Frank Kramer: I’ll play my part to help us achieve our goal

“Schalke is a great club with 160,000 members and millions of fans. It’s one of the biggest clubs in Germany. It’s a really special club and I’m very happy to be a part of it,” said Kramer in his first statement as head coach. He said he did not have to think long about his decision and now wants to help achieve the club’s common goal. The 50-year-old is eagerly looking forward to his first home game as S04 head coach. “I’m looking forward to the atmosphere in the VELTINS Arena, which is a very special one. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.”

Throughout his career as a player and a coach, Kramer says he wasn’t often gifted anything. “That’s how it will be for us as a team this season,” Kramer said. “We will all have to ask a lot of ourselves. There is no lift to success; you have to take the stairs.”

Kramer wants to play brave football

The new head coach wants his team to be courageous in their play as they attempt to avoid relegation from the top flight. “Being brave means attacking the opponent as early as possible when they are in possession of the ball,” said Kramer on his ideal playing style. When the ball is won, it is important to switch quickly and exploit the opponent’s lack of positioning. In normal build-up play, the focus will be on moving the ball on the ground through the lines to get forward. “When we attack, we want to have as many players as possible in the final third and in front of the goal.” As well as the result, the head coach also wants to see good performances from his players. “I want us to play a way that makes the fans go home after the game and say, ‘That’s our club, Schalke. That’s how we want our team to play.’”

As a newly-promoted team in the Bundesliga, the only focus for the Royal Blues this season is securing a league position that will ensure another campaign in the top flight. To achieve this goal, Kramer underlines the importance of everyone working together both on and off the pitch. Kramer is also counting on the experience and quality of his new colleagues within the coaching team. One name he mentions is Mike Büskens, who he has known well for several years. “I am really happy to have Mike at my side. I don’t know so many people who live a club the way he does. He is a very important part of the coaching team.” Not only can Buyo help him a lot, he can also bring an incredible amount to the club and the team, said Kramer. “I am very happy that we can do this together. I am a team player, Mike is a team player. We’ll complement each other really well.”

New players need to “have a desire for Schalke”

Together with sporting director Rouven Schröder and the rest of the sporting leadership, Kramer is getting to work on constructing the squad for the upcoming season. “We a shared idea and we discuss things together,” said Kramer, who added that when a player makes a move, it’s to the club and not the head coach. “It is important that the boys say, ‚We’re just as up for this as the coach is.”‘ If their heart is in it here, then they’re doing it right.”