Hannover's two year stay in the Bundesliga is over following a dismal campaign that sees them being relegated back to the second division after finishing just two points above the foot of the league table.
André Breitenreiter oversaw a disastrous start to the season with Hannover slipping into the bottom three as early as matchday 4 and they stayed there for the rest of the campaign, ending the season by managing to win just five times. Injuries to key players did not help with Hannover often needing to dig deep to field the full complement of players on the bench.
Their top scorer from previous season, Niclas Füllkrug was limited to just 13 starts this season while his replacements, Bobby Wood and Jonathas also struggled with injuries. Only Michael Esser and Waldemar Anton were able to make more than 30 appearances for Hannover, with the former ending the season making most number of saves in the Bundesliga.
Despite the club changing hands at midway point, with Thomas Doll replacing Breitenreiter, form did not improve until right at the end with the club picking up seven points from their final five games to finish two points above the foot of the table.
Fullkrug has since been sold while the likes of Pirmin Schwegler, Felipe and Oliver Sorg will be leaving the club at the end of their contracts. A number of loan deals have also come to an end meaning Doll will need to oversee a major rebuilding job if Hannover are to bounce straight back up to the Bundesliga next season
