Rehhagel to take Hertha reins

Otto Rehhagel will return to the Bundesliga at the age of 73 to take over as coach of Hertha Berlin from tomorrow. The Bundesliga club's director of sport Michael Preetz has confirmed that Rehhagel has given him his word and that he will start work in the capital tomorrow, 12 years after his last appointment in Germany with Kaiserslautern. "Otto Rehhagel has agreed to help us out of our situation and he will be coming to us until the end of the season," said Preetz to Sky. "He will be coming to Berlin tomorrow and then he will work with the team from next week." Rehhagel replaces Michael Skibbe, whose short reign ended last weekend after five straight defeats. U-19s coach Rene Tretschok was in charge for today's fixture with Borussia Dortmund and he, along with his assistant Ante Covic, who was formerly coach of the club's U-15s, will form part of Rehhagel's coaching staff. "We are a promoted team with the clear aim of avoiding relegation and we have ended up in a difficult situation," Preetz said. "We are therefore convinced that we needed an experienced coach like Otto Rehhagel and that, together with the two young coaches, he is the right man for this situation to reach our goals at the end of the season." Rehhagel has won three Bundesliga titles, two in a 14-year spell in charge of Werder Bremen and one with Kaiserslautern, leading the latter to the title in their first season in the top flight following promotion from the second division. He also coached Greece to glory at UEFA EURO 2004 before stepping down after failing to lead the country to EURO 2012. During his playing days, he spent three years in the capital, making 78 appearances for the club.