Hertha Fire Coach

Commercial manager Dieter Hoeness announced the decision at a press conference on Tuesday morning in Berlin.

"We came to the conclusion that Falko Götz wasn't able to reach the team anymore," Hoeness said. "There are no excuses anymore. We know what the players are capable of and they need to perform."

Hoeness said that Heine, previously the coach of Hertha's third-division developmental team, would take over on the bench until at least the end of the season.

Götz's firing followed an eight-game winless streak that saw Hertha go from Champions League aspirants to one of the Bundesliga's many candidates for the second division.

Götz had come under fire in recent weeks from critics who said the former Hoeness protégé no longer commanded the respect of his players.

Fatal blow against Bielefeld

Hertha's desultory draw against lowly Bielefeld last weekend was typical of their play in 2007.

A listless Hertha squad went behind in front of an enraged home crowd, and when Götz substituted stars Marko Pantelic and Kevin Prince Boateng out late in the match, neither seemed to acknowledge his presence.

Hertha then equalized and might have saved Götz's job if they'd built on that momentum, but a scant one minute later, defender Joe Simunic -- reportedly no great fan of the former skipper -- got himself sent off, killing any chance of a come-from-behind victory.

Will Hoeness be next?

New coach Karsten Heine, who has twice previously held the job with Hertha, now has six games to steer Berlin clear of the drop zone. Should he fail, Hoeness himself would be in great danger of dismissal.

Once revered in Berlin for leading Hertha from the lower ranks of the second division to the Champions League, Hoeness has squandered the fans' favor after investing millions in supposed stars who turned out to be flops.

He has also repeatedly clashed with top players such as former playmaker Marcelinho (now at Wolfsburg) and, this year, Pantelic.

Heine's attempts to steady Hertha's listing ship begin this weekend with a tough away match against improving Bochum.