FC St. Pauli parts ways with coach Alexander Blessin after relegation

After the last match of the season, Blessin had asked for time to consider his options. Even nearly three weeks after the relegation, he had not publicly committed to staying. In recent weeks, he had repeatedly emphasized that the ultimately unsuccessful fight against relegation had cost him a lot of energy. After the match against Wolfsburg, he appeared exhausted and dejected.

Background: From Promotion to Relegation Again

Blessin had moved to the Elbe as the successor to Fabian Hürzeler from Belgian first division club Union Saint-Gilloise. Hürzeler had previously led the Hamburg club back to the Bundesliga as the promotion coach. St. Pauli had returned to the top flight two years ago.

In his first season as head coach, Blessin had confidently secured survival for the Kiezclub. The step back into the 2. Bundesliga was therefore not initially up for debate. In the second year, however, the club could not prevent the return to the second division.

Nothing is yet known about the succession in the coaching position. According to the Bild report, the club has not yet publicly commented on a possible new head coach. Blessin himself has also not commented further on the matter since the match against Wolfsburg.

Uncertain Succession on the Coaching Bench

The separation comes at a turbulent sporting time for the club. After promotion two years ago, FC St. Pauli had managed to stabilize initially, before the renewed relegation thwarted their plans. The upcoming season in the 2. Bundesliga will be associated with great uncertainty for the club, as the coaching question also needs to be answered anew.

The report about the separation was distributed by dpa. Bild had previously reported on the end of the collaboration.

Outlook for the Coming Season

The separation from Blessin also means that FC St. Pauli must reposition itself after the recent sporting downturn – on the pitch and on the sidelines.

With regard to the squad and the upcoming tasks in the 2. Bundesliga, the club now faces important decisions before the new season begins.