Hertha appoint Meyer as next coach
BERLIN, Germany -- Veteran Hans Meyer has been unveiled as the new coach at German Bundesliga strugglers Hertha Berlin.
The 61-year-old, who was introduced at a press conference, has been appointed until the end of the current campaign.
He becomes the club's third coach this season following Huub Stevens, who was sacked earlier this month, and interim chief Andreas Thom.
Meyer has not held a managerial position since he resigned as coach of Borussia Moenchengladbach in March after a string of poor results.
"Hertha is in a very difficult situation. It's a real challenge for me over the next five months. I want to find out as soon as possible how the players feel," Meyer told a news conference.
Hertha are currently second-from-bottom in the top flight just one point ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt after two wins from 17 league games going into the winter break.
Stevens, 50, was the fifth Bundesliga coach to lose his job this season after Ewald Lienen (Moenchengladbach), Kurt Jara (Hamburg), Friedhelm Funkel (Cologne) and Armin Veh of Rostock.
Meyer's former club had originally objected to Hertha's approach for him as he was under contract with them as a scout until 2006. Hertha have agreed to pay compensation.
Hertha's commercial manager Dieter Hoeness said Meyer, who had vowed never to return to coaching earlier this year, had been his clear first choice.
Hoeness said Hertha's clear goal for the rest of the season was to stay in Germany's first division and said the players also bore a responsibility.
He also has proposed that they accept a 25 percent cut in salaries.
Meyer previously coached East German side Carl Zeiss Jena and Dutch club Twente Enschede and insisted that the Hertha post would be his last, quashing speculation he could stay on next season if successful.
"I will be heading back home to Bad Hersfeld within 10 minutes of the end of the last game," Meyer joked.
