Felix Magath on transfers, family life and summer training camps
19.12.2009
A triumphant welcome for the manager! Some 300 fans packed into the supporters club (SFCV) clubhouse on Saturday morning to give Felix Magath a tremendous ovation at the beginning of the latest 'Third Half' Q&A session, where he answered a host of questions and also revealed one or two titbits...
"Schalke, Schalke, top of the league!" was the chant as the fans carried on where they had left off at the VELTINS Arena the previous evening. Magath was due at 10.04 and he arrived exactly on time. Facilitator Rolf Rojek started the ball rolling by asking the Schalke manager how he dealt with players who are late. "Anyone who arrives late has to pay a fine - and the manager's watch is the only one that counts", a visibly cheerful Magath replied, getting the first laugh of the day.
With Schalke on 34 points and no worse than second in the table, the discussion initially centred on the team's progress on the pitch, which has delighted the fans and their celebrity guest in equal measure. "I'm just as surprised as you are and would never have believed we could win so often", admitted Magath before putting things in perspective. "Being top of the league is great, but it isn't what we're aiming for. We can enjoy it for a few days, but then we have to realise that we have a very young team. We need to consider how to deal with that to ensure we carry on being successful in the second half of the season." As the discussion unfolded he added: "There will be days when the engine splutters and things don't go so well, but I can promise that we will stick to our approach and try to be as successful as possible."
Magath left no one in any doubt that his objective is to win the league during the four-year term of his contract. Asked when he finds the time to get to know Gelsenkirchen, he said: "I'll take that time, that's for certain, though if we keep on winning, we might get to go to the town hall one day. And then I'm bound to get to know Gelsenkirchen." More seriously he added: "Winning a trophy earns you recognition on the international stage. And a championship title isn't going to satisfy my hunger for success. I'll definitely want more."
The questioning then turned to the many transfer rumours of recent weeks. "You have to take what's in the papers with a pinch of salt", Magath said. "There's a lot written. Some of it's true, some of it isn't. But no matter how well we are doing we have to keep an eye on our finances. Being second at Christmas doesn't earn us any money, being second at the end of the season and qualifying for the Champions League does. But you can only start planning when you've actually achieved something. As far as transfers are concerned, we have to retain a sense of proportion."
One fan wanted to know whether he would let players go on a free transfer to get them off the wage bill. "It is not the case that I want to be rid of some players. I'll work with anybody, but there may be players who have problems with my way of doing things. The fact is that there are one or two players who would like a move. When that's the case, we can think about it." Levan Kobiashvili is one such player. "He's in detailed talks with Hertha BSC Berlin", Magath revealed. "I expect a transfer could go through in the next few days."
More players could be on their way out – and some could be on their way in. "I think there'll be one or two who'll leave, which will put us in a position to sign one or two", Magath said. "In view of our young team I'd like one or two experienced players, if a deal can be done."
One such player could be Ze Roberto, who Schalke loaned to Brazilian club Flamengo this year but is still contracted to the Royal Blues. Commenting on reports that the midfielder does not want to return, Magath said: "I can't imagine that that's the case. I expect him to be there when we resume training on the morning of 30 December."
This means Magath has just eleven days to rest and recuperate and take some time out for his family. "It's difficult for me to find a balance between my job and my private life. My job has priority", the Schalke manager admitted. "My wife is not only aware of that, she accepts it and gives me her full support." As such, Schalke are always a topic of discussion when Magath is with his family. "They take an influence on my work and criticise me as well", he said before recounting his children's preferences with a grin. "One of them likes Farfan, the other likes Neuer. And obviously I have to take my children's wishes into account!"
With the Royal Blues kicking off the new year with a training camp in Spain, Magath gave the fans an insight into his plans for the summer in this respect, saying: "In all probability we will hold two training camps, one on the North Sea coast for eight to ten days at the beginning of July, and another in Austria at the end of July, beginning of August."
