German Football news

[puff-puff]

In the beginning of the season all of them probably thought Bayern will trash everyone in the way as well...

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Originally Posted by puff-puff

In the beginning of the season all of them probably thought Bayern will trash everyone in the way as well...

We're human, nothing different from the others. One day we'll win, the other day we might stuck.

At least, Werder Bremen 0:4 FC Bayern. And that's not all.
We still have something in the refrigerator, we'll serve that in the Allianz Arena.

[puff-puff]

I thought someone will remind this. Well, but I also do remember these:
10/21/06 Werder Bremen vs. Bayern München 3 - 1
04/08/06 Werder Bremen vs. Bayern München 3 - 0

we're all human, I suppose...

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Originally Posted by puff-puff

I thought someone will remind this. Well, but I also do remember these:
10/21/06 Werder Bremen vs. Bayern München 3 - 1
04/08/06 Werder Bremen vs. Bayern München 3 - 0

we're all human, I suppose...

Lol, I won't bother recycling results. Living the present.

[puff-puff]

i have them ready, as many bayern fans tend to "remind" that awful loss
anyways, will see it in the end of the season

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Originally Posted by puff-puff

i have them ready, as many bayern fans tend to "remind" that awful loss
anyways, will see it in the end of the season

We, FCB fans don't bother preparing a text file with the duel scores.

We have the title history, we let it speak.

[puff-puff]

ja, you also have a huge pile of money to ensure the titles

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Originally Posted by puff-puff

ja, you also have a huge pile of money to ensure the titles

Money doesn't buy anything, though.

[puff-puff]

Hmm, but it does buy world class players, especially those talents from the rivals but in overall you're right, money doesn't buy it - otherwise, you'd be winning the title annually.

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Veteran coach Jörg Berger, 63 years old today, has worked for eleven professional clubs in Germany and can look back on 25 years of coaching experience.

His most spectacular success came at the end of the 1998/99 season. He led Eintracht Frankfurt to four successive victories in the run-in, securing Bundesliga status on goal difference with a last-minute goal in the 5-1 win over 1. FC Kaiserslautern - probably the greatest escape ever in Bundesliga history.

bundesliga.de: Mister Berger, how do you approach the second half of the season when you're fighting against relegation?

Jörg Berger: The most important thing is to make good use of the winter break. The clubs in the bottom third seem to be preparing very calm and concentrated. The transfers of recent weeks show that the clubs act well thought-out and don't panic.

bundesliga.de: And just two of the struggling clubs have sacked their coach so far.

Berger: Yes, only Cottbus have parted ways with their coach early on. It's hard to say if the team would have gone in the same direction under Petrik Sander. At the moment you could say that none of the struggling clubs have panicked.

bundesliga.de: The fight against relegation in the 1998/99 season was pure drama, and you made the great escape with Eintracht Frankfurt on the final matchday, beating Kaiserslautern 5-1. Will the fans be in for something similar this season?

Berger: I don't think that such an outstanding situation will come around again too soon. That will never be forgotten. It was pure drama, but it also proved that you have to believe in yourself until the final whistle on matchday 34. I remember some more close run-ins, and especially some dramatic relegation matches, which will be reintroduced soon.

bundesliga.de: Back then Frankfurt won their last four matches. How is such an improvement at the end of the season possible?

Berger: (laughs) That happens when the team has a good coach. First of all experience and positive charisma count. I told the players in many one-on-one chats that they're strong enough and that we do have a chance to stay up. My motto has always been: resignation is the alibi of the weak. And as a coach you have to be a role model for that.

bundesliga.de: So it's more about psychology and less about tactics and training?

Berger: Exactly. The closer you are to the end of the season, the more important the psychology. At the moment the clubs are calm and believe in themselves. With just ten matches left you stark to calculate. The pressure on coaches and clubs grows and grows. It's no longer just about a place in the standings, it's often about a club's existence. In these situations I have often singled out three or four players and tried to make leaders out of them. Being tough and applying extra training sessions don't help.

bundesliga.de: And when things don't go too well, the coach is always the weakest link in the chain...

Berger: Yes, that's right. But still you have to do your job . You have to stay believable and genuine. Everything else would mean that you have done things wrong earlier on.

bundesliga.de: Who will be relegated this season?

Berger: I don't want to tie myself down. Nuremberg surely won't go down, but it will be hard for all the other teams currently down in the bottom third.

[Vargas_4]

The new rights holder for broadcasting the Bundesliga have provided a bank guarantee in a move to dispel concerns over the deal.

KF15 won the rights to broadcast the German Bundesliga, with the media mogul Leo Kirch behind the venture, there was plenty of scepticism over the deal.

