Sapphire Plane Crash and the Search for Harry Potter

Once again, everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Schalke. After another upheaval in the summer and a coaching change at the start of the season, things were going wrong in Gelsenkirchen. The new manager has been counted again and the last place is imminent.

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Last season, Schalke had been trapped in the Bundesliga relegation battle for a long time. Ultimately, the Royal Blues avoided relegation and possible bankruptcy.

A comprehensive refit took place over the summer and the season got off to an excellent start. Braunschweig was knocked out of the stadium with a score of 5-1, and for a long time, the sound of “front-runner, front-runner, front-runner” echoed in the Veltins Arena. The social media team took the opportunity to create a new video, but in retrospect, it doesn’t really date.

Since the game against Braunschweig on August 3, 2024, Schalke has only achieved one victory in the league. This was also more than a month ago. In the away game against newly promoted Munster, the S04 team achieved a 2-1 victory.

But what exactly is wrong with traditional German clubs? What do ancient Rome and Harry Potter have to do with all this? Let's summarize.

Happened in the past few years

Schalke's woes are not new. Since 2020, this club from the Ruhr area has been in a major crisis and some abnormal situations have also occurred. In the 202/2021 season, the Royal Blues were quietly relegated from the Bundesliga. Only scored 16 points in 34 games. We were promoted again the following season, but a year later we were relegated straight to the Second Division.

After the last drop, the goal was clear: advance directly. At the end of the season they were lucky not to be relegated further in Gelsenkirchen. The season ended in tenth place thanks to a strong final sprint.

Need patience, no patience

Speaking at the official season opener in the summer, chief executive Matthias Tillmann told fans: “Be patient with the path we are on. We are taking this action consciously and need you support. Setbacks will come.”

At least the trainer's patience didn't last long. Karel Gerarts has been released on matchday 6. The dismissal of the Belgian, who helped Schalke avoid relegation last season, caused dissatisfaction among many Knappen fans.

After Geratz was sacked, Jakob Finpel took over on an interim basis for two games and impressed with a win and a draw respectively. But Schalke's U23 coach lacks the coaching license required to train the first team.

The new trainer isn't Harry Potter

The 55-year-old Dutchman has been on the sidelines since the national team break in October, with new coach Kees van Wonderen already on the sidelines. Schalke managed just one point from four official games under Van Venden, and they missed out on the German Cup against Augsburg.

Kees van Wonderen was heavily criticized.Picture: www.imago-images.de

The new coach is already making some headlines. On the one hand, the coach wants only German to be spoken in the dressing room. The problem is, some players don't speak the language and Van Wanderen's pronunciation isn't good enough, meaning the coach's instructions are often misunderstood or not understood at all.

In interviews and press conferences, Van Wanderen has taken pains to emphasize that he will not be Harry Potter. After the friendly match with Aarau ended 2-2, he compared Schalke's situation to the construction of ancient Rome:

The reaction in the Ruhr was laughable. One thing you can leave S04 fans with is that they haven't lost their sense of humor yet, but read it for yourself:

Matthias Tillmann announced that Van Wanderen would no longer participate in the debate, Ruhr-Zeitung reported. Team planner Ben Manga also recently praised the coach's work.

Goalkeeper question gets curious clarification

Ron-Thorben Hofmann was signed as the planned goalkeeper in the last transfer window. However, days before the start of the season, Karel Geratz decided to appoint young Justin Hicklen as the number one goalkeeper.

When Van Wanderen took over, he initially had not decided who should be in goal and decided on a special measure. Hofmann was given two games against Hannover, while Glauser Fürth was allowed to serve as goalkeeper against Augsburg and Ulm, so the new manager will want to be on the sidelines Decide who will be the starting goalkeeper in the future.

Now that those four games are over, Hekron has won the casting call and is therefore still between jobs at Schalke. For some Schalke fans, this was a move that was difficult to understand. This move made both goalkeepers even more uneasy in an already difficult situation.

