PS2 » defence. By starting anew and breaking

BERLIN -- Nuremberg and Eintracht Braunschweig were relegated on the final day of the Bundesliga season Saturday, while Bayer Leverkusen clinched the last Champions League qualification place. Leverkusen came from behind to beat Werder Bremen 2-1 and secure fourth place immediately above Wolfsburg, which beat sixth-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1. "We knew we had to win," Leverkusen striker Eren Derdiyok said. Hamburger SV got the relegation playoff place despite losing 3-2 at Mainz, which secured Europa League football next season by finishing seventh. Mainz general manager Christian Heidel said after the game that Thomas Tuchel wanted to resign after five years in charge. "He has a contract until 2015. We dont want to rescind the contract," Heidel said. Media reports were linking Tuchel with Schalke. Neither Nuremberg nor Braunschweig could capitalize on Hamburgs loss. Nuremberg lost 4-1 at Schalke and Braunschweig stayed bottom after a 3-1 loss at Hoffenheim. It was a Bundesliga record eighth relegation for Nuremberg, while Braunschweig returns to the second division one season after securing promotion. "When you look back over 34 games we simply didnt get enough points, thats a fact," Braunschweig midfielder Mirko Boland said. Hamburg, the only side to have played every Bundesliga season since the league was formed in 1963, now faces home and away games against the third-placed finisher in the second division for a place in the top flight next season. "On Thursday at home we have to win," Hamburg coach Mirko Slomka said of the first leg. Hamburg completed its worst ever league campaign, with 75 goals conceded, more than any other side. "We still have a chance and well give everything we can," Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart said. Robert Lewandowski scored twice in his last game for Borussia Dortmund, a 4-0 win at Hertha Berlin, to finish as the leagues top scorer with 20 goals. The Polish striker opened the scoring in the 41st and Milos Jojic curled a fine effort from the right of the penalty area inside the far post three minutes later. Lewandowski, who is joining Bayern Munich next season, scored with a brilliant free kick in the 80th, two minutes before Henrikh Mkhitaryan completed the goals. Already crowned champion Bayern left it late to beat Stuttgart 1-0 and get its title celebrations underway. Claudio Pizarro scored two minutes into injury time for Bayern to finish the league on a high. It was the Peru strikers fifth goal in four games. Pep Guardiolas side had clinched the title with a record seven games to spare and the former Barcelona coach was doused in beer by jubilant players as he held aloft the championship shield. He also dropped it. "It was cold," Guardiola said of his first beer shower. "Its all OK now after having a proper shower. Im happy." Stuttgart coach Huub Stevens, who saved his side from relegation, stepped down after the game. "Im not staying with Stuttgart. The reasons are personal. It has nothing to do with Stuttgart, nothing to do with the players. It only has to do with me," the Dutchman said without elaborating. Also Saturday, Augsburg defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 and Hannover beat Freiburg 3-2. Hannover honoured captain Steve Cherundolo before kickoff for his service to the club he joined in 1999. The San Diego native, who made 87 appearances for the United States, is retiring because of persistent knee injuries. Schalke safeguarded third place to secure direct qualification for the Champions League next season. It started badly for Nuremberg when Joel Matip scored with a header from a corner in the sixth minute. Roman Neustaedter made it 2-0 before the break, Julian Draxler scored in the 75th, and Chinedu Obasi added another in the 90th. Nuremberg striker Josip Drmic scored his sides consolation in injury time. Leverkusen provisionally lost fourth place to Wolfsburg after Theodor Gebre Selassie fired Bremen ahead in the 21st and Kevin de Bruyne put Wolfsburg 1-0 up against Gladbach in the 30th. Leverkusen defender Omer Toprak equalized with a fine header in the 34th and Heung-min Son put his side back in fourth place by scoring in the 53rd for a 2-1 victory. "Of course theres a bit of sadness after such a last game after six intensive weeks," said Leverkusen interim coach Sascha Lewandowski, who is making way for Roger Schmidt. Schmidt guided Red Bull Salzburg to the Austrian championship this season. In Wolfsburg, Christoph Kramer equalized for Gladbach in the 64th, before Ivan Perisic and Robin Knoche responded in the 68th and 81st respectively as the hosts won 3-1. Perisic struck the crossbar in the first half, and then the post, crossbar and the other post with one shot in the second. The season comes to a close next Saturday with Bayern and Dortmund meeting in Berlins Olympic Stadium for the German Cup final. Jeremy Roenick Jersey . Niese pitched seven steady innings on a rainy Tuesday night and Daniel Murphy had three hits to lead New York to a 6-1 victory over the Phillies. CM Punk Jersey . Scheffler told The Associated Press on Wednesday he made the choice because he had three concussions over the past four years. http://www.authenticblackhawkspro.com/Martin-havlat-blackhawks-jersey/ .A. remained bitter for Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers on the long flight back home to New York. Artem Anisimov Jersey . Hes still nowhere close to throwing yet. The four-time MVP was in good spirits when he made his first public appearance on the field since having neck surgery Sept. Glenn Hall Jersey . -- With the Memphis Grizzlies struggling to find their offensive rhythm, O.