SchalkeUK

Following the friendly at Oberhausen there was a good start for young Kutucu with a couple of goals. It is to be hoped that he can follow this up as he has shown promise in the games he has played with the first team during last season - no pressure and it should be remembered how young Harit started his 04 time in a pre season friendly and looked a world beater only for Tedesco to knock him backwards with his garbage form of training and changing players' positions. I'm sure DW will not make the same mistake! It would also be silly to read too much into McKennie's performance in the US - although they gave him the captain's armband for the final game (not meant to be but it was) his leadership was almost non-existant and his petulant sulking at times was pathetic to watch - no change there then! Hope DW can sort it or just send him back - always, of course, providing he can get in the team!

Robin Gosens - not too well known outside Atalanta and Germany, but a great signing if it can be sorted - his time at BVB was short and not too happy, but his recent form in the Italian League has been better than any of the present 04 defenders - or midfielders so he is likely to cause a selection problem as he not only defends well, but scores goals and assists as well! Both Robert L and Marco R were at BVB in 2013 and they were surprised that his ability was not properly shown in his trials and he was not signed. Could be a great decision if it can be sorted.

My local Polish friend tells me that Robert is ready to sign another contract to 2023 - great new for the Munchkins!

Update - Ralf has signed for a season-long loan at Norwich!

News of another 'friendly' with one piece of info missing. A game against Norwich City has been arranged for 16th July at Herzlake and with Markus Schubert on his way to us from Dresden it looks like young Alex's performances in the German side have not give a lot of confidence to his masters - Norwich meanwhile have had Ralf over for a medical and that move seems set to go ahead. So many things happening sort of quietly at the moment and already a few changes before the pre season training starts. All quiet on the Sead front but....... we need a defender - or two as well as another proper striker although with Kabak and Kenny joining soon that could be almost sorted.. Be nice to see Timo again after his great season in the promotion race for the PL and - as always - we should never have let him go! Perhaps we will get a chance to see young Reese in the line-up after his return which should never have been sanctioned - but the Tesdesco was always a prat!

Growing up today is so so different to what we were used to - German boys and girls listened to Heinjte and Kleine Cornelia, American kids had Jimmy Boyd and Gayla Peevey and we had Petula Clark and Jeremy Spencer as role models. Fast forward to 2019 and Justin Bieber and Pink - with or without clothes - seem to be the norm! Imagine Bieber singing Mama or Pink with Lieber Gott lass die Sonne wieder scheinen! Elton John with Junge kommt bald wieder...... We used to throw spit balls and pieces of ink-stained paper across the room - now they text each other during lessons - in the same room!. Remember my young friend Lukas from Duisburg - I learn this week that his name will be changing to 'daddy' and my daughter has just paid out nearly $400000 for a new house in NC - any wonder I need a few more afternoons in a dark room these days - and with no footy we are reduced to this sort of nonsense every summer on TFF. Last word to Cliff Richard - Its so funny how we Don't Talk Anymore! How's Dusseldorf these days - are the road works finally finished or are more unexploded bombs being discovered? History repeating itself! Oh and Mr Trump - please reply to Billy Joel - "What do we keep on fighting for?"

“Liverpool and Schalke will work together on setting a rearranged date for the friendly in 2020.” So much for the August friendly - Liverpool have been given their first PL game on Friday 9th so our proposed game is off - give David time to sort of the mess!

Another name to keep and eye on - watch out for Matthew Hoppe - the forward line will certainly improve if that happens! Too soon to say the deal is done, but

Don't think his Bank Manager would agree!!!

Hope Tommy and others in the Ruhr area keep their eyes open to se what is going to happen to young Fabien Reese. His time on loan is up, but his contract at 04 is almost over and he is far better that some of the present so-called strikers as well as already having International pedigree. Another young hopeful to be given away or - hope David is watching this - he needs to be quietly persuaded to re-sign. News here of internal dealings is not always readily available and 04 is very quiet prior to departure to Mittersill and the start of David's contract! Another question to be answered is why our ex-player and 04 favourite was allowed to leave Bayern without discussing a return to the Veltins?

I wonder how many people can remember their first formal interview as a teenager - usually for a job and - in many cases - it was a disaster. Mesut looks almost terrified in that clip and even then his German is as good as any other teenage boy under pressure. He was (hard to believe ) quite shy at times and had a very dominant (very proud too) father. Not sure if the interview proves anything but 'spass muss sein' or in Roberto's case just a little!

