FC Schalke 04 - TalkSoccer

**Oliver_Kahn** · 08-10-2006, 05:50 PM

Full name: FC Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04 e.V.

Nickname(s):
- Die Königsblauen (The Royal Blues)
- Die Knappen (The Miners)

Founded: May 4, 1904

Stadium: Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen (Capacity 61,482)

Club's official website: FC Schalke 04 - Home

Chairman: Josef Schnusenberg
Manager: Fred Rutten
League: Bundesliga

Honours:

German champions (7):
1934, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1958

German Cup winners (4):
1937, 1972, 2001, 2002

League Cup winners:
2005

UEFA Cup winners:
1997

UEFA Intertoto Cup winners (2):
2003, 2004

**Oliver_Kahn** · 12-10-2006, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Gelsenkirchen for Schalke's home match with Bayern Munich, after he helped seal a five-year sponsoring deal with Russian energy company gazprom.

The deal will net the Ruhr giants up to 125 million euros over the next five-and-a-half seasons.

Putin was in Dresden on Tuesday evening to oversee the signing of the contracts, and was afterwards presented with a club shirt printed with the new sponsor's logo.

He told German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung: "As far as Schalke goes, this deal is not about a takeover of the club."

German media have already dubbed the club FC Schalski.

http://www.eurosport.com/football/bu...to982968.shtml

**Oliver_Kahn** · 14-10-2006, 03:25 PM

Lazarus has to be happy right now, because Schalke beat Hamburg 2-1 and maintained top spot

**Oliver_Kahn** · 21-10-2006, 04:38 PM

Schalke beat Hannover 2-1 to remain in first place.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 24-10-2006, 12:36 PM

Schalke 04 Head Coach Mirko Slomka is able to field his skipper Marcelo Bordon in Tuesday's DFB Cup match at 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Köln.

The central defender took part in the final training session on Monday.

Lincoln doubtful

Bordon missed out on Saturday's Bundesliga match against Hannover 96 (2-1).

Playmaker Lincoln is still rated doubtful due to back problems.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 26-10-2006, 12:45 PM

Schalke's team planning ahead of Sunday's big match against VfB Stuttgart have been hampered by the news that three players have been sidelined.

That will be especially bad news for the teams creativity, as Brazilian playmaker Lincoln is one of those players. He is out after tearing muscle fibre. Lincoln is expected to be sidelined for two weeks.

Levan Kobiashvili and Dario Rodriguez are also not going to make the match for the club, which is currently placed second in the Bundesliga standings.

Hoping for a wonder

Uruguayan international Rodriquez injured a toe during Schalk'e DFB Cup loss to 1. FC Köln. "We're working all-out to get him fit in time for Sunday's match", commented Schalke's chief medic Dr. Thorsten Rarreck, who added: "but the way things look today, it would be a wonder if he could play".

Goergian international Levan Kobiashvili is the final member of Schalke's injured-troika. He's suffering from a torn tendon in his left thigh.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 29-10-2006, 07:46 PM

Schalke lost 3-0 to Stuttgart and they are now 3rd.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 02-11-2006, 01:59 PM

The twin brothers have already experienced a lot in their young professional careers. bundesliga.de introduces Hamit and Halil Altintop.

On the first day of the 2003/2004 Bundesliga season, 61,000 fans in Gelsenkirchen got to see a highlight in the 39th minute of play between hosts Schalke 04 and archrivals Borussia Dortmund. The sun was shining and it was a high-tempo game.

A shot right out of the football manual. From 25 yards in front of the net. There was no chance for the keeper. Schalke took the lead and the fans had something to cheer about. And not for the only time that afternoon.

Fairy tale debut

It happenned again in the 58th minute. Another right-footed shot from about the same distance. And again the keeper had no chance. 2-0 for Schalke!

Football has its special stories and this was another one. The man who scored both goals was born in Gelsenkirchen and it was his first Bundesliga game. It was Hamit Altintop.

