Schalke throws Dimitrios Grammozis (43) out!
As BILD first reported, the coach has to pack his things at the Ruhrpott-Klub. After the embarrassing 3:4 defeat against Keller’s child Hansa Rostock, those responsible for Schalke now pulled the ripcord.
Sports Director Rouven Schröder (46): “We’ve reached the phase of the season where the big decisions are made. We were no longer convinced that our goal, promotion to the Bundesliga, still had a sufficiently high probability in the current constellation. We therefore believe that the team needs a new impetus in the season finale.”
Super striker Simon Terodde (34) scored three times to equalize against Rostock, four times the club from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which was 16th in the table before the game, took the lead again! After the goal to make it 3:4 in stoppage time, Terodde was also unable to save the miners this time.
Not enough for the clear goal of re-emergence! After only four points from the last four games and eight defeats of the season, promotion is in acute danger. The gap to the promotion places is gradually getting bigger. If Bremen win against Dresden today, Schalke would already be six points behind St. Pauli in third place.
With nine games left, Schröder and Sport Director Peter Knäbel (55) made a quick decision after the Rostock defeat. In addition to Grammozis, assistant coach Sven Piepenbrock and goalkeeping coach Wil Coort are also leaving the club.
Knäbel: “Since the beginning of the year, the team has lacked the necessary consistency, both in terms of the result and in particular the key performance parameters. It’s this consistency that teams looking to move up the ladder need. We remain convinced of the quality of the squad. But in order to be successful in the fight for the top spots, we need continuous development, which we discussed but didn’t see.”
The main accusation against Grammozis has always been his inflexible tactics. The Schalke game was too predictable under him, opposing teams could easily adapt to the offensive.
After the Hansa bankruptcy, Rostock coach Jens Härtel (52) said: “Of course you know how Schalke scores, with crosses especially on the left. It’s annoying to get three goals from a pattern you’ve been preparing for a week.”
In addition, surprising lineups and weak or late substitutions repeatedly caused frustration among the fans. That was Grammozis’ undoing.
