Markus Babbel is to continue as Stuttgart coach after getting the full backing of club president Erwin Staudt.

But the coach himself has responded to the club's poor form by taking the captaincy away from Thomas Hitzlsperger.

Babbel's position had been called into question by Stuttgart's awful start to the season - Sunday's 4-0 thrashing by Bayer Leverkusen left the 2007 champions and current Champions League participants second bottom of the Bundesliga.

But Staudt said: "Markus Babbel will remain as coach.

"We have faith in his work and he has our full support to draw the necessary conclusions and to lead the team out of this situation."

Club officials will review Babbel's future again during the winter break.

"Then we have to see where it's at," added Staudt. "We will then intensively analyse the mistakes and see who goes and who comes."

Babbel is fully aware the board's patience is not infinite and results need to improve.

And he indicated he is not afraid to be ruthless if required.

"I am not naive and know that we need results," he told the club's official website, www.vfb.de.

"I now ask the players that they put everything to one side for the club - be it family or free time. Then I will see exactly who is prepared to help the club out of this situation."

He added: "The comforts are over. A repeat of what went on in Leverkusen is not allowed to happen."

Babbel has already acted fast by taking the armband away from Hitzlsperger. The former defender will name a new skipper in the coming days.

"I need him on the pitch. He should concentrate on producing his best form again," Babbel said.

"But I won't allow him, because of his measure, to be now made into a scapegoat by those outside."

Babbel admitted he was experiencing his toughest time since suffering from autoimmune disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome when he was a player at Liverpool.

He added: "Second last in the table is absolutely not where Stuttgart belong. The games (before Christmas) against Bochum, Urziceni (in the Champions League), Mainz and Hoffenheim are a question of honour.

"This is for me the toughest time after my illness. It is now not about the fate of an individual, or about saving his own skin, it's about the club."