BONN Borussia Moenchengladbach have turned to their glorious past in an effort to shake off the deepest crisis in the club's rich history. The troubled club, currently bottom in the German first division, on Tuesday appointed Rainer Bonhof, a prominent member of the formidable Moenchengladbach side of the 1970s, as coach. The 46-year-old Bonhof, who was a member of Germany's 1974 World Cup-winning squad, replaced Friedel Rausch, whose fate was sealed after his men suffered two humiliating defeats in a row.

Moenchengladbach, who established the record Bundesliga win by thumping neighbors Dortmund 12-0 in 1978, were demolished 8-2 by Bayer Leverkusen and then crashed 7-1 at VFL Wolfsburg. A ship that has sunk will not resurface but Borussia has not sunk, said Bonhof, who played 231 games for the club from 1970 to 1978. I will do everything to make it sail in calm waters again.

Borussia, who won the German league five times and the UEFA Cup twice in the 1970s, are the sole pride of Moenchengladbach, a small town close to the Dutch border with little else to offer except the famous local team. The slump is a bitter blow for their faithful supporters and angry scenes followed last weekend's defeat at Wolfsburg. Fans went on the rampage in and around the Boekelberg Stadium. Advertising boards were smashed and there was minor damage in the tunnel leading from the dressing rooms to the pitch.

No arrests were reported but security was stepped up around the club's facilities for Sunday's training session, which was attended by dozens of journalists. Rausch ignored their questions and simply said as he was leaving the stadium: I think that was it. Stability was once the secret of Borussia's might. In 22 years the club had only three trainers Hennes Weisweiler, Udo Lattek and Jupp Heynckes. The downward slide began in 1987 when Heynckes moved on to Bayern Munich. Trainers never stayed for very long after that and mismanagement also led to financial difficulties, worsening the club's plight.

Not only the manager but also a member of the Executive Committee, Rolf Ruessmann, who was dismissed at the same time as Rausch, was blamed for the current crisis by former Moenchengladbach star Guenter Netzer. Without anybody really noticing, Ruessmann built his own empire and around it a lack of transparency grew, Netzer wrote in his And then there was an Executive Committee which was weak, not to say incapable, and approved everything.

Before bowing out, Rausch also had a go at Ruessmann, saying: I must say that what Netzer wrote was true. Even players like Toni Polster, who at first supported Rausch, let him down in the end. In our situation, the only thing that would help would be to change the trainer, the Austrian striker was quoted as saying one day before the coach was sacked.

President Wilfried Jacobs agreed and decided to get rid of Ruessmann as well. The current sporting situation is a disaster which leaves no room for a wait-and-see policy, Jacobs explained. Moenchengladbach have been in the top flight since they were promoted 33 years ago. But lately they have more often fought to avoid relegation than for pieces of silverware. Last season, after sacking two trainers, they had to wait until the very last match to make sure of remaining in the first division.

They did, but their only genuine star, controversial midfielder Stefan Effenberg, then left them for Bayern. The great adventure of the club began when they joined the Bundesliga in 1965, the same year as Bayern, who were to become their archrivals in the 1970s. Between 1969 and 1977, Borussia and Bayern fought memorable battles for supremacy and let no other team get anywhere near the title.

Moenchengladbach won the league in 1970, 1971, 1975, 1976 and 1977. (Reuter)