FC Schalke 04

|- | colspan=" 2" style=" text-align: center; padding: 0.5em; " bgcolor=" white" | |- | founded Club the | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| May 4th 1904 |- | Colors | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| blue and white |- | Stage | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Veltins-Arena
(61.482 places) |- | Seat | bgcolor=#EEEEEE| Ernst-Kuzorra-Weg 1
45891 Gelsenkirchen |- |bgcolor=" white" | |bgcolor=" white" | |}

Presentation

FC Schalke 04 is a German club general sports based with Gelsenkirchen in Rhineland-of-North-Westphalia and founded in 1904. It is however the section football which by far is known, the team evolving/moving in the first German division, the Bundesliga. The club maintains a very great competition with its rival always, the Borussia Dortmund.

History

the first years

The club is founded on May 4th, 1904 under designation Westphalia Schalke by a group of students of college and raises for the first time of the yellow and red colors, while being constrained to evolve/move in a league amateur, the club not being recognized officially. After several attempts having failed the club must amalgamate with a club of gymnastics, Schalker Turnverein 1877 in 1912 to reach that point.

In 1924 association ends with the gymnasium and the club takes finally its final name of FC Schalke 04 and evolves/moves in blue and white, behavior which is worth the nickname of Konigsblauen to them, patronym which still remained to them today.

rise to power

The increasingly popular club builds a new stage, Gluckauf-Kampfbahn in 1928 and gains its first championship of Germany the following year. However the following year the club displaced, because is shown to give wages too high to its players for a club amateur. However the sanction will have only little influence on the popularity of the club.

Following the reorganization of German football under the Nazi Germany Schalke is versed in Gauliga Westfalen, a special league for the most powerful clubs. The club of the the Ruhr will confirm its rise to power there. From 1933 to 1942 Schalke argument 14 of the 18 finales of the championship and 8 in Tschammerpokal, predecessor of the cut of Germany.

During twelve years the club reigns without division, succeeding in gaining 162 out of 189 matches, making tie with six recoveries and losing only twice. From 1935 to 1939 the club does not lose only one match of championship. The exemplary domination of the club is worth to him to be supported for the propaganda of the Nazi regime like an example of the “Germany news”. However the club owes much this period ostentation with many players wire of Polish immigrants, like Fritz Szepan and Ernst Kuzorra.

the post-war period

In the chaos of Germany according to war Schalke disputed two matches in 1945. Gradually the team reorganizes continuously on her impetus after a bad patch. It finishes third in 1954 after a tight final sprint. The following year it is beaten finally cut. Finally in 1958 Schalke gains vis-a-vis the S.V. Hamburg (3 - 0) the championship. Currently it is already about its last title, even if the club comes very close to little the supreme sacring in 2001 and 2006.

the entry in Bundesliga

The good performances of Schalke are worth to him to be allowed in the new Bundesliga football league creates in 1963. However the beginnings are very difficult. In 1965 the club escapes relegation only by the extension to eighteen teams from the championship, against sixteen previously.

Nevertheless the club is rectified gradually, yielding the title in 1972 to Bayern Munich only in all end of course. Schalke is comforted however by gaining the national cut this year there.

the scandal of 1971

In 1971 a seism shakes German football, Schalke being into full in the storm. Certain players and leaders of the club are indeed shown to have boxed “backhanders” to voluntarily lose against Arminia Bielefeld.

Several players will be thus erased with life, including some evolving/moving in the national team of the time.

Crisis and re-establishment

In 1974 the club moves in Park Stadion especially built for the World cup. In 1977 Schalke finishes second just at a point of Borussia Monchen-Gladbach. In 1980 the club knows one year disastrous and is seen relegated in the second division for the season 1981-1982 and still in 1983-1984 when it reinstates the elite of German football, for replonger in 1988 to the lower level before returning in Bundesliga 1 for the season 1991-1992.

