Peter Knaebel, Hamburg's third coach this season, is ready to launch the Hanseatic club's rescue mission and avoid a first relegation from Germany's top flight, he said on Monday.

Knaebel was appointed on Sunday after Joe Zinnbauer was dismissed following Friday's 1-0 defeat at home to Hertha Berlin.

Hamburg have collected just two points in their last 16 games as they languish in the relegation places with eight games left.

Zinnbauer was fired after 23 league games in charge, having replaced Mirko Slomka, who was also fired last September.

Knaebel, who is also Hamburg's sporting director, has been tasked with keeping the club up after they only avoided relegation last season by a single away goal having drawn both legs of a play-off against second division Greuther Fuerth.

"I am convinced that I can get the necessary qualities out of the team in order for us to survive the relegation battle," the 48-year-old told a press conference.

"We will put all our energy into it," added Knaebel, who wants to "get out on the training pitch and into a tracksuit" as soon as possible.

But having held a coaching licence for 16 years, Knaebel's only experience as head coach is the two years at Swiss second division side FC Winterthur from 1998-2000 and he is Hamburg's 14th boss in ten years.

Should Hamburg be relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in the club's history, Knaebel will remain as sporting director next season, according to CEO Dietmar Beiersdorf.

Zinnbauer is the seventh German league coach to be dismissed this campaign after Werder Bremen's Robin Dutt, Slomka, Jens Keller of Schalke 04, Stuttgart's Armin Veh, Kasper Hjulmand at Mainz and Jos Luhukay from Hertha Berlin.