Former Greece coach Otto Rehhagel will on Sunday take charge of relegation-threatened Hertha Berlin until the end of the season and return to the Bundesliga after a 12-year hiatus. The 73-year-old disciplinarian, who sensationally led Greece to the Euro 2004 title, will take charge exactly a week after Berlin sacked Michael Skibbe in the wake of his fifth straight defeat.
"Starting on Monday, I am the law at Hertha and everyone will listen to my commands," Rehhagel told German daily Bild in an interview to appear Sunday. "The Hertha ship has not sunk, but it has a large leak. I always have the last word. I am now there for Hertha, day and night, and I am always punctual. If Hertha need help, then I cannot say no."
Hertha are 15th in the German league, just above the relegation zone. Excluding interim bosses, Rehhagel will be Hertha's fifth coach in five years and is tasked with keeping Berlin in the top-flight with his team just two points from the bottom. "We are currently in a difficult situation and have come to the conclusion that we need an experienced coach like Rehhagel to achieve our goals by the end of the season," said Berlin's general manager Michael Preetz.
"We asked him if he would be willing to help us and the talks were very pleasant. Anyone who knows Otto Rehhagel knows he lives for football, still has the burning desire and is very charismatic," said Preetz. Interim coach Rene Tretschok was in charge on Saturday when Hertha lost 1-0 to defending champions Borussia Dortmund, but produced a battling performance.
Rehhagel took over as Greece coach in 2001 and resigned following a group-stage exit at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, having taken Greece from 61st to eighth in the FIFA world rankings. Rehhagel played for Hertha from 1963 to 1965 and ended his career at Kaiserslautern in 1972. As a club coach he led Werder Bremen to the Bundesliga title in 1988 and 1993, as well as their Cup Winners' Cup victory in 1992, and had a brief spell in charge of Bayern Munich. In 1996, he joined Kaiserslautern and took them to the 1998 German league title, just a season after they were promoted.
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Former Greece coach Otto Rehhagel will on Sunday take charge of relegation-threatened Hertha Berlin until the end of the season and return to the Bundesliga after a 12-year hiatus. The 73-year-old disciplinarian, who sensationally led Greece to the Euro 2004 title, will take charge exactly a week after Berlin sacked Michael Skibbe in the wake of his fifth straight defeat.
"Starting on Monday, I am the law at Hertha and everyone will listen to my commands," Rehhagel told German daily Bild in an interview to appear Sunday. "The Hertha ship has not sunk, but it has a large leak. I always have the last word. I am now there for Hertha, day and night, and I am always punctual. If Hertha need help, then I cannot say no."
Hertha are 15th in the German league, just above the relegation zone. Excluding interim bosses, Rehhagel will be Hertha's fifth coach in five years and is tasked with keeping Berlin in the top-flight with his team just two points from the bottom. "We are currently in a difficult situation and have come to the conclusion that we need an experienced coach like Rehhagel to achieve our goals by the end of the season," said Berlin's general manager Michael Preetz.
"We asked him if he would be willing to help us and the talks were very pleasant. Anyone who knows Otto Rehhagel knows he lives for football, still has the burning desire and is very charismatic," said Preetz. Interim coach Rene Tretschok was in charge on Saturday when Hertha lost 1-0 to defending champions Borussia Dortmund, but produced a battling performance.
Rehhagel took over as Greece coach in 2001 and resigned following a group-stage exit at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, having taken Greece from 61st to eighth in the FIFA world rankings. Rehhagel played for Hertha from 1963 to 1965 and ended his career at Kaiserslautern in 1972. As a club coach he led Werder Bremen to the Bundesliga title in 1988 and 1993, as well as their Cup Winners' Cup victory in 1992, and had a brief spell in charge of Bayern Munich. In 1996, he joined Kaiserslautern and took them to the 1998 German league title, just a season after they were promoted.
