Schalke sack second head coach of season as Baum gets the boot

Schalke are on the lookout for their third head coach of the season after announcing the sacking of Manuel Baum.

Baum was only appointed by Schalke on September 30 following the departure of David Wagner, who lost his job two games into the Bundesliga campaign.

Former Augsburg boss Baum was unable to turn around the club’s terrible form, however, overseeing six defeats and four draws in his 10 league matches in charge.

And on the back of Wednesday’s 2-0 home loss to Freiburg, which leaves Schalke bottom of the table with four points from a possible 36, the German side have taken action.

Schalke confirmed the news on their official website on Friday and added that board member Huub Stevens will take temporary charge for the remaining two games of 2020, with Mike Buskens named assistant.

Huub Stevens will take charge as interim #S04 head coach for the last Bundesliga game of the year against @arminia_int as well as the second-round DFB-Pokal game against @ssvulm1846fb. Mike Büskens has been brought in as his assistant coach. pic.twitter.com/AKn1FGoRt5

— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) December 18, 2020

The Royal Blues are winless in 28 league matches and face 16th-place Arminia Bielefeld in a huge Bundesliga clash on Saturday, before travelling to SSV Ulm in round two of the DFB-Pokal next Tuesday.

“The home game against Arminia Bielefeld is of immense importance for our club,” Schalke director Jochen Schneider said in a statement. 

“The disappointing performance against Freiburg showed us that the team needs fresh impetus in order to be able to play the game successfully. 

“We trust Huub Stevens and Mike Buskens to do just that. We thank Manuel Baum for his tireless efforts and wish him all the best for his personal and professional future.”

Stevens was voted Schalke’s coach of the century for his success during the first of two permanent spells in charge, which included winning the UEFA Cup in 1997 and the DFB-Pokal in 2001 and 2002.