# 2011–12 1. FC Köln season

The 2011–12 1. FC Köln season began on 31 July 2011 against Wiedenbrück 2000 in a DFB-Pokal 1st round match. They club played its home matches at the RheinEnergieStadion.
For the season, the club hired Ståle Solbakken as its new head coach. The board of directors announced their resignation at the annual general meeting. Speculation concerning Lukas Podolski's future at 1. FC Köln has been written about a lot during the season. 1. FC Köln were eliminated from the DFB-Pokal in the 2nd Round. The club was in tenth place halfway through the season. The club went to Portimão, Portugal, during the winter break. Unfortunately, the team had an alarming slump in form in the second half of the season, coinciding with news that their star player Lukas Podolski had signed for Arsenal on 30 April and would join the team on 1 July. They were officially relegated from the Bundesliga after their 4–1 home loss to second-placed Bayern Munich on 5 May on the final day of the 2011–12 Bundesliga season.

## Review and events
### Off-season

Prior to the last match of last season, 1. FC Köln hired Ståle Solbakken as their new head coach. He previously coached Copenhagen. Also on the last matchday of last season, Petit tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a match against Schalke 04 and has yet to debut this season.

### Pre-season

Arsenal defeated 1. FC Köln 2–1. On 25 July, Solbakken named Pedro Geromel captain. Lukas Podolski was Geromel's predecessor.

### Season

On 31 July, 1. FC Köln opened up their season with a 3–0 DFB-Pokal win against Wiedenbrück 2000.
1. FC Köln were eliminated from the DFB-Pokal in the 2nd Round.
On 13 November, Wolfgang Overath along with deputies Friedrich Neukirch and Jürgen Glowacz resigned from the board of directors. Overath stated how there was a "strain in recent months" for all of them and "frustration, inner conflict, and wear and tear". Overath also stated how the board was "not always a team" and how he "was reviled and insulted in a way, as I have never experienced before.".
On 19 November, the match against Mainz 05 was canceled after the referee for the match, Babak Rafati, attempted suicide. The match was eventually rescheduled for 13 December.
1. FC Köln stated that they would allow Sebastian Freis and Kevin Pezzoni to leave on free transfers.
For the winter break, 1. FC Köln returned to practice on 2 January 2012 at 11:00 CET (UTC+01) and had a training camp in Portimão, Portugal, from 5 to 12 January.
On 4 March 2012, a group 1. FC Köln supporters attacked a bus with Borussia Mönchengladbach supporters in it.
On 10 March 2012, 1. FC Köln announced, that in mutual agreement, Volker Finke will be released from his position as Sporting Director.
On 12 April 2012, 1. FC Köln dismissed Ståle Solbakken as head coach of the club and replaced him with Frank Schaefer. The club was in 16th place at the time of the firing. The club originally announced that he was "on leave". However, Solbakken confirmed that he was fired.
1. FC Köln finished in 17th place and were relegated on the final day of the season. Hertha BSC would have been automatically been relegated if they had lost or drew against 1899 Hoffenheim.

### Lukas Podolski

Lukas Podolski's future at 1. FC Köln has been speculated much during the first half of the season by the media. Turkish media announced how Podolski and Galatasaray S.K. had already agreed. These rumours were proved false when Podolski was still at 1. FC Köln when the transfer deadline passed. In August, Sports Director Volker Finke stated how the club absolutely must keep Podolski at all cost.
Arsenal, Lokomotiv Moscow, Galatasaray S.K., Lazio and Schalke 04 are all known to be interested in Podolski and have been tracking him during the first half of season. However, it would be difficult for Schalke 04 to sign Podolski. Podolski stated that "a change in the Bundesliga is for me very difficult to imagine". Arsène Wenger has denied that he wants to purchase Podolski during the winter transfer period. Die Welt has reported that Wenger has no interest in Podolski at all.
Finke stated on 11 December that, "Podolski would not be part of the squad for 2012–13, if he did not sign an extension," while Podolski responded by stating, "he would be willing to play for the amateurs or sit in the stands while his current deal expired". 1. FC Köln is about €25 million in debt and Finke doesn't believe that 1. FC Köln can afford a free transfer. Deutsche Welle stated that the "more logical decision" would be to sell Podolski during the winter transfer period because he is not cup-tied to any club in UEFA's European competitions and how their position to sell would be weaken if they wait for next summer.
Jürgen Klopp came out and criticized Podolski. Klopp stated how Podolski only plays well every other week and is too expensive because of this. Podolski stated how he turned down Klopp twice and how Borussia Dortmund could not afford him because it does have any more UEFA Champions League revenue for the season.
Arsenal F.C. defender Per Mertesacker stated how Podolski, along with former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, would be "perfect acquisitions". On 7 March, Mertesacker stated that Podolski has asked about "a potential move to the Emirates". Oliver Bierhoff stated that Podolski would be making a "great move" if he left 1. FC Köln for Arsenal F.C.
There were reports that claimed 1. FC Köln sold Podolski to Arsenal F.C. for €13 million with Bayern Munich getting 10% of the amount over €10 million. However, Podolski himself denied that any deal has been finalized with Arsenal F.C. Reports doubted that the move will even happen after Podolski claimed that he could be tempted by Lazio.
Podolski finally decided to sign for Arsenal on 30 April.

