Troubled weeks at Schalke have come to an end for now. Sports director Jochen Schneider confirms that David Wagner will remain head coach. The most important statements of the S04 press conference can be read here.
For the first time in over four months, Schalke 04 welcomes media representatives to a regular press conference in the Veltins Arena at home. The sporting managers, sports director Jochen Schneider and coach David Wagner, want to present their analysis of the season, which ended in a disappointing 12th place after 16 games without a win. Furthermore, the financial situation of the traditional club, which was badly hit by the Corona crisis, the farewell of CFO Peter Peters after 27 years in the club and the spectacular resignation of supervisory board chief Clemens Tönnies will also be discussed. Alexander Jobst, Director of Marketing and Communication, will also join the podium to answer these and other questions.
So there is a lot of speech in Gelsenkirchen-Buer. Follow the FC Schalke 04 press conference from 11.30 a.m. in the ticker and livestream here:
12.55 p.m .: Siekmann media director ends the press conference
After a good hour and a half of analysis and discussion, Schalke’s media director Marc Siekmann ended the media round.
“Must do very, very good transfers on a small budget”
Wagner wants to give the team a new face in the upcoming transfer window. “We now have to do very, very good transfers on a small budget,” said the coach. Then, he is certain, you will be successful again – “or at least play the football that we all want to see at Schalke.”
Wagner criticizes transfers: “We have to raise our hands there”
Wagner admits that the winter transfer period has not been used optimally. “She didn’t help us as she would have,” said the coach, “we could have acted better there. We have to raise our hands and see that.”
Stambouli and Sané’s injuries were “blatant”
Wagner considers the injuries of the defense chiefs Benjamin Stambouli and Salif Sané as one of the decisive factors for the performance slump of the Schalke. “These injuries were blatant. Our team shot it.”
Wagner surrenders: “I am responsible for it”
Wagner faces up to his responsibilities at the Schalke season. “I am responsible for this,” explains the head coach, “but I am also responsible for the first part of the season. Even though there is hardly any talk about it.” However, it is now his job to draw the right conclusions from this season.
“Knappenschmiede” is to be expanded further
Schneider sees the miners’ smithy as the key to future success. “If we continue to invest in her and pull players like Can Bozdogan out of her, then we can put our horsepower on the road.”
Schneider: “We will continue with our team of trainers”
Schneider talks lengthily about the problems of the Schalke Bundesliga season. He distilled that the misery prevented a better place in the table. “The squad at the end of the season had nothing to do with the beginning,” says Schneider. Despite the negative series of 16 games without a win, Schalke will stick to coach David Wagner and his team: “We will continue with our coaching team,” says Schneider. Because: “If David Wagner had most of the squad at his disposal, he would have played attractive football.”
“Sponsors are independent of Tönnies to Schalke 04”
Jobst explains that there is no need to fear that the sponsors will now bail out after Tönnies’ resignation. “Our sponsors are independent of Clemens Tönnies at Schalke 04.” He was convinced that Schalke would “at least keep its marketing revenues stable in the coming years”.
“The last impression was really bad”
Schneider speaks plain text. “The last impression was really bad,” he says of the club’s second half. It is about leading the club to success again. Only: “The time of dreaming is over.” He would like Schalke to do more “with the competition and less with himself”.
Outsourcing? “Will discuss it with complete transparency”
Jobst says the change in Schalke’s legal form is “not an issue for today or tomorrow”, but he can imagine that “certain plans of this kind will come up on the table.” Then, however, “it will be discussed with our fans with complete transparency.”
Talks about further pay cuts at the end of July
Schneider said the team would meet in late July to discuss another pay cut due to the corona crisis. “I am confident that we will find a good solution. We have great boys, strong characters in our team.”
Schneider: “The image of FC Schalke 04 is that you don’t earn very little here”
Schneider is asked again about the upper salary limit. “I think that FC Schalke 04’s image in the past was that you don’t deserve a lot here,” he explains. However, the budget of the licensed squad must be rebalanced financially. “We have found internal regulations for this. I cannot and do not want to say more about it.”
Jobst talks about NRW guarantee: “We have served us before”
Jobst explains that the State of North Rhine-Westphalia’s guarantee is a means “which other clubs have used in the past. We have also used it in the past. Everything else is subject to a confidentiality clause.”
Schneider wants to “reconcile costs and earnings”
When asked about the possible salary limit, Schneider explains that it is time to “reconcile costs and earnings”. Schalke had said goodbye to European cup places in recent years. This must now be taken into account economically.
“Want to regain trust from our millions of fans”
Jobst and Schneider want to regain destroyed trust with transparency and dialogue. “Our fans suffered this season,” says Jobst. It was time that the fans could understand decisions in the club.
“Income and spending ratio is not healthy for Schalke”
Jobst says that he wants to make the club better by stopping further investments. The relationship between income and expenditure is “not healthy for Schalke”. This also has the consequence that the sporting goals have to be adjusted. Reaching the European Cup places will no longer be required in the short and medium term.
Jobst: “Transparency and economic reason” important for Schalke’s future
Jobst wants to lead the association together with fellow board members Schneider into the future with “transparency and economic reason”. By missing the European Cup three times in the past four years, the club “lost a bet on the future.” As a result, investments in the professional squad can no longer be made in the coming years.
Jobst apologizes for mistakes
Jobst apologizes for decisions such as the required hardship application and the dismissal of long-term minijob employees. “We are responsible for these mistakes.”
Executive Board Jobst: “A turning point for FC Schalke 04”
Marketing and Communications Director Alexander Jobst declares the day “a turning point”. FC Schalke 04 have given a miserable picture in the past few weeks. There can be no “keep it up”.
Schneider: “Should talk to each other again instead of talking about each other”
Schneider wants to lead the club back into “calmer waters”. “For this it is necessary that we talk to each other again instead of talking about each other,” explains the miners’ sports director.
Sports director Schneider: “moving days at Schalke”
Sports director Jochen Schneider begins with a statement. He explains that “moving days” are behind Schalke once again. He very much regrets the resignation of Chairman of the Supervisory Board Clemens Tönnies and once again thanks the meat entrepreneur.
11.30 a.m. The press conference begins
Media director Marc Siekmann opens the press conference and introduces the people on the podium. He explains that there will be two blocks: First, it is about non-sports topics. The press is given 20 minutes for questions. The second block is about the sporty season.
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