"I'll give away some of the cake": Waldoch's perfect birthday present
With interim coach Tomasz Waldoch, FC Schalke 04's U23 team celebrated staying in the league. The 54-year-old is hoping for a quieter 2025/26 season.
Tomasz Waldoch (archive photo) was also able to shine on Saturday. IMAGO/RHR-Foto
The FC Schalke 04 U23 team could not have given their interim coach Tomasz Waldoch a better 54th birthday present. Waldoch stood in for Jakob Fimpel (38), who had been promoted back to the senior team, in the match against Fortuna Düsseldorf's U23 team. With the 3-1 victory, the Royal Blues secured their place in the league on the 33rd and penultimate matchday. For Waldoch, it was his first three points in his third appearance as "boss." During the first half of the season, he had already deputized for Fimpel, who was already helping out in the 2. Bundesliga at the time, twice - losing both times to champions MSV Duisburg (1-2) and Sportfreunde Lotte (1-4).
"I'm very happy that the team managed to stay in the league on my birthday," said former S04 captain Waldoch: "But I'm even happier for the boys who left their hearts on the pitch and achieved a well-deserved victory."
Turbulence of the last few daysWaldoch also recalled the turmoil of the past few days. "The situation wasn't so easy for us, as Jakob was promoted back to the first team and our second assistant coach, Willi Landgraf, was unavailable due to health reasons," said the interim coach. "But the entire coaching staff and the team pulled together wonderfully during the week," said Waldoch, who was joined at short notice by another former professional and even former Bundesliga top scorer, regular striker coach Martin Max (56).
In the second half, Tomasz Waldoch proved a lucky player by bringing on young pro Peter Remmert , who had initially been left to languish on the bench. " Bojan Potnar was supposed to keep Düsseldorf's defense busy for an hour and tire them out before I sent Peter on," Waldoch said, giving an insight into his game plan, which worked perfectly. Ultimately, his "sub" scored just a minute later to give them a 2-0 lead. Another substitute, Tristan Osmani, played a key role in the closing stages, providing the assist for Yassin Ben Balla 's goal to make it 3-1.
The fact that Borussia Dortmund's U23 team had slipped into a relegation spot in the 3. Liga the day before with a 0-1 home defeat to VfB Stuttgart II, and that four teams are expected to be relegated from the Regionalliga West at the end of the season, which further increased the pressure on Schalke, left two-time DFB Cup winner Waldoch unmoved. "We didn't worry too much about any particular constellations, but we were determined to win our last home game of the season at the Parkstadion. That was clearly our approach."
Underground first halfBecause their direct rivals , SV Eintracht Hohkeppel , also lost 3-1 to 1. FC Bocholt at the same time, their relegation to the 4th division was finally sealed. This was despite a dismal first half of the season with just one win and a mere five points from their first 15 (rated) matches. In the second half of the season, however, they picked up 22 points, the sixth-best result of all West Regionalliga teams. This was due in no small part to the significantly improved personnel situation. Tomasz Waldoch even had to drop five players from the squad against Fortuna. A "luxury" the Royal Blues have rarely had this season.
Now we have to make a cut and start again from the beginning.
After the final whistle, Waldoch gathered the team in the center circle and promised "that I will give the team some of my birthday cake during the coming training week." At the same time, the former pro drew an initial conclusion about the season and already looked ahead. "We've had an extremely difficult season this season, with incredible injury luck," said Waldoch. "Now we have to make a clean sweep, start from scratch, and—as is typical for a second team—assemble a new squad with numerous new players for next season. As an U23, you can't build a team continuously over two or three years."
His wish for the coming season, probably to return as an assistant alongside Jakob Fimpel, is understandable: "Above all, I hope things will calm down."
