1. FC Nürnberg played the 1968–69 season in the Fußball-Bundesliga.

Season review Despite winning the championship at the end of the previous season, coach Max Merkel decided to make significant changes to the squad. Merkel added 13 new players to the first team squad, and several of the club's more experienced players were sold, including Franz Brungs, the team's leading goalscorer in their championship winning season, and Austrian international August Starek.

Nuremberg started the season poorly, losing their opening two games, but soon recovered and spent the next couple of months in a mid-table position. As reigning champions, the club entered the UEFA European Cup, but lost 5–1 on aggregate to Ajax in the first round. Nuremberg began to struggle from November onwards, and went the next ten games without a win, dropping to the bottom of the table. Merkel was sacked on 24 March and replaced by Kuno Klötzer a few weeks later. With Klötzer in charge, Nuremberg went on to win their next three matches, including a victory against eventual champions Bayern Munich. This was followed by two draws, which took the club to 16th (one place above the relegation zone) with one game in the season remaining. This was a match away at 1. FC Köln, who were also in danger of being relegated. Nuremberg were defeated 3–0, confirming their relegation to the Regionalliga as 17th-placed Borussia Dortmund had won their final match.

Aftermath Nuremberg's relegation came as a major surprise having won the Bundesliga 12 months earlier – former player Max Morlock described the season as being "like a bad dream". They were the first champions of the Bundesliga to be relegated, and did not return to the top flight until 1978. Max Merkel is the figure often blamed for the club's relegation due to the wholesale changes made to the squad during the pre-season, with Horst Leupold later remarking that he "didn't understand why so many new players joined us after we won the title". Defender Ferdinand Wenauer pointed to more sinister reasons, claiming that goalkeeper Jürgen Rynio had been bribed by Borussia Dortmund, although this was never proven.

Match results

Legend WinDrawLoss

League

+GameDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorersNotes117 August 1968Alemannia AachenHome1–420,000Walter (og)MR224 August 1968Kickers OffenbachAway1–233,000KüppersMR331 August 1968Borussia MönchengladbachHome4–040,000Zaczyk, Čebinac (pen), Strehl, BeerMR44 September 1968Hannover 96Away2–240,000Beer, NüssingMR57 September 19681. FC KaiserslauternHome1–026,000ČebinacMR614 September 19681860 MunichAway0–230,000MR721 September 1968Hamburger SVHome0–012,000MR828 September 1968Schalke 04Away1–425,000VolkertMR95 October 1968Hertha BSCHome3–019,000Volkert, Zaczyk, KüppersMR1019 October 1968Eintracht FrankfurtAway0–320,000MR1126 October 1968MSV DuisburgHome1–112,000KüppersMR1230 October 1968Eintracht BraunschweigAway2–018,000Strehl, KüppersMR132 November 1968VfB StuttgartHome1–120,000L. MüllerMR1412 November 1968Bayern MunichAway0–340,000MR1516 November 1968Werder BremenHome1–110,000L. MüllerMR1630 November 1968Borussia DortmundAway1–316,000KüppersMR177 December 19681. FC KölnHome0–111,000MR1811 January 1969Alemannia AachenAway2–422,000L. Müller, NüssingMR1918 January 1969Kickers OffenbachHome2–245,000Zaczyk, ČebinacMR2025 January 1969Borussia MönchengladbachAway1–135,000VolkertMR211 February 1969Hannover 96Home1–230,000L. Müller (pen)MR228 February 19691. FC KaiserslauternAway1–18,000H. MüllerMR2322 February 19691860 MunichHome3–050,000Küppers (2), Kroth (og)MR248 March 1969Schalke 04Home1–135,000L. MüllerMR2515 March 1969Hertha BSCAway0–235,000MR2622 March 1969Eintracht FrankfurtHome1–018,000Wirth (og)MR2729 March 1969MSV DuisburgAway0–118,000MR289 April 1969Hamburger SVAway2–422,000Strehl (2)MR2919 April 1969Eintracht BraunschweigHome2–017,000Nüssing (2)MR3026 April 1969VfB StuttgartAway3–222,000Nüssing, Volkert (2)MR3117 May 1969Bayern MunichHome2–045,000Volkert (2)MR3223 May 1969Werder BremenAway3–327,000Küppers (2), Strehl (pen)MR3331 May 1969Borussia DortmundHome2–250,000Küppers, L. Müller (pen)MR347 June 19691. FC KölnAway0–353,000MR

Cup

+RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorersNotesFirst5 January 1969Eintracht TrierAway3–118,000Hansen, L. Müller, NüssingMRSecond2 April 1969Sperber HamburgAway0–04,500MRSecond (replay)12 April 1969Sperber HamburgHome7–07,000L. Müller (2), Zaczyk (2), Nüssing, Lehr (2)MRQuarter Final23 April 1969Hannover 96Home1–012,000ČebinacMRSemi Final3 May 1969Bayern MunichAway0–225,000MR

Europe

+RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorersNotesFirst (1st leg)18 September 1968AjaxHome1–154,000VolkertMRFirst (2nd leg)2 October 1968AjaxAway0–463,000MRAjax won 5–1 on aggregate

Player details

Pos.Nat.PlayerLeagueDFB-PokalEuropeTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals GK 25 0 4 0 2 0 31 0 GK 10 0 1 0 1 0 12 0 GK 0 0 - - - - 0 0 DF 34 0 5 0 2 0 41 0 DF 32 0 3 0 2 0 37 0 DF 29 6 5 3 1 0 35 9 DF 27 0 0 0 1 0 28 0 DF 21 0 2 1 2 0 25 1 DF 8 0 3 0 - - 11 0 DF 7 0 - - - - 7 0 DF 1 0 3 0 - - 4 0 DF 0 0 - - - - 0 0 MF 34 3 5 2 2 0 41 5 MF 33 10 4 0 2 0 39 10 MF 28 1 4 0 2 0 34 1 MF 20 5 3 0 1 0 24 5 MF 4 0 2 0 1 0 7 0 MF 0 0 - - - - 0 0 FW 28 7 5 0 2 1 35 8 FW 25 2 2 0 1 0 28 2 FW 23 5 5 2 1 0 29 7 FW 22 3 3 1 1 0 26 4 FW 0 0 1 2 - - 1 2

Transfers

In PlayerPosFromFeeDate Erich Beer FW SpVgg Fürth Peter Czernotzky DF Borussia Neunkirchen Johnny Hansen DF Vejle BK Theodor Homann MF SSV Werne Hans Küppers MF 1860 Munich DM 175,000 Jürgen Lehr FW 1. FC Nürnberg Amateure Dieter Nüssing FW 1. FC Nürnberg Amateure Walter Pradt GK 1. FC Nürnberg Amateure Hans Rigotti MF Bayern Munich Jürgen Rynio GK Karlsruher SC Amand Theis DF 1. FC Nürnberg Amateure Klaus Zaczyk MF Karlsruher SC Franz Zimmert DF 1. FC Nürnberg Amateure

Out PlayerPosToFeeDate Horst Blankenburg FW Wiener SC DM 45,000 Claus-Jürgen Braun DF Released Franz Brungs DF Hertha BSC DM 200,000 Manfred Ebenhöh MF SpVgg Fürth Karl-Heinz Ferschl MF Hertha BSC Helmut Hilpert FW SV Waldhof Mannheim Adolf Ruff FW 1. FC Nürnberg Amateure Hubert Schöll GK Hamburger SV August Starek MF Bayern Munich Gyula Tóth GK Jahn Regensburg Wulf-Ingo Usbeck DF Released

References