The old school is doing well again today - Neuer, Sane, Gundogan and now Draxler on - 4 out of 11 ain't bad - just like the World Cup Finals......

Good and bad news today! David is bringing 04 to play against old friend Kloppy's Liverpool team in a friendly in August - My wife and I fly to Canada the day after - 7am check-in in Manchester. Not sure if I will be allowed to sit in Anfield and then drive to The Airport for an overnight - how weird can it get? Watching Leroy having a good game in Belarus at the moment - he's playing well with Gnabry and Kimmich - sign of things to come?

Mesut's German was fine when he was in my English Class at Berger Feld so this is just a silly - almost disrespectful - bit of nonsense probably brought about by Benny's joke when Mesut said he wanted to learn English as he was going to be a footballer and Benny joked he should learn German first. Kid's banter!

Two years ago we left our house and moved into a ne flat. Just before we left I was involved in defeating a local plan to build 63 houses on land adjoining my old property which was not easy, but successful. If you need any help if they try and put a few houses between the half-way line and the goal posts my experience is available should you need it! Sadly I had help from an old friend who was taken from us (our local MP and lovely person) but this weekend we are remembering her in a number of local events. If Wohninvest are in it for the long haul and intend to give great support - good luck to you all. Perhaps their Academy can bring on a few useful footballers who can build your team in a new way!!

Welcome Home you little green-loving person! Are you really in Dusseldorf or is that Tommy living in hope again! If that is so then there must be lots of places I still have to discover and lots of people I would love to discover them with. You and Herr N should start and sort out a late June/early July get together - even if it turns out to be only a threesome. you never know, Relling might be interested again and I am still trying to get Thea to answer her Skype calls. Whatever the outcome enjoy your time back home and try and keep Tommy sober........

Not sure paying 7 million for a player who was let go as being not good enough at the time is a brilliant idea. I know he has had a good season with goals and assists but in a lower division against inferior opposition. Still, if the choice if David Wagner's then I am prepared to respect and trust his judgement and let him get on with the job! Bernard is certainly a great improvement on Burgstaller - mind you anything would be an improvement on Burgstaller!

My thoughts on Michael Reschke are simple - like all management in sport (I spent 15 years with a professional team and did what I am saying here) keep out of the team Manager's face! Be there to assist and help - not to instruct or interfere. If he is the right man he will succeed, if he is not he will fail but either way it should be down to him and not to the people upstairs who have their own job to do without trying to employ others and then do that as well. So much recent time in Munich and Stuttgart puts him at a disadvantage in knowing very little about the present squad and even less about the Academy which has produced brilliant youngsters in the past - and present - only to see them prosper elsewhere and still be playing better than our present squad members (Khan at Dusseldorf is a prime example). David Wagner has proved he is to be trusted to be his own man - just let him get on with the job - Tedesco was allowed to live on a reputation for 2nd place in the BL which was given to him by other teams under-performing at the end of season 2017/18 - it was not earned or deserved and his inability to deal with senior players who did just what they wanted, and young players who were bullied and disrespected was reflected in the way the upper men let him tear the team to pieces. His inability to talk to Leon, Max and Thilo or deal with Di Santo or Betaleb was terrible and David has to start and get the respect back again - partially by being drastic in sorting out the August 2019 squad. Reschke has worked with some brilliant managers and knows when to be seen and heard and when not to be either - 04 now needs a period of stability and that may take more than just one season to achieve. My normal Monday morning greetings in schools in the UK used to be 'Morning Sir, - drawn again eh?' I could live with that again for now! With 34 games drawn and 34 points in the table we would this year have been safe and 1 point better off. keeping the 8 we won and drawing the rest would have given us 50 and just above Tommy's lot in 10th. No one is even thinking that Fortuna have had anything other than a good season and deserved their position. For me next season - anything there or there abouts would be nice!

Nastasic has been getting less and less reliable with each game - finally resulting in being left out - amen to him! Sane has the grace and speed of an elephant and when Joel was younger his nickname 'spater' fitted his play sometimes (and still does) Sane is better at being late than ever Joel was. Sadly, Boujalleb is a bit like young Amin Harit- very clever at times, but lacking the strength to compete in BL - he was bullied off the ball too many times on Saturday and Amin has already got himself on to the referee's list of players who dive, cheat and pretend - so no free kicks for him!. Nothing to add in favour of either Stambouli or Caliguiri - both have been awful this season more than they have been good. Nubel looks like a young Manuel so our habit of bringing up young good keepers for other teams has to stop! Matondo looked good at City but has yet to show he is strong enough to compete against the big boys I won't even waste more than a sentence on the offside king, Burgstaller, or the walking 'mouth' Bentaleb who is disruptive every time he takes the field or gets into the dressing room. In August it will be 70 years exactly since I saw my first 04 game on the old pitch and I have never felt so negative about a season like this - even Magrat couldn't achieve that or Slomka falling out with Mustafa - Mesut's dad which saw his departure for Bremen. David Wagner missed out on playing in the final in Italy, but still has a medal and I look forward to him getting another one soon - but even one season may not be enough time to repair Tedesco's damage. Some might consider the future to be Orange! - hopefully it could be slightly Royal Blue!

