So, what now for Bayer Leverkusen?
Welcome to our German football blog, courtesy of Ross Dunbar of brand new German football site bundesligafootball.co.uk .
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Robin Dutt's tenure at Bayer Leverkusen lasted only 10 months before sporting director Rudi Voller decided to part company with him, with just six games remaining in the Bundesliga season.
Leverkusen have dropped to seventh in the table. After previously looking comfortable for a place in Europe, they are now a point behind the last remaining Europa League spots.
And their current record of five straight defeats in all competitions certainly hasn't helped their claim for a place in continental competition.
Rewind back to the summer of 2011 when Leverkusen were hit with the disappointing news that Jupp Heynckes was returning to FC Bayern Munich for the upcoming season, having just led Bayer to second-place in the league.
Dutt,was appointed as his replacement. The 47-year-old had made his name with SC Freiburg where he spent three seasons, leading them from 2.Bundesliga to a stunning ninth-placed finish in the top division. The Swabians found the perfect balance between a compact defence and goals in attack - scored through Newcastle United striker Papiss Demba Cisse.
Cisse was signed by Dutt in 2009 from French cracks Metz and smacked in 22 goals in 32 league matches in Freiburg's 2010/2011 campaign. Given the lack of goals elsewhere in the team, his influence was integral to the side's success that season - where they were in contention for a European place for most of the year.
But, Dutt has struggled to deal with the huge expectations at the BayArena while their Champions League success bought no extra time for the former Freiburg man. After reaching the Last 16, Leverkusen were embarrassingly dumped out of the competition by last season's winners FC Barcelona.
In the wake of leaving the club, he commented: "I can only say that I myself am responsible for it. I came here through the front door and I did not want to leave via the back door.
"I leave with a clear conscience. I am very grateful to have been given the chance to coach Bayer Leverkusen."
So what next for the Werkself?
It has already been confirmed that former Liverpool defender Sami Hyppia and Bayer's U19 coach Sascha Lewandowski will take the reigns until the end of the season. The Finnish defender spent over a decade at Anfield before retiring last summer after two years in Germany.
Bayer's sporting director Voller told a local newspaper: "We want the Hyypia/Lewandowski team to turn things around and start moving us in the right direction again,"
In recent days, former Schalke and Hoffenheim coach Ralf Rangnick has hinted about a return to full-time coaching and reports suggest Rangnick could take up the post at Leverkusen. The 53-year-old led Hoffenheim through the divisions to the Bundesliga but quit his post at the Veltins Arena due to exhaustion.
With Leverkusen possessing one of the best youth academies in the country, an approach for Rangnick could be a wise move from Voller and chairman Wolfgang Holzhauser. Their first-team squad has a strong, youth backbone with Bernd Leno (20), Lars Bender (22), Andre Schurrle (21) and Omer Toprak (22).
The decision hardly comes a surprise after a horrific run of form for Leverkusen with six matches to go to salvage their Europa League place for next season.
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Read more from Ross at the new site bundesligafootball.co.uk or follow @rossdunbar93 on Twitter
