Where it went wrong for David Wagner at Schalke
Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894
Source for image above: Schalke 04
With David Wagner sacked by Schalke, we spoke to Richard Kharman, from SchalkeMerica, to learn more about Wagner’s time in Germany and where it went wrong.
Over two weeks ago, arguably Huddersfield Town’s most successful manager, David Wagner was sacked by German club Schalke. To the outside world, this was no surprise as Wagner’s side were without a win in their past 18 league games. The stats don’t lie either as during his tenure, he had an average points per game of 1.08, making him the lowest-scoring head coach in Schalke's recent history.
Does that paint the full picture of Wagner’s time at the Gelsenkirchen club? Unfortunately for David, being in charge with the club at one of its lowest ebbs won’t enhance his CV. However, it doesn’t reflect the off-field issues that have plagued Schalke for years. In the last decade, the team have had thirteen different managers and plenty of scandals too.
A microcosm of the scandals at the German side can be summed up with former Schalke chairman Clemens Tönnies. Clemens was forced to resign in June following a coronavirus outbreak at a slaughterhouse his company operates. This came days after 1,500 fans protested outside the team’s stadium calling for his resignation following the team’s away defeat to Freiburg. They were also protesting for his resignation because last August, Clemens made racist comments at a public meeting, which saw him suspended for three months from the German FA. Not only that, they were protesting about the club not offering season ticket holders a refund. As well as not giving the option, Schalke asked fans who wanted those refunds to explain thoroughly why they wanted their money back, even requesting to see receipts or unpaid bills before they issued a refund.
All the controversy off the pitch won’t have helped but The Royal Blues were just as poor on it since the Bundesliga returned behind closed doors. On 14th May 2020, Schalke were sixth in the table ahead of their derby with Borussia Dortmund. After losing 4-0 in that game, the team failed to win any of their remaining eight fixtures, losing six of those matches and finishing 12th, just eight points off the relegation playoff spot. Wagner stayed on over the summer but after a 8-0 defeat to Bayern Munich and a 3-1 loss at Werder Bremen, his fate was sealed.
Since leaving The Terriers by mutual consent in January 2019, it’s an understatement to say that things haven’t panned out well for Wagner or Huddersfield Town. Once a dream combination, it’s been an unfortunate 18 months for the Yorkshire club since his revolution led the team to the Premier League, and the man at the centre of that revolution is now without a job.
With it being the international break, we wanted to find out where it went wrong for Town’s former favourite boss at the Veltins-Arena and where he might go next. So, And He Takes That Chance spoke to Richard Kharman, from Schalke fan podcast, SchalkeMerica, to learn more about Wagner’s time in Germany.
David Wagner speaking with Freiburg coach Christian Streich after Schalke’s 4-0 defeat at the end of the last season. Photo source: Schalke
So much has changed since we last spoke! No win in 18 games before Wagner was sacked, what went wrong?
The team inexplicably stopped playing after their big win against Borussia Mönchengladbach in January. It doesn't make sense what happened. Sure injuries happened but Wagner couldn't adjust, made poor team selections and the team gave up.
How much of this is Wagner responsible for?
He's at least half responsible. He stirred up poor controversies like with the goalkeeper Nubel v Schubert and continuously blamed the players. Why would anyone back you after being blamed? The players are just culpable for basically quitting. A team that seemed so close rarely showed cohesion in the second half, and outside the youngsters inserted toward end of the season, no one showed any kind of passion and fight.
Do you think he should have been moved on in the summer?
Hindsight is 20/20, right? Yes, he should have. Removing him two games into this season was a bad decision because new manager, Manuel Baum, had only two days to prepare for RB Leipzig instead of getting a whole preseason.
David Wagner won Premier League Manager of the Month with Huddersfield in August 2017. Photo source: HTAFC
Do you think the negative circumstances around the club affected Wagner and the team?
They certainly contributed and ultimately maybe the team quit because of the negative circumstances. But they're professionals and the way they quit was unacceptable. Wagner was stubborn as well and failed to adjust after the Bundesliga adjusted to Schalke's great start.
All the issues seem to take over after lockdown, was there a change in Wagner’s style of play? Were his tactics good enough or were the team not carrying out his tactics well enough?
Honestly, Wagner changed nothing from pre-lockdown and it showed with the restart. The team wasn't ready, no changes happened tactically and it was evident immediately in the Revierderby [against Borussia Dortmund] and thereafter.
There have been changes over the summer in the leadership, chairman Clemens Tönnies stepped down in scandal, has this affected Schalke as a club?
It has. He's a black eye that still lingers around, and that was proved in the game against Bayern to start the season. The club's inability to handle his situation promptly like other situations has probably caused the team to lose some faith. Now there is uncertainty with the board as Schalke fans wonder if he wasn't the only problem with the board.
Wagner, who is a former USA international, has been linked with a move to the MLS. Photo source: The Examiner
Coronavirus has seemed to impact Schalke hard as a club in regards to lost revenue, do you think any other manager could have done a better job in the circumstances?
Another manager could have done better, not necessarily well. We saw Huub Stevens right the ship at the end of the Tedesco era when under a similar situation. The club likes to say the losses were from COVID, but poor decisions from previous years lead to the loss in revenues, COVID just added to it.
One of the main issues over the course of the season seemed to be goalkeeper Alexander Nübel, who started the season as captain before running his contract down to join Bayern on a free. How did Wagner handle this?
Poorly. Giving him the Captain's band was just a way to hopefully convince him to remain at the club. That is NOT what the Captain's armband is for. Granted probably not Wagner's decision. With that notion, they undermined Fährmann, Stambouli, the credibility of the club and more.
Wagner did not help himself by then benching him and claiming Schubert to be the starter going forward and then abruptly changing face a few weeks later. Probably where the downfall of Schalke began if we're being honest.
What do you think Wagner’s next move should be?
Many people are saying he may go to MLS. That could work. He needs to take a step from the limelight of top-flight European football and drop to the second-tier or somewhere like MLS. He needs to revamp himself, try out new methods and come back ready for another go.
After his experience with Schalke, what do you think of David Wagner as a manager and what do you think his level is?
I think he has great potential. He just needs to work on backup plans for when teams adjust to him. He started out fantastic for Schalke but Bundesliga clubs adjusted to his tactics and he had no plan B or C. This needs to change for his future success and we at SchalkeMerica wish him nothing but success going forward.
How do you think David Wagner will end up next? Let us know in the comments!
