Bolton Wanderers Forum The-Wanderer.co.uk

It seems as they're some people interested in our small league.

Teams in 2009/2010 Season:

VFL Wolfsburg
FC Bayern Munich
VFB Stuttgart
Hertha BSC Berlin
Hamburger SV
BV Borussia Dortmund
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
FC Schalke 04
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
SV Werder Bremen
Hannover 96
1. FC Cologne
Eintracht Frankfurt
VFL Bochum
VFL Borussia Monchengladbach
SC Freiburg
FSV Mainz 05
1. FC Nurnberg
-----------------------

Big favorite for the title are Bayern of course. Wolfsburg hadn't sell their stars like Dzeko, Grafite or Misimovic, so they'll play a good role this year again. Schalke with Felix Magath as coach could be the big surprise, as well as Werder Bremen if they can compensate Diegos transfer to Juventus with both wonderkids Ozil and Marin. Let's hope that my club Borussia Monchengladbach won't have anything to do with relegation. Don't forget from now on, Cologne is bad, Gladbach is good.

The league starts in 7. august with the match VFB Stuttgart - VFL Wolfsburg. Another interesting matches are Hoffenheim - Bayern and Dortmund - Cologne, trouble is guaranteed there. First match of Gladbach is in Bochum with 10.000 Gladbach supporters(30.000 full attendance in Rewirpower Stadium, Bochum) and 4.000 policeman expected by Bochum officials because of the big troubles in last years game.

On transfermarket, german clubs were quite active. Transfers with a transfer fee over 4 Mio. € and other noteworthy transfers:

Mario Gomez, Stuttgart -> Bayern Munich 30 Mio. €
Anatolyi Tymoshchuk, Zenit St. Petersburg - Bayern Munich 12 Mio. .€
Lukas Podolski, Bayern Munich -> Cologne 10 Mio. €
Marcus Berg, FC Groningen -> Hamburger SV 10 Mio. €
Eljero Elia, FC Twente -> Hamburger SV 9 Mio. €
Marko Marin -> Monchengladbach - Werder Bremen 9 Mio. €
Daniel Pranjic -> SC Heerenveen - Bayern Munich 8 Mio. €
Josip Simunic -> Hertha Berlin - TSG Hoffenheim 7 Mio. €
Karim Ziani -> Olym. Marseille - VFL Wolfsburg 7 Mio. €
Franco Zuculini -> Racing Club - TSG Hoffenheim 5 Mio. €
Raul Bobadilla -> GC Zurich - Monchengladbach 5 Mio. €
Eren Derdiyok -> FC Basel - Bayer Leverkusen 4 Mio. €
Juan Arango -> RCD Mallorca - Monchengladbach 4 Mio. €
Maniche -> contractless - Cologne
Sami Hyypia -> FC Liverpool - Bayer Leverkusen

Not that big transfer fees, but german clubs haven't got that much money. Sadly Stuttgart couldn't sign Klaas Jan Huntelaar, now they're after Vagner Love.

Is there any Bundesliga football in british tv?

Isn't Podolski back at Koln? What are the chances of Hoffenheim repeating last seasons heroics?

I love the German league, it reminds me of what the Pemier League was a good few years ago until it became too corporate. They look after the fans and ensure they are entertained at a decent price. Full (big) stadiums, great atmosphere and an attacking mentality (on and off the pitch!!)

I've a soft spot for Hamburg, so I'm hoping they can do the business

boltonboris wrote:Isn't Podolski back at Koln? What are the chances of Hoffenheim repeating last seasons heroics?

Yep, Cologne mobilized every sponsor in the area to pay the transfer fee of 10 Million €.

Hoffenheim couldn't stay at top of the table in the second half of the season because of Ibisevics bad injury. Now he's back and Hoffenheim bought last seasons best central defender Josip Simunic to get some Bundesliga experience in their squad. Maybe they can qualify for Champions League if argentinian talent Franco Zuculini can play a good role. The quality is there but they have much players from Africa und South America who first have to integrate themselfs in Germany.

VFLsmonan wrote:

boltonboris wrote:Isn't Podolski back at Koln? What are the chances of Hoffenheim repeating last seasons heroics?

Yep, Cologne mobilized every sponsor in the area to pay the transfer fee of 10 Million €.

Hoffenheim couldn't stay at top of the table in the second half of the season because of Ibisevics bad injury. Now he's back and Hoffenheim bought last seasons best central defender Josip Simunic to get some Bundesliga experience in their squad. Maybe they can qualify for Champions League if argentinian talent Franco Zuculini can play a good role. The quality is there but they have much players from Africa und South America who first have to integrate themselfs in Germany.

There Striker (serbian chap?) was linked with Man Utd last term I believe. If he goes I suppose they could fall into obscurity. Would love to go over to Germany to catch a Dortmund v Schalke game in Dortmund. I believe that atmosphere is tremendous... 90,000 drunken germans singing in unison!

That's Ibisevic, he is Bosnian. He Shot 17 goals in 16 matches, than he got injured and Hoffenheim fell from 1. to 7. positon in the Bundesliga table.

Dortmund v Schalke is electrifying. You'll never walk alone sang by the biggest standing tribune in Europe is a moment every football fan should've seen once. Even if you don't like Dortmund or YNWA. I remember last years Dortmund - Schalke game in Dortmund. BVB turned a 0-3 for Schalke in a 3-3 in last 15 minutes, so Premiere commentary stopped talking because it was too loud in the stadium. I don't like Dortmund, because there is a rivalry between Gladbach and Dortmund, but they have the best atmosphere with Frankfurt.