Ben Manga can't cook yet.

In the summer, Ben Manga was hired as team planner. Manga served as Frankfurt's chief scout from 2016 to 2022 and helped the team win the 2018 German Cup and the 2022 Europa League, and is considered a behind-the-scenes doer.

Ben Manga has been working on S04 since this summer.Picture: www.imago-images.de

At Schalke 04, Manga served as director of team planning, scouting and the Knappenschmiede (Schalke 04 youth team). The Equatorial Guinean is known for his keen eye for young talent.

A number of young, unknown players were signed in the summer. Among them is 20-year-old Argentinian Felipe Sanchez. Manga criticized the Belgian coach when then-head coach Karel Geratz did not rely on Sanchez quickly enough.

Sanchez has been allowed two starts in the league since Van Wanten took over. But in the second game, the Argentine received an immediate red card in the 48th minute. So far, Sanchez has failed to show off his talent.

With almost every move made during the summer, claims of “comic boiling” dominated the comments sections of the Royal Blues' social media accounts, with people enthusiastic about the squad planner.

Felipe Sanchez has had a rocky start at Schalke.Picture: www.imago-images.de

Now the tide has changed and there is a lot of frustration with the existing squad, with many of the new signings coming in for criticism. Manga is also increasingly taking over control of Schalke, which some fans fear will give him too much power.

Only partially convincing for new players

Half of the team's players were replaced this summer. Swiss player Adrian Gantenbein was also signed. The right-back moved to Gelsenkirchen from Winterthur. Gantenbein has not played in an official game since September 13 due to a thigh injury and calf problems.

Gantenbein moved from Winterthur to Schaller.Picture: www.imago-images.de

In addition, many other unknown talents were signed as well as some already well-known and experienced players such as Amin Younes. Many of them haven't really hit their stride so far, partly due to poor performances, but injuries have also kept new signings hampered.

Of the new signings, only Moussa Sylla has been convincing so far. The 24-year-old Frenchman signed for €2.5 million and has scored six goals in this league so far. But Sylla has also been injured in recent games.

A relegation battle rather than a rebuilding season

After the turmoil of last season, the team should calmly build the team this season and attack with full strength for next year's promotion. But as things stand now, people in Gelsenkirchen are once again worried about the club's existence.

Last season, the team was already at risk of having their license revoked if they were relegated to the Third Division due to the club's financial problems. Debt-ridden clubs face the threat of relegation to the regional leagues as the licensing process for the third tier is different to that of the first and second Bundesliga.

Schalke are currently at The second/third place in the table. Now, the absolute meltdown happened at 1:30pm on Sunday. Schalke could have a game in hand in basement duel with Regensburg Directly relegated/dropped to the bottom of the standings slide. For traditional clubs, this would be a new low.

How long can fans endure it?

Despite the tragic situation that has persisted for many years, spectators still flock to the Schalke Arena. The Veltins Arena averages over 61,000 spectators. Nationally, only Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have more spectators per home game. Thousands of fans also came to watch the away game at Knappen. On average, more than 7,000 Napen fans attend an away game. The best value in Germany.

But what is certain is that fans' patience is slowly wearing thin. Support from organized fan groups was halted on several occasions last season and fans were not in a good mood this season after a poor first half at home to Fürth. Since last season, the slogan “We are Schalke, what are you?” has been heard repeatedly. or “We want to see you fight!” from Schalke Nord.

There is a risk of being deducted points

High debt has been another major problem for Schalke for years. As of June 30, 2024, S04 was missing approximately 163 million euros. Clubs are only granted licenses for this season under certain conditions. One of the conditions is to reduce debt by 5.5 million. If this requirement is not met, points will be deducted.

With Assan Vedraogo sold to RB Leipzig for €9 million and Shakhtar Donetsk playing a Champions League home game in Gelsenkirchen, the club can expect some additions. Miners remain hopeful that this will be enough to fill the necessary holes. Because in the current situation, deducting points is devastating.