Boris Schommers is tasked with leading Sportfreunde Siegen back to winning ways. The new coach shared his vision as he takes the helm.
Sportfreunde Siegen made a splash right at the start of the week. After six consecutive games without a win, coach Thorsten Nehrbauer—who had led Sportfreunde back to the Regionalliga West just a few months ago—was let go.
Boris Schommers, former coach of MSV Duisburg, is taking over. He was officially introduced on Tuesday evening, October 28. The 46-year-old said his first impressions had been very positive.
“What made the biggest impression on me was the club’s development. I’ve been to the Leimbach Stadium a few times and have been following the team over the last few months; you can really feel the sense of optimism and the progress that’s already underway. I want to help drive this progress forward in the near future—especially when it comes to integrating the youth teams.”
Schommers is pleased to be taking over a cohesive team. Even though their confidence is naturally a bit low right now, the Siegen team has already shown what they’re capable of this season. “It’s obviously great to kick off the season in our own backyard, in front of this fantastic crowd at Leimbach Stadium. We need to show a different side of ourselves on Sunday and make up for it in terms of results. It’ll be a hard-fought match, and we’ll be well prepared for it,” said Schommers, looking ahead to the upcoming opponent, Fortuna Düsseldorf II.
How does he want the team to play? “Basically, I have a clear vision and a clear concept for our style of play. But I don’t have just one system, and I don’t presume to dictate a single, fixed system. That wouldn’t work because the roster is put together in a certain way. We’ll look together to see which concept best suits the team. In any case, we have an exciting mix of players who embody the artistic element of the game. But of course, it takes a little time to put the things we envision into practice on the field. We’re not going down in style,” he said.
He continued: “I’m a coach who likes to find creative solutions and use them to get into the final third. So far, we’ve been very efficient in front of goal and have made good use of the few chances we’ve had overall. That’s an area we want to focus on: creating more danger from open play. At the same time, we’d like to incorporate one or two defensive elements to prevent avoidable goals from being conceded so easily. “In the Regionalliga, bad decisions are punished immediately.”
He also wants to actively involve the youth coaches in Siegen whenever possible. “I like to work with players individually and in groups—that’s necessary to help them improve. With this extra manpower, we can accelerate their development,” said Schommers.