That's the 'Yellow wall of Dortmund":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY9HVwSo ... re=related

And that's how the Frankfurts interpret the word 'support':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4SPPGSX ... re=related

That was in a away game in Stockholm i think.

VFLsmonan wrote:That's Ibisevic, he is Bosnian. He Shot 17 goals in 16 matches, than he got injured and Hoffenheim fell from 1. to 7. positon in the Bundesliga table.

Dortmund v Schalke is electrifying. You'll never walk alone sang by the biggest standing tribune in Europe is a moment every football fan should've seen once. Even if you don't like Dortmund or YNWA. I remember last years Dortmund - Schalke game in Dortmund. BVB turned a 0-3 for Schalke in a 3-3 in last 15 minutes, so Premiere commentary stopped talking because it was too loud in the stadium. I don't like Dortmund, because there is a rivalry between Gladbach and Dortmund, but they have the best atmosphere with Frankfurt.

That's the 'Yellow wall of Dortmund":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY9HVwSo ... re=related

Just how a match day should be! Shame on the health an safety nuts over here!!!

But there also ugly scenes when Gladbach plays in Cologne, for example. Every match there is on the edge of beeing break off. In march Cologne fans threw bottles, stones and fireworks on trains with Gladbach fans. Then it's tradition that we burn fireworks and bengalic fires in there stadium to provocate them and the police.

On these days the federation orders 15.000 policemen from all Nordrhein-Westfalen, Gladbach and Cologne are like high-secure prisons. If you don't a ticket or live in a circle of 5 km from the stadium, there's no chance to get in this area. On these days there is no regular traffic in these cities because of all the police escorting fans to the stadium.

Some impression from last derbies in Cologne:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l48qZJk3 ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeVlIzlpN2s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTKkD1Ob ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wTXvdsX ... re=related

I guess there are no fireworks, bengalic fires or 'problem fans' in Premiership anymore, right?

I think Danny Dyer should make a show about Hooligan problems in Germany.

If you want I can also report from Stuttgart - Karlsruhe derbys or matches in Eastern-Germany.

VFL, what do you know about the 'coming together' on Saturday?

The 'coming together' in Gladbach Altstadt after the match?

CAPSLOCK wrote:VFL, what do you know about the 'coming together' on Saturday?

Will that translate well Caps?

I follow Hertha Berlin's results and have been to see them a couple of times; great atmosphere even in a sometimes sparsely populated stadium, especially when the team comes out to "Nur Nach Hause"! I just wish the people I spoke to there liked Fredi Bobic as much as I do, they didn't sound too fond of him!

Looking a bit short up front as it stands though with Pantelic and Voronin moving on, but a solid season will do for me. Ha ho he, Hertha BSC!

Some cracking football played in Germany. Prefer it myself to Spain which I find a bit sterile and often dull!

VFLsmonan wrote:The 'coming together' in Gladbach Altstadt after the match?

Oui monsieur

I spent a year in Germany when I was a student and adopted VfB Stuttgart for some reason. I've been back a couple of times in more recent years and love going to matches there. I follow the results keenly and watch games on the internet when I've time.

The thing I like about the Bundesliga is that it isn't inevitable that the same suspects win year in, year out. The run-in for the title in 07, when Stuttgart won, was just fantastic. It was nearly as close again this year and Wolfsburg worthily won it for the first time. Looking forward to next season, especially if Stuttgart can unearth a good replacement for 'Super Mario'. Be interesting to see if Hoffenheim can sustain the challenge over the whole season now Ibisevic is back and they have a bigger squad, as well. Hoping Hildebrand gets back to top form and can get back into the frame for the national team. Shame he ever left VfB!

I totally agree about the atmosphere in Dortmund - I went to a match against HSV there when they were league leaders and Beckenbauer was playing (at 38!). The place went absolutely mental when BVB scored and even more so when they got the second. 2-0 up at half time and they lost 2-3. Probably one of the best matches I've ever been to as a neutral.

CAPSLOCK wrote: Oui monsieur

I wasn't there, but a friend told me about it yesterday. According to him, 40 drunk Gladbach Ultras and/or members of the '3. Half Fraction' started provocating Bolton Fans who were in a Irish Pub. After that provocation those 'Gladbach Fans' (big part of them with Thor Steiner clothes, of course. fecking Nazis) began to throw bottles etc. Police showed up, 3 people were brought to hospital and 15 men were arrested.

FC. Nurnberg was promoted so thankfully there are still Aussies in the Bundesliga despite the Kennedy@Karlsruhe debacle.

Ah parochialism.

Well if I have to have a team I s'pose its Stuttgart Kickers.

How's my favourite ever Bundesliga player Toni Kroos getting on!

Kroos is on loan in Leverkusen. Their now coach Jupp Heynckes is very impressed by his skills and I think he'll play with Renato Augusto, Tranquillo Barnetta and Simon Rolfes in a very good midfiled. They have a real good team with the midfield I mentioned and with players like goalkeeper Rene Adler, Sami Hyypia, Michael Kadlec and Eren Derdiyok from Basel.

Hamburger SV is about to sign czech defender David Rozehnal from Lazio Rom. The deal will be official, as soon as Rozehnal passes all medical checks.