With the turning of the century the club undergoes a complete transformation, passing from the statute of average club to that of true great power of German football. This transformation is mainly due to its manager of the time, Rudi Assauer, frightening businessman. Not organ, championship victory of the UEFA vis-a-vis Inter Milan after a meeting of shooting to the goal. The club takes off médiatiquement and financially.

disappointed Hopes

Although the club became very profitable and a team of point under the impulse of Rudi Assauer, Schalke runs hopelessly after a championship since 1958. The club passes very close to it very near in 2001, when Konigsblauen are at the head championship in front of Bayern Munich at the time of the last day. On its side Schalke seemed to have made essence by beating Unterhaching during an electric match, the club of the Ruhr being to the departure carried out 0 - 2 before imposing 5 - 3. However meanwhile, Bayern Munich then with equality with Hamburg manages to mark in the last moments of the match, tearing off the victory and the title.

For Bundesliga 2006-2007 Bayern Munich passes completely beside its season, just like the large rival of Borussia Dortmund. Schalke which carries out a bad departure takes again the head of the championship and seems to battle with the title for Werder Bremen. This last ended however up being blown at the end of the course and lets Schalke 04 slip by towards the so much coveted title. But there still Schalke collapses in the last straight line. Guest surprised, the VFB Stuttgart return in the race, takes the second place and follows Schalke of near. It does not remain any more that four matches and Schalke seems to have a rather easy end of calendar. However with the general surprise the men of Mirko Slomka (appointed trainer in January 2006) incline themselves against the modest VFL Bochum. Schalke preserves the head for a small point whereas there remain nothing any more but two days to be disputed, including one against Borussia Dortmund. Konigsblauen appear nevertheless trustful. May 12th, day of the famous derby it is the cold shower, Schalke inclines 2 - 0 at its enemy of always, Frei then Smolarek finding the fault in a defense of the too feverish visitors, the two goals being systematically registered following a loss of ball. On its Stuttgart side does not let pass its chance, taking the head following a victory this weekend. With the final whistle the players of Schalke are as ploughed up as their supporters. They indeed give up the head in Stuttgart which precedes them of two points, their last hope resting on an essential victory against Arminia Bielefeld and a very hypothetical defeat of the leader against modest Energie Cottbus. Schalke will carry it but it will not be sufficient, Stuttgart filling its contract and preserving its place of leader and again champion, condemning once more the club of the Ruhr in its costume of losing eternal of the ends of seasons.

However Schalke 04 obtains thanks to its second places its ticket for prestigious Ligue of the Champions.

Stage

Schalke plays its matches in Veltins Arena, also called Arena Auf Schalke, inaugurated in 2001. The Arena Auf Schalke is built near the old stage, on grounds belonging to the club.

The capacity rises with 61.482 spectators at the time of the meetings of the German championship, brought back to 53.994 for the international matches. In this configuration the Arena Auf Schalke proposes nothing any more but sitted places.

The two stages of platforms are separated by 72 cabins VIP on all the circumference from the ground. The retractable glass fiber roof, made up covered with Teflon, can open or protect all surface from the stage.

Ultramodern enclosure, the stage is seen decreed by the UEFA the notation 5 large stars making it ready to accommodate matches European or international, like a final of Cut of Europe or World cup.

Thus the Arena Auf Schalke will be the theater of the finale of the League of the Champions between the FC Oporto and the ACE Monaco. Gained 3-0 by the Portuguese club.

Trainer

The trainer of the FC Schalke 04 is Mirko Slomka, named on January 4th, 2006 with the general surprise to replace Ralf Rangnick laid off not very front. Its career of player who was spread out of 1972 to 1991 remains very discrete since he mainly played for modest clubs of lower divisions.

It begins as a trainer in 1989 while taking charges the team with it with the young people of Hanover 96. It passes then to Tennis Borussia Berlin and become thereafter the assistant of Ralf Rangnick, still in Hanover 96 but for the team first this time. The two men leave for Schalke 04 in 2004.

However Rangnick is laid off on December 12th, 2005 for lack of results and it is its assistant who succeeds to him. It takes again the club and the fact of going up in the hierarchy, installing it in fourth position with the final classification. Logically its contract is prolonged until June 2007.

In 2007 it seems to be forwarded to a first title in Bundesliga, but its men must incline themselves on the wire vis-a-vis Stuttgart for two points. Nevertheless it preserves the full confidence of the leaders and was confirmed until June 2009.

It should be noted that its beginnings as a trainer in Schalke were agitated enough: it had indeed attracted itself until the hostility of the players to have relegated the titular guard of the time Frank Rost on the bench to the profit of Neuer Handbook. A choice which proves finally rather well inspired being given the prowesses of this last.

