Should FC Schalke be relegated to the 2nd division again, this would have far-reaching consequences, especially for the formation of the squad and the financial situation. Complete chaos like two years ago is not in the offing; reconstruction with structure is imminent.
Eighth of the second half of the season and yet a relegation? Schalke is fighting for relegation again.
IMAGO/Vitalii Kliuiev
The 2020/21 season was pure horror. Schalke 04 broke one negative record after the next, the club management had to regroup after weeks of quarrels (“Rangnick Group”) in an exhausting process, the team was completely exhausted, not just in the table. Schalke, the purest shambles. Even the fear of a complete crash into sporting insignificance was anything but far-fetched.
As is well known, the Royal Blues managed the miracle and returned to the top flight only a year later as second division champions, but now they are again facing relegation to the second division. Even if there were a draw in Leipzig on Saturday (3.30 p.m., LIVE! on kicker), Schalke would still need support to at least get relegated, not to mention staying up in the league (theoretically still possible).
Setback on the way to old greatness
Another decline, the fifth after 1981, 1983, 1988 and 2021, would hit FC Schalke 04 hard again, it would be a major setback in the quest to become a national force again. Above all, the tense financial situation will come to a head again. A renewed descent should not threaten its existence, but the losses would be noticeable. For example: The team budget would be halved from almost 40 to almost 20 million euros.
The club, which received the license for the 1st and 2nd league without conditions, is in danger of breaking up, but not this time. In contrast to 2021, there are now consolidated structures, especially in the management of the board trio Bernd Schröder (Chairman), Christina Rühl-Hamers (Finance) and Peter Knäbel (Sports Director). However, further developments are necessary, for example the announced reinforcement for the squad planning department in the person of a sports director is still a long time coming.
Sports director wanted – squad will again be a major construction site in the event of relegation
It is urgently needed. Especially in the event of relegation, the squad once again mutates into a major construction site. The team would disband, top performers like Moritz Jenz, Sepp van den Berg, Alex Kral, Tom Krauss and Maya Yoshida would definitely be gone, and there would be a market in the upper house for players like Marius Bülter and Rodrigo Zalazar. And Schalke need the money.
After all – and atypical for this always restless club: There is no coaching discussion at Schalke in these difficult times. Thomas Reis, who stabilized the team and put them – as of now – in eighth place in the second half of the table, is firmly in the saddle. Schalke should try to prematurely extend the contract that expires in 2024, which also applies to the 2nd division.
Conclusion: FC Schalke is not threatened with a complete collapse this time, but relegation would severely weaken the club in several areas. Doubts would be appropriate as to whether Schalke could make a direct return to the Bundesliga again. If the club still holds the class, that would give him an immense boost. Then FC Schalke can be trusted to actually develop into a national sporting great again in the next few years.
2023-05-25 16:17:15
#relegation #Schalke