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Doug Marrone rolls his eyes whenever someone mentions the importance of continuity. Thats a crutch the Buffalo Bills rookie head coach refuses to lean on when it comes to assembling an offensive line or most anything else for that matter. "Im not as sold as much on the continuity factor than what other people may be," said Marrone, a former offensive lineman. "When I hear a coach talk about continuity, the first thing I think of is: Excuse." Hell even use a profanity to get his point across for emphasis. Marrones not big on excuses of any kind in the face of adversity. Thats something that has been evident in the full-speed-ahead demeanour he has projected since being hired in January. In replacing Chan Gailey, Marrone became the latest in a long line of head coaches tasked with the responsibility of turning around a franchise that has spent much of the past 13 years lacking relevance. Adversity, Marrone understands, comes with the territory, and something hes encountered in previous jobs. He was an assistant under Sean Payton in New Orleans, where the Saints went from "Aints" to contenders. Marrone spent the past four seasons at his alma mater in Syracuse, where he went 25-25 in returning pride to a program that had become a perennial loser. "Every place is different. But whats not different is how hard its going to be, and the many challenges youre going to have," Marrone said. "You know theres going to be challenges. And you know theres going to be probably more than you think when you come in." He wasnt kidding. The Bills have already endured their share of setbacks in preparing to open the season against New England on Sunday. Theyve had a revolving door at quarterback because of injuries. Veteran free-agent addition Kevin Kolb is out because of a season-ending concussion. And rookie first-round draft pick EJ Manuel missed two weeks of practice with a left knee injury before being cleared to start this week. The Bills are already missing starting cornerback Stephon Gilmore (broken hand). Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd might not be ready for the season because of a sore foot and the time hes lost due to a contract squabble. If thats not enough, Marrone had to scramble to sign kicker Dan Carpenter after rookie Dustin Hopkins hurt his groin Monday. Marrone has remained unfazed. "Id rather be hit with adversity and find out whos in and whos out," he said. The Bills are a major work in progress after going through a near top-to-bottom off-season transformation. It began on Jan. 1, when Russ Brandon was promoted to team president, gaining authority over the franchises daily operations. Doug Whaley took over as general manager after Buddy Nix stepped down in May. And then theres been host of roster changes, topped by the seelection of Manuel with the 16th pick in the draft to address a position thats been unsettled since Hall of Famer Jim Kelly retired following the 1996 season.dddddddddddd The changes are part of a concerted effort by Brandon, who opened the year by saying he will leave no stone unturned to repair what he called the Bills "tarnished relevancy." Buffalos 13-season playoff drought is the NFLs longest active streak. And the Bills have gone eight straight years without a winning record. "We cant change the past," Brandon said. "Ive been here, and I share (fans) frustrations. But our focus is on the future, moving forward and getting this right." It wont be easy. "Its not going to come without tough times and adversity," Brandon added. "But I have all the confidence in the world in the group that weve assembled here." Hiring Marrone was the first step, and one the Bills approached carefully. Too often in the past, the Bills have hired a coach and then built the team around that persons philosophy. This time, Brandon helped established a vision of what type of team the Bills should be, and then hired the coach to fit that approach. "I wanted a coach that was in lockstep with our thought process, rather than continually fit round holes into square pegs," Brandon said. "Coach Marrone, when we spoke to him numerous times, everything flowed exactly into what we were attempting to accomplish." Marrone won over the Bills brass in outlining a plan to introduce an aggressive, up-tempo and attacking style on both offence and defence. By starting anew and breaking from the past, Brandon believes the Bills can rebuild by having everyone working toward the same goal. "Were going to build this altogether and stick through it," Brandon said. "When times are tough, well be shoulder to shoulder." Former Bills general manager Bill Polian likes what hes seen. "I think Doug Marrone is a great coach. I think he proved that at Syracuse. I know hes got a plan for how to proceed," said Polian, now a TV analyst. And hes pleased the Bills finally began addressing the quarterback position by drafting Manuel. "Hes got some growing to do, so fans need to be patient with that," Polian said. "But I do think that the futures bright, and some good pieces are in place." Marrone wasnt aware what qualities the Bills were looking for in a coach when he interviewed for the job. He simply stuck to what he knew and who he was. "The worst thing you can do is try to fit what theyre looking for," Marrone said. "Because eventually in this profession with all the adversity and difficult challenges of the job, you cant function. You become dysfunctional." Theres been enough of that in Buffalo. ' ' '