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God damn, I miss Rafa.
Separation anxiety is setting in.
Separation anxiety is setting in.
Cripps14 said:
You're right. I can see him moving to Bilbao.
S.L.R said:
Yeah, I think going down helped them. Same as when Newcastle went down, meant they could get rid of a lot of the dead wood and take some risks which paid off.
They've also started playing much more attractive football and they've got some decent young players in Jung, Rode and Inui.
I'm just hoping they can emulate what Kaiserslautern did in 1997/98.
Munich - The storm clouds have been dispelled over the northern German city of Hamburg since the man labelled the 'messiah' began to show that the description wasn't as big an exaggeration as one might have assumed. He arrived with the greatest of expectations, but few could really have predicted the difference one single player could have made to Hamburg's fortunes. That man is Rafael van der Vaart, one half a mutual love affair between club and player that appears to have been rekindled to the staisfaction of both parties.
Van der Vaart arrived from Tottenham Hotspur on transfer deadline day in August, with Hamburg making a substantial finacial sacrifice to regain the services of the man who last led them into the Champions League. After three defeats in a row - four including an embarrassing DFB Cup exit at Third Division Karlsruhe - the gamble was an understandable one and it certainly appears to be paying off. The once-and-future playmaker has contributed one goal and four assists in his four games and has hauled HSV off the bottom of the league table in the process.
On Saturday, Van der Vaart was named in an all-time greatest HSV XI at a gala evening to commemorate the club's 125th anniversary. His place alongside the likes of Kevin Keegan and Uli Stein was not secured on four games alone, but certainly his arrival at the only club never to have been relegated from the top flight of German football refreshed the memory of exactly what fans can look forward to for the remainder of the season, and beyond.
Sharing the limelight
Yet Hamburg's resurgence is not all down to one man alone. Goalkeeper Rene Adler can take an equal share of share of the praise for some match-winning performances - not least in keeping Borussia Dortmund at bay as HSV ended the champions' long unbeaten run, followed by last weekend's remarkable clean sheet against Hannover 96. While he may not yet have done enough to play his way back into the Germany squad, there is no longer any doubt among the club's supporters that signing Adler - another gamble considering his injury background - is a worthy number one.
Adler earned a good few votes himself from the guests at Saturday's gala to join van der Vaart in the select XI. He may have to reproduce his current form for a few more years to truly warrant such an accolade, but the calls were a clear enough recognition of his newfound status. "Rene was sensational - he has won another game for us," said a delighted van der Vaart of his teammate after the win over Hannover.
What next?
Three games do not make a season and HSV will be fully aware of the hard work that still lies ahead this season, but there is an unmistakable sense of optimism around the place, barely a trace of which would have been found three weeks into the season.
"We want to win [in Furth] and carry on this streak," said coach Thorsten Fink only minutes after Hannover had been defeated. "I am very pleased with our development and we are certainly heading in the right direction. But we must keep our feet on the ground. Things often change very quickly at HSV and nobody should suddenly start dreaming of Europe."
That was the mistake they made shortly after Fink arrived from FC Basel last season. He initially revived the team's fortunes, only to end the year with the worst season on record. They will surely have learnt from the past. Besides, they did not have van der Vaart or Adler back then.
Ben Gladwell
http://www.bundesliga.com/en/liga/news/ ... 225022.php
Van der Vaart arrived from Tottenham Hotspur on transfer deadline day in August, with Hamburg making a substantial finacial sacrifice to regain the services of the man who last led them into the Champions League. After three defeats in a row - four including an embarrassing DFB Cup exit at Third Division Karlsruhe - the gamble was an understandable one and it certainly appears to be paying off. The once-and-future playmaker has contributed one goal and four assists in his four games and has hauled HSV off the bottom of the league table in the process.
On Saturday, Van der Vaart was named in an all-time greatest HSV XI at a gala evening to commemorate the club's 125th anniversary. His place alongside the likes of Kevin Keegan and Uli Stein was not secured on four games alone, but certainly his arrival at the only club never to have been relegated from the top flight of German football refreshed the memory of exactly what fans can look forward to for the remainder of the season, and beyond.
Sharing the limelight
Yet Hamburg's resurgence is not all down to one man alone. Goalkeeper Rene Adler can take an equal share of share of the praise for some match-winning performances - not least in keeping Borussia Dortmund at bay as HSV ended the champions' long unbeaten run, followed by last weekend's remarkable clean sheet against Hannover 96. While he may not yet have done enough to play his way back into the Germany squad, there is no longer any doubt among the club's supporters that signing Adler - another gamble considering his injury background - is a worthy number one.
Adler earned a good few votes himself from the guests at Saturday's gala to join van der Vaart in the select XI. He may have to reproduce his current form for a few more years to truly warrant such an accolade, but the calls were a clear enough recognition of his newfound status. "Rene was sensational - he has won another game for us," said a delighted van der Vaart of his teammate after the win over Hannover.
