Fear is spreading in Cologne: "The underlying tone feels like a relegation battle"

Coach under fire: Gerhard Struber wants to get promoted with 1. FC Köln. picture alliance/dpa

Thirty minutes had been played when the fans showed their displeasure for the first time. Shortly after the halftime whistle, the chants could no longer be ignored: "We want to see you fight!" began, followed by a short but clearly audible chant of "Struber out!" echoing through the Müngersdorf Stadium. After the final whistle, the disappointment of almost 50,000 fans was once again directed at Gerhard Struber , with sporting director Christian Keller also receiving chants of "Keller out!" With two games remaining, the mood at 1. FC Köln is in crisis.

The sense and nonsense of such chants is debatable. The fact is: fans have a keen sense for crises and impending trouble. After FC Bayern's 1-1 draw with Jahn Regensburg on Saturday evening, many people apparently sensed that something was amiss with the Billy Goats.

"If there's one thing I can't share, it's the cry 'We want to see you fight,'" Keller countered. He emphasized: "The team fought. It wasn't appropriate to pillory them like that." Keller's feeling: "The mood is as if we just completely messed something up."

FC hasn't messed anything up yet; despite only five points from their last five matches, coach Struber's team is still second and five points ahead of fourth place. But many fans apparently have the feeling that something could soon be ruined: namely, their chance of promotion. Cologne once again presented themselves as too harmless, conceding a goal to Jahn too easily.

"We were too inefficient in many moments," Struber said, annoyed about the numerous missed opportunities, adding: "It's a sobering moment because I had completely different expectations, of clearly winning the game." An expectation that was bitterly disappointed.

It wasn't a lack of motivation or effort, captain Timo Hübers and Keller agreed. And yet: "There's anger and disappointment that we, as the former league leaders, couldn't win the game against the last-placed team," Hübers admitted. "That's why there's understanding. We really haven't shown a good side in the last two games."

But why? Cologne has held all the cards for weeks. "Whether that's fear or too much respect, I don't know," said Hübers, admitting: "The fact is that we can't manage to dominate enough to secure a clear victory." The fear, as thousands of people see week after week, is spreading. The fear of messing it up in the final stretch. Games like the one against Regensburg don't exactly make things better.

So what should we do? Keep calm, all Cologne fans say in unison. "We have to keep things in perspective," emphasizes Hübers. "The overall tone feels like a relegation battle, which I can understand for the moment. But ultimately, we can achieve something huge." The coaching staff will likely deliver a "kick in the butt," but that will be more of an internal one. "It's clear that nothing comes from heaven," emphasized Struber, who is also comfortable with his role as a "lightning rod."

It's true that FC Köln is still in "a comfortable position," as Struber put it. At the same time, the concerns of Cologne's fans are all too understandable. But no one at Geißbockheim wants to let this unsettle them. A last-minute coaching change, as has been so often practiced in the 2nd division recently, will not happen with Keller: "I can rule that out because I don't believe in such things."