THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BERLIN — Bayern Munich fired coach Juergen Klinsmann on Monday after just 10 months in one of the most closely scrutinized jobs in German football.
The defending German champions dismissed the 44-year-old Klinsmann two days after the club lost at home to Schalke 1-0 in the latest of a string of disappointing results. Bayern is now third in the Bundesliga.
"This was a very difficult decision for us," Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said. "But the results of the past few weeks, the way in which they came about and, above all, the situation five games before the end of the season, forced us to act out of responsibility to the club."
Bayern said Jupp Heynckes will take over until the end of the season, with Hermann Gerland as his assistant. Rummenigge said the club has not yet contacted any possible permanent replacement.
Klinsmann made his coaching reputation as a ruthless reformer of Germany’s national team, which he took to third place at the 2006 World Cup with fast-paced attacking football.
"The last weeks were inhuman, all the criticism was directed at one person," said Germany coach Joachim Loew, formerly Klinsmann’s assistant with the national team. "It was massive. But Juergen showed strength, he remained loyal to the club and to the team. That shows a strong character."
The high-pressure job with Germany’s most successful team, where he had a two-year contract, was his first in club football. But he was never able to live up to the high expectations he raised at Bayern, whose play rarely inspired this season — particularly after the winter break.
"I think he was surprised," Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness said of Klinsmann’s reaction to his dismissal.
Klinsmann likely thought Bundesliga leader Wolfsburg’s loss on Sunday would delay a decision, Hoeness added.
"But we had to ask ourselves the question, what did we see on our own pitch?" Hoeness said. "And in the last few weeks since Christmas, with a few exceptions, that simply was not what we expected."
Speculation over Klinsmann’s future soared after Bayern lost at Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals earlier this month, a limp performance club president Franz Beckenbauer described as the worst he had seen from Bayern.
Barcelona won 5-1 on aggregate, leaving the Bundesliga title as the team’s only chance at silverware this season.
"Of course, I am very disappointed at the moment," Klinsmann said, thanking the club, its fans and employees for "an eventful time."
"We have laid the foundation for the future," he added. "I still believe that this team can become German champion this season."
Klinsmann did not comment on his future plans. He had left his California residence to return to Germany for the Bayern job.
Klinsmann’s dismissal came after he vowed Sunday to stay on at Bayern, saying he didn’t think he needed to worry about his position and pointing to "good chemistry inside the team."
Klinsmann had a tough act to follow after his predecessor, Ottmar Hitzfeld, led Bayern to the domestic league and cup double last season.
"We didn’t lead the table once this season, and that simply is too little for us and especially for our fans — and they show that every Saturday," Hoeness said.
Klinsmann’s concept for Bayern "really convinced and enthused us," Hoeness said. "It’s just that the best concept is no use if the results don’t arrive at some point."
Klinsmann promised to make every player at Bayern better, even installing Buddha statues and yoga and language classes for players. The Buddhas and the classes were soon gone.
The coach named Mark van Bommel captain and then benched him for a few games — raising eyebrows and creating some discontent. He also abruptly dropped goalkeeper Michael Rensing and replaced him with veteran Hans-Joerg Butt.
With five rounds to go, Bayern has 16 wins, six draws and seven defeats in the Bundesliga. It is three points behind leader Wolfsburg, which has been thriving under Felix Magath, a former Bayern coach.
The 63-year-old Heynckes coached Bayern from 1987-91, winning the 1989 and 1990 Bundesliga titles. He has since coached Schalke, Real Madrid and Borussia Moenchengladbach, and won the 1998 Champions League title with Real Madrid.
Rummenigge stressed that his appointment is temporary.
"This solution is just for five games," he said.
Klinsmann’s assistants, Martin Vasquez and American Nick Theslof, are also leaving Bayern.