He covered the course of 1. FC Köln for a long time. Cologne coach Steffen Baumgart had been protective of his bosses – especially sports director Christian Keller and his failed squad planning – for months.
Ending! On Tuesday after training, Baumgart cleared the air. Baumgart finally speaks the Cologne truth!
He clearly distances himself from his club’s austerity measures. And he calls for new players who will really help FC advance in the relegation battle. Ready-made stars, no more cheap talent.
15-year-old comes on as a substitute. The whole stadium claps and Zlatan does THAT
Source: Image / DAZN December 4th, 2023
The trigger was the idea that midfield all-rounder Dejan Ljubicic could be sold in order to sign reinforcements. Baumgart was upset: “If we have to give up one of our best players of the last few years in order to gain reinforcements that might make us better, then I have a problem with that. That can’t be the way. I don’t want Dejan to leave in the winter.”
And further: “We have to make sure that we still get reinforcements – that has to be the way. And now I’ll be very clear: If there’s no money, you have to get some! Other ways must be found!”
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The sentences hit the mark. Now the club bosses have to work at Baumgart level and get more out of it! They can no longer hide and expect the coach to fix their mistakes. Sports director Keller preferred to defend his austerity measures and preach that he would not ruin the FC instead of improving the squad.
He didn’t keep his promise in the summer that a seasoned player would come in for the midfield center. Instead, the entire club management, including the board around President Werner Wolf, was happy about a surplus of 12.5 million euros.
Sports director Keller (l.) and President Wolf stand for Cologne’s austerity measures – and thus for the sporting decline of the traditional club.
Foto: picture alliance / BEAUTIFUL SPORTS/Wunderl
And Baumgart? He showed loyalty even when his best players were neither retained nor replaced. He worked and tried to make a lot out of a little.
In the end, that wasn’t enough for Keller. He has publicly criticized the style of play several times. Also in Darmstadt, where FC won 1-0 in the relegation duel on Friday. The team was playing “below its potential,” he complained.
Perhaps this unjustified criticism also caused Baumgart to rethink his approach. Because: With every win that Baumgart gets, he and his team exceed the opportunities that Keller and the FC gave him this season!
Selke (l.) shot FC in Darmstadt to a 1-0 victory and out of the relegation places.
Photo: Uwe Anspach/dpa
That’s why it’s right and important that the coach and only hope of 1. FC Köln finally speaks the truth. Not out of emotion after a game, but rather objectively and purposefully after training in the middle of the week.
This means that the time for sugarcoating and clever excuses at 1. FC Köln is over. Baumgart has redistributed tasks within the club to prevent relegation.
Good this way! FC should see it as an opportunity!
2023-12-05 17:12:04
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