Five coaches in one season: Schalke set unwanted Bundesliga record
By Akhil Fisher
Chaos is the name of the game in Gelsenkirchen as the Royal Blues prepare to get relegated for the first time since 1988.
Schalke’s chaotic season has gone from bad to worse. They have been the Bundesliga’s poorest side so far, sitting bottom at 18th place with just one victory the whole season so far. That victory brought to light an American sensation by the name of Matthew Hoppe who struck a relentless hattrick in a 4-0 win over a poor Hoffenheim side scarred by injuries.
And in doing so, the teenager helped Schalke avoid drawing a Bundesliga record held by Tasmania since the 1965/66 season – for the longest winless streak in the league (31).
Their 30 match winless run sits second, only just escaping the unwanted record that stood strong for 55 years.
But with the sacking of head coach Christian Gross over the weekend, Schalke have set a lamentable record that has not been witnessed for more than half a century.
They are the first side in German top-flight history to appoint five different coaches in the space of a single season. Dimitrios Grammozis will be Schalke's fifth coach this season.
The only other sides to have had four different coaches in a single Bundesliga calendar year are Hamburg (2011) & Hertha Berlin (2020).
Here is a list of all the Schalke coaches to have taken charge at Gelsenkirchen this season –
• David Wagner (Jul 1, 2019 to Sep 27, 2020) – 454 days in charge – 40 matches
• Manuel Baum (Sep 30, 2020 to Dec 18, 2020) – 79 days in charge – 11 matches
• Huub Stevens (Dec 18, 2020 to Dec 26, 2020) – 8 days in charge – 2 matches
• Christian Gross (Dec 27, 2020 to Feb 28, 2021) – 63 days in charge – 11 matches
• Dimitros Grammozis (Mar 2, 2021 to ?)