Union Berlin is deep in the relegation battle after its twelfth defeat in a row. But the club management and fans continue to support coach Urs Fischer.
Shrill whistles? Cries of “coach out”? No, not at Union Berlin. Even after the twelfth defeat, the fans in the stands and the team on the pitch raised their fists in the air together and chanted the battle cry “Iron Union” with all their fervor.
Inspired by the support of the club’s management and supporters, Urs Fischer didn’t think for a second about giving up in the relegation battle.
“I’m ready to fight. That’s only possible if you have the support of the club. That’s how it looks at the moment,” said the Swiss coach on ARD-Microphone after the bitter 0:3 (0:2) against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday when he was asked about a possible resignation: “So the same applies to me: stick with it, keep working and try to get back on track as quickly as possible.”
And yet what is currently happening in Berlin-Köpenick contradicts pretty much all common laws and customs of professional football. Even before the twelfth competitive defeat in a row, Union President Dirk Zingler had publicly supported Fischer.
The club, said Zingler Sky, would be “bad advice if we sent one of the best coaches in the Bundesliga home.” At the same time, the fans welcomed their coach with “Urs Fischer” chants.
Union Berlin: Robin Gosens takes the team to task
The fact is, however, that Union slipped to 16th place with six points. So how long will the support for Fischer last? “We have said that we want to walk this rocky, arduous path together,” said the 57-year-old.
Meanwhile, Robin Gosens took the team to task. “We have to worry if the coach can’t reach us anymore, but that’s not the case,” said the national player on Sky: “We owe it to the coach.”
In theory, every game offers the opportunity for a turnaround, but fate is not exactly kind to Union when it comes to the game plan either. Only threatens next Wednesday (6.45 p.m./DAZN) at SSC Naples the Champions League exit, then in the league on Sunday they go to the outstanding league leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Before the international break offers some breathing room, the Berliners could have 14 bankruptcies and be in a relegation zone.
Robin Gosens: “Unique in the whole world”
The defense is a cause for concern, as it was duped by Frankfurt’s top scorer Omar Marmoush (2nd/14th) for the two early goals conceded, before Nacho Ferri (82nd) decided the game shortly before the end.
Even though, according to Gosens, Union was “one or two classes better than in the previous games” and tried to take dangerous actions, the Fischer team made wrong decisions too often in the final third. A core problem for the Union team, who last scored a goal at Borussia Dortmund on October 7th.
The fact that the fans still unconditionally support the team and even swore them together in front of the forest side before the Frankfurt game left the players both grateful and amazed.
“If you lose twelve times in a row and still have such fans behind us who push us and don’t whistle once, then that’s unique in Europe and the whole world,” said Gosens.
He feels “incredibly sorry for the supporters that they don’t go home with three points, but instead always feel like they have to drink in frustration.”
The post first appeared on www.spox.com
