Hoffenheim’s pub side hope to Hopp into Bundesliga’s big time
Apr 4 2008 by Ian Carbis, South Wales Echo
THOSE who keep an eye on the big European leagues could well spot a new name among the Bundesliga elite next season, writes Owen Pearce.
Looking good for promotion is tiny TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, a side with a stadium and history which would struggle to impress even Coca Cola League One clubs.
The club was founded in 1899 by drinkers from two village pubs.
As recently as the early 1990s TSG were playing in south-west Germany’s amateur leagues, but since then have had six promotions.
The club is backed by former player Dietmar Hopp – now a successful software entrepreneur.
Should the boys from the Dietmar-Hopp Stadion – capacity 5,000 with 1,200 seats – achieve the unthinkable and gain promotion, they will take place alongside the likes of Borussia Dortmund (83,000), Hertha Berlin (74,500), Bayern Munich (66,000) and near neighbours Stuttgart (60,000).
But no fear, TSG’s new stadium, ready next year, will hold 30,000.
Tonight, TSG make the short ‘Hopp’ north to a far bigger name which has serious relegation problems: Kaiserslautern. Just 10 years ago when Lautern last lifted the Bundesliga title, TSG had just missed out on promotion from the North Baden district league.
Also on course for promotion, by the way, are Borussia Moenchengladbach, who, quite unlike Hoffenheim, have five titles, three cups and two Uefa Cups to their name.
From the Welsh press
-
Inselaffe-Borussia-Fan
- Beiträge: 179
- Registriert: 30.07.2004 18:58
- Wohnort: Toulouse
He might be right in all he writes Ins but he's forgotten the biggest asset that Hoffenheim have (and here I make no apologies for going on and on and on about this)namely RALF RANGNICK.Even if Jos get's us up this season I would still try and tempt him (Rangnick) to the Borussia Park next year.I have this dream team dream, Ziege and Rangnick, then watch us go.
Last week in the Western Mail(the "National Newspaper of Wales").There was an article on the German National team and how it is going to be difficult for Wales to qualify for the WM 2010.Anyway after all the usual claptrap about the Germans are useless and they need a complete overhaul of the playing personel the reporter(someone called Chris Wathan) mentioned a certain MARKO MARIN!I tried to contact him to find out how he knew about our latest wunderkind and also how much he knew about him.Trouble was I never got to speak to him.The reason for all this is that all of a sudden people like Arsene Wenger are saying the way forward is with smaller,quicker players like Spain.I am wondering if Wenger knows about Marin already.Also on "talk sport" radio yesterday, in the afternoon show, they were discussing the cost of going to a premier league game in England and they discovered that quite a few fans of premier league clubs are now turning to the Bundesliga for their football.Notably BVB,Bayern all the usual suspects, but one bloke called in and said he is now a season ticket holder at Borussia Moenchengladbach and is on the verge of giving up on his English club West Ham United. He said he only goes to West Ham out of a sense of loyalty and tradition but doesn't really enjoy the experience anymore.It's an ordeal to go to West Ham but a pleasure to go to the Borussia Park.And nearly as cheap!That includes flight and overnight costs.I don't think he's been a fan for long though because he kept referring to Olli as NOYVILLE!And didn't mention Marko once.The presenters then tried to rubbish the Bundesliga by saying that there weren't that many stars in the Buli compared to the premier league.So that got me thinking ,how many World Cup winners or European Champions play in the respective leagues?Anybody know?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008 ... ue.germany
why english (sorry, also welsh) fans are saying auf wiedersehen to the EPL.
its an interesting article, even if it spouts the usual nonsense about germans haircuts (that andi moller has a lot to answer for) and beer and bratwurst
i would be really sad if german football was to just become a weekend holiday trip for brit football fans, but you can't argue with numbers...
why english (sorry, also welsh) fans are saying auf wiedersehen to the EPL.
its an interesting article, even if it spouts the usual nonsense about germans haircuts (that andi moller has a lot to answer for) and beer and bratwurst
i would be really sad if german football was to just become a weekend holiday trip for brit football fans, but you can't argue with numbers...
Speaking as someone who has been doing this for so long I can remember "Loddar" playing at the Boekelberg I agree with you berti.Maybe it's a little bit of inverted snobbery,I don't know.Or maybe it's jealousy 'coz for me to do the journey from south Wales I have to get to London first so for those "fans" that live in and around London it's much easier.I don't think they've got the feeling for Borussia that I and the other British people that contribute to this forum have, so it's a very valid point you are making berti, they are nothing but football tourists
-
DocHoliday
-
Manolo_BMG
- Beiträge: 6702
- Registriert: 21.05.2003 16:37
- Wohnort: Langenzenn
i suppose anyone who comes and joins in is welcome.
but maybe we are meeting in the middle. there is a lot of anxiety in germany about "stadionverbot" and the prices are definitely going up. and where you used to be able to roll up at any stadium at 20 past 3 on a saturday, now there is the increasing "house full" signs and increasing regulation etc
but meanwhile in england, some of the clubs are finding it harder to sell all their tickets. certainly the northern teams like blackburn, wigan, everton, midlesbrough hardly ever sell out their grounds. at man city it was always a struggle to get tickets, now they don't even sell out for the derby against United.
on sky sports a few (8 or 9?) years ago, they used to run a feature called "Ticket Office" where they would announce how many tickets were left for Premiership matches around the country. And there would be few games not sold out. Not so now.
so perhaps at the very moment where the Bundesliga, and Serie A also, start to want to copy "the english model" the english clubs are looking to move towards a european (even German) model.
well, maybe with oil at 160 dollars a barrel, we will all have to make do with watching our local teams in future. thats good if you live in monchengladbach, a bit tough if you live in burnley
but maybe we are meeting in the middle. there is a lot of anxiety in germany about "stadionverbot" and the prices are definitely going up. and where you used to be able to roll up at any stadium at 20 past 3 on a saturday, now there is the increasing "house full" signs and increasing regulation etc
but meanwhile in england, some of the clubs are finding it harder to sell all their tickets. certainly the northern teams like blackburn, wigan, everton, midlesbrough hardly ever sell out their grounds. at man city it was always a struggle to get tickets, now they don't even sell out for the derby against United.
on sky sports a few (8 or 9?) years ago, they used to run a feature called "Ticket Office" where they would announce how many tickets were left for Premiership matches around the country. And there would be few games not sold out. Not so now.
so perhaps at the very moment where the Bundesliga, and Serie A also, start to want to copy "the english model" the english clubs are looking to move towards a european (even German) model.
well, maybe with oil at 160 dollars a barrel, we will all have to make do with watching our local teams in future. thats good if you live in monchengladbach, a bit tough if you live in burnley
