England fans reconcile with "shithole" and rage against coach
England plays again in Gelsenkirchen. This time, the city is not the "problem" for the fans. This time, trainer Gareth Southgate is under criticism. A Three-Lions icon is concerned about world star Jude Bellingham and his condition.
England returns to the "Drecksloch." But with Gelsenkirchen, the Three Lions fans have made peace, their anger this time is directed at Gareth Southgate. He knows he is the problem, admitted the controversial team manager before the EURO 8th final against the outsider Slovakia, "they are not happy with me, that's the reality."
Perhaps the return to the Schalke Arena, where the star team around Harry Kane with a market value of 1.5 billion Euro played their best half hour of this tournament - with Jude Bellingham in top form, will help. After the 1:0 against Serbia two weeks ago, he was praised lavishly, but then he fell into a deep hole and dragged the supposed title contender down with him.
"Stupid Red Card" for Bellingham feared
"He looks very frustrated to me," former national player Wayne Rooney stated in the BBC podcast and raised the alarm. He fears that Bellingham "might get a stupid red card." Bellingham himself admitted after his 50th game of the season that he was "completely dead." English stars have many games in their legs, they share this with their fellow sufferers in Spain, where Bellingham himself plays, Italy, France, or Germany. That they bring little offensive drive to the pitch despite top individual quality is mainly criticized towards Southgate.
"I'm seriously worried about the tactical approach," Gary Lineker said as a BBC expert and demanded that the team should "play high, aggressively and bravely." He believes that Southgate will not be able to do this on Sunday (18:00/ZDF, MagentaTV and live at ntv.de).
If England, after the arduous group win with only two goals, fails in the first knockout round, Southgate would not only disappoint the fans like after the 0:0 in Cologne in the rain of boos from the fans. After eight years as team manager, during which he at least reached the World Cup semi-final and the European Championship final, it would probably be the end for him. He had already announced before the tournament that he would not be here if he did not win the title.
"I miss Gelsenkirchen"
The fans of England muster up courage for the quarter-final and further protests against Southgate may find their way into Gelsenkirchen's city center. The central fan zone will be opened, there is beer with full alcohol content. At the opening game against Serbia, the Three Lions fans were still banned from the racecourse due to security reasons, in the arena there was only "watered down" beer.
Apparently, the city wants to polish its image, which suffered harsh criticism due to the chaotic departure and the "Shithole" debate on social networks. The author, the English fan and blogger Paul Brown, has since apologized and in Cologne explained: "I miss Gelsenkirchen." Many other fans also confirmed that there were much worse "Drecksloch" at home. English fans still have bad memories: Their team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup on Schalke, in the penalty shootout - after a red card for Rooney.
England's return to Gelsenkirchen for the European Football Championship 2024 brings back memories, as Jude Bellingham and the team faced criticism after their performance against Serbia. Despite Bellingham's top form in the Schalke Arena earlier in the tournament, his form dipped, leading to concerns and criticism towards manager Gareth Southgate.
The European Championship quarter-final in Gelsenkirchen could be a crucial moment for Southgate, as fans and critics, including former players like Wayne Rooney, are concerned about his tactical approach and Bellingham's potential discipline issues.
