A silent, emotional farewell

The first session without the head coach: The team gathered around Wolfgang Rolff and Matthias Hönerbach before the lactate test Wednesday morning.
First Team
Thursday, 16.05.2013 / 08:45

Thomas Schaaf spoke to the team one final time Wednesday morning in the changing room. It was a situation that emotionally moved the long-time coach and the Werder players. "Thomas Schaaf found some great words...

Thomas Schaaf spoke to the team one final time Wednesday morning in the changing room. It was a situation that emotionally moved the long-time coach and the Werder players. "Thomas Schaaf found some great words. The five to 10 minutes were absolutely enough. Some players had to suppress some tears," said Nils Petersen later about the coach's goodbye talk. "At the farewell to the team, we all realised once again what a great time we had. Despite all of the speculation, it was still very surprising and therefore very emotional," said Werder captain Clemens Fritz.

After the separation on consensual terms between him and SV Werder, Schaaf took the time to say farewell. "I thank everyone who supported me all the years. Regardless if that was in the club or as a fan who accompanied me along the way. And gave me the confidence to tackle tasks and gave me the trust to master them. We all experienced many incredibly wonderful moments here, but also went through tough times. I wish all the best to Werder Bremen," said Schaaf shortly before his departure in the morning.

The 52-year-old had been with the club since 1972, the last 14 years as head coach of the Green-Whites and collected four major titles during his era. Schaaf helped Bremen secure a spot in the Bundesliga again next season with the 1-1 draw last Saturday against Frankfurt. "In the first moment it was really a shock for all of us. We were all very impacted and shocked. You cannot describe it," said Sebastian Prödl. "The whole situation cannot be processed in an hour. I can only say that I am thankful for having been able to work with him for five years. He really brought me further and I have a high appreciation of him," said the Austrian international, who transferred to Bremen in the summer of 2008.

The collaboration between Fritz and Schaaf goes back even two more years. "We could all learn from him. We want to thank him for that once again. All of Bremen is thankful for the good work he provided in the last 14 years," said the Werder captain.

 

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