Felix Magath new challenges
Schalke manager Felix Magath is only just discovering what he has let himself in for by leaving the reigning German champions Wolfsburg to join the Royal Blues in the summer.
Magath made a successful start to the season with two wins and a draw but a 1-0 home defeat to Freiburg a fortnight ago has exposed a whole manner of gremlins for the boss to deal with.
Magath has had a public argument with Albert Streit, who he has dropped to the reserve team, had to fend off bids for players such as Manuel Neuer and Rafinha only then to discover that the club's existence depends on him selling players.
The Gelsenkirchen club is hanging on the brink of financial collapse and, although Magath had an inkling of what he was letting himself in for, he did not realise it was so bad.
"When you start a new challenge, you are always optimistic about it and believe that you can resolve problems quickly," he told the Express newspaper.
"However, often it is more difficult than you expected. The extent of the problems can only be seen when you are deep within a situation.
"I now know that the problems here cannot be resolved so quickly."
Magath takes his side to another club in the midst of a crisis tomorrow at local rivals Cologne.
Zvonimir Soldo's side may not have the same financial worries as Schalke having been able to sign the likes of Lukas Podolski and Maniche this summer, but the arrivals of those big names have not prevented them from propping up the rest of the division after four matches.
Podolski has yet to open his account for the club in his second spell with them and his strike partner Milivoje Novakovic hopes the penny will drop tomorrow.
"I really would love it if Poldi would score his first goal tomorrow," he said. "He deserves for the floodgates to open.
"We are all sitting in the same boat and have got to be one big family.
"We want to gift our coach his first win."
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