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

After the disappointing 3:5 defeat against Fortuna Düsseldorf, FC Schalke 04 continues to stagger towards League 3. Despite the threatening situation in the table, not all players seem to have realized that the Royal Blues are now in a relegation battle and that the goal of re-promotion has become a distant prospect for the time being.

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

In it, those responsible admit mistakes in the composition of the squad and vow to improve in the upcoming winter transfer period. The letter reads: “The reasons for the current situation are complex and are deliberately kept brief here: Mistakes have been made in the composition of the squad, some ideas have not worked out – we bear 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 in the way that is necessary for top performances. As the club management, we will do everything we can to correct undesirable developments during the winter break. We will also take decisive action with regard to possible changes to the squad.”

FC Schalke 04’s management expects the team to be focused and passionate for 90 minutes to secure three points against Osnabrück (Friday, 6.30 pm). From now on, these “basic virtues” must be shown over a whole match distance 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. The three games between now and the winter break are about collecting important points for Schalke. Our focus goes from week to week before the necessary measures are implemented in the winter. The team, every single player on the pitch, the entire licensed area is in demand. We will support them with all our strength in order to perform together and as one on Friday,” the statement continues.

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

The team’s letter states that this feeling in each and every one of them is in danger of breaking apart, blaming each other and digging themselves further in. However, the players of the struggling FC Schalke 04 say they do not want to “sink into self-pity or self-doubt or point the finger at others, but to stand up again and look for solutions by 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 trust: “We all have different expectations of ourselves and we will face up to this situation and get out of it together with you!”