Schalke have fired first team coach Mirko Slomka in the wake of Saturday's 5-1 drubbing to Werder Bremen, the Bundesliga side announced on Sunday. Schalke's official site that Slomka's sacking came after a unanimous decision by the German club's board. General manager Andreas Muller revealed that the club's willingness to part ways with Slomka at the end of the season had to take an earlier after the Werder defeat. "The club had planned to part company with Slomka at the end of the season, but after the Werder Bremen match I decided to pull the plug now," said the former Germany star. "We've got into a situation now that could have a very negative impact on the team and endanger our goal of qualifying for the Champions League. That's why we moved quickly now." Slomka, who has been in charge since 2006, led the team to second place in the Bundesliga and the German League Cup last season. The German manager also guided Schalke to this season's Champions League quarter-finals, before being ousted by Barcelona last week. Schalke are now third in the Bundesliga standings, with six weeks to go.
