Not much hurt over here I can tell you part II

As simple as it sounds, the best reason I can come up with as that Germans nearly always play as a team. As far as I can recall the Germans have 'failed' at major tournaments only twice in my lifetime: In the European Championships in 2000, when they were so poor that even we beat them, and again in 2004. And both times the team was divided or just plain shit, Ribbeck not being the man to lead Germany, and a team of mostly disinterested players turning up in 2004.

I, of course, had one great day pointing out how pisspoor Germany were to my colleagues that year, as England had just beaten Switzerland and Croatia, and then England contrived to lose to Portugal on penalties despite having should have won it, and being cheated out of a perfectly valid goal by referee Urs Maier. And then England reverted back to being poor.

In any case, take some time to watch Germany play. They get stuck in. They play for each other. Their passing is crisp and precise and hardly ever devoid of confidence. They score goals from midfield and have prolific strikers. And a ready supply of superb goalkeepers. etc etc etc.

All of this starts with the clubs. Whilst the Bundesliga is indisputably weaker than the other big leagues at the moment, German clubs have tended to turn out good players whose heads haven't been in the clouds, and who are prepared to work in hard in order to make themselves great players. German teams have made it to 13 UEFA Cup finals, 11 Cup-Winners-Cup finals (including three appearances by GDR clubs) and 13 European Cup/CL finals and that is testament to these clubs producing good players.

Moreover, you are much less likely to find Bundesliga players in the tabloids for the wrong reasons ie. on the front pages rather than the back. It can also be a pleasure to listen to German footballers after a game - in general they tend to be articulate and insightful. You also find that a lot of ex-players actually make the grade as coaches- Magath, Doll, Beckenbauer, Schaaf, Vogts, Eilts, Klinsmann, or as managers - the Höneß brothers for example (it is important to note that German clubs have both coaches, who train the players, pick the team and so on, and managers, who look after operational details, execute transfers etc). So could it be that there is a higher degree of intelligence fostered in the German game than in England?

Is it hard work? Technical work? A desire to improve? Intelligence? Or maybe even an attitude that doesn't border on the arrogance embedded in certain sections of the English media ie. the 'right' to be amongst the best in the world, irrespective of results?

Whatever it is, I would love to ask a few of these questions of Heribert Bruchhagen, the Chairman of Eintracht. And if I ever get invited to the VIP section again, I will do my level best to get some proper German perspective. After all, they are much more successful than England.

All eyes are gravitating southwards this weekend

As ever, there are nine games in the Bundesliga this weekend, but only one of them will go a long way to deciding anything: Bayern vs Schalke.

Currently nine points off of table-topping Schalke in fourth, this is make or break time for Bayern. Win, and they will close the gap to six points with seven games left. Draw, and all title hopes will be lost, plus they won’t be able to overtake Stuttgart in third for that vital CL qualifying place. Lose, and they might start having to look down, rather than up, in the hope of any European competition at all next season.

Schalke, on the other hand, have been sounding off over the past fortnight. Vastly underrated Brazilian defender Marcelo Bordon referred to Bayern as not being the Bayern of old ie nothing to be scared of. Comeback player of the season Kevin Kuranyi, who didn’t even make the World Cup squad, yet scored both goals against the Czech Republic and captained Germany on Wednesday night, uttered similar sentiments along with a lot of talk about it being Schalke’s year. Further encouragement was given to them by their right back Rafinha, who this week signed a contract extension to 2011.

Unusually, Bayern have been very quiet this week. As it is rare for a week to go by without Uli Höness, Franz Beckenbauer or Karl-Heinz Rummenigge mouthing off about something that’s wrong with either a) the state of the DFB or b) themselves, depending on how well they’re doing. This could well be ominous for Schalke – expect to see Bayern at their most rugged and determined. Or they really have given up hope and will concentrate their firepower on the Champions League. My arse is beginning to hurt from all this fence sitting…

Tonight’s game is a relegation six pointer – Beilefeld vs Dortmund (who certainly didn’t expect to be mentioned in this way at the start of the season). Tomorrow, Stuttgart pick up their CL campaign to home to Aachen, Bremen likewise away against Cottbus, Leverkusen their UEFA Cup campaign to Mainz, Hertha Berlin try and improve on the second worst away record in the league in Nürnberg and Mönchengladbach continue their relegation right against Frankfurt. HSV v Wolfsburg and Bochum vs Hannover are Sunday’s rather non-descript match ups.

The current table....

Not much hurt over here I can tell you part I

England has the TV deals. It has the sky high wages for footballers. Ticket prices are continuing to rise in most places. It is marketed as ‘The Best League in the World’ TM. English teams are starting dominate European competition as they once did in the early 1980’s. And yet the national team can’t so much as not beat an egg, more can’t even break the shell to get the yolk out.

