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Hamburg already know new man after Markus Gisdol dismissed

Jonathan Harding
January 21, 2018

A defeat to the worst side in the Bundesliga table proved one step too far for Hamburg. Head coach Markus Gisdol was fired the morning after the defeat. Some familiar names are in line to replace him.

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HSV-Trainer Markus Gisdol
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Heimken

Having fired Markus Gisdol after a disappointing defeat to bottom-of-the-table Cologne, Hamburg's chairman Heribert Bruchhagen has already confirmed the arrival of a new head coach is imminent.

"We already know who will be head coach," Bruchhagen said on Sunday at a press conference just hours after Gisdol's dismissal. Bruchhagen said the new man would be appointed "soon" but refused to give any specific names.

German media reported later on Sunday afternoon that Bernd Hollerbach was going to be named as new HSV head coach, on a contract until the summer of 2019.

The 48-year-old was most recently head coach of second-division Würzburger Kickers until last summer, taking the club from the regional leagues to the second division. In his playing days, Hollerbach was a defender for Hamburg between 1996 and 2004.

After 19 Bundesliga games, Hamburg have just 15 points and are six games without a win.

"It wasn't an easy decision, but we're convinced that today, we had no other option," Bruchhagen said. After 55 years, the fear is that Hamburg's time in the top flight might finally be up.