Rot-Weiss Essen is in the winter break. RevierSport uses this time to talk to those responsible. After sports director Jörn Nowak now follows an interview with boss Marcus Uhlig.

Rot-Weiss Essen win the winter with 22 points from 17 games, six points above the bottom line. RWE is on target in its first third league season after 14 years.

Marcus Uhlig agrees. RevierSport spoke to the CEO of the traditional club from Essen-Bergeborbeck.

In a two-part interview, the 51-year-old RWE boss talks about the successful RWE year 2022, the fans, also the problems with some supporters, a possible stadium expansion, possible reinforcements in the winter and the future of Rot-Weiss Essen.

Read also in the WAZ: RWE – This is the current status of the stadium expansion

Marcus Uhlig, how would you sum up the calendar year 2022 from RWE’s point of view?

I don’t think anyone will be surprised if I draw a very positive conclusion for 2022 from RWE’s point of view. We achieved the long-awaited promotion in May and end the calendar year with 22 points from 17 games after the first half of the season in the 3rd division. We also successfully converted and expanded our training facility for the 1st team at the stadium, we initiated the first phase of the conversion and expansion of the facility at the NLZ, and we were able to realise the relocation, including staff expansion, of the RWE office in the summer. These are all real milestones that we have achieved. They will not tempt us to rest on our laurels, but at the end of the year we are allowed to pause for a moment and look back with satisfaction on what we have achieved. But one thing is certain: we will continue on the pitch and in the office without much of a break.

First of all, I was pleased. And of course also a bit surprised. That was a very clear sign from our fan community, along the lines of: ‘Come on, we’ll go through this phase together, we’re behind you – come what may’. That was strong and definitely helped to turn the tide in the right direction at some point.

Uhlig on the fan support during the negative phase at the start of the season

Hands on heart: How many years did you age during the promotion season?
Anyway, my hair is completely grey by now (laughs). Seriously, I’ve been working in football for 20 years now. That was actually an intense and always nerve-racking time across the board, so I stopped asking myself that question a long time ago. But it’s also a fact that the promotion season and the year before that, when we were narrowly beaten by Dortmund II on the last matchday, were very special.

Was it ultimately the best year for you personally as a club official or are the promotions with Arminia Bielefeld on a par there?

The one in May 2022 with RWE was definitely my most intensive promotion. With Arminia, I was able to celebrate promotion from the third to the second division twice, which was of course also outstanding in both cases. But this one with RWE topped everything else from an emotional point of view and will always remain something very special for me. This intensity, the impact and the joy that was unleashed throughout the city are still hard for me to grasp.

RWE had to realise quickly that a new league is a new world. What was going through your mind when Rot-Weiss remained winless in the first six matchdays?

I don’t tend to get too emotional or get into action either when the results are good or when they are bad. That was also the case this time, when we certainly had an unsatisfactory start to the season. Outwardly, we remained calm and internally, with the right personnel constellation, we initiated a detailed analysis of the content and, in my opinion, derived the right measures from it.

How do you assess the current situation after 17 match days?

Ordinary, from my point of view also very ordinary. That goes for the development of individual players and the team as a whole. And I’m also very happy with the development and performance of the team behind it, the staff and the coaching team. The points tally after 17 games is also okay, even if three or four more points were certainly possible. However, we have shown that we are competitive and have been very consistent recently. That is a good basis.

The fans’ reactions were positive despite the negative run. Did it surprise you in a positive way that the club and the team have such a credit?

I was pleased first of all. And of course also a bit surprised. That was a very clear sign from our fan community, along the lines of: ‘Come on, we’ll go through this phase together, we’re behind you – come what may’. That was strong and definitely helped to turn the tide in the right direction at some point.

Keyword fans: It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for RWE supporters this season. The club issued a total of 75 home bans in the course of the first half of the season in a drastic measure. How do you rate the success of this measure with a few weeks to go?

A lot has already been said and written about this. From my point of view, various actions happened in the weeks and months before, which simply crossed certain boundaries. The reaction of the club was a kind of ‘up to here and no further! No one should be so naïve as to believe that all problems have now been solved. That is by no means the case. It will be important that we find a way to revive communication with the active fan scene. And we need to do it in a resilient way! I don’t think the current dispute about who has to take the first step towards the other is productive. For me, it’s more important that a spokesperson group is found that is willing to compromise, to engage in dialogue and to take on more responsibility in the future. Everything else remains to be seen.