Schalke 04 have confirmed the dismissal of head coach Frank Kramer with immediate effect. The royal blues were humiliated on Tuesday evening losing 5-1 to Hoffenheim in the DFB Pokal. Following discussions on Wednesday morning, Kramer was shown the exit door.
Since gaining promotion back to the Bundesliga this year, Schalke have struggled to compete at the top level. The team currently sit in 17th place and have one win from their opening ten Bundesliga matches.
“After achieving promotion last season, our goal for the new campaign was to remain in the Bundesliga. Until recently we were convinced that we could turn things around with the current coaching setup, but from our point of view, we’ve now reached a point in time that we have to make a change,” said sporting director Rouven Schröder.
Board member Peter Knäbel also had his say: “The way that we’ve been playing, especially in the away games against Leverkusen and Hoffenheim, is not worthy of FC Schalke 04. This analysis stretches beyond just the head coach as an individual. We need to improve significantly in all areas to be able to achieve our common objective for the season – remaining in the Bundesliga.”
Schalke released a statement thanking the 50-year-old coach for his commitment toward the club but have ultimately come to the conclusion that now is the time for a change.
GGFN | Jamie Allen
