1899 Hoffenheim Thread [R]

["Eisenfuß" Eilts]

SAP founder and billionaire Dietmar Hopp wants a Bundesliga team in the region Mannheim.
The patron of TSG Hoffenheim, which he brought from a lower league
than district league to Regionalliga in the last 15 years, has big plans.
He wants TSG Hoffenheim, SV Sandhausen and Astoria Walldorf to fusionate to one team
and bring it to Bundesliga in the next 3years.
Furthermore he plans to invest 50 million € for a new stadium
with a capacity of 30000.

DFL brought him on the idea to build a club by fusionating with other teams,
because they said to Hopp, that the Dietmar-Hopp-Stadium (5000 seats),
he donated the club in 1999, is not ready for the Bundesliga.
He also thinks about involving tradional team Waldhof Mannheim in his project.

source: spiegel.de (German) (http://www.spiegel.de/sport/fussball/0,1518,382162,00.html)

[Alex_K]

My prediction: bankruptcy in 3 to 4 years.

[The Old Lady Hertha]

It would be kinda cool if it spectacularly failed. :D

Except for the fans and players and staff

[Alex_K]

Except for the fans

Hahahahahahahahahahaha...

:D

[aloisius]

My prediction: bankruptcy in 3 to 4 years.

Only if he would saddle them with expensive players and then walk away

Is that what you’re predicting?

[The Old Lady Hertha]

Hahahahahahahahahahaha...

:D
Yea I shuda put that in "quotes" :D

[Alex_K]

Only if he would saddle them with expensive players and then walk away

Is that what you’re predicting?

This guy is a megalomaniac. I mean, he bought a stadium and named it after himself. He will try to play with the big boys as soon as possible. He will buy some "stars", the club will not qualify for the Champions League, he will loose patience and leave frustrated. Then the club will sink like a rock. Think TeBe Berlin, but worse.

[The Old Lady Hertha]

This guy is a megalomaniac. I mean, he bought a stadium and named it after himself. He will try to play with the big boys as soon as possible. He will buy some "stars", the club will not qualify for the Champions League, he will loose patience and leave frustrated. Then the club will sink like a rock. Think TeBe Berlin, but worse.

Yea that was a disaster, TeBe Berlin...good thing you reminded me about that. That team should still be Berlin's 2nd or 3rd team (equal to or just behind Union back in the day). I still think they could have gone to the Bundesliga if they hadn't wasted so much money on the Legionaires...

[ohk4]

This guy is a megalomaniac. I mean, he bought a stadium and named it after himself. He will try to play with the big boys as soon as possible. He will buy some "stars", the club will not qualify for the Champions League, he will loose patience and leave frustrated. Then the club will sink like a rock. Think TeBe Berlin, but worse.

hasn't he been with Hoffenheim for 15 years now? I mean come on, he paid for the stadium. There are plenty of stadiums with people's names on it because they did something nice for the city/club - just like he did. From what I hear so far it sounds like he will do things with some sense. And the greater Mannheim area has a lot of people/money/potential. Where the problems will arise is that his USA/British model will rub a lot of people the wrong way here.

[footyfan1]

Yea that was a disaster, TeBe Berlin...good thing you reminded me about that. That team should still be Berlin's 2nd or 3rd team (equal to or just behind Union back in the day). I still think they could have gone to the Bundesliga if they hadn't wasted so much money on the Legionaires...


Oh my. TeBe was a disaster. And I hated them for poaching Sasa Ciric from 1. FC Nuernberg at that time.

Talk about proof that you can't simply buy success!!!

You can have all the money in the world, but if you don't know that you're doing with it.........

Well, you know that saying about "A fool and his money"???

If you want an even better example than TeBe, look no further than my favorite club. :mad:

[The Old Lady Hertha]

Oh my. TeBe was a disaster. And I hated them for poaching Sasa Ciric from 1. FC Nuernberg at that time.

Talk about proof that you can't simply buy success!!!

You can have all the money in the world, but if you don't know that you're doing with it.........

Well, you know that saying about "A fool and his money"???

If you want an even better example than TeBe, look no further than my favorite club. :mad:

Didn't TeBe pay 25000 euro (well something like that) a week for some player? Thats ridiculous for a 2. Bundesliga team. (I'm not sure about that, I may be wrong, 25000 looks ridiculous)

[footyfan1]

Didn't TeBe pay 25000 euro (well something like that) a week for some player? Thats ridiculous for a 2. Bundesliga team. (I'm not sure about that, I may be wrong, 25000 looks ridiculous)


More like 25,000 German Marks. And that would have been Ciric.

[aloisius]

Or maybe suchoparek.

[Alex_K]

hasn't he been with Hoffenheim for 15 years now? I mean come on, he paid for the stadium. There are plenty of stadiums with people's names on it because they did something nice for the city/club - just like he did. From what I hear so far it sounds like he will do things with some sense. And the greater Mannheim area has a lot of people/money/potential. Where the problems will arise is that his USA/British model will rub a lot of people the wrong way here.

Well, I don't like professional sports. And I think that the American model is even worse. Stories like this are just disgusting. Some sense or not - the only reason for this is this guy's ego. I have to admit that the scenario I described was more of a wish than an actual prediction.

Unfortunately stories like this become more common here. Wolfsburg, Ahlen, Paderborn, Hoffenheim... I can't wait until Wanne-Eickel gets it's own Bundesliga team.

[96Squig]

Well, I don't like professional sports. And I think that the American model is even worse. Stories like this are just disgusting. Some sense or not - the only reason for this is this guy's ego. I have to admit that the scenario I described was more of a wish than an actual prediction.

Unfortunately stories like this become more common here. Wolfsburg, Ahlen, Paderborn, Hoffenheim... I can't wait until Wanne-Eickel gets it's own Bundesliga team.

I disagree on the last parts. Wolfsburg didn't get much money from VW until they reached 2nd BL, now they are plastic, but not comparable to said Mannheim project. Paderborn is comparable to Osnabrück I'd say, not too bad. Mannheim will fail and we will all laugh :-)

btw, that would be even worse than Söhne Mannheims... if that happens I am all for bombing that city.

[footyfan1]

Or maybe suchoparek.


Expensive himself, yes, but I believe they spent the most money on Ciric.

I really liked Suchoparek too.

I wanted him in Dortmund the time........


Ciric too, but that was more my FCN bias talking.

[Alex_K]

I disagree on the last parts. Wolfsburg didn't get much money from VW until they reached 2nd BL, now they are plastic

VW is the only reason they still play Bundesliga. Without VW, in the long run Wolfsburg would be the market (American pro sports terminology! :D) for a team that goes up and down between the 2nd and 3rd Division, nothing more.

[F96]

They didn't even get 16.000 against Nürnberg.
It's pathetic.

[footyfan1]

VW is the only reason they still play Bundesliga. Without VW, in the long run Wolfsburg would be the market (American pro sports terminology! :D) for a team that goes up and down between the 2nd and 3rd Division, nothing more.


Isn't that how Bayer supported Leverkusen until just recently??? I mean, most of us know that's why they still play in a stadium that only seats 22,500........

[Alex_K]

Isn't that how Bayer supported Leverkusen until just recently??? I mean, most of us know that's why they still play in a stadium that only seats 22,500........

Basically yes. But they would probably do better than Uerdingen without Bayer (or Wolfsburg, if VW left).