Hertha Berlin coach Luhukay pays the price for third successive defeat
Hertha Berlin have sacked head coach Jos Luhukay after they suffered a third successive Bundesliga defeat on Wednesday.
Luhukay's side lost 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen at the Olympiastadion to leave them second from bottom in the table and that was the final straw for the club with the 51-year-old Dutchman out the door less than 24 hours later.
That defeat came on the coattails of a 2-0 reverse at Werder Bremen on Sunday and an embarrassing 5-0 thumping at the hands of Hoffenheim on home soil before the winter break.
Former Hertha player Pal Dardai and former assistant coach Rainer Widmayer will now take over team duties ahead of Saturday's trip to Mainz.
"Hertha BSC separates with immediate effect with head coach Jos Luhukay," the club said on their website.
"After a thorough analysis of the current situation, the club has also decided to end the collaboration with his assistant Mark Gell and Rob Reekers. Hertha BSC expressly thanks Jos Luhukay and his assistant Mark Gell and Rob Reekers for the very successful cooperation in recent years."
Former Augsburg boss Luhukay joined Hertha after their relegation in 2012, promptly restoring their Bundesliga status and then leading them to an 11th-placed finish last year.
But things have been harder in 2014-15, with Luhukay's side losing 11 matches - the joint worst record in the league - and having the second-most porous defence in the German top flight.
