Eintracht turn to Daum after Skibbe sacking

Eintracht Frankfurt have parted company with coach Michael Skibbe and have given Christoph Daum the responsibility of guiding them to safety in the Bundesliga.

Skibbe's departure comes despite fifth-bottom Eintracht's 2-1 home victory over relegation rivals FC St. Pauli on Saturday – and, more pertinently, it follows a dismal run yielding one win from the previous ten German top-flight games. This has left Eintracht battling against the drop with seven matches remaining: 14th in the 18-team table, they are three points above the danger zone.

"After thorough consideration and analysis [of the situation], it was the negative trend on the pitch which led to this step," read a club statement. "The board regrets this extraordinary step and would like to emphasise the previous success and positive results gained under Michael Skibbe." The 45-year-old former Borussia Dortmund, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Galatasaray AŞ trainer had taken charge of the Frankfurt side in June 2009.

His successor Daum, whose career has included spells at 1. FC Köln, VfB Stuttgart, Beşiktaş JK, Leverkusen and Fenerbahçe SK, will initially take over until the summer but with the possibility of a longer-term deal. Eintracht said: "Both parties have the aim of working together beyond the stipulated time period.'' The 57-year-old Daum's first match will be a trip to second-from-bottom VfL Wolfsburg on 3 April.