The FC Bayern München 2003/04 Thread [R]

[olafgb]

The last but (unfortunately ;)) not least team to start. The NT players arrive on July 6. Not a lot has to be said. Sovereign champion, unimportant players lost, some talents won – the giant favourite to win the championship again. The most interesting question will probably be if Schweinsteiger & Co only got playing time due to the never endangered success last season or if Bayern relies on them also in competitive moments. The only dangers for Bayern Munich are energy wasting success in the Champions League and internal trouble, that might occur when all players are healthy (last season Kuffour was mourning for his daughter and got time off for that; Scholl, Ballack, Salihamidzic, Deisler, Zickler and Santa Cruz were often injured and now want to have playing time as well as those who played instead of them). Bayern is still looking for a forward – Makaay is a topic as well as Tevez, who rather would be a second choice as Hitzfeld wants a striking forward (and not assisting as Hitzfeld rates Tevez) to prepare an Elber replacement for the next season, but nobody has to wonder if this just was a summer theatre (current situation: Makaay would come, Bayern offers 15 M, Deportivo demands 60 M).


GM: Uli Hoeneß
Head Coach: Otmar Hitzfeld (2005, since 7/98)
Main sponsor: T-mobile (cell phones)
Internet: www.fcbayern.de
Budget : 150 M
Season Aim: Championship, Champions League Title

New: Martin Demichelis (River Plate, 4.5 M), Michael Rensing, Piotr Trochowski (both own reserves), Tobias Rau (Wolfsburg, 2.5 M)

Leaving: Thorsten Fink (own reserves), Michael Tarnat (Manchester City), Stephan Wessels (Cologne), Bernd Dreher (career end), Niko Kovac (Hertha)


Goalies: Oliver Kahn, Michael Rensing

Defence: Willy Sagnol, Bixente Lizarazu, Sammy Kuffour, Robert Kovac, Martin Demichelis, Tobias Rau, Thomas Linke

Midfield: Mehmet Scholl, Michael Ballack, Ze Roberto, Jens Jeremies, Hasan Salihamidzic, Owen Hargreaves, Sebastian Deisler, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Markus Feulner, Piotr Trochowski

Offence: Giovane Elber, Claudio Pizarro, Alexander Zickler, Roque Santa Cruz, Zvejzdan Misimovic


Training Camps: July 6-10 in Leipzig, Germany; July 14-18 in Rottach-Egern/Germany
Scheduled Friendlies: July 25, Kiel; August 5, Newcastle
League Cup: July 22, winner of Berlin/Hamburg in Jena

[scd84]

I was beginning to think you didn't care ;)

[panicfc]

I really hate this team, you all know that - but I have to say I applaud them for not changing Deisler's number from # 26 to #10 this season.

Too many clubs try to sell shirts and that may have cause a spike in the sales and they didn't do it. It isn't often I applaud Bayern Munich, but this is great that they thought of their supporters.

Second, the signing of Demichelis is fantastic. Damn! I love this kid and would have liked to see him at BL.04 instead.

Now I can go back to hating the Devil's club, Pure evil, and all things normally wrong with the world.

:D

[dutchboy39]

I would not be surprised at all if Bayarn complete their goal of completed the treble. They have an outstanding squad as it is and have a lot of talent ready to prove themselves after last years champions leauge exit. If they can manage to get Maakay I would not be surprised if they ran away with the leauge early and concetrated on the Champions Leauge. As long as injuries dont ravage the squad, look for Bayarn to be celebrating come May.

[Syncope]

I ofter wonder how non-Bayern fans (or haters), and especially those from outside Germany, and extra especially those who support other mega-clubs, view Bayern's squad. What does a ManU, Juve, or Madrid fan actually think of Bayern's players.

I know how I feel about other teams, which is sometimes quite different from what I think of their players. I can openly admit to glee when Madrid or ManU fails, but I actually quite enjoy watching them, as they have great squads.

Does Bayern have a great squad? I sure think they have a good squad, but compare to clubs that spend themselves into oblivion, do they have a great squad?

I think Bayern's great weakness is that everyone is injured all the time, and that they don't have a world class striker (like a Vieri, Van Nistelrooy, Henry, Raul, etc.).

[Saint]

but outside these 5 dtrikers there <re ne mor "world class strikers"

and if, a big IF, Santa Cruz can stay healthy a complete season, he has the talent to be a really great striker!

[Basti]

Supposedly Deportivo want 21million for Makaay but Bayern have offered only 15-18million.

I doubt he will come, he's dutch and he's already playing in a more glorified league.

I would like to see him play for Bayern, it would take the team to a new level and possibly a Champions League Final victory... but I highly doubt he will be signed.

Concerning Tevez, Bayern don't need him. He's an attacking midfielder, we need a world class striker

[Excape Goat]

No big name to join bayern Munich this season. Elber is going to stay???

[Syncope]

Yes, Elber is staying, for two reasons. If he stays, he's a free transfer at the end of the season, and can thus collect a nice "personal" transfer fee. Second, he's still the best striker in the BL--and if he's not, he's at least the most consistent when measured over a whole season.

Elber might have never figured in the Brazilian NT, but for Munich's style of play he was perfect, and he proved it numerous times in international play. I hope he will have a great season for Bayern, but to achieve that he will have to work twice as hard as ever before.

[Texan]

Anybody want to venture a guess on Bayern's opening match starting XI?

[Excape Goat]

It is good to hear that Elber is going to stay. Bayern Munich will be awesome next season. The team is in intact from last season.

[panicfc]

Originally posted by Texan
Anybody want to venture a guess on Bayern's opening match starting XI?