What next?
Three games do not make a season and HSV will be fully aware of the hard work that still lies ahead this season, but there is an unmistakable sense of optimism around the place, barely a trace of which would have been found three weeks into the season.
"We want to win [in Furth] and carry on this streak," said coach Thorsten Fink only minutes after Hannover had been defeated. "I am very pleased with our development and we are certainly heading in the right direction. But we must keep our feet on the ground. Things often change very quickly at HSV and nobody should suddenly start dreaming of Europe."
That was the mistake they made shortly after Fink arrived from FC Basel last season. He initially revived the team's fortunes, only to end the year with the worst season on record. They will surely have learnt from the past. Besides, they did not have van der Vaart or Adler back then.
Ben Gladwell
http://www.bundesliga.com/en/liga/news/ ... 225022.php
Anyone think Hoffenheim have even the slightest chance of continuing their slightly surprising upturn in form? After getting battered by Eintracht and then conceding 5 against Freiburg they were starting to look completely fucked, but 3-1 against Hannover and 3-0 against Stuttgart were great results.
Admittedly they will likely get stuffed at Bayern on Saturday they've got Furth and Mainz, so not an easy run but could see them getting beating both of those based on Mainz's unconvincing start.
I gave up paying more attention to any one of the clubs than the others pretty soon after I started but I would like to see Hoffenheim do well (or stay up, at least) just because one, their name is basically Tottenham but with Ts swapped for Hs, and two, fans of silver spoon clubs like Bayern always mock Hoffenheim for being plastic.
Admittedly they will likely get stuffed at Bayern on Saturday they've got Furth and Mainz, so not an easy run but could see them getting beating both of those based on Mainz's unconvincing start.
I gave up paying more attention to any one of the clubs than the others pretty soon after I started but I would like to see Hoffenheim do well (or stay up, at least) just because one, their name is basically Tottenham but with Ts swapped for Hs, and two, fans of silver spoon clubs like Bayern always mock Hoffenheim for being plastic.
I don't really like Hoffenheim, there's no real history there. They've bought their place in the Bundesliga, albeit in a more sustainable way than the likes of Chelsea and City are doing it.
The result against Hannover was surprising, really didn't see that coming, but Stuttgart are very poor themselves at the moment, so not sure if it can be considered an upturn, or if the Hannover result was just a fluke.
The result against Hannover was surprising, really didn't see that coming, but Stuttgart are very poor themselves at the moment, so not sure if it can be considered an upturn, or if the Hannover result was just a fluke.
Well they had absolutely nothing against Bayern. I suppose after last season, 2-0 wasn't so bad for them at the Allianz. Bayern didn't get into full swing in this game but still it was nice to watch at times. Seven wins from seven and 21 goals, conceding only 2. Not a bad start lol.
Got money on Eintracht today. Hope Gladback don't surprise me.
Got money on Eintracht today. Hope Gladback don't surprise me.
Stats for the Frankfurt game (they are my Bundesliga side):
They've played each other 76 times in the Bundesliga. Frankfurt have won 30, Gladbach 24 and there have been 22 draws. However Gladbach have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between the two sides. The last game between the two at the Borussia Park Frankfurt won 4-0.
On another note, the Gladbach coach said that they will struggle this season. Personally I don't see why a manager would say that, surely he'd want to instil confidence in his side. Yeah, you've got to be realistic, they've lost the spine of their team from last season and won't be expected to perform to the same standard as last season, but saying that relegation is a very real possibility is a bit negative for my taste.
They've played each other 76 times in the Bundesliga. Frankfurt have won 30, Gladbach 24 and there have been 22 draws. However Gladbach have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between the two sides. The last game between the two at the Borussia Park Frankfurt won 4-0.
On another note, the Gladbach coach said that they will struggle this season. Personally I don't see why a manager would say that, surely he'd want to instil confidence in his side. Yeah, you've got to be realistic, they've lost the spine of their team from last season and won't be expected to perform to the same standard as last season, but saying that relegation is a very real possibility is a bit negative for my taste.
Yeah I found it weird he said that.
Ever since we knew Reus was leaving I thought Gladbach would struggle, can't remember the stats but he was involved in so many of their goals last season. The game at the Westfalon was a good example of where he looked the only Gladbach player able to make something happen. Having said all that, I still think they'll end up midtable, and as you say, for him to come out so early saying they might get relegated is a funny way of motivating the players.
Ever since we knew Reus was leaving I thought Gladbach would struggle, can't remember the stats but he was involved in so many of their goals last season. The game at the Westfalon was a good example of where he looked the only Gladbach player able to make something happen. Having said all that, I still think they'll end up midtable, and as you say, for him to come out so early saying they might get relegated is a funny way of motivating the players.