Nice to have another 04 crazy person on here. Happily you have just about missed the worst season in years since Magrat decimated the team, but Tedesco even managed a greater debacle and the idiots upstairs sat and let it happen. I am only 3 miles from the Terriers ground in the UK and had a few moments with David W early this year when things were looking sad here, but the thought of his 'coming home' was never far from his mind - now it's happened my spirits are back up again. His rebuilding - like he did here in the UK - will be interesting as there are a few of the present squad who - to use a common phrase - are simply not fit for purpose. It would be nice to sit and watch the present gang go out on a high today, but even though there is nothing to play for they will probably just go through the motions and await what fate has for them. As for our friend Thea (livabird) she is still in Essen living a very happy life with he new husband who we all met on the get together in Duisburg and is still very passionately singing in or around the Nordkurv, but work and travel are her second and 3rd passion after husband and her singing is still as bad as it was - but a really lovely young lady to spend time with. - in fact kind enough to save me a hotel bill last time we sat and watched Eintracht knock us out of the Pokal! I will try her this weekend on Skyp and tell her you are all asking - if she has not already had a sneaky look at this thread! Leroy and Ilkay are down in London for their big day today, but he is still thinking about coming home to Germany next season and the Munchkins and Leon are trying to persuade him with money!!! Raquel (Ivan's lady) is wanting Milan not Gelsenkirchen as first choice next year so that's another not possible for DW, but I still get the feeling that at least one former player of stature will return - Thea's fav, Benny, could be the one! Gawd knows the defence needs him! As for Peter (Manuel) his love of Italian food and the fact that his girl friend from school is now Mrs Neuer ended up with her becoming Frau Neuer in a little Italian Church in Monopoli, just South of Bari, gives you another link with your fav guy - long may you have such good taste. Live with the barbs and comments that nudge and Tommy throw at us - again they are really fine people and despite what might seem the opposite, we all live here with Respect as our key word. This is not facebook as there is far too much honesty and decency on this site for that. When I looked after it I used to (sadly) spend time removing all the f and c words but they do not have the same degree of abusiveness to my German Students so I live with them - sometimes still daily when I return to Berger Feld, but when Tommy took over I knew TFF was in safe hands. Welcome, stay nice (sei Nett as Manuel says) and live long and prosper!

Just replied to post in the 'Transfer Rumours' thread which is all over the UK this morning. Heads up on Leroy!

Ah but before he was yours he was ours and there is still a space for him if he wants to come back and help out!

In 1953 I sat in the old Regal cinema in Wakefield and saw a young woman ride a horse across the screen and sing 'Secret Love' and as a 'sad' teenager I was smitten. In those days the films were shown continuously and I sat and watched the film all the way round again and never, ever forgot that moment. Sadly dear Doris has died at the age of 97 and I am listening again to Secret Love, Que Sera Sera and her original 'When I fall in Love' version from 1952. Time has not changed that spark and with millions of other 'wrinklies' today I am a sad person! In later life she became slightly recluse and apart from her admirers, but she was one very special lady. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU8tQpCZEzg

Recent intercept from Gelsenkirchen Telephone Centre "Hallo Mr Peters, Klaus Filbry here. I would like to ask if you would be prepared to let us have Benjamin Goller for next season?" "Good morning, Klaus, who do you say Banjamin who?" "Goller" "Just a moment - Huub, I have a request for Benjamin Goller - what do you think?" "Benjamin who?" "Goller" "Is he one of ours?" "I think so" "I don't know him so if they want him no problem" "Yes Klaus - he is probably only costing us his wages, so he is yours if you want!" JOB DONE

Brilliant - we're already doing it again and the season isn't even over yet. Somebody please buy some of the older rubbish we have and (Pink Floyd) 'leave our kids alone' PS - of course, he is Free Transfer - normal business for us!