Hertha sack coach Skibbe after just five games

Feb 12, 2012, 13:30 GMT

Berlin - Hertha Berlin have sacked coach Michael Skibbe after his first five games in charge ended in defeats.

Skibbe, 46, who was appointed in the winter break to replace the sacked Markus Babbel, left the club Sunday a day after a 5-0 defeat at VfB Stuttgart.

'After five straight defeats and the 0-5 thrashing in Stuttgart we felt we had to act,' general manager Michael Preetz told reporters at the Olympic stadium.

Hertha 'will find an interim solution for the time being,' Preetz said.

Babbel, who has now taken over at Hoffenheim, had been sacked by Hertha in December after differences with Preetz. Hertha then paid Turkish club Eskisehirspor a fee to release Skibbe, who signed a contract until 2014.

However Preetz said it had been a 'mistake' to have appointed Skibbe.

'It is also my responsibilty for Hertha BSC to correct this misjudgement,' he said.

Hertha have slipped to fourth from bottom in the Bundesliga. Under Skibbe the team has lost all four league games this year and been knocked out of the German Cup.

After the defeat to Stuttgart, Skibbe said: 'I am terribly disappointed with our performance. After going a goal down we simply didn't fight back.

'The first half performance was the worst I have ever seen as a coach. It was so bad that I cannot find the words to describe it.'

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