By Oliver Trust

BERLIN, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Sudden mood swings seem manifested in Schalke 04's law books. Rarely any other German football club stands for similar weather changes than the Royal Blues.

As if emotional roller coaster rides are inevitably part of the club founded in 1904 in the Gelsenkirchen suburb of Schalke, today's supporters find themselves amidst a new chapter.

Tossed back and forth between fear and hope over decades, the 2023 issue of the Schalke 04 cabinet of curiosities is providing what only a few had hoped for.

Ahead of one of the many derbies in the Rhine Ruhr region against Bochum this Saturday, the declared dead show signs of life.

The written-off ones of coach Thomas Reis seem to slowly crawl upwards, coming from the darkest dungeons ahead of the 23rd round of matches.

Four draws and a victory on home soil have triggered hopes that the shaken side might escape this season's relegation, the second one since 2021.

Two derbies, the first against second-to-last Bochum this weekend followed by the delicate one against Dortmund a week later, deliver the chance to turn things around.

The way might still be long and bumpy until this year's campaign's last matchday in May, but to enjoy what is seen as an unexpected chance triggers excitement among the supporters.

Other than in 2021, when the league operated behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the powerful-voiced fans are around to deliver desperately needed support.

The "twelfth man," known as the blue fan wall, might, in fact, turn into a twelfth man on the pitch.

While the club, once inspired by ambitious goals, is as far away from international competition as possible, handing over the red lantern marking the tail end in the Bundesliga appears like a championship for the bottom side.

Having gained stability in the back, a sort of bearing axis has developed within the struggling squad, including the return of 34-year-old keeper Ralf Faehrmann in Schalke's shirt for 20 years.

The club icon seemed to have disappeared in the club spare parts storage but fought his way back and turned into a reliable source.

While in 2021, the club went down in a wild maelstrom, burdened by a horrifying financial debt, things have improved slightly. One season in the second division doesn't inevitably ruin the side but might stay a reparable accident.

But for now, the Royal Blues fans smell the pleasant scent of a real miracle.

That seems enough to trigger a wave of euphoria despite warnings expressed by their on-pitch heroes such as Faehrmann.

"We loved the latest victory but taking off the rose-colored glasses nothing fundamental happened. We are still the ones at the end," he said before Saturday's decisive encounter against Bochum.

But having scored two goals in the recent game against Stuttgart is causing optimism after in the ten before only three went on the accounts. "This can only be the beginning," the Schalke keeper stated but promised to fight for the Royal Blues' survival.