bundesliga games without a win and starting the season with an 8-0 rout in Munich and 3-1 loss to Bremen. But Baum couldn’t end the club’s record winless run.

Former Fortuna Düsseldorf coach Friedhelm Funkel has been tipped to take over after the brief winter break.

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