“A thousand friends who stand together, then FC Schalke will never sink.”
The final line of Schalke 04’s official club anthem, Blau und Weiß, wie lieb' ich dich, feels rather pertinent in light of recent seasons. It was heard and sung on Saturday as the Royal Blues did battle with once-titans of Europe Hamburger SV – in front of a sold-out crowd, no less – but came under far more humbling circumstances than it would have maybe a decade ago.
