FC Bayern: Why Was Christian Nerlinger Dismissed?

Robin van Persie is on his way out of Arsenal but where he is heading is beyond anyone. This transfer saga reminded me about Franck Ribery. In 2009, he was trying desperately to flee from a Bayern side that in truth had stagnated to a Spanish suitor. In a game in which Bayern was being toyed with by Barcelona, he exchanged shirts with Thierry Henry at halftime in a very disrespectful gesture towards Bayern.

Now, in 2012, the picture looks very different. The Frenchman now is almost "Bayern-blind!" He has a contract that will see him at the club until 2015, when he will be well past 30 years of age. The reason Ribery stayed on is the stubbornness of the Bayern management.

Bayern has oft been criticized in the past for hiring and firing coaches too quickly. Between 2002 and 2009, the club was also criticized for poor policies regarding transfers that saw them buy the best players of their domestic rivals.  Now, the picture looks much rosier in Europe than it did in 2008 for Bayern thanks to their acceptance of their youths.

Some of the transfers have been good ones. Starting from 2009, the purchases of Ivica Olic (free transfer), Mario Gomez, Arjen Robben, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Jerome Boateng and Manuel Neuer were very good ones. However, some didn’t quite work out—namely the likes of Edson Braafheid and Danijel Pranjic. Because Bayern didn’t shell out too much for them, they are overlooked.

This year, the club seemingly stagnated again due to having a poor bench. Some transfers have already been made. Whether these transfers will live up to their billing is anyone’s guess. They haven’t failed yet, though. Thus, when Christian Nerlinger was fired last week, the news came as a bit of a surprise.

Nerlinger was appointed to his post as sporting director in 2009. Under his term, Bayern managed one domestic double, two Champions League runner-up finishes and a domestic runner-up double. His other results include a third place finish in the league and semi showing in the German Cup. Nerlinger was seen to be somewhat of a "junior Uli Hoeness." He sometimes exuded a kind of brash arrogance.

According to Hoeness, the reason for the sacking is a difference of opinion between the board and Nerlinger. This is somewhat surprising; Nerlinger perhaps was willing to wait and seek long-term success and Hoeness perhaps wants short-term success. At the end of the day though, three runner-up finishes clearly show that Bayern is ready to win it all but just need a little bit of a push. So, Hoeness' words don't give a clear idea of what went on in the boardroom.

Despite not earning too many fans, Nerlinger wasn’t disliked. As stated above, he didn’t do too badly over the course of his reign. To make a case against Nerlinger, we have to get back to 2010. Bayern had the option to purchase Mesut Oezil, Sami Khedira and Fabio Coentrao. The German duo weren’t bought. While Louis Van Gaal’s stubbornness was the main reason they weren’t purchased, Nerlinger is partly to blame.

Last season, Bayern again didn’t make the required transfers. A good backup striker was needed but Nils Petersen wasn’t the proven right choice that Claudio Pizarro might turn out to be. Another central defender and a left-back (David Alaba hadn’t made the position his own at that point) would have helped.

The former Bayern star, Nerlinger, however was never a yes man. He was the only one who backed Van Gaal when just about everyone wanted him out in 2011. Matthias Sammer is definitely not going to be at the beck and call of the hierarchy either, but does his appointment really make sense?

Sammer was about to take over the same position at HSV roughly a year ago. He backed out in the final minutes and saw the position taken over by Frank Arnesen. Arnesen has been nothing short of a disaster. The club almost suffered its first relegation under his tutelage. Sammer did brilliantly for the DFB as technical director. He oversaw the great youth systems of German football. He did his role with his head held high and signed for Bayern. He gave his first press conference for the club already.

Sammer’s ego might actually be what Bayern needs. They need to respond to the heartbreaking disappointment of last season and he could be the man to help see this through. In the event that the club has a poor first half of the season and Jupp Heynckes does get the sack, he could take over as coach as well.

He led Dortmund to a Bundesliga title in 2002. They finished runners-up in the UEFA Cup that season as well. He managed VfB Stuttgart afterwards. As a player, he played for four clubs including Borussia Dortmund, with whom he won the Champions League in 1997. Maybe Bayern is trying to play mind games with Dortmund by hiring their former player. Who knows?

Sammer sounded the right notes in his first press conference. This is what he had to say:

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“Self-pity or vanity cannot play a role. With the first team we don't have any time at all. We want to be, must be and will be successful straight away.

When Bayern call, it's something special.”

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This is what he had to say about whether his Dortmund days will have a bearing on his job:

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“That's in the past.”

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This appointment could turn out to be like Van Gaal’s second season in charge; it could cause various disagreements within the board. Moreover, it could lead to Heynckes’ dismissal if some things don’t go right. However, it could also be a successful one where Sammer helps Bayern take the final step, which they failed to last season.

Heynckes had this to say about the dismissal and the transfers:

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“That was the board's decision. I spent a year with Christian Nerlinger in confidence.

"He is very shy, and his statements are balanced. He is not one to polarize situations, and therefore, every now and then, normal fans do not like him.

"The fact that we did not achieve our goals lies first and foremost with the team, and then it goes to the general manager.

“We have strengthened the squad substantially. I have always had faith in Gomez and that remains, but if we had had Mandzukic and Pizarro in the Champions League final, then we might have been able to win it.”

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Just going back to Heynckes, he seemed disillusioned at the end of last season. Karl Heinz Rummenigge had previously said that the coach’s job was safe, however he recently said that the coach’s decisions will be analyzed at the end of the year.To be fair, he also repeated that Heynckes is still safe.

There has been plenty of speculation about a possible hiring of Josef Guardiola, formerly of Barcelona. Whether Bayern will be prepared to take on a Spaniard, despite the alleged meetings between the two parties, is doubtful.

In other news, Breno has been sentenced to prison for arson possession. One has to feel bad considering that he was actually a talented player who had been very unlucky on the injury front. Also, he was reportedly close to a move to Lazio.

And finally, Juergen Klopp had some quotes that made me laugh. He just does not get the fact that nobody believes that Bayern is a favorite anymore for the title. This is what he had to say:

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"I knew before Spain's European Championship victory that winning three titles in a row was a possibility, but of course it helps when you have the world's best players. Bayern are the favourites for this championship. We want to qualify for the Champions League."

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He just doesn’t learn, does he?

P.S- Congratulations to Marco Reus. He has been voted the German Player of the Year. He was the prime candidate but he did beat out a spectacular list of stars.