Ruhnert reiterates backing for Fischer after tenth consecutive defeat
FC Union Berlin managing director Oliver Ruhnert made clear that he backed head-coach Urs Fischer to remain in charge even after Berlin's Köpenick side lost its tenth consecutive match on-the-trot Saturday.
Ruhnert also answered questions about incidents involving squad captain Rani Khedira and defensive linchpin Robin Knoche.
Another match-day yielded another defeat for German Champions League representatives 1. FC Union Berlin. The latest loss left trainer Urs Fischer and club managing director Oliver Ruhnert in no mood to label the situation anything other than a crisis. Fischer - conducting a post-match interview amid constant rain in Bremen's Weserstadion - aptly described his team's current condition as a "true storm".
Ruhnert also answered questions about incidents involving squad captain Rani Khedira and defensive linchpin Robin Knoche.
Ruhnert - speaking to journalists in the mixed zone - continued to give Fischer his explicit backing. The club administrator also commented specifically on the fact that squad captain Rani Kheidira will face time away from the team after (presumably) earning a suspension to go along with his red card. Ruhnert also lamented the fact that defensive stalwart Robin Knoche, who just like Khedira only recently returned to the team, scored an own goal.
"[Knoche's goal] is indicative [of the current situation]," Ruhnert said, "In the end, the coach is relatively powerless when you turn the ball into your own net."
"Thank goodness nothing happened to [Romano Schmid]," Ruhnert said when addressing the dirty tackle that earned Khedira a sending off, "Such play usually means two to three games [suspended]. That will certainly be the case here as well."
"The performance was such that you can be worried, that's quite clear," Ruhnert said of the team's current form, "We are also simply lacking the idea of scoring goals at the moment. We're not getting into the finishing situations and that's certainly a point where we have to think about."
"We said last week - and this still applies - we will discuss things internally and also want to try to get through this really difficult time," Ruhnert continued, "For the first time in all these years, we really have a situation that's about staying in the league."