Solbakken receives Cologne backing

Stale Solbakken's position as coach of Cologne is not under threat, according to the club's general manager Claus Horstmann. Cologne have slipped to within four points of the Bundesliga's bottom three following three consecutive defeats, but Horstmann has dismissed speculation that he might turn to director of sport Volker Finke to arrest the club's slide. "As things stand, the coach and the team will be free from pressure in the Hoffenheim game and also the following games," Horstmann told the Kolner Stadtanzeiger newspaper. "They will be allowed to work professionally and be able to reach their goals." Finke took temporary charge of the club at the end of last season, with his three wins from as many games at the helm saving the club from relegation and securing a tenth-placed finish. However, Horstmann says he is not contemplating a repeat of that situation. "Volker Finke is not our emergency back-up for the coaching position," he told the Express newspaper. "We appointed him as our director of sport and not because he is a good coach. "In my eyes we are fully convinced that we will reach our goals together with Stale Solbakken, which is why we are acting the way we are. There is no need for us to work on a scenario without Stale Solbakken."