BSC Young Boys have reacted to their sporting decline and parted ways with coach Patrick Rahmen.
The 1-0 loss at FC Basel was the last straw in Bern. BSC Young Boys, reigning Swiss champions and currently bottom of the Super League, have parted ways with coach Patrick Rahmen. The 55-year-old had only taken up the position in the summer, coming from FC Winterthur. Joel Magnin, who is two years younger and was previously responsible for the U21 team, is taking over on an interim basis, as he did last season.
“It was a very difficult decision for us to release Patrick Rahmen,” said Christoph Spycher, Managing Director of Sports and former professional at Eintracht Frankfurt, among others, in the club’s official press release. “But after extensive discussions and analysis, we came to the conclusion that a change was needed. Our position at the bottom of the table after nine rounds is highly unsatisfactory.”
Rahmen: “I was full of energy and conviction”
“The sporting situation in the championship is very unsatisfactory for us. But I was full of energy and fully convinced that together we would manage to get out of this situation, especially since we qualified for the Champions League and are still in the Swiss Cup,” the dismissed coach is quoted as saying. “But of course I have to fully accept the decision,” said Rahmen.
YB started the season with three crushing defeats against newly promoted FC Sion (1-2), Servette Geneva (1-3) and FC St. Gallen (0-4). Just a slow start, a snapshot? Not at all. The capital city club had to wait until the 7th matchday and the 4-1 win in the basement duel at Ex-club Winterthur to register their first victory in the national league. That was on September 22.
No chance in the Champions League either
The two victories in the CL qualification against Galatasaray had provided some cosmetic improvement, but things didn’t go better in the Champions League after that. 0:3 against Aston Villa, 0:5 against FC Barcelona – the BSC was at least one class worse in both cases and is currently the point- and goal-less bottom of the new Champions League. So 36.
It was certainly not helpful for Rahmen this weekend that, in addition to their own fifth league defeat, they also crashed to the bottom of the table because Winterthur brought Grasshopper Club Zurich to its knees and was thus able to get rid of the lantern.
For YB, it won’t get any easier on paper even after the sacking of the manager. On October 19, leaders FC Lucerne will come to the Wankdorf Stadium, followed four days later by Italian champions Inter Milan.
The club did not say how long Magnin would remain in office, but showed great gratitude that the interim coach was taking on the task again. Spycher: “In our situation, we don’t have to talk about the championship title, but about finding our way out of the low step by step. That alone is a very big challenge.”