Financial aspects

The annual budget of Schalke 04 is the more important second of the German championship behind Bayern Munich with an amount of approximately 100 million euros. However in spite of this comfortable budget the club would be largely surendetté, that being mainly due to the sum invested for the construction of the new stage.

Financial problems which will cost its place Rudi Assauer. The former strong man of the club was constrained with the resignation following revelations which it would have made in the Focus review. According to him the club would have took appropriations near certain organizations deprived to dissimulate its losses.

A delicate financial position which makes that the contract signed with Gazprom was perceived as a true aubaine in spite of the reserves which one can issue there. To note on this subject that if the logo of gas Russian took seat on the shirt of the players of Schalke 04, the insurance company Victoria remains sponsor of the club until 2012.

To also note that Schalke 04 was seen refusing its adhesion in G-14, the organization which gathers the richest and influential clubs of Europe.

The Gazprom contract

October 9th, 2006 the club signs a big contract of sponsoring with the world leader of the distribution of gas, the Russian giant Gazprom. Gas Russian thus replaces the insurance company Victoria on the shirt of the club and will bring over five years the sum of 125 million euros, of the largest contracts ever signed one in German football.

However the club announces that there intends well to remain independent and that they are by no means the first steps of a takeover by the Russian empire. Nevertheless voices are very quickly made hear in the slides to criticize this partnership. If it brings to the club of the Ruhr a comfortable financial manna (come well being given the serious debt from the club), the morality of this contract is quickly blamed.

Gazprom remains a company with the practices considered to be doubtful and having at the stations - keys of its flow charts of the characters to the last disorders, and even criminal. Much quite simply sees there on behalf of gas Russian a way of regilding his blazon in Europe, and for others, the beginnings of an invasion of the Russian Maffia by the sport.

On the other hand this partnership did not cause practically aucunes reactions in the medium of German football, and even less at the European level.

Bringing together with Saint-Petersbourg Zenith

In the tread of the contract signed with Gazprom, the club of the Ruhr closely bound with the Russian club of the Holy Zenith Petersbourg. This last is indeed supported by the giant of gas. This bringing together passes through exchanges on the level of the drives, a commercial bringing together, public relations and joint advertizing executives and friendly matches inter alia.

Thus the two teams clashed during a friendly match in the Arena of Schalke on January 20th, 2007. For the occasion gigantic a show had been organized with distribution of shirts, sweaters and other gifts with the effigy of the club for the supporters.

Anecdotes

  • late Pape Jean-Paul II had been made member of honor of the club for a mass which it had celebrated in old Park Stadion in 1987.

  • the mascot of the club is called Erwin or Ährwin.

  • the FC Schalke 04 maintains a very great historical competition with Borussia Dortmund, the " chocs" between the two formations (the famous Derby of the Ruhr or Revierderby ) being traditional German championship.

  • On the other hand the club maintains excellent relationships to the FC Nuremberg, considered as a club brother.

  • the club is mentioned a short moment in the film Das Boot when a team member announces with another: " I have a bad news for you, Schalke lost 5-0 and this année" will not go finally; .

  • the attacker high-speed motorboat of the team, Kevin Kuranyi, is very superstitious.

  • the two guards reservists Matthias Schober and Toni Tapalovic were born exactly the same day. Namely on October 10th, 1980.

Short history

  • 1904 : foundation of the club under the name of SC Westfalia 04 Schalke

  • 1912: absorption of the TV 1877 Schalke
  • 1913: scission of SC Westfalia 04 Schalke
  • 1919: fusion with the TV 1877 Schalke in TuS 1877 Schalke
  • 1924: the club is famous FC Schalke 04
  • 1929: the club is famous FC Gelsenkirchen Schalke 04
  • 1958: 1st participation in a Cut of Europe (C1) (season 1958/59):
  • 2006 : the new stage Veltins-Arena accommodated matches of the world cup.
  • 2007 : Gazprom becomes the new sponsor of the club (contract estimated between 65 and 120 million euros over five years).

Prize list

Professional manpower (2007/2008)

Large players of the past

External bonds

  • Official site of the FC Shalke 04.

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Simple: FC Schalke 04

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