England have won the World Cup once. At home. With the benefit of an exceptionally dubious linesman’s decision (who is rumoured to have answered ‘Stalingrad’ when asked by the referee if the ball was over the line for the third goal). And that’s it. Oh, there have been a couple of vague stabs at glory, such as Mexico in 1970, Italy in 1990 and, unsurprisingly, in England again in 1996, but all that has really resulted from these near misses is that a nation vaguely remembers why they don’t like someone called Peter Bonetti and some half arsed Pizza Hut commercials. And Paul Gascoigne cried a bit.

Now consider Germany. You can still get into a ground for under ten pounds (about fifteen Euros). Lots of ‘true fans’ attend games(or less prawn sandwich munchers, depending on how you look at these things), meaning a terrific atmosphere at a lot of games. Lots of new stadia, which still include terracing, due in no small part to having the World Cup staged here last year. Ok, the players cost less and are paid less, but the DFB aren’t raking on ₤400mm plus per year in television income. Total Bundesliga outlay on transfers may be less then Chelsea’s in any given off season. And yet, the Germans continue to dominate the international stage.

Let me take you on a walk down memory lane (in a strictly plutonic sense). The Germans have won three World Cups (1954, 1974, 1990), and taken part in a total of seven World Cup finals. They have also won three European Championships (1972, 1980, 1996) and taken part in a total of five finals. That’s six major championship victories. And a further six finals appearances.

Even if we disregard the relatively recent influx of cash into the English game, there must be reasons for this disparity. Going back over sixty years, England have been mostly poor, and Germany have been mostly good. Why?

Tbc…

The Danes complain – U21s beat their Czech counterparts

Germany coach Joachim Löw has come under fire from Denmark coach Morten Olsen after Löw released eight senior players from his squad ahead of the friendly tonight. The Danes were under the impression they would play against a full strength German team (allegedly promised to them by the DFB), and have their 1st XI lined up to play tonight. Olsen also noted that this their last game before their qualifying clash with Sweden.

Olsen said he was unhappy to learn of the player release from newspapers rather than the DFB, that he was now under pressure to release his own players from club managers and that it all smacked of a lack of respect. Danish players also insinuated that the first tier of German players were not proud to represent Germany.

So if the Danes lose tonight, cue gales of laughter from the world of German football.

Marcel Heller of Eintracht Frankfurt (yes!) scored the only goal of the game for the German U21 team vs the Czech U21s as the followed up the performance of the senior team with the same end result. The most eye catching performance, however, was that of new Schalke no. 1 Manuel Neuer, who produced a superb performance to keep the clean sheet for Germany. After the game, DFB-Sport Director Matthias Sammer was effusive in his praise for the entire team and the coach, Dieter Eilts, noting how much potential the team had and singling Neuer out in particular, saying he was already approaching world class.

The U21s begin their European Championship qualifying campaign in September in a group that includes Northern Ireland, Israel, Moldova and Luxembourg. They are undefeated so far in 2007.

News and gossip from around the Bundesliga

Kicker magazine, renowned for their parsimony when handing out their grades for players’ performances, are obviously enamoured with the national teams display against the Czechs. Using a scale of 1-6 (where 1 is the best), Per Mertesacker scores a 1, Kevin Kuranyi 1.5 and Michael Ballack, Thorsten Frings and Marcell Jansen all rated a 2…

With Borussia Mönchengladbach looking ever more likely to go down, Marcell Jansen has declared himself unwilling to play in the 2. Bundesliga and is already in negotiations to move to Bayern München at the end of the season. However, with Philip Lahm already settled at left back for the current champions, it is unclear which position he would fill…

Bayern München ‘keeper Oliver Kahn has been suspended for one Champions League game and fined around € 12.000 for his expletive laden tirade against a UEFA official after their victory over Real Madrid. Apparently, it took Kahn over two hours to provide the official in question with a urine sample after the game after he had been randomly selected for the usual doping tests. However, the official demanded a second sample after claiming not have seen Kahn provide the first one. This set the notoriously volatile player off. Bayern are appealing against the suspension, having already lost Mark van Bommel through suspension for that game as well…

The list of suitors for VfL Bochum’s Greek striker Theofanis Gekas is growing. Gekas, currently leading the Bundesliga with 13 goals, has a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for €1million. If Bochum escape relegation, expect them to exercise an option increasing the length of his contract to 2010. If not, he could move to any one of Leverkusen, Dortmund, Wolfsburg, Stuttgart or Hannover…

And this is why I rarely bet any more....

Czech Republic 1 Germany 2

I didn't see this game as I was at a birthday party, but my colleagues have gleefully informed me that

a) Germany were really rather good
b) England were pants.

With this in mind I have had a look for the highlights programme but have only found the goals, Kuranyi heading Germany in front, then doubling their advantage before Baros pulled one back.

Pencil Germany in for Euro 2008, and I'd also make them an each way bet for the title. Again.

