Bremen dismiss Dutt after poor start

Robin Dutt has been sacked as head coach of Werder Bremen after their winless start to the Bundesliga continued on Friday.

Bremen have failed to take maximum points in nine league games this season, with a 1-0 defeat to Cologne proving Dutt’s final game in charge.

With the club propping up the Bundesliga after taking just four points from a possible 27, former Under-23 coach Viktor Skripnik takes charge as part of a coaching team that also includes ex-Bremen players Torsten Frings and Christian Vander.

Skripnik – another former Bremen player – will take charge of his first game against Tuesday in the DFB-Pokal against Chemnitzer before returning to top-flight duties against Mainz.

Having spent eight years as a defender at the Weserstadion before joining the coaching staff, Skripnik said in a statement on the club’s official website that he was confident of turning Bremen’s fortunes around while general manager Thomas Eichin added the decision was designed to add some momentum into their campaign.

“We want to thank Robin Dutt and his team for their work with SV Werder in the past few months,” he said.

“However, following recent results, we believe that the team needs a new impetus to get out of the current situation.”

Former Bayer Leverkusen boss Dutt had been in charge at the Weserstadion since May 2013 and ensured a 12th-place finish in his debut campaign.