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Kees van Wonderen: Full focus on the final few games
Before training began on Wednesday (23/4), Kees van Wonderen, together with the club’s sporting management, informed the team that he won’t be staying on as the club’s head coach after the end of this season. “It’s important for everyone that we all have clarity now,” said the Dutchman.
The coach revealed that he was somewhat disappointed after Frank Baumann and Youri Mulder told him about the decision in an open and transparent conversation on Tuesday afternoon. “They both explained to me that they would like a coach with a different profile to shape the club’s future. I obviously would have liked to stay at Schalke but I totally accept their decision. Decisions like this are just part and parcel of life as a coach in professional football.”
I obviously would have liked to stay at Schalke but I totally accept their decision. Decisions like this are just part and parcel of life as a coach in professional football.
Van Wonderen was quick to stress that he will not hold a grudge after the decision, and also wanted to make sure people knew he didn’t want to personally attack anybody with his comments after the game against Hamburger SV. “I’m aware that, in hindsight, the timing and setting were not ideal. Above all, I regret that the public criticism afterwards focused on Matthias Tillmann – that was never my intention,” said the Dutchman. “I should have responded differently to the question, and that’s why I apologised to him, which he accepted. We have remained in contact throughout.”
Even with his time at Schalke not over just yet, van Wonderen already wishes the club the best for the future. “I hope the club can get back to where it belongs soon. The fans deserve that above all, they are simply amazing. Home games are always sold out and thousands of fans travel away every two weeks. I still get goosebumps when I think about 25,000 Schalke fans being in Berlin to support us.”
I still get goosebumps when I think about 25,000 Schalke fans being in Berlin to support us.
The Dutchman will always look back fondly on matches like the win in the capital or last weekend’s hard-fought draw against HSV. “We have however also had games where we should have played a lot better. There are also reasons as to why things haven’t gone well every weekend. Some injuries led to us losing our structure at times. Overall though, I think we’ve improved in several areas since I took over last October. We have conceded fewer goals, we work harder without the ball and have more possession too.”
The 56-year-old wants to take as many points as possible from his final few games in charge: “I want us to focus together on the game in Kaiserslautern this weekend and then on the final three matches of the season. We have some exciting games left and we want to give our fans as much joy as possible. We’d definitely like to climb a few more places in the table as well,” he explained.
