“Unacceptable behavior”
Things are burning brightly again at Schalke
November 26, 2023, 1:46 p.m
Goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann is fed up with empty phrases, captain Marcin Kaminski thinks “everything is bad”, sports director André Hechelmann is ashamed: FC Schalke is at risk of falling into league three in the worst case scenario. Coach Karel Geraerts is particularly upset about one player.
The royal blue soul pain runs deep. “I’m ashamed of our team’s performance in the first half. You can’t present yourself like that,” complained Schalke’s sports director André Hechelmann after the 3:5 (0:3) at Fortuna Düsseldorf. Stunned and disappointed, FC Schalke fans left the arena in the state capital early. And the players also had no explanation after the largely anemic performance of the Bundesliga relegated team. “I don’t know why it is. We overslept for the first half hour. It was all bad,” said captain Marcin Kaminski.
Kaminski, another one of Schalke’s better players, explained that all players were aware of the seriousness of the situation. “It annoys everyone and we want to do everything we can to get out of this situation,” said the Poland international. Goalkeeper Ralf Fährmann, who joined the team after an adductor injury, was self-critical. “We have to be honest with ourselves: at the moment we are playing the way we are in the table,” said the 35-year-old. And: “All the empty phrases that piss me off – finding the lever or the right recipe – they’re all bullshit,” he rumbled.
In the middle of the sporting crisis, coach Karel Geraerts also had to deal with Thomas Ouwejan’s indiscipline. The Dutchman was upset about the early substitution in the first half, refused to shake hands and showed no understanding. His coach was very angry. “I understand that a player is unhappy if he is substituted in the first half. But I will not accept such behavior,” explained the coach and complained about his player’s lack of respect.
The coach wasn’t wrong with the three early substitutions and the switch to a four-man defensive chain. His team then got into the game better and was able to reduce the score to 3:4 in the course of the second half thanks to goals from Kaminski, Tomas Kalas and Bryan Lasme. Many Schalke fans were no longer in the stadium. Geraerts, who lost four times with his team in six games so far, appeared combative after the bitter defeat. “I won’t give up,” said the 41-year-old. With 33 goals conceded, his team has conceded the most goals, is stuck in 16th place and shows little hope of improvement.
The Revierklub has a basement duel with VfL Osnabrück next Friday. “It’s not five to twelve, it’s twelve!” warned the coach. “And I hope all the players understand that. If not, I’ll explain it to them.” Anything other than a home win against the purple-whites, who have not won in seven games, would probably amount to a catastrophe. Sports director Hechelmann found clear words when looking at the end-of-year program: “This is a relegation battle. You have to be ready and fight. That’s what’s at the top for us in the next three weeks.”