Joe Zinnbauer Sacked by Hamburg: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Following Friday's 1-0 defeat to Hertha Berlin, Hamburg find themselves 16th in the Bundesliga, which would mean a relegation play-off. Hoping a change in leadership might help turn things around, the club's board sacked manager Joe Zinnbauer on Sunday, per The Associated Press (via Fox Soccer), which noted that the announcement was made on the club's website:

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Hamburg says on its website that Zinnbauer and assistant Patrick Rahmen were let go Sunday after talks with club management.

Hamburg chairman Dietmar Beiersdorfer says Zinnbauer, the club's former under-23 coach, ''did everything for HSV. We thanked him for that. After the latest results and considering the whole situation, however, we felt we were forced to change.''

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Club sports director Peter Knaebel will manage the club through the rest of the current season.

Zinnbauer only held the post for six months after taking over for Mirko Slomka in October. According to Transfermarkt, he managed the club for 24 matches, leading Hamburg to six wins, six draws and 12 losses.

Cristian Nyari noted how much turnover Hamburg have had at manager of late:

Vlado Angelkovski questioned the logic of adding Zinnbauer to the list:

Perhaps removing Zinnbauer will provide Hamburg with the impetus necessary to move out of a relegation place, but given the club's struggles this year, any sort of revival is far from a guarantee. Through 26 matches, Hamburg have a paltry 16 goals, seven fewer than Paderborn, the next-closest team.

Knaebel will have eight matches to ensure the club avoids the drop.