This afternoon, May 13, I may comment in commentary cell 43 of the Mediapark in Hilversum on the Bundesliga topper between Bayern Munich and FC Schalke 04; and that in my old age as a pensionado.
My wife thinks I’m pathetic because I just can’t and won’t stop. Others also look pitying when I say: ,,I can’t do this and that on Saturday, because I have to work.” Well, work… I see it as an outing and a hobby, which I just can’t say goodbye to.
FC Schalke 04 is a cult club, founded in 1904 from a club of football enthusiasts of miners from the Ruhr area under the name Westfalia Schalke. The current name was created after a merger between several smaller clubs from Gelsenkirchen.
I always compare FC Schalke 04 a bit with FC Groningen, also a fusion club of the common people with a fanatical following. That was already the case at FC Schalke 04 in the old stadium with the beautiful name Glückauf-Kampfbahn and at FC Groningen it was the Oosterpark.
FC Schalke 04 was once a top team in the Bundesliga, competing for places in European football. The club even won the UEFA Cup, but fell deeply due to mismanagement and was relegated. Unfortunately just like FC Groningen now.
But the club of Huub Stevens, who was successful as a trainer, the club of Youri Mulder, Klaas Jan Huntelaar and René Eijkelkamp, returned to the highest level and now plays Bundesliga again in the beautiful Veltins Arena.
I hope FC Groningen takes this beautiful club as an example: shake off all the misery of relegation and look ahead.
A whole new fresh selection with real Groningen men at the helm, such as Dick Lukkien and Marcel Groninger, where I hope that, also with the help of Arjen Robben and Hans Nijland, they will return to where they belong after a year of KKD: in the premier league!
FC Schalke 04 is still fighting against relegation: a point or maybe even three against Bayern Munich would be good. Well prepared, I sit down in comment cell 43 for Viaplay!