Schneider’s difficult search for a coach: who will take on schalke??

Jochen schneider is not to be envied. The head of sports at FC schalke 04, which is in a difficult position both athletically and financially, has an almost impossible task to accomplish.

Otherwise, it was soon to become uncomfortable for the 50-year-old himself: to find a suitable and affordable coach who would not capitulate again in the end to this club, the difficult environment and the squad. Ralf rangnick has already become the first well-known coach to turn down the job, although his reappointment after 2004 and 2011 was hardly conceivable anyway. "At the moment, i can’t imagine coming to schalke 04 for a third time, and certainly not as a coach who is supposed to end the negative streak in the short term," rangnick told the funke media group.

By then it was clear how difficult schneider’s task would be to find a successor for david wagner, who was dismissed on sunday. On monday afternoon the supervisory board of the club met – rotusmabig. A quick decision was not to be expected. The first unit of the week on tuesday in preparation for saturday’s game against RB leipzig will be led by athletics coaches werner leuthard and quirin loppert, according to dpa information.

Despite his bitter end at schalke, wagner once again addressed regrets to the club and its fans on monday. "We had an extremely successful first seven months. Unfortunately, I was not able to stop the negative streak after that and initiate the trend reversal. I bear full responsibility for this," said wagner.

The end of the 48-year-old, who was initially celebrated like a messiah but was left alone in the end, is not a unique case at schalke. "I also wrote to david wagner that i was sorry he didn’t make it and schalke made it – like so many other coaches before him," S04 legend olaf thon told WDR-horfunk.

Wagner, domenico tedesco, markus weinzierl, andre breitenreiter, roberto di matteo, jens keller – almost every coach since 2012 has either had a tough stand from the start or experienced an unprecedented crash after a promising start. Even renowned coaches seem to wonder whether they would even take on the job with the worst bundesliga team of 2020, as you can see from rangnick’s cancellation.

He had initially expressed his sympathy for schalke on sky last weekend and emphasized: "I’m free."But this was "anything but an application," rangnick confirmed one day later. The decision on wagner’s successor could now be delayed. "In the decision, quality comes before speed," said schneider, who is himself under criticism.

Holding on to wagner despite the worst run of 16 games without a win in the club’s history and then sacking the struggling coach after only two games of the season with further defeats and 1:11 goals raised unpleasant questions. "You could have done it naturally after last season. I take that on my head, without ifs and buts. But i would do it again like that," schneider told funke mediengruppe.

Schalke’s personnel policy and financial situation could also be problematic and possibly a deterrent for candidates for a trainer. Because there was no money for expensive transfers after two seasons without a european cup qualification and due to corona, wagner had to rely on players who had already been sent off before. That this could not work seemed predictable. Schneider now wants to find someone who can get more out of the squad, which doesn’t seem to have been put together in the best possible way.

"The questions we ask are: what kind of guy does the team need?? And what types are available?" Said schneider, who above all must also answer who is affordable at all. The former champions league perennial contender is now having to drastically cut personnel costs, but will have to continue paying wagner and his coaching team for the time being. The 48-year-old still has a contract until 2022, there is no severance package so far.

Manuel baum, formerly of augsburg and currently germany’s national U20 coach, is currently considered the favorite to succeed david wagner. This was also more likely to fit with what schalke can pay. Dimitrios grammozis, sandro schwarz and valerien ismael were also considered as candidates for the job.