The group agreed a 500 million deal until 2015 with the Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL).

The collapse of the Kirch Media group in 2002 forced many smaller clubs to the brink of bankruptcy with even some top flight clubs severely affected after planning their finances on TV money that wasn’t forthcoming.

However, a covering letter from KF15 bankers as covered German clubs against any such problem in the next seven years.

The guarantee from the Raiffeisen Zentralbank (RZB) has finally led to the agreement made between the DFL and KF15 that was signed back in October to come into force.

The agreement should see more games being shown on terrestrial TV breaking the current monopoly held by Premiere, which holds the sole rights to the Bundesliga.

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The German League Association and the Bundesliga will remember the victims of Nazi Germany during this weekends match day.

Under the motto "Let us not forget", the DFLand all 36 member clubs will honour the victims of National Socialist Germany between 1933 and 1945. The concentration camp Auschwitz was liberated by Allied forces on January 27th, 1945, and this historic event will be remembered by professional football in Germany.

The "Let us not forget" campaign will include announcements in all stadiums, as well as extensive reports in all stadium magazines and all all 36 club websites

Peaceful coexistence of cultures

"The Bundesliga readily supports this years campaign" stated League President Dr. Rheinhard Rauball. "The league documents a peaceful coexistence of cultures every match day. That is why will will not tolerate racist or antisemetic statements in any of our stadiums."

2008 marks the fourth year in which the DFL has supported the "Let us not forget" campaign, which has initiated by the evangelical church at the memorial of the Dachau Concentration Camp.

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Ex-Ivory Coast boss and former Real Madrid defender Uli Stielike's son passed away today at the age of 23...

Uli Stielike recently stepped down as coach of the Ivory Coast ahead of the African Cup of Nations in order to care for his gravely ill son, Michael, who had been hospitalised with a serious lung problem.

Despite several potential donors offering their organs for transplant, no suitable match could be found, and Michael passed away at the age of 23.

Stielike, a former Real Madrid defender, had quit his Ivory Coast job in order to move to Hannover full-time on January 10th, and although the Elephants are keen to have him back, such concerns are obviously of little consequence at the moment.

Real Madrid offered their condolences to Uli, expressing their "deep sorrow and affectionate solidarity" towards the 53-year-old.

Ivory Coast media officer Eric Kakou had earlier stated, "We regret to announce the death of coach Uli Stielike's son," while striker Salomon Kalou affirmed, "We're going to try to win the Cup for Stielike."

Goal.com - Germany - Uli Stielike's Son Passes Away

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The German Bundesliga is booming, leading Europe and poised to set its seventh spectator record in as many years. Never before have so many fans been watching Bundesliga football.

In total, 8,601,886 fans watched the 306 matches in the first half of the season, which represents an increase of 3.75 % on last year. The Bundesliga attracted an average of 38,529 spectators per game in the opening 17 weeks of the season.

The previous best figures were in 2005/06. The second division has also seen an increase of 10.8%.

“These fantastic figures show that the Bundesliga is the fan magnet of Europe. The fans like the exciting competition, the high comfort in the stadia, and the great atmosphere as well as the best value prices” explained Christian Müller of the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL).

A ticket for a Bundesliga game costs on average €19. According to Deloitte & Touche that is considerably under the English Premier League (€51) and the Spanish La Liga (€33).

The average attendance figure per game of 38,529 is also above those of the other major European leagues with England (34,400), Spain (28,700), France (21,700) and Italy (19,200) all trailing the Bundesliga.

Goal.com - Germany - Bundesliga Booming

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The Deutsche Fußball Liga and its television partners have agreed a deal to stop clubs having to play on a Saturday following a Thursday match.

This will go a long way to ensuring that those clubs participating in the 2008-2009 UEFA Cup have a three-day-break before their next Bundesliga fixture.

Under the agreement, 11 and 12 November have been set aside for the clubs affected to catch up with their Bundesliga commitments, with a date in December a further possible alternative.

Rescheduling permitted in special cases

In the first instance, the clubs will be encouraged to make full use of UEFA Cup regulations. These permit a Thursday fixture to be played on another day of the week, provided the opposition has no objections - and that the game does not clash with any Champions League matches.

In such instances, it will be up to the club concerned to make arrangements with the opposing side.

DFL CEO Christian Seifert said, "We're pleased to have found a solution, working together with our television partners and the clubs, which will help the Bundesliga sides on the international stage. We're particularly grateful to our TV partners, above all ARD and ZDF, for supporting the new model. It's not something to be taken for granted, and we appreciate their cooperation."