The environment at Rot-Weiss Essen has become restless. And this despite the fact that RWE is right on course in the league and the cup. We spoke to sports director Jörn Nowak.

At the end of March 2023, Rot-Weiss Essen will be five points above the bottom of the 3rd Division and have a good starting position in the relegation battle with nine match days to go.

In the Lower Rhine Cup, RWE is in the final against Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. And yet, some of the fans criticise not only the team, but above all coach Christoph Dabrowski. Dabrowski reacted cool to the criticism.

RevierSport spoke to sports director Jörn Nowak about the current situation at Hafenstraße.

Jörn Nowak, hand on heart: After the 5:3 penalty shoot-out win for Bocholt, did you still believe that the team would advance? Of course, the hope of turning things around diminished with every penalty converted by the Bocholt team. I was all the more relieved when Jakob Golz saved the fifth penalty and we finally made it to the final.

How do you rate the 120 minutes at the Hünting? Many fans were very critical of the RWE team’s performance…

I think we couldn’t have started the game any better. We accepted the conditions and quickly took the lead. Overall, we played a decent first half, but unfortunately missed adding the second goal. At the beginning of the second half, the game became a little bit nervous and turned into a typical cup game, which we would have liked to avoid. In this phase, I would have liked to see a more confident performance from our team. But our individual error rate was too high for that. We should put the game behind us quickly, because we know from our own experience how difficult the underdog can make it for the supposed favourite. In the cup, the only thing that matters is advancing.

Of course we are aware of the criticism. But it’s not about individuals, it’s about the fact that together as a team and staff, we are required to invest everything and collect as many points as possible.

Jörn Nowak on fan criticism of Christoph Dabrowski

Keyword criticism: The criticism of coach Christoph Dabrowski is getting louder and louder. How do you see the situation surrounding the coach?

Of course we are aware of the criticism. But it’s not about individual people, it’s about the fact that together as a team and staff we are required to invest everything and collect as many points as possible.

RWE is five points above the bottom line and in the Niederrheinpokal final: Can you understand the displeasure in the surrounding area?

I understand that the fans are worried and not happy with the way things have gone in recent games. We are not either. But I think it’s essential that we approach the next tasks with confidence and conviction, both on the pitch and in the stands. We will only achieve our goals for the season if we all work together.

How do you assess the situation in the relegation battle in the 3rd Division?

With nine match days to go, we have a good starting position and everything in our own hands.

What do you expect from the team against Freiburg II and in the coming weeks? Do you have a target for the team in terms of points?

Our team should remember its strengths and perform with courage, passion and conviction. Then we will be able to beat any opponent!

With today’s knowledge: Did you make a mistake as sports director in the winter by not signing a striker?

I don’t see it as a mistake that we trusted our players. We had thoroughly explored the market and came to the conclusion that no available player would help us in the short term. Unfortunately, we also had to do without Simon Engelmann for several weeks. However, we should not base our trend on our strikers alone. All offensive players are called upon to develop more scoring power again.