The End of Sebastien Meyer

Sebastien Meyer was applauding the 373-strong away contingent at the MEWA Stadium. A 2-0 win over Mainz 05 had secured a 3-1 aggregate win, and had preserved Energie Cottbus' Bundesliga status. For many this was a moment of joy, of delirium. For Meyer, however, there was only relief. Relief in avoiding relegation. Relief in preserving the clubs immediate financial security. Relief in knowing he had made his decision.

The Summer had began well, and Energie were pro-active in securing their targets. Joshua Quarshie was signed from Hoffenheim and Christian Fruchtl was snapped up following his release from Salernitana. Goalkeeper and centre-back were the two areas Meyer had identified as requiring upgrades, and Sporting Director Arne Friedrich had agreed deals for two of his Head Coaches main targets.

But the cracks in the relationship between Meyer & Friedrich had started to appear. Miroljub Jovanovic, Ionut Iorga, Veceslav Knezovic, Adrian Zelewski, Ivan Kokonov, Gennadii Khakimov & Andrei Heriou were all signed up in a busy Summer for the club.

All young players undoubtedly had talent, but sources within the club have said that Meyer didn't approve the signings, all of which were led by Friedrich. This created a real tension within the club, and the frosty relationship between the two only worsened. With Friedrich's influence at Energie Cottbus growing, many felt there would only be one outcome.

Their arrivals also led to divisions between players and coaches. Several of the players who helped the club secure promotion were seeking assurances around their playing time, but Meyer refused to ease any concerns - sometimes choosing to avoid those conversations altogether.

Dressing room unrest and poor performances caused fans to turn on Meyer

Fractions were starting to become an issue, and the bloated squad limped to a winless start to the Bundesliga campaign. By March, Energie were in serious trouble, and each match was rumoured to be Meyer's last. A run of improved results granted the under-fire coach a stay of execution, but by that point his decision was already made.

Fan unrest was becoming an issue within the club, with the board becoming concerned about the atmosphere within the stadium.

It had felt that the end of each season had brought about a conversation of whether Meyer would resign or stay on. He had always struggled to build a connection with the club, and had felt that he was continuing out of some feeling of obligation, rather than simply the love of doing it.