Schalke have appointed Thomas Reis as their new head coach following the recent dismissal of Frank Kramer.

Reis, 49, takes over the Royal Blues with the club bottom of the Bundesliga table – one point below Bochum, where Reis spent three years in charge up until September of this year – and with just one win in the first 11 matchdays. Matthias Kreutzer was on the touchline for last weekend’s 2-1 loss at Hertha Berlin after Kramer was relieved of his duties during the week.

“In the short term, it’s about picking up as many points as possible in the four games until the break for the World Cup,” said Schalke board member Peter Knäbel. “After that, it will be crucial to use the long winter break to ensure the team and the coaching staff go into the 19 games till the end of the season prepared in the best way. We’re convinced Thomas is exactly the right man for this job.”

A former left-back with 128 Bundesliga appearances, Reis’s only senior coaching job to date was at Schalke’s local rivals Bochum. He saved them from relegation in Bundesliga 2 after taking over in September 2019, before leading them to promotion as division champions the following season.

VfL’s first year back in the Bundesliga after a decade’s absence saw them finish a comfortable 13th and included a famous 4-2 win at home to Bayern Munich, as well as a 1-1 draw at home and 4-3 victory away at regional rivals Borussia Dortmund. However, Reis was dismissed after losing the first six games of this campaign, with his final match ironically being a 3-1 defeat away at his new employers – the Gelsenkirchen club’s sole win of 2022/23.

Watch: Reis's Bochum thumped Bayern last season

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“I’m delighted to now be a part of Schalke. The talks were very good from the first minute,” Reis said in the official announcement of his arrival. “Schalke started an incredible success story with their promotion last year, which we now want to continue writing that with Bundesliga survival. The challenge is undoubtedly great, but I firmly believe that we have the quality we need in the squad to achieve our big goal together.”

Reis will lead training for the first time on Thursday before taking charge of his first game on Sunday against high-flying Freiburg. That’s one of three home fixtures before the break. After going to fellow promoted side Werder Bremen on 5 November, Die Knappen host Mainz in midweek before closing out the year at the Veltins-Arena against Bayern.

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