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UEFA Champions League: Schalke to hold talks after 'half-hearted' display [Thu Sep 15th, 2005]
Gelsenkirchen, Germany (AFP) - Schalke 04 have invested millions of euros in a bid to reach the UEFA Champions League, but the manner of the 1-0 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in the Group E opener suggested there was still a long way to go.
Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink scored the winning goal in Eindhoven, but Schalke were fortunate the loss was by a single goal after a woeful display in Holland.
"I can not accept a performance like this," general manager Rudi Assauer told TV station Premiere.
"I can not explain what happened. It was a catastrophe and I will speak with individual players and the manager about what happened."
Schalke handler Ralf Ragnick could hardly contain his rage as his team went through the motions in their first outing in UEFA's flagship competition since 2001.
"We did not show enough passion," fumed Rangnick. "At this level we need to be more aggressive and have the hunger to win tackles. Our first half performance was just half-hearted."
Turkish midfielder Hamit Altintop admitted the team were below par and called for the big names to start performing.
"In a game like that our experienced stars need to stand up and be counted," declared Altintop. "We can not hang our heads like that."
Schalke host last season's finalists AC Milan in their next Champions League match on September 28.
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