Qualifying for Euro 2008

The road to a berth at the 2008 finals has been a bit odd for Germany thus far. They struggled mightily in their first game to overcome Ireland 1-0 in Stuttgart, then went away and annihilated San Marino 13-0 (yes, the same San Marino that Ireland managed to beat 2-1 thanks to a 94th minute winner). Germany also beat Slovakia 4-1 away before drawing 0-0 away in Cyprus. This leaves them top of their group, level on points with the Czech Republic, who have also won three and drawn one (also, inexplicably, against Ireland) thus far, and both teams three ahead of Ireland, who have played a game more.

And so it goes that the current ‘Weltmeister der Herzen’ (literally ‘World Champions of our hearts’), the epithet bestowed on the team by a grateful German nation after their very near miss in the World Cup, go head to head with the Czechs in the Letna stadium, Prague, on Saturday evening. There hasn’t been that much interaction between these teams over the past 10 years, but what there has been has been either exciting, decisive, or both.

In 1996 they were paired in the same group in England, where Germany ran out comfortable 2-0 winners, and again in the final (who could forget Gareth Southgate’s penalty miss in the semi-final?), where current team manager Oliver Bierhoff scored the golden goal, with an almighty assist from the butterfingered Czech ‘keeper, that won the Germans a third European Championship after 1972 and 1980. Again together in the group stages of Euro 2004, a Czech B team beat possibly the worst German team in living memory 2-1 to knock them out and send Holland through.

To be brutally honest, you can’t really see past these two teams to qualify out of a weak group – Ireland, Slovakia, Wales, Cyprus and San Marino are all eminently beatable. Indeed, Germany are playing their fourth successive away qualifier, and if they come away unbeaten then that is really pretty much that.

An in form Kevin Kuranyi replaces Miroslav Klose who is currently injured, the rest of team is easily recognisable as the one that should have won the World Cup last year. The Czechs also have a very familiar look about them, the retired Pavel Nedved replaced by Tomas Rosicky behind the strikers.

My betting record makes me loathe to make any predictions, but why break the habit of a lifetime? 2-2.

News, gossip and possibly some stuff I have made up....

International defender Christoph Metzelder will not sign a new contract with Borussia Dortmund and will leave at the end of the season, possibly for Real Madrid…

Jermaine Jones will not be signing a new contract with Eintracht Frankfurt and has apparently already signed a four year deal with Schalke 04. He appears to have held off on this for as long as possible to make general manager Heribert Bruchhagen appear bad and not become a boo-boy for the Westkurve, this after having been injured for most of the previous two years….

Oliver Neuville would like to remain with Borussia Mönchengladbach, even if they get relegated…

Thomas Von Heesen, until recently the manager of Arminia Bielefeld, is reportedly considering a move to Wolfsburg to be their new sporting director, after it was initially assumed that he would take over at Dortmund after the end of the season…

Finally (although we can expect this one to run and run), Werder Bremen are already fighting to hold on to Diego, after Bayern Munich’s general manager Uli Höness voiced his appreciation of the player’s talents. In need of a true ‘10’, it appears that Bayern’s interest in Rafael Van Der Vaart of HSV has cooled due to his injury problems over the past two seasons, and that Bayern will splash the cash at the end of the season, something they have been reluctant to do until now.

That was the weekend that was – round 26

Recently, the Bundesliga has been like a famed pair of German Lederhosen - it’s been tight at the top…and even tighter at the bottom. Only three points separated Alemannia Aachen in 9th spot from Eintracht Frankfurt in 16th, and there were only six points between Schalke, still clinging on to the top of the table despite not having won in their last four games, from Bayern Munich in fourth, who seemed to be discovering some form after beating Real Madrid in the CL after beating Wolfsburg and Berlin in the league, and drawing 1-1 with Werder Bremen after spurning a whole host of chances to win (yes Mr ‘Prince’ Poldi, this means you).

So with today’s relegation fodder being tomorrow’s UEFA Cup hopeful, Hertha promptly lost at home to Cottbus on Friday night which immediately eased their worries. Rather sensationally, all the other teams didn’t immediately follow suit. Bochum lost again, HSV and Hannover stuttered to a 0-0, Dortmund, now just two points off the drop and on their third manager this season (van Marwijk walked early, Röber sacked after seven games, now it’s Tomas Döll of the previously hapless HSV at the helm) also drew 0-0 at home to Nürnberg, who are one point off of the UEFA Cup spots (or 11 off of the drop, however you want to look at it), Aachen beat slumping Bielefeld so it was left to Eintracht Frankfurt to score the shock result with a 1-0 win at home to Bayern with this absolute beauty from Christoph Preuß. He’s got form for this (check out last year’s equally good belter if you can find it) but this time it meant a priceless 3 points, whilst condemning Münich to their eighth loss this season and burying their lingering title hopes.

On Sunday Mönchengladbach lost to Andrej Voronin's deflected goal (soon to be seen in the Premiership with Liverpool for the next four years - he'll fit right in, not being able to hit cow's arse with a banjo seemingly the pre-requisite for that role these days), whilst Stuttgart dominated away against Schalke but still came off worst, this short range winner being enough for the men from the ‘Pott.

I've been lazy - must try harder

So my next post will appear soon!