On Thursday morning, Schalke 04 presented Thomas Reis, the new coach, who is taking on a difficult mission in the midst of very troubled S04 times. Peter Knäbel thanked Rouven Schröder and answered questions with the new coach.
“Yesterday wasn’t a day of chaos at Schalke,” emphasized Peter Knäbel surprisingly in his first point, in which he spoke about Rouven Schröder’s exit. Although it was primarily about introducing Thomas Reis as the new coach, the sports director wanted to take the opportunity to thank the former sports director once again for his work.
“I can give the message from the inside, how we acted. It wasn’t chaotic, it was prepared and structured. We took a lot of time, that’s our right,” he explained when asked.
“When it comes to Rouven Schröder, it’s all about accepting people and their decisions. A big thank you goes out to Rouven Schröder. Thank you for 18 intense months,” Knäbel continued. He also found a personal friend in Schröder.
“I welcome our new coach Thomas Reis. We finally found each other,” the sporting director then introduced the new coach. He also confirmed that Reis made a financial contribution to the termination of the contract with VfL Bochum.
Reis himself was very motivated and “greedy for success and greedy for this club”. It is all the better for him to be able to continue working in the pot. In his opinion, he also fits well into the Ruhr area, which is why he sees the change to royal blue all the more appropriate. He was aware of Schröder’s exit beforehand – but at the same time there was no reason not to take on this task.
“I’m happy that I can go out again, that I can work with a team. We have a very big goal: staying up,” said the new coach, immediately combative.
Of course, a change from Bochum to Schalke – especially from the fans’ point of view – is not just any change. It is no coincidence that it is so rare that players or those responsible change from one Ruhrpott club to another. But Reis didn’t want to make the subject so hot: “Of course Bochum remains something special for me. The employment relationship was terminated by VfL. But life goes on for me, I want to pursue my job, I’ve had a great opportunity here .”
Instead of talking about the past, the 49-year-old is already focusing on the next game next Sunday against SC Freiburg and on the next few weeks until the World Cup break. “One should never be able to say that we didn’t give everything,” he also laid down an important principle.
All in all, Reis made it quite clear that he would personally need a little time to get used to it. “Everything is new to me, everything is a bit bigger than in Bochum,” he stated, adding: “More than a size bigger.”
This article was originally published on 90min.com/de as Reis’ start at Schalke: “Greedy for success and greedy for this club”.