11 players I will hate

:D

Kahn
Sagnol Kovacs other guy Lizarazu

Can't remember Deisler Ballack Ze Roberto
Elber Pizarro

[Basti]

----------------------Kahn-----------------------

Sagnol---------Kuffour-------Linke--------Lizarazu

---------------------Jeremies--------------------

Deisler---------------Ballack-----------Ze Roberto

------------MAKAAY-----------Elber--------------

[JeffS]

Originally posted by panicfc
I really hate this team, you all know that - but I have to say I applaud them for not changing Deisler's number from # 26 to #10 this season.

Too many clubs try to sell shirts and that may have cause a spike in the sales and they didn't do it. It isn't often I applaud Bayern Munich, but this is great that they thought of their supporters.

Second, the signing of Demichelis is fantastic. Damn! I love this kid and would have liked to see him at BL.04 instead.

Now I can go back to hating the Devil's club, Pure evil, and all things normally wrong with the world.

:D

Let me guess, you don't like Bayern? ;)

Actually, I think Bayern will do very well in the CL this year. Which means that they will have a harder go in the Bundesliga, since they will have more high pressure games.

I'm a long time Bayern fan, and I've questioned my loyalty recently due to their financial arrangement with Krich and some of the tabloid stuff and Uli Hoeness' big mouth. However, the players they have assembled are as good as ever and they should be as fun as ever to watch. Demichelis will be great, Rau is a hot young German prospect, Deisler might actually stay healthy and impress, Ballack is one of the best players in the world, Kahn is the best 'keeper in the world, Elber and Pizarro are an excellent one-two combo, and they might get Makaay or Teves. It's an amazing group.

And Bayern are Germany's / the Bundesliga's best hope to go far in the CL. From that standpoint, any Bundesliga fan should want them to do well.

[panicfc]

Originally posted by JeffS
Let me guess, you don't like Bayern? ;)



And Bayern are Germany's / the Bundesliga's best hope to go far in the CL. From that standpoint, any Bundesliga fan should want them to do well.

I don't particularly care for Bayern, and I don't want them do well in anything except fastest time to enter hell.

I find them repulsive to look at and it all stems from Hoeness, Beckenbauer and the lot of them.

I can taste the bile in my throat.

[olafgb]

Originally posted by JeffS
However, the players they have assembled are as good as ever and they should be as fun as ever to watch.


You must be a masochist if you think that Bayern's games are fun to watch. ;) Successful - yes; lots of talent - yes; good roster - yes; any fun to watch their games - not the slightest bit, they play boring as hell.


And Bayern are Germany's / the Bundesliga's best hope to go far in the CL. From that standpoint, any Bundesliga fan should want them to do well.

That's actually a vicious circle. Bundesliga needs Bayern's points on international level and success there means that Bayern is not as fresh as the other teams in the league, which makes the championship more interesting. But with the success, Bayern is collecting more and more money and the financial gap to the others is growing and growing. We already have the situation that if Bayern started with two teams, the budget of the teams would still be no 2 in the league with a gap to the 3rd as it now is between Bayern and Dortmund, the two richest clubs by far.

[olafgb]

Former champion coach Max Merkel did an outlook on Bayern Munich today. Merkel is writing columns for BILD, often on low level but today he made me laugh:


Friends, let's look forward to the next season. The last title race was as existing as mud flats hiking in Büsum. But this will change. Luckily Bayern will be challenged in Europe after the last yawn-season. This will affect their Bundesliga play. In the Champions League they could make the final, I'm dreaming of Bayern vs Real.

Attacking-Uli stroke against Real after the Beckham transfer: 'everything monkey theater, everything circus'. Dear Uli Hoeneß: you at Bayern have Circus-Olli. At night he is in P1, Munich's smooch temple. The number was Olli and Verena in the smooching corner. I always said it: goalies and left wingers are crazy [for the Germans: how to find a good translation for the great expression "einen an der Bimmel haben"?]

Olli Kahn's case is more complex. Olli must have had a horrifying experience, probably the Ronaldo goal in the WC final. Since then the goalie-titan seems to be confused. He reminds me of my poodle, who's also falling in love with every "Fifi" that's crossing his way. My wife Marion almost lost the belief in men (except me) when Mrs Kahn was expecting a baby and her husband went around the houses with his girlfriend. I explained it to Marion: "Olli is the last freedom fighter in the free state Bavaria" or as he said himself "I need freedom from my wife".

Even more: every speed limit is considered to be killing Olli's freedom. In his Ferrari he must think that radar controls are hidden cameras of journalists... He always complains that everybody is following him. But: who's parking on a pedestrian path, publically smooches in the P1, pushes on the Autobahn, obviously wants to be photographed.

Olli relaxed on a luxus-boat in the Mediterranean Sea. First with Verena, then with wife Simone. Maybe he now likes to play some soccer again. Or does he park his Ferrari in the goal now? Normally you've got to sell such a mad person, but in the whole world you won't find a second goalie of his class...

[panicfc]

Great stuff. Olli Kahn, if he goes off the deep end - which could happen, Bayern would be in huge trouble.

[Basti]

Morientes is supposedly for sale at Madrid for 17million

Bayern supposedly offered 15-17million for Makaay but was rejected

So Bayern fans, who do you think would be a better signing? I know Beckenbauer is an avid fan of Morientes but I, myself don't think he's better than Makaay


and Bayern haters... your thoughts too

[Basti]

.... sorry just had to put the Bayern thread back on top before I log off


but you guys should be used to that with the liga no? :) :)