Die Knappen! Schalke 04 08/09 thread [R]

[Samora]

Marvin Pourie joins
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12875_4756294,00.html

A good sign since I have seen him play but Schalke should continue to look for a good midfielder or two

[Samora]

they should also sell Sanchez, Asamoah , Engelaar, jones, varela

and invest in a wothy midfield

The defense is solid (when they have Rafinha, Bordon, Westermann, and Pander)

The attack does need some work and Marvin is an investment for the future

[Samora]

If Schalke want to win another title in the BL or EUROPE they need to invest and change

[Equilibrium]

They desperately need an attacking midfielder who can get 10-15 goals and 10 assists per season, as well as a goal-scoring winger. Perhaps they can buy Pantelic and put Nutella boy Kuranyi on the wing. Crazy but would make them more dangerous. It would help if Pander could play more than 3 games without getting injured also. :o

[tadm123]

lol Kuranyi as a winger

[Samora]

Really?

I never thought Kuranyi as a winger since farfan seems to do well in that position

It would not hurt to try

[Equilibrium]

Really?

I never thought Kuranyi as a winger since farfan seems to do well in that position

It would not hurt to try
This would be as a last resort, in case they cannot get a another goal scoring winger. Considering who else plays there, it's hard to play worse. In their 4-3-3, they use the two wingers (or try to) in which Farfan plays on the right and there is yet to be someone to be played on the left to offer any attacking threat to other teams.

[The Old Lady Hertha]

Kuranyi on the wing, I'm surprised when he dribbles...

Marvin Pourie has joined 1860 Munchen on loan for the rest of the season.

[hackespitze123]

To dribble, you need a proper first touch, and not pinball feet...

Kuranyi is a hard worker, I'd try in the midfield, as a box-to-box, or even defensive midfielder. :)

[cromagnum]

They desperately need an attacking midfielder who can get 10-15 goals and 10 assists per season, as well as a goal-scoring winger. Perhaps they can buy Pantelic and put Nutella boy Kuranyi on the wing. Crazy but would make them more dangerous. It would help if Pander could play more than 3 games without getting injured also. :o

i think rakitic has the potetial to be a very good attacking midfielder..i think his his problem is he thinks he is a star already..he had a very good euros for croatia which i think made him big headed..ive not seen him really play for shalke this year but ive read he has not been good this year..

[Equilibrium]

Schalke has such a big problem in terms of needing goals and creativity, I doubt they can wait until he develops properly...

["Eisenfuß" Eilts]

If Schalke want to win another title in the BL or EUROPE they need to invest and change

They already invested much money, very much money.
They need to analyze their game and have to ask themselves,
what they really want: Ball possesion based atttacking football (right players
for it, i doubt it), counter attacking football, good standards, solid defense
(under Slomka, but very often great problems in scoring the first goal),

They desperately need an attacking midfielder who can get 10-15 goals and 10 assists per season, as well as a goal-scoring winger.

In their system there is not even an attacking midfielder.
The 3 midfielders are central midfielders, which go into the attack
at ball possesion, but also have to stabilize the defense,
which worked last seasons. To find a player with extraordinary
attack and defense skills is very difficult, especially for a good price.

If you speak about putting an AM at the winger position, i agree,
that can work, but it also needs to be said, which kind of player
it should be: AM with great scoring skills (as you described), short-pass
player, great crosser, fast dribbler, who gets the attention of the
defense to create free-spaces for the rest of the attack, ...

Perhaps they can buy Pantelic and put Nutella boy Kuranyi on the wing. Crazy but would make them more dangerous.

Kuranyi has a very weak ball control, i doubt, that this works.
But Rutten seemed to notice, that the wing position is a weak point.
He experimented there already a lot. For example Rakitic played
the position in some games, but most of the time he couldn´t convince
as someone already metioned.

It would help if Pander could play more than 3 games without getting injured also. :o

Yes, that´s relly a mess. Last season standard situation were a key
in Schalkes offense and Pander was a very much involved in it.

[Samora]

[quote="Eisenfuß" Eilts;16659323]They already invested much money, very much money.
They need to analyze their game and have to ask themselves,
what they really want: Ball possesion based atttacking football (right players
for it, i doubt it), counter attacking football, good standards, solid defense
(under Slomka, but very often great problems in scoring the first goal),


I see your point and that is why they should sell some of their veterans, especially the ones that they dont use or rely on

Kuranyi has a very weak ball control, i doubt, that this works.
But Rutten seemed to notice, that the wing position is a weak point.
He experimented there already a lot. For example Rakitic played
the position in some games, but most of the time he couldn´t convince
as someone already metioned.


this is one of the main problems and I think everyone can agree

[Schwalker]

Well, we´ll see what happens..I got a lot of trust in Rutten.