## Matches
### Legend

Win  Draw  Loss  Postponed

### DFB-Pokal
## Squad information
### Transfers
#### In

| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Age | EU | Moving from | Type | Transfer window | Ends | Transfer fee | Source |

#### Out

| N | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Age | EU | Moving to | Type | Transfer window | Transfer fee | Source |

### Roster, appearances, goals and assists

As of 30 April 2012
Squad Season 2011-12 :
| Players | Players | Players | Players | Players | Players | Bundesliga | Bundesliga | Bundesliga | DFB-Pokal | DFB-Pokal | DFB-Pokal | Totals | Totals | Totals |
| No. | Player | Nat. | Birthday | at FCK since | Previous club | MP | G | A | MP | G | A | MP | G | A |
| Goalkeepers |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Michael Rensing | | 14 May 1985 | 2011 | Bayern Munich | 31 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Miro Varvodić | | 15 May 1989 | 2008 | Hajduk Split | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Daniel Schwabke | | 19 July 1989 | 2007 | 1. FC Magdeburg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Timo Horn | | 12 May 1993 | 2002 | SC Rondorf | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders |||||||||||||||
| 2 | Mišo Brečko | | 1 May 1984 | 2008 | Hamburger SV | 26 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Ammar Jemal | | 20 April 1987 | 2011 | Young Boys | 15 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Christian Eichner | | 24 November 1982 | 2011 | 1899 Hoffenheim | 28 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Andrezinho | | 9 October 1981 | 2010 | Vitória de Guimarães | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Henrique Sereno | | 18 May 1985 | 2011 | Porto | 25 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Tomoaki Makino | | 11 May 1987 | 2011 | Sanfrecce Hiroshima | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | Pedro Geromel (captain) | | 21 September 1985 | 2008 | Vitória de Guimarães | 27 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 | Kevin McKenna | | 21 January 1980 | 2007 | Energie Cottbus | 24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | Mitchell Weiser | | 21 April 1994 | 2005 | TVE Veltenhof | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | Alexander Vaaßen | | 9 December 1991 | 1998 | Viktoria Thorr | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Sascha Riether | | 23 March 1983 | 2011 | VfL Wolfsburg | 17 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Kevin Pezzoni | | 22 March 1989 | 2008 | Blackburn Rovers | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 8 | Petit | | 25 September 1976 | 2008 | Benfica | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Martin Lanig | | 11 July 1984 | 2010 | VfB Stuttgart | 30 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | Sławomir Peszko | | 19 February 1985 | 2011 | Lech Poznań | 31 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 33 | 2 | 7 |
| 19 | Mato Jajalo | | 24 May 1988 | 2010 | Siena | 30 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 5 | 3 |
| 20 | Adil Chihi | | 21 February 1988 | 2004 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| 25 | Adam Matuszczyk | | 14 February 1989 | 2003 | VfB Dillingen | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | Odise Roshi | | 22 May 1991 | 2011 | Flamurtari Vlorë | 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 1 |
| 29 | Christopher Buchtmann | | 25 April 1992 | 2010 | Fulham F.C. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards |||||||||||||||
| 7 | Sebastian Freis | | 23 April 1985 | 2009 | Karlsruher SC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Lukas Podolski | | 4 June 1985 | 2009 | Bayern Munich | 16 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 14 | 6 |
| 11 | Milivoje Novaković | | 18 May 1979 | 2006 | Litex Lovech | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 3 |
| 14 | Alexandru Ioniță | | 5 August 1989 | 2010 | Rapid București | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | Mikael Ishak | | 31 March 1993 | 2012 | Assyriska FF | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | Christian Clemens | | 4 August 1991 | 2001 | SC Köln Weiler-Volkhoven | 15 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 4 | 2 |
| 31 | Mark Uth | | 24 August 1991 | 2009 | Viktoria Köln | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | Thiemo-Jérôme Kialka | | 12 January 1989 | 2007 | VfL 93 Hamburg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MP = Matches played — G = Goals scored — A = Assists |||||||||||||||
| Sources: |||||||||||||||

