Yeah read that this morning, didn't know they they were quite that big or with so many members.Champions League: Schalke, relegation and oblivion
Despite recent assurances that Schalke’s finances are holding up, the viability of the debt-saddled club as a genuine power is in doubt.www.bbc.co.uk
Decent article this, and a warning that even the biggest, most successful clubs are never actually that far from the edge.
Leverkusen, I can live with
Whilst Leverkusen are a "works" team, hence the Bayer part, they have a long and proud history. They aren't a recent implant like Hoffenheim or Leipzig.
Leverkusen have never been relegated and have been in the bundesliga since the 1980s, Wolfsburg since the 2000s. I expect we wouldn't be seen as a 'traditional club' in the Premier League, but we certainly deserve our place.
Whilst the clubs you have highlighted here have had significant investment there are others currently in the top flight like Freiburg, Augsburg, Heidenheim, Union Berlin and Darmstadt, which as far as I know, have grown more organically; some doing well and getting into Europe. There has been quite a few others over the seasons as well, Rostoc, Cottbus and Sandhausen are very small clubs which have got to the topflight. There is quite a churn which I think this is a good thing.
Be brilliant to clinch promotion at their place!All things being well, the mighty St Pauli will tie up automatic promotion to B.1 this weekend away at notorious shitbags Hamburg
nothing to do with Schalke i know, i just wanted to get a little mention for them in!
The football league is littered with big historical clubs - Leeds, Preston, Sunderland, - all with attendances...
I'm just showing my age and my sense of nostalgia. These clubs all gained promotion and did things the right way - there's no disputing that.The football league is littered with big historical clubs - Leeds, Preston, Sunderland, - all with attendances...
Sadly (in my opinion), they have been ousted by less traditional teams (Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford) and there seems little chance of this changing any time soon.
Absolutely. I'm showing my age - back to the late 70s for me! Maybe some of my German friends at university influenced my way of thinking as they were dismissive of Leverkusen being a small club near Köln, no bigger than Uerdingen (the other Bayer works team of the time).
For sure, I just think in the UK Comparison, I think its all quite funny to see Leeds, Wednesday, Sunderland in the championship despite how massive they think they are.
On the contrary - I think it is MASSIVELY healthy for clubs outside the top division to be drawing huge crowds. It means those clubs can generate good revenue, away from the crutch of top-league TV money.
It is an excellent article and I note researched very well. I know Anja and she is a strong voice for Schalke. Pretty much sums us up at the moment. A couple of tidy results recently have helped, and as mentioned it does appear we will get a license in League 3, which should avoid the effective bankruptcy that we all feared. An interesting side note will be derbies with Rot Weiss Essen could be a thing again, which would make Dortmund look like a Sunday picnic.