[robledo]

ok so my club Newcastle are probably going to sign an ex player of yours in Lovenkrands.......any views about him? Was he really bad at Schalke?

Anyways, it`s just a 6 month deal for us as Newcastle have a severe injury crisis

[logout]

ok so my club Newcastle are probably going to sign an ex player of yours in Lovenkrands.......any views about him? Was he really bad at Schalke?

No, he just didn't fit into the team/system.

[soccer krazy]

Ze Roberto leaves on loan to brazilian team Flamengo

[BongartzUndRivera]

JONES HITS OUT AT SCHALKE REGIME

Schalke midfielder Jermaine Jones has criticised coach Fred Rutten for giving the high-profile players at the club preferential treatment and cast doubt over his own future if their form does not improve.

Team-mate Gerald Asamoah claimed the players were "too nice to each other" and needed to develop a nasty streak if they were to have any hope of silverware this season.

The Royal Blues lie seventh in the Bundesliga standings, eight points behind leaders Hoffenheim, at the halfway point of the season.

"Asamoah is totally right," said Jones in Bild. "After this first half of the season, everyone has to work at last.

"Names and earnings are not allowed to play a part any more. Whoever doesn't pull together has to go.

"Whoever is not fit does not need to run around on the pitch. We can replace anyone. Why should Asamoah continue to sit out for (Kevin) Kuranyi?"

Kuranyi has come in for criticism from Schalke fans and some sections of the media for his below-par performances in the first half of the campaign.

Jones said: "In the first half things happened in certain situations according to names. But it is not enough to simply walk out on to the pitch to wear your number. Here much too much has happened.

"To not be on the pitch on Saturday hurts a pro the most - not 100 or 1000 euro fines. Kevin is my friend. But Kuranyi can turn up late and still play. If Asamoah came late, he would be playing with the amateurs."

Jones warned that he would consider his own future at the Arena AufSchalke if the the club do not qualify for the Champions League.

"I want to mix with the best again," he added. "Should we no longer achieve place two or three, I don't know where my journey will go."

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I agree that we lacked a fighting spirit throughout the first half of the saison. Of course there were players who gave their best including JJ.

[johan neeskens]

According to Der Kicker Schalke want Twente forward Arnautovic. Charming seeing that you also still want Elia and Douglas. You are aware that Twente has put premium prices on these players I hope.

[BongartzUndRivera]

Schalke 04 coach Fred Rutten commended his side after they progressed to the next round of the German Cup on Tuesday...

Schalke overcame the potential banana skin of Carl-Zeiss Jena with a 4-1 win over the East German side at the Ernst-Abbe Sportfeld. The match was full of incident with two red cards, goals from Jefferson Farfan, Kevin Kuranyi and an Ivan Rakitic brace.

"It was a difficult game, a real Cup clash with lots of commitment shown by both sets of players," commented Rutten after the match. "The important thing is that we're in the next round.

"We scored two really good goals but we looked bad on their goal. All in all I'm satisfied that we made the best of this opportunity and that the win came as a result of a team effort.

"Four goals - if only we could do that every week," laughed Rutten after the game. "Seriously though, it's too early to tell how indicative this result was. But naturally we have a good feeling and it gives our strikers confience to take into the next weeks."

Schalke recommence their Bundesliga season away to Hannover on January 31.

Jena: Nulle – Sträßer (64. Schembri), Riemer, Müller, R. Schmidt – Hansen (72. Amirante), Eckhardt, Wallschläger (78. Petersen), Ziegner, Fuchs – Hähnge
Schalke: Neuer – Rafinha, Höwedes, Bordon (88. Krstajic), Westermann – Ernst, Jones, Rakitic (85. Kobiashvili) – Asamoah, Altintop (77. Kuranyi), Farfan
Tore: 0:1 Farfan (19.), 0:2 Farfan (66.), 1:2 Schembri (67.), 1:3 Rakitic (71.), 1:4 Kuranyi (90.+1)
Schiedsrichter: Aytekin (Oberasbach)
Zuschauer: 17.600 (ausverkauft)
Gelbe Karten: Ziegner, Müller – Altintop
Rote Karten: Riemer (81./Notbremse) - Asamoah (75./Foulspiel)
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Hopefully our players are motivated by this score sheet to start the 2nd half of the saison.