Huub Stevens was hired at FC Schalke 04 several times in his coaching career, but the 69-year-old is now officially retired. Nevertheless, offers have recently been pouring in from interested clubs. Stevens has now spoken about this as well as about the poor performances of his Schalke team in recent months.
Former Bundesliga coach Huub Stevens is now enjoying the end of his career in his native Netherlands, but the phone still rings every now and then, as he now revealed to “kicker”. But the interested clubs can apparently save themselves the calls.
“I think the word has gotten around now that I’m really serious about ending my career, which I announced in January,” said Stevens, revealing: “I could have ended it in an Arab country, there were offers from several clubs, But I’m sure it wouldn’t have been right.”
The 69-year-old continued that the fact that he could have made big money again in the Middle East was “no incentive” for him. “I think that my views no longer fit with how football has developed in Europe and beyond,” he explained.
Steven is annoyed with FC Schalke 04
Back then there were “completely different types of players,” “real personalities,” as he called them. “Nowadays there are only a few of them left. Many people in the industry, and I don’t just mean players, are far too conformist. Hardly anyone shows rough edges anymore – and if they do, they are quickly judged for it,” he said Conclusion of the ex-coach, who trained 1. FC Köln, VfB Stuttgart, HSV, Hertha BSC, TSG Hoffenheim and FC Schalke 04 in Germany, his heart’s club.
“I enjoyed all the other stations, especially in Cologne and Hamburg, but I was at Schalke the longest and had the most formative time there,” he emphasized. However, he is currently less happy with the Revierklub, which is in acute danger of relegation in the second division.
“As a player at a big, traditional club, you don’t have to believe that you can win against Elversberg with two fingers up your nose. You have to do something about it. Apparently not everyone gets that,” Stevens put his finger in the wound.
“If you have the feeling that players are not giving everything for a club, you have to approach the matter with a slightly harder hand,” emphasized the 69-year-old and called on the S04 stars to push themselves to the limit.