Schalke 04: Sporting director leaves, coach arrives – Fans tend to rate Reis as a good choice

One day after the surprise departure of sporting director Rouven Schröder, FC Schalke 04 has announced that they have found a successor for Frank Kramer, who was dismissed from his duties last week. Thomas Reis will be the new head coach of the ‚Royal Blues‘, who also recently confirmed that they have held discussions with former CEO Clemens Tönnies regarding the search for investors. FanQ surveyed German football fans about the turbulent developments in Gelsenkirchen.

Supporters of the sporting director's departure surprised

Bundesliga basement club Schalke 04 has found its ninth head coach since David Wagner, who took over as manager in Gelsenkirchen at the start of the 2019/20 season. „We are very pleased to have secured Thomas Reis as the new head coach for Schalke 04,“ Peter Knäbel, member of the board and responsible for sport, was quoted as saying in the official statement on the club's homepage. „In the short term, our aim will be to secure as many points as possible from the four games before the World Cup break. Afterwards, it will be crucial to use the long winter break to ensure the team and coaching staff are optimally prepared for the 19 matches until the end of the season. We are convinced that Thomas is precisely the right man for these tasks,“ the 56-year-old continued.

Thomas Reis signed a contract with the ‚Knappen‘ until 2024, which is valid regardless of the league. „I'm delighted to now be a part of FC Schalke 04,“ he gushed. „The talks were very good from the very first minute. With promotion last season, Schalke started an incredible success story, which we now want to continue by staying in the league. The challenge is undoubtedly a big one, but I am firmly convinced that we have the necessary quality in the squad to achieve our big goal together,“ said the new S04 head coach optimistically.

Reis was only sacked by local rivals VfL Bochum in mid-September – ironically after a 1-3 defeat against his new employers Schalke 04. That match was also the ‚Royal Blues‘' only win of the season so far. Now, the 49-year-old is on the sidelines for a direct competitor in the battle to avoid relegation. According to rumours, Schalke officials already wanted to lure Reis to Gelsenkirchen in the summer. However, a move failed due to a veto by VfL Bochum.FanQ reported).

Instead, Frank Kramer took over the reins at the promoted team. After less than four months in office, however, he was relieved of his duties following the disastrous 5-1 cup defeat in Hoffenheim. A few days earlier, Schalke had slumped to a direct relegation spot after losing 3-0 at home to TSG. Because the ‚miners‘ also lost 2-1 at Hertha BSC last weekend under interim coach Matthias Kreutzer, they have now even taken over the red lantern.

The signing of Reis was only possible for the Schalke management because they were able to agree on a transfer fee of €300,000 with VfL Bochum. The new coach is even paying part of it out of his own pocket. At the official presentation of the new manager, Knäbel praised his „involvement in the termination agreement“.

Due to current events, FanQ surveyed football fans in Germany on how they rate the choice of leadership for the ‚Royal Blues‘. Supporters tend to be satisfied with the succession plan, awarding it an average of 3.42 out of a possible five stars. More than half (46.53 %) voted with four (28.71 %) or even five stars (17.82 %). At his official introduction, Reis announced that he intends to „get into the players“ heads„ and develop “greed„ in them. The difficulty of the mission to avoid relegation does not scare the 49-year-old. “I try to set values. Courage is part of that," he stated.

Knäbel took the opportunity to take the wind out of the sails of the discussions surrounding the departure of Rouven Schröder by emphasising that there would be „an inside and an outside view“. Accordingly, yesterday was „not a day of chaos at Schalke“, as the board member emphasised. „The way we acted was prepared and structured. [...] Schalke is not on fire,“ he assured.

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On Wednesday, the ‚Royal Blues‘ announced that Schröder was no longer Sporting Director of Schalke 04. According to this, the „architect of the promotion team [...] had informed the board that he wanted to leave the club for personal reasons before his contract expired.“.

The Schalke officials, who had only positive words for the 47-year-old, have granted this wish. „Rouven has earned merits for the club, the significance of which may only be fully measured and appreciated by the public in a few years“ time,„ Knäbel was quoted as saying on the club's website regarding this personnel matter. “I'll say it very clearly: Without Rouven Schröder's work, FC Schalke 04 in its usual form would no longer exist. For that, he deserves the thanks of all Schalke fans," the S04 board member made clear.

Schröder had taken up his position as Sporting Director after the ‚Knappen‘ were relegated in the summer of last year, revamped the squad, and led the club back to the top flight of football despite the implemented austerity measures. „Nobody had seriously believed Schalke 04 would return to the Bundesliga after just one year. This unique success story, under extremely challenging financial circumstances, will remain forever. We would have gladly continued on the chosen path with Rouven, but we have nevertheless acceded to his personal wish,“ emphasised Schalke's Chairman of the Board, Dr. Bernd Schröder.

„Together we have experienced 18 extremely intensive months. I am very grateful to the Executive Board and all employees for their trust and the time we spent together. In particular, I will never forget the weeks surrounding the promotion,“ said his namesake Rouven on his departure. His duties have been taken over by Knäbel and his team for the time being.

FanQ also asked German football fans about this personnel matter. When asked how surprised they were by Rouven Schröder's sudden resignation, fans responded with an average of 3.62 out of five stars. The fact that the fans did not expect these developments becomes even clearer when you consider that a total of 58.44 % of those surveyed voted with four (26.62 %) or even the highest possible rating of five stars (31.82 %).

Indeed, the loss of Schröder from the ‚Knappen‘ leadership is likely to cause headaches. The season so far has shown that the team is not well-equipped enough in most areas. With the winter break extended due to the upcoming World Cup, there is now a need for action. A new coach has been found, but squad planning will temporarily fall under the remit of Knäbel, who, however, had already argued strongly upon taking office for the position of Sporting Director to be filled at Schalke, as he himself does not feel entirely comfortable in the role of squad planner. Although the Chief Executive is supported by Chief Scout André Hechelmann, Sports Officer René Grotus, and Gerald Asamoah, Head of the Licensed Player Department, it is no secret that Schröder's departure will likely hit the crisis-ridden club hard, given this backdrop and the precarious sporting situation.

Because the ‚Royal Blues‘ squad is to be strengthened in winter despite the difficult financial situation, a renewed collaboration with former CEO and investor Clemens Tönnies is conceivable. The club is currently „in exchange with Clemens Tönnies – just as with all his sponsors/representatives of sponsors. Mr. Tönnies is also an S04 member and was chairman of the supervisory board for a long time,“ tweeted club spokesman Marc Siekmann. However, the talks are not negotiations about money or anything similar. „It's not that we're fundamentally closed off. Bernd Schröder is in contact with him. Whether we approach him will be decided by the board together,“ Siekmann added.

In this context, FanQ asked football fans in Germany whether they can understand why the S04 bosses are in dialogue with Clemens Tönnies in view of the precarious situation. Half (50.00 %) of the supporters cannot understand the acceptance of contact in view of the complicated history and the known misdemeanours of the entrepreneur. 35.70 % of respondents, on the other hand, can understand that the club is trying to obtain financial support.