Marco Rose returned to Borussia Mönchengladbach with Dortmund on Saturday but it was his replacement at Borussia-Park who was victoriousThe biggest reaction in Borussia-Park arrived at exactly the moment it was expected. As Marco Rose came out to take his place on the bench – arriving fashionably late, no doubt – there was no sneaking into position without Borussia Mönchengladbach’s fans giving him a hot reception. The faithful of the Nordkurve, at least, had certainly not forgotten the slow and painful end to last season after Rose’s impending departure for Borussia Dortmund was announced, the day after Valentine’s Day.The bad news for the returning coach was that wasn’t the noisiest the 25,000 gathered on Saturday night got. After a far-from-impeccable...
They had been away for 11 years, but the forgotten club of Germany’s football heartlands fully enjoyed their gala dayThey streamed down the streets in blue and white, gravitating to the Castroper Strasse where trams drop right outside the Ruhrstadion and the smell of grilling sausages hits you as soon as the double doors open. “The euphoria was palpable throughout the city,” said Thomas Reis. They had waited for this, and how they deserved it. Related: Depay earns Barcelona point against Athletic; Freiburg shock Dortmund Who enjoyed yesterday? #meinVfL #BOCM05 pic.twitter.com/PttRcL6ZtbBayern Munich paid emotional tribute to the great Gerd Müller ahead of their first home game of the season against Köln, led by chairman Herbert Hainer and his predecessor (and...
Two modern stars will do some heavy lifting for their clubs this season as they strive to emulate the legendary Gerd MüllerThe Bundesliga never does things quietly. It returned with – at least some – supporters in the stands in its typical character of cut, thrust and confusion, but there was some clarity amid the mayhem. On a weekend which ended with German football in mourning at the passing of the legendary Gerd Müller, the elite centre-forwards from the current competition showed they are pulling out all the stops to be worthy successors. Related: Gerd Müller was world class but his brilliant legacy is too often forgotten | Scott Murray Mönchengladbach 1-1 Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund 5-2 Eintracht Frankfurt, Wolfsburg...
At first glance the Bayern Munich and West Germany striker’s work was underwhelming – until you realise he was doing it every week, season after seasonComparisons are odious, and nearly always absurdly reductive, but here we go anyway. In 2012, Lionel Messi set a new record for goals scored in a calendar year. Let’s not try too hard to be iconoclastic: his tally of 91 for Barcelona and Argentina in 2012 was one of football’s monumental achievements, a jaw-dropping effort over the long haul, even if the only silverware it earned him that year was the Copa del Rey. Poor Leo didn’t get too much bang for his buck there.The previous mark had been set by Gerd Müller. In 1972,...
The Bundesliga giants can no longer cling to the past after they were relegated in humiliating style on the season’s final day In some ways, it was like so many other key moments in the history of Werder Bremen. It wasn’t supposed to happen now, though, and not like this. Thomas Schaaf was on the touchline, a reassuring silhouette in cap, glasses and beard but having presided over so many life-affirming moments that gave the team from the Weser worldwide renown, this time he was stuck, left holding the baby.At the end of an agonising Saturday afternoon the shock and horror was real, after defeat at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach condemned Werder to a second-ever relegation, and their first for...