After the dismissal of Mathias Schober, U19 coach Norbert Elgert reacts to the decision and gives his opinion.
The 3:2 defeat at Bayer 04 Leverkusen meant that FC Schalke 04’s youth team were probably out of contention for a place in the final round of the German championship.
While Norbert Elgert was pleased with the performance on the day despite the defeat, he was not satisfied with the decisions made off the pitch. The sporting director of the NLZ, Mathias Schober, was dismissed after many years of work at Schalke, and Raffael Tonello was presented as his successor.
“I don’t agree with the decision. The club knows that too. We have worked together successfully and in a spirit of trust for a long time. I have passed this on to those responsible. On the other hand, my loyalty to my employer, the fans and the people in charge requires me to look straight ahead. My task now is to give my all in the next one or two years, and it probably won’t be any longer,” Elgert made his opinion clear.
The coaching legend of the S04 youngsters was not thinking of a premature departure: “We still manage to bring in players in difficult sporting and financial times. A lot of people still expect me to be there. I had my word with Mathias Schober, who is no longer there. But I still have my word with the fans and the players. That’s why things will continue and I will do everything I can to ensure that we continue to be successful.”
Initial talks between the new youth manager and Elgert have also taken place, as the 67-year-old reveals: “The plans haven’t changed. I wouldn’t have gone along with that either. I’ve already had two very good talks with Raffael Tonello. So it couldn’t have been any different: We were already very far along in the planning and that’s why it’s only nuances that are still moving.”
While this season in the A-Junior Bundesliga West is probably decided, Elgert took a look ahead to the eternal table of the A-Junior Bundesliga and to the next opponent next weekend, Wuppertaler SV (Saturday, April 13, 11 a.m.).
“When the season is over, we’ll be in first place in the all-time table, out of the whole of Germany. That means no one will be able to catch us. But we can look back on that at the end of the season, now it’s about training really well for a week and playing well again against Wuppertal,” said the coach.
