In a special letter to the members, the board, supervisory board and players of FC Schalke 04 address their fans. This is what the players and club say.

After the disappointing 3-5 defeat against Fortuna Düsseldorf, FC Schalke 04 continues to stagger towards the third division. Despite the ominous situation in the table, not all players seemed to have realized that the signs are now pointing to a relegation battle for the Royal Blues and that the goal of promotion is a distant prospect for the time being.

Now, in a special letter to members sent on Monday afternoon, the board of directors, supervisory board and players of FC Schalke 04 address the club’s fans themselves.

In it, the leaders admit mistakes in the composition of the squad and vow to improve in the upcoming winter transfer period. It literally says: “The reasons for the current situation are complex, but we will keep it short here: mistakes have been made in the composition of the squad, some ideas have not worked out – we bear the responsibility for this. Players have not yet taken on the roles for which they were intended. Structures that are supposed to support and strengthen them are not working as well as they should to achieve top performance. As club management, we will do everything we can to correct undesirable developments during the winter break. We will also act decisively with regard to possible changes to the squad.”

The management of FC Schalke 04 expects the team to concentrate and play passionately for 90 minutes to secure three points against Osnabrück (Friday, 6:30 p.m.). These “basic virtues” would have to be shown for the full duration of a game from now on, and not just for one half or less.

“We know how serious the situation is. We are aware that the upcoming games are of fundamental importance. In the three games until the winter break, it is important to collect important points for Schalke. Our focus is on the weeks ahead, before the necessary measures are implemented in the winter. The team, every single player on the pitch, the entire professional squad is in demand. We will support them with all our might to present a united front on Friday,” the statement continues.

And the team, which has recently lost a lot of credit with the loyal Schalke supporters, is now turning to the fans in a self-critical manner: “We ourselves are very unhappy with the current situation. Even more: We are ashamed of some of our performances in recent months! We have set ourselves much higher standards – every single one of us! Not living up to the expectations of you, our members and fans, and of ourselves, is very disappointing for us. After a game like the one we played on Saturday evening, with a performance like we delivered in the first 45 minutes, we all feel disappointment, emptiness, anger and shame because we know that Schalke 04 is not worthy of that. The first 30 minutes are inexcusable.

This feeling in each individual carries the danger of breaking apart, blaming each other and digging ourselves further in, the team’s letter says. But the players of the crisis-ridden FC Schalke 04 do not want to “sink into self-pity or self-doubt or point the finger at others, but to get up again and look for solutions with all means”.

The professionals promise their fans that they will “show a different face” in the three remaining games this year and continue to ask for their trust: “We all have different expectations of ourselves and we will face this situation and get out of it together with you!”