Players insulted and thrown at
Schalke captain horrified: “Let’s slaughter again”
By Tobias Nordmann
March 17, 2024, 10:01 p.m
For second division soccer team Schalke 04, falling into the third division remains a threatening scenario. The Royal Blues clearly lose the lively prestige duel at Hertha BSC and are dangerously close to the relegation zone. Captain Simon Terodde sees an urgent need to speak out.
If something is working at FC Schalke 04 this season, it is the clear reflexes after significant abrasion. The problem with the Royal Blues’ constant self-criticism: it’s not really sustainable. The next proof of this was on Sunday afternoon with fellow relegated team Hertha BSC. With a 2:5 (2:3) we go back to Gelsenkirchen. Also in the bag: increased worries about relegation again. The cushion on Hansa Rostock in the relegation zone is just two points thin, while it is three points on Eintracht Braunschweig, currently in first place, which leads directly to the 3rd league. A horror scenario for Schalke.
They had received good news this week, before the trip to Berlin. The club’s financial collapse had been averted (for the time being): the city had decided not to withdraw its investments in the arena and the club. The main committee approved a corresponding urgent application on Thursday. Time was short because the traditional club had to submit the licensing documents by Friday. According to “WAZ”, it was about 35 million euros that the city and its subsidiary Stadtwerke invested in the club and its stadium. In terms of sport, the footballers were unable to follow suit with a relief performance. It remains dark in the basement. It remains threatening for FC Schalke 04.
After the international break we continue against Karlsruher SC. He played himself into a frenzy this Sunday and beat 1. FC Magdeburg 7-0. Of all people, those from Magdeburg who had demonstrated Schalke just a few weeks ago and set off alarm bells at the crisis club. Once again. There was a big discussion from the team about the 0-3 fiasco, which was much worse in the way it was played than in the result. Without coach Karel Geraerts. He came under pressure after the embarrassment and had to put up with a lot. There is no apparent idea for the game; the team too often lacks virtues such as toughness in duels or willingness to run. The Belgian had already been heavily featured in some media. This was followed by a big win against league leaders FC St. Pauli and commitments to the coach. And now?
“It was a debacle”
At least some big talk. In a nervous environment anyway, but also in the team. This time it was double goalscorer and captain Simon Terodde who said what no one can understand in this extremely turbulent season. “When you see how we concede the goals: the striker just has to hold his foot. That’s extremely bitter. We’re not able to keep the game open and let ourselves be slaughtered again. In the end, we’re still well served with five apiece.” , he said on Sky: “The table is brutally tight. It was a debacle. We now have to question ourselves, we have a lot to work through.” Once again. Where was the courage, the stability, the passion with which St. Pauli was played this Sunday and with which Schalke fought to win a point against Paderborn in a wild duel and great morale?
Well, at least the reactions have always worked so far. When Schalke lost 3-5 at Fortuna Düsseldorf at the end of November and had made a real embarrassment of themselves at times, the team threw themselves into the dust via a letter to the fans. Among other things, it said: “After a game like we played in the first 45 minutes on Saturday evening, we all feel disappointment, emptiness, anger and shame because we know that Schalke 04 is not worthy.” This was followed by a clear 4-0 win against bottom-placed VfL Osnabrück. When Kenan Karaman spoke plainly after the 1:4 against 1. FC Kaiserslautern at the end of January, an extremely important 1:0 against a strong Braunschweig team followed. And after the disgrace in Magdeburg, the liberation against Pauli.
In Berlin everything was actually prepared so that we didn’t fall back into the eternal routine of this season. Up to 15,000 Gelsenkirchen fans were in the sold-out stadium. What a remarkable backdrop for the summit meeting of the second division giants. But shortly after kick-off it became apparent that this afternoon would take a prominent place in Schalke’s wild season. After two minutes the guests were 0-1 behind. Haris Tabakovic scored. Terodde himself was able to counter quickly and the score was 1-1 after five minutes. The carousel picked up speed. Tabakovic went ahead again (13th), Terodde again (27th). That was it for Schalke’s glory. The Hertha team pulled away, midfield talent Marten Winkler scored twice and Florian Niederlechner once. Will it be enough for the Berliners to have another say in the promotion battle? Questionable.
“I would like to apologize to all Schalke fans”
Schalke had also announced this goal before the season. With the euphoria of a strong second half of the season in the Bundesliga, despite relegation, they were on the quickest path back to the upper house. And then was brought down to earth even more quickly. The great hope Thomas Reis had to go. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. The squad was put together poorly, which was André Hechelmann’s downfall. And because the finances are so terrible, it was difficult to make any corrections during the winter break. Only Brandon Soppy came. The full-back was missing in Berlin due to injury. Henning Matriciani came into the team to replace him. However, last season’s cult player was a major weak point. Not the only one, of course, the whole team repeatedly showed catastrophic defensive behavior and blatant individual mistakes. With 54 (!) goals conceded, the team from Gelsenkirchen is now the most vulnerable in the entire league.
Another major weakness: the devastating away record. The Royal Blues are the only club in the lower house that are still winless in foreign places and have now even suffered four defeats in a row. Over the entire season, Schalke only got seven points away from home – only the bottom team, VfL Osnabrück, has a similarly disastrous record. Coach Geraerts, for whom things are likely to be uncomfortable again and will be discussed further, confessed after the next setback: “I’m very shocked about the first half. A lot of players make too many mistakes, that’s normal at this level a lot. I would like to apologize to all Schalke fans for this performance. They once again traveled several hundred kilometers to support us. I can understand that they are very disappointed.”
The supporters had previously booed and insulted the players in front of the curve. Beer cups are also said to have flown in the direction of the footballers. Terodde sent another pleading appeal: “The people who can do this must now remain stable,” demanded Terodde. “There must be no collapse.” If something is working at FC Schalke 04 this season, it is the clear reflexes after significant abrasion. It remains a horror film, the outcome is uncertain.