Auxerre appoint Wallemme

Auxerre have handed their managerial reins to Jean-Guy Wallemme after taking the decision to part with Laurent Fournier's services.

Ligue 1 strugglers waste no time in finding a successor to Fournier

Auxerre have handed their managerial reins to Jean-Guy Wallemme after taking the decision to part with Laurent Fournier's services. Having slumped to second from bottom in the Ligue 1 table, Fournier was relieved of his duties in the wake of Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Evian. Auxerre officials believe drastic measures had to be taken in order to address an alarming slump. A statement on the club's official website read: "This morning president Gerard Bourgoin had a meeting with the coaching staff and the players and came out three quarters of an hour later. "In front of a large number of journalists he made a statement to announce that Laurent Fournier is no longer the coach of Auxerre." Auxerre have failed to pick up a league victory since 11th December and are now five points adrift of safety. They hope Wallemme will be the man to turn their fortunes around, with the 44-year-old appointed on a short-term deal. As he is also currently charged with the task of overseeing events with the Congo national team, he will only remain at the Auxerre helm until the end of the season.