The former Arminia Bielefeld coach returns to Bundesliga coaching just over a year after leaving the East Westphalians.

He has signed a contract until 2009 with Nurnberg, which would be unaffected if the club were to be relegated to the second division this season.

With 15 games of the season remaining, they occupy 17th place, two points adrift of safety.

The 46-year-old led Bielefeld into the Bundesliga in his first spell in charge in 1999 and kept them there during his second spell from May 2005 to February 2007.

After leaving Bielefeld following nine games without a win, he was widely expected to succeed Jurgen Rober at Borussia Dortmund, however the club moved for Thomas Doll instead.

Von Heesen had also been linked with the Wolfsburg hotseat before Felix Magath took over last summer.

"It is a huge challenge and we have to put our foot down from the very first second," Von Heesen said.

"We are 100% focused on the team and the aim of avoiding relegation.

"I am not here as a caretaker. My ambitions with this club, whose qualities are unquestionable, are to get them back on track and be successful, and I can do it."

Von Heesen has little time to get to know his players ahead of Nurnberg's trip to play Benfica in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup on Thursday.

Nurnberg president Michael Roth added: "We had to react. We could see us getting closer to relegation game by game.

"I am sorry for Hans Meyer. I feel von Heesen is a very good coach who is familiar with relegation battles.

"Thomas von Heesen is certainly the best coach we could have got right now. We are delighted that he has decided to join us."