FC Schalke 04 have been talking about wanting to start a series for weeks. The current mini-series was not meant. The 1: 5 (1: 3) at VfB Stuttgart was the second defeat with four goals difference in a row. In total, there have been five bankruptcies with four or more goals difference this season. The football club from Gelsenkirchen has been in a desolate state for months, even after major defeats.
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Suspensions, injuries, change of coach, pardons, declined loans and former chairman of the supervisory board (Clemens Tönnies) snapped up because of declined loans – all of this has already made headlines and hustle and bustle at Schalke this season. And this list claims to be incomplete.
The hours before the game in Stuttgart brought something new and unpleasant. First, the pay-TV broadcaster Sky reported an alleged revolt against coach Christian Gross, then other media too. After the 0: 4 in the derby against Borussia Dortmund, some players had spoken to sports director Jochen Schneider about the coach’s deficits. That coincides with information from SPIEGEL. “Open discussions” were also confirmed by the association, but there was no information about the group of participants or the content. But there was no “revolt” or even a “revolution”, not even an attempt to do so.
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Coach number five for Schalke?
Schneider was silent in Stuttgart, other Schalke guys were pushing around. Shkodran Mustafi, who according to the “Bild” should have been with Sead Kolasinac and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar at Schneider, answered the questions skillfully. Gross said that “this news” came from the alleged player request to replace him, “a bit of a surprise”.
It wouldn’t be that surprising, however, if Schneider, Christian Gross, were to take a third coach off this season. David Wagner and Manuel Baum had already met this fate, Huub Stevens knew that he would only be responsible for a team that has many deficits for one game.
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Schneider knows that he will hand over responsibility after the end of the season at the latest. The problems are evident in his sports and communication departments. It is tried, re-sorted, recruited, restructured – it just doesn’t get any better.
An example: after the retirement of technical director Michael Reschke, with whom he disagreed on important matters, Schneider put management planning in his own hands and in those of Mike Büskens, team manager Sascha Riether and those of his assistant René Grotus.
Schneider disempowered, Schneider decides
When it became known that Schneider would leave at the latest at the end of the season and thus at least a year before his contract expired, Schalke named a trio with Büskens, U19 coach Norbert Elgert and junior director Peter Knäbel as the squad planner for the coming season. The club announced that the supervisory board had decided. Schneider should advise the trio and “implement content” of any decisions.
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Anyone who describes FC Schalke 04 as confused still means friendly with the club.
For months the complaint has been heard from the office that the supervisory board is avoiding decisions. Schneider in particular benefits from this, and he rightly points out that he has a very tight budget and high legacy to defend his work. But wrong decisions remain that only have to do with money to a limited extent.
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Last summer Schneider presented Werner Leuthard, a “Head of Performance Licensed Player”, who should ensure that the Schalke players run more, sprint more and are less injured. The running values, measured purely in kilometers, are the worst of all Bundesliga clubs and the list of injuries is long. Leuthard is particularly blamed for the accumulation of muscle injuries. For weeks there have been complaints from the dressing room about the work of the athletic trainer, who was at Schalke more than ten years ago with Felix Magath, who is notorious for his tough units.
Supervisory board, board of directors, coaches, team – the deficits shape the FC Schalke 04, which is still hoping for a winning streak and staying up. But he only won one of the last 39 Bundesliga games.
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