(R) VfB Stuttgart Thread 08/09

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Anyone have any word on the "Possible Hildebrand Return" on a free transfer rumors??

If you haven't seen the rumors and read German, here is an article at Kicker.de. (http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/startseite/artikel/384662/)

If Lehmann were to retire, Hildebrand would be the dream choice replacement.

[benztown]

I don't know if there's a VfB supporters thread out there other than this one...so I apologize if I've posted in the wrong place....

Anyone have any info on the various supporters groups in Stuttgart?

I've looked at the Commando Canstatt and Lost Boys home pages, and there didn't seem to be much info regarding membership. I suppose I will just have to go in person. I find sitting and singing in the supporters section to be much more fun than simply watching the game....

I also ask for info because, I'm wondering, as an American if they'd even be interested in having me around. Both groups claimed to be non-political, and only interested in VfB Stuttgart, but for example, on the Commando pages they seemed to have a lot of pro-Swabian anti-everyone else attitude, and on the lost boys site they talked about their "enemies" in other supporters groups...Is there anything to this talk, or is it simply good natured hot air?

My only other experience with supporters groups has been La Barra Brava here in Washington D.C., and their policy was if you wanted to stand and sing your ass off for the team, you were welcome. Nothing else (race, creed, color, age, origin, sex, anything) mattered.

Any input would be appreciated.


I agree with Vfbstuttgartfan that it's not necessary to join an ultras group. It sounds as if your mostly looking for the "fan-experience". In that case, just get tickets for the stands (A-Block or B-Block). They are the cheapest tickets and it's much more fun to stand anyway. Also, that's where you find the most vocal fans.

Personally, I usually went for the B-Block because I had the feeling that the fans there are slightly more civilized, but I guess everybody has to find out for himself what he prefers.

Unfortunately, ever since I moved, I don't get to see many games in the stadium anymore and the last couple of times, I went with my respective girlfriends and the stands were therefore out of the question ;)

[footyfan1]

If Lehmann were to retire, Hildebrand would be the dream choice replacement.

Why if Lehmann was to retire? Isn't he still just signed for this season?

If you can get Hildebrand back, you just let Lehmann walk......

[footyfan1]

Unfortunately, ever since I moved, I don't get to see many games in the stadium anymore and the last couple of times, I went with my respective girlfriends and the stands were therefore out of the question ;)


Off-topic, that's exactly my sentiment. I'm taking my current girlfriend to her first match in Dortmund next month and we're definitely getting seats.

I made the mistake of taking a former girlfriend to the Westfalenstadion Sudtribune one time before! It wasn't pretty! LOL!!

[THOMA GOL]

Schwaben doing well pressing in possession early on, but the final third hasn't clicked yet. This came looks to be opne right out of the gates. SIEG, Stutt!!

[THOMA GOL]

what a dive:mad:

[benztown]

what a dive:mad:

I'm listening on the radio...so unfortunately, I couldn't see it...:(

[THOMA GOL]

The Hammer was called on a foul against a Hamburg player in the box. It looked like a slip or dive on the Hamburg player. 1-0 Cheeseburgers. It's been a freeflowing match so far overall. Hamburg has started to take an edge in the possession after Schwaben had been pushing into their half on offense.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

I wrote a long post that I accidentally deleted... can't be bothered to rewrite it, point is last night was frustrating, we controlled the game over large periods and lost 2-0, one penalty and one total fluke goal. We're down to 9th now due to our inconsistency and it's really really annoying. In Dortmund, In Berlin, now in Hamburg, we had a chance to consoldiate our position in the high positions of the league. The side comprehensively failed each time and it's really ********ing annoying.

MR Veh, in our last 1 and a half seasons, this side has won 5 in 22 away games. 5!!!! That's pathetic and we all know it, and somehow this trend has to be reversed becuase I and i'm sure many others are getting really sick of us playing well in Stuttgart only to suck completely whenever we go play somewhere else. I'm impatient now, and so are others. And if this trend isn't turned around, you can be damn sure that we will be nowhere near the European spots at the end of the season.

I remain hopeful that it can be turned around. We all saw how good they were away in the title year. Something just needs to be done to bring the side's mentality back to waht they had that year.

Koeln on the weekend and i'm confident we can come back to winning ways. And hell, we HAVE to get back to winning ways because, having dropped down to 9th now, we simply cannot afford to lose more points.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Player Ratings:

Jens Lehmann: Kicker Rating: 3 (10 games played, 2.85 avg.)
My Rating: 2.5 - Our Best.

Khalid Boulahrouz: KR: 3.5 (6 games played, 4 as started, 3.70 avg.)
MR: 3.5

Serdar Tasci: KR: 3 (10 games played, 3.25 avg.)
MR: 3

Matthieu Delpierre: KR: 2.5 - Our Best (8 games played, 3.38 avg.)
MR: 3

Arthur Boka: KR: 4 (10 games played, 9 as starter, 3.95 avg.)
MR: 3.5

Pavel Pardo: KR: 3 (5 games played, 3.10 avg.)
MR: 4

Roberto Hilbert: KR: 3 (9 games played, 8 as starter, 3.72 avg.)
MR: 3

Sami Khedira: KR: 4 (8 games played, 6 as starter, 3.21 avg.)
MR: 4

Thomas Hitzlsperger: KR: 4 (10 games played, 3.50 avg.)
MR: 4.5

Mario Gomez: KR: 3.5 (10 games played, 3.40 avg.)
MR: 3.5

Cacau: KR: 4 (6 games played, 3.58 avg.)
MR: 4

SUBS:

Ciprian Marica: KR: No Rating (7 games played, 3 as starter, 4.50 avg.)
MR: No Rating

[Rainer24]

I wrote a long post that I accidentally deleted... can't be bothered to rewrite it, point is last night was frustrating, we controlled the game over large periods and lost 2-0, one penalty and one total fluke goal. We're down to 9th now due to our inconsistency and it's really really annoying. In Dortmund, In Berlin, now in Hamburg, we had a chance to consoldiate our position in the high positions of the league. The side comprehensively failed each time and it's really ********ing annoying.

MR Veh, in our last 1 and a half seasons, this side has won 5 in 22 away games. 5!!!! That's pathetic and we all know it, and somehow this trend has to be reversed becuase I and i'm sure many others are getting really sick of us playing well in Stuttgart only to suck completely whenever we go play somewhere else. I'm impatient now, and so are others. And if this trend isn't turned around, you can be damn sure that we will be nowhere near the European spots at the end of the season.

I remain hopeful that it can be turned around. We all saw how good they were away in the title year. Something just needs to be done to bring the side's mentality back to waht they had that year.

Koeln on the weekend and i'm confident we can come back to winning ways. And hell, we HAVE to get back to winning ways because, having dropped down to 9th now, we simply cannot afford to lose more points.


Agree with all of that. We can beat anyone in the league on our day, but we have got to be the most inconