Ups and downs also played a part in Schalke´s season, but the downs outnumbered the ups by a long way. The Gelsenkirchen side had a terrible time of it in the Bundesliga, although quite amazingly, they reached the semi-finals of the Champions League. This moody outfit could beat the likes of Valencia and Inter Milan comfortably, but were still capable of losing to Kaiserslautern and Cologne. Schalke´s troubles extended from the boardroom to the playing field and ultimately affected the outcome of their matches. Team coach Felix Magath was eventually replaced after a turbulent relationship with the Gelsenkirchen hierarchy. Things certainly haven’t improved since his departure, and they may even have deteriorated. Indeed, they ended the season with four consecutive league defeats which saw them slip to 14th place in the league and just four points from the relegation zone. To make matters worse, it now looks as if star man Michael Neuer is on his way to Bayern Munich. Despite signing former Real Madrid star striker Raul Gonzalez, the attack hasn’t always clicked as it should. Huntelaar has been out of favour while Jefferson Farfan is unsettled. All in all, prospects look pretty bleak unless new team coach Ralf Rangnick can work something out pretty snappily with the limited authority granted by the Gelsenkirchen backbenchers.
