Special Moments — Schalke 04

It was a strange day on Schalke. On

It was a strange day on Schalke.

It was a strange day on Schalke. On 5 October 1996, Schalke hosted Karlsruher SC and lost 1–0. Normally that would have been all. But the stadium was silent. No rallying cries, no trumpeter in the Nordkurve calling the famous “attack”. Barely 27,860 spectators were scattered through the old 1974 World Cup arena. It felt ghostly.

The reason for the boycott was spelled out

The reason for the boycott was spelled out beneath the giant scoreboard in the Schalke end on ten cardboard placards: J-Ö-R-G B-E-R-G-E-R.

The reason for the boycott was spelled out beneath the giant scoreboard in the Schalke end on ten cardboard placards: J-Ö-R-G B-E-R-G-E-R. The popular coach had just been sacked after a 2–3 cup defeat against regional rivals Bochum. On the Schalke bench that day sat assistant coach Hubert Neu.

Berger, people said, had fallen out badly with the squad. Yet it had been only months since he had taken the leaking traditional club into the UEFA Cup after rescuing them from relegation danger in 1993. Still, by October 1996 his credit had evaporated. He had only four competitive wins to show for it, one of them the 3–0 over Dutch side Roda Kerkrade in round one of the UEFA Cup.

What nobody yet knew was that Berger’s successor

What nobody yet knew was that Berger’s successor was already sitting on the bench at Kerkrade.

What nobody yet knew was that Berger’s successor was already sitting on the bench at Kerkrade. Four days after the funeral atmosphere against Karlsruhe, a man would arrive on Schalke whose rugged but straight way of being would change much for the better. His name was known only to insiders in Dutch football: Hubertus Jozef Margaretha, called Huub Stevens.

As a player, he had won the Dutch title three times and the UEFA Cup once with PSV Eindhoven, and had 18 caps for the Netherlands.

The signing of the Dutch nobody seemed to

The signing of the Dutch nobody seemed to come out of nowhere.

The signing of the Dutch nobody seemed to come out of nowhere. Another quick-fix by the all-powerful Rudi Assauer? Hardly.

Assauer knew exactly what he was doing. He had noticed Stevens long before, at a summer tournament with Roda in 1995. Stevens later remembered seeing a man in shorts and with a cigar in his mouth simply wandering across the pitch between the players and thinking: what on earth sort of bloke is that?

After Schalke dismissed Berger, Stevens’ longtime assistant ...

After Schalke dismissed Berger, Stevens’ longtime assistant Eddy Achterberg made a prophetic joke over dinner: “Then you’ll become Schalke coach.” Stevens brushed it off.

After Schalke dismissed Berger, Stevens’ longtime assistant Eddy Achterberg made a prophetic joke over dinner: “Then you’ll become Schalke coach.” Stevens brushed it off. Two days later, though, he checked the answering machine in his car phone and heard a short message: “Assauer. If you feel like becoming Schalke coach, call me back on this number.”

Stevens called back, stressing that he still had

Stevens called back, stressing that he still had a contract with Roda Kerkrade and might even extend it. “That has nothing to do with it,” Assauer replied in his typical monosyllabic way.

Stevens called back, stressing that he still had a contract with Roda Kerkrade and might even extend it. “That has nothing to do with it,” Assauer replied in his typical monosyllabic way. Everything had to happen quickly, before the newspapers caught the scent.

Assauer arranged a secret meeting near the German-Dutch border on a Sunday morning. “We spoke and he told me he wanted to sign me for two years,” Stevens later recalled. “He said he would sort out my contract with Roda.” And he did – for one million guilders in compensation, roughly 453,000 euros.

The start was disastrous: 0–3 at Werder Bremen.

The start was disastrous: 0–3 at Werder Bremen.

The start was disastrous: 0–3 at Werder Bremen. Schalke did not lack alpha personalities either – Jens Lehmann, captain Olaf Thon, Mike Büskens, Youri Mulder. Stevens had to weld them into a true unit.

He did it with discipline, but also with human warmth. He knew every detail, even the birthdays of players’ children, and made himself available to everyone. He lived the collective idea.

Star behaviour disgusted him. And above all, he brought defensive order. “The nil must stand,” as he famously said before the UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg at Valencia – a line that became a catchphrase.

After switching to a 3-5-2, Schalke kept eight consecutive clean sheets from 6 December 1996 onward.

What followed is now folklore: “We beat Roda,

What followed is now folklore: “We beat Roda, we beat Trabzon, we beat Brugge anyway, Valencia, Tenerife, Inter – what a show,” Schalke fans would sing.

What followed is now folklore: “We beat Roda, we beat Trabzon, we beat Brugge anyway, Valencia, Tenerife, Inter – what a show,” Schalke fans would sing. Through those stops, Schalke reached the 1997 UEFA Cup final. “This team will be in the history books,” Olaf Thon said after beating Brugge.

He was right. They became the Euro Fighters and brought the Parkstadion back to life. In San Siro, after losing 1–0 after extra time, Stevens handed Jens Lehmann a note before the penalties, based on a file he had built on spot-kicks since his PSV days.

Lehmann saved against Zamorano, Aron Winter missed, Schalke won, and 100,000 people welcomed the team home. The cup, naturally, sat in the car with Assauer and Stevens. In 2001 and 2002, the unlikely duo would add the DFB-Pokal as well.

“Schalke meant an incredible amount to him,” Stevens later wrote of his friend Assauer. “And because of Assauer, Schalke meant an incredible amount to me too.”