## Sources

* 1 2 "Schalkes nächste Niederlage, Köln holt Solbakken". Die Welt (in German). 14 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
* 1 2 "Solbakken neuer FC-Coach - Kreuzbandriss bei Petit". kicker (in German). 15 May 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
* ↑ "Petit". kicker. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
* ↑ "FC verliert gegen Arsenal - Pause für Rensing". kicker (in German). 24 July 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
* 1 2 "Solbakken bestätigt: Geromel löst Podolski ab". kicker (in German). 25 July 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
* 1 2 "Podolski legt gleich zweimal für Novakovic auf". kicker (in German). 31 July 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
* 1 2 "Musona macht Schluss mit Kölner Pokalträumen". kicker (in German). 25 October 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
* 1 2 3 "Zu viel Frust: Overath tritt ab und erntet Pfiffe". kicker (in German). 13 November 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
* 1 2 Brockhausen, Jan (13 November 2011). "FC-Chef Overath fühlte sich in Köln "verunglimpft"". Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 21 December 2011.
* ↑ "Rafati nach Suizidversuch außer Lebensgefahr". kicker (in German). 19 November 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
* ↑ "Bundesliga-Referee Rafati wollte sich umbringen". Die Welt. 19 November 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
* ↑ "Köln gegen Mainz am 13. Dezember". kicker (in German). 21 November 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
* ↑ "Freis darf ablösefrei gehen - nach Freiburg?". kicker (in German). 22 December 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
* ↑ "Ab in den Süden". kicker (in German). 23 December 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
* ↑ "Football fans coordinate brutal bus attack". The Local. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
* ↑ "Director Finke leaves Cologne". ESPN Soccernet. 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
* 1 2 "1. FC Köln entlässt Solbakken – Schaefer übernimmt". Die Welt (in German). 12 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
* 1 2 3 "Solbakken 'sacked' by Cologne". ESPN Soccernet. 12 April 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
* 1 2 "Cologne relegated, reprieve for Hertha Berlin". Deutsche Welle. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
* 1 2 "Finkes Machtwort: Podolski bleibt". kicker (in German). 21 August 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
* 1 2 3 4 Chase, Jefferson (13 December 2011). "Podolski heads the list of prominent Bundesliga transfer candidates". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
* ↑ "Wieder Spekulationen um Podolski". kicker (in German). 9 December 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
* ↑ "Podolski will Köln nur Richtung Ausland verlassen". Die Welt (in German). 14 December 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
* ↑ "Podolski-Transfer im Winter? Wenger sagt: "No!"". kicker (in German). 16 December 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
* ↑ "Arsenals Trainer Wenger hat kein Interesse an Podolski". Die Welt (in German). 16 December 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
* ↑ "Podolski-Deal im Winter? FC ohne Schmerzgrenze". kicker (in German). 5 December 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
* 1 2 3 "Podolski teilt gegen Klopp aus". kicker (in German). 12 December 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
* ↑ "Per keen on Henry and Podolski". ESPN Soccernet. 29 December 2011. Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2011.
* ↑ "Poldi asks Mertesacker about Gunners". ESPN Soccernet. 7 March 2012. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
* ↑ "Mertesacker berichtet: SMS von Podolski". Kicker (in German). 7 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
* ↑ "Bierhoff talks up Podolski Arsenal move". ESPN Soccernet. 1 March 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
* ↑ "13 Millionen – Podolskis Wechsel zu Arsenal perfekt". Die Welt (in German). 7 March 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
* ↑ "Podolski denies Arsenal deal". ESPN Soccernet. 11 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
* ↑ "Podolski hints at Arsenal U-turn". ESPN Soccernet. 17 March 2012. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
* ↑ "Arsenal reach deal to sign Podolski". ESPN Soccernet. 30 April 2012. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
* ↑ "Podolskis Wechsel zum FC Arsenal ist perfekt". Die Welt (in German). 30 April 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
* ↑ "1. Bundesliga - 1. FC Köln - Kader". kicker. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
* ↑ "1. FC Köln - Kader" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
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