"I'm not going to throw in the towel" – Blessin shows fighting spirit amid St. Pauli's relegation battle

FC St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin has made it clear he's not considering stepping down following Sunday's 1–2 defeat to Mainz, which leaves his team 17th in the Bundesliga table.

Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images

There is an even greater relegation threat hanging over FC St. Pauli after a 1-2 defeat to Mainz on Sunday left them 17th in the table with just two games left to play.

Naturally, the fans expressed their disappointment, with St. Pauli coach Alexander Blessin coming under heavy criticism.

But despite the pressure, the 52-year-old insists he is not thinking about stepping down.

“The fans do everything – and of course they’re also allowed to boo me. That’s fine, I can take it. But they should boo me and not the team. Right now, the team needs support. And then they can judge me accordingly,” Blessin said after Sunday’s defeat, according to Hamburger Abendblatt.

“I’m not going to throw in the towel. I stand by that, and I’m convinced we can achieve this together. I don’t believe – otherwise I would already have spoken to Andreas (Bornemann, sporting managing director, ed.) – that a change in this position would help. I simply don’t believe that,” he added.

“We can only get through this together. It’s also about minimising mistakes.”

Meanwhile, St. Pauli president Oke Göttlich told Hamburger Abendblatt that there is currently no interest from the club in parting ways with Blessin.

St. Pauli are level on points with 16th-placed Wolfsburg, who occupy the relegation playoff spot. In their final two matches of the season, Blessin’s side face RB Leipzig away and relegation rivals Wolfsburg at home.