Team leader in Wattenscheid

It was a "dream come true" for the 21 year old. And the "dream" has just kept on going. Altintop became one of then-Coach Jupp Heynckes regulars on the team. An unbelievable turn of events considering the midfielder had been playing in the regional league a year earlier. He'd become a team leader at SG Wattenscheid 09 and his partner on the team was his twin brother Halil, a striker, who scored 39 goals in 84 games for the club. It wasn't long before Halil too moved up to the Bundesliga signing with 1.FC Kaiserslautern.

"When he suffers, I suffer too"

While Hamit was the rising star at Schalke, things weren't going as well for Halil. He only scored two goals in 27 games - but mostly he was just on the pitch for a short time. And Hamit who often travelled to Kaiserslautern to support his brother describes the time with the remark, "when he suffers, I suffer too."

Champions League and Turkey

The brothers wanted to play on the same team again and they did when they were capped to play for Turkey. But the family had discussed the brothers playing for Turkey a lot. The DFB had tried hard to lure the brothers to play for Germany but as Halil says "I'm 51 percent Turkish and 39 percent German". He decided like his brother to play for his parents home country, Turkey.

Besides playing for Turkey, Hamit got his first taste of Champions League play with Schalke. And things began to get better for Halil. He got a regular spot in the line-up at Kaiserslautern and last season he scored 20 goals for the club. His goals weren't enough to stop his team's relegation, but the brothers dream of playing on the same team was about to be fulfilled.

The twins mother Meryem

Last summer Halil signed with Schalke and the twin brothers were reunited. And finding a new place to live was no problem for the new player for the "Royal Blues". The twin brothers still live at home with their mother Meryem, not far from the Arena auf Schalke, the Veltins Stadium.

Hamit can't wait to take on FC Bayern

The twins are looking forward to the weekend's top 10th round match when Schalke host FC Bayern München (from 16:30 hours Sunday on the bundesliga.de-Liveticker). They'll most likely both be in the starting line-up for Schalke.

"FC Bayern is the perfect opponent for our team to shoot its way out of its problems..." Hamit says. And who knows maybe the two brothers will be too much for Bayern and help their team to an historic win.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 02-11-2006, 02:00 PM

2 outstanding players!
Schalke made a good decision by signing Hamit Altintop this season.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 05-11-2006, 06:02 PM

Schalke were 2-0 up, but Bayern were able to score twice and drew the game.
Schalke are joint 3rd with Bayern, 3 pts away from the leaders Bremen.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 08-11-2006, 09:21 PM

Schalke remain in 3 place as they beat Gladbach 2-0 away from home.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 11-11-2006, 05:05 PM

Schalke destroyed Mainz at home, 4-0 the final score

**Oliver_Kahn** · 11-11-2006, 05:07 PM

Halil Altintop scored twice as Schalke beat Mainz 4-0

**Oliver_Kahn** · 17-11-2006, 01:47 PM

Schalke 04 will have to make do without Gustavo Varela for about three weeks, but there were good news as well for the "Royal Blues".

Midfielder Varela tore a muscle in his thigh in Uruguay's friendly in Georgia (0-2) on Wednesday.

Bordon may return

However, skipper Marcelo Bordon returned to the team on Thursday after ten days.

It's still not sure, however, if Bordon will return to the starting line-up for Saturday's Bundesliga match at promoted Energie Cottbus.

**Oliver_Kahn** · 18-11-2006, 12:12 PM

Schalke midfielder Gustavo Varela will be out of action for three weeks with a thigh injury.

The Uruguayan international star picked up the injury in his country's midweek friendly in Georgia and will now be sidelined until December.

Varela, who has been in sparkling form for the Royal Blues in recent weeks, joins playmaker Lincoln and Germany international Gerald Asamoah as certainties to miss this weekend's match in Cottbus.

Meanwhile, club captain Marcelo Bordon has returned to training following a hip injury and might well be included in coach Mirko Slomka's squad as Schalke attempt to keep pace with Stuttgart and Werder Bremen at the top of the Bundesliga table.