After coach Timo Schultz was kicked out, there was a tense atmosphere at the second division soccer team FC St. Pauli. Fans are petitioning for the resignation to be withdrawn and criticizing sports director Andreas Bornemann. A new coach will have a hard time emotionally and athletically.
The Kiezkicker have undoubtedly had a bad sporting calendar year – and in view of the results there would probably have been loud “trainer out” calls from the stands in any other football stadium long ago. Despite the fall from the top of the table in January to currently 15th place, little or nothing was heard at FC St. Pauli.
On the contrary: the supporters were completely taken by surprise by the Schultz-Aus and reacted in horror. As soon as the second division team announced the separation from the crowd favorite on Monday, the cell phones glowed and there was heated discussion on social networks. The fans of the brown and whites were largely in agreement: With the coach, the wrong man was made a scapegoat.
Thousands of supporters for “School must stay”
On the “change.org” Internet platform, fans even called for “the termination of Timo Schultz and his team” to be withdrawn. “The majority of FC St. Pauli fans see that as a mistake! Anyone who lives for FC St. Pauli would never, at this point in time, throw out an identity figure like Timo Schulz (Schulle),” it says in the petition “School must stay”. By Wednesday afternoon, more than 2,000 users had supported the application.
“Now that the responsible person is aware that the squad planning was faulty, Schulle is now being sacrificed. An unacceptable course of action. Here, another responsible person has to take his hat off in the first place,” wrote one signatory. Another said: “The decision is technically, humanly, morally wrong and contrary to our values… and it is the ultimate disappointment of this presidency.”
Criticism of squad planner Bornemann
The sometimes very harsh criticism was directed at President Oke Göttlich and above all at sports director Bornemann, who was unable to compensate for the great loss of quality through departures such as Guido Burgstaller or Daniel-Kofi Kyereh. However, it is also a fact that St. Pauli’s squad should still perform much better, according to the data check it even has what it takes to be the leader of the table.
Schultz has apparently not managed to access the existing potential in his players. In this respect, the criticism of the coach – among other things, there was talk of a lack of approaches to solving the problem – on the part of the club is understandable. Although unusual in its clarity when a coach is dismissed.
The fact that Schultz, who has held various positions at the Millerntor for over 17 years, has not yet commented after his long stint at the club, is just as significant and speaks for at least a tense relationship with the sporting management.
Training starts on Friday with Hürzeler
The question remains, can a new man on the sidelines create the turnaround? One of the two previous assistant coaches, Fabian Hürzeler, will start training on Friday. Assistant Loïc Favé had to resign, as did Schultz. Whether the 29-year-old will become permanent head coach should be clarified by January 2 at the latest, when the training camp in Benidorm, Spain.
Candidate quartet around Kohfeldt
It’s not likely, there are already different candidates being traded for the post. According to “Hamburger Abendblatt”, Bornemann has already met with the former Werder and Wolfsburg coach Florian Kohfeldt. There is also speculation about Michael Wimmer in the media. The 42-year-old was most recently an interim coach at Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart before Bruno Labbadia took over there.
Two current third division coaches could also be contenders: 39-year-old Thomas Stamm from SC Freiburg II and 53-year-old Horst Steffen, who is currently causing a sensation with promoted team leaders SV Elversberg. But whoever succeeds Timo Schultz at FC St. Pauli – he will have a hard time, both sportingly and emotionally.
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Hamburg Journal | 06.12.2022 | 19:30 o’clock
