Mark Uth at 1. FC Köln: playmaker, shooting king, savior – sport

The discussions at the bottom of the table, 1. FC Köln, are visibly escalating. Excuses, nothing but excuses, he was “really pissed off,” complained coach Steffen Baumgart once again, while offensive player Mark Uth, barely back from a long break from competition, immediately started criticizing the basics: “Greasy, soapy, you immediately slump. “

The city of Cologne and its subsidiary responsible for the turf in the Müngersdorf stadium had little to counter this. The stadium director blamed heavy rainfall for the slippery green in the arena – he would have left it alone. Because Baumgart immediately knew where the meadows were much better with the same weather conditions: in Mönchengladbach, Leverkusen and even in Düsseldorf.

One might think that the FC would have other things to do at the moment than fight with the city lawn care workers. But the relegation battle and the precarious position in the table held neither the coach nor his professionals so captive that they were only captivated by a lack of points. The players still come to training with a laugh, Baumgart’s commands and finger whistles still sound like a demonstration of strength and determination, and that’s “a good thing,” as Mark Uth said on Wednesday after training: “The coach is leaving He doesn’t stray from his path. He sticks to his football and what has made us strong in recent years. That’s important, we’ll go with it.”

The mood at FC is not yet as gloomy as the table might suggest. “I have experienced darker times at the Geißbockheim,” says Uth, who can be considered a credible witness. The 32-year-old has gotten to know his hometown club again and again throughout his career. He came to FC as a youth, became a professional, moved on to Holland, returned as an experienced player, left again and only settled down in the summer of 2021. The fact that he is now being welcomed like a savior on his comeback describes the seriousness of the situation for Cologne, who have scored eight goals in ten league games. Accordingly, the pressure of expectation is on Uth, who, according to the FC fans’ wishes, should be a playmaker and shooting king at the same time. He asks that we don’t “expect me to score a ton of goals in the next few weeks.” But he doesn’t reject a leading role: “I’m the oldest – I have to take responsibility.”

There is no doubt about Uth’s ability to play, but there is no doubt about his stable health. Injury breaks pave his career path. An inflammation of the pubic bone cost Uth the entire last season, and he was recently absent for two months due to muscle problems. This is also why Baumgart railed against the stadium gardeners: This lawn is “dangerous for the players – you can quickly tear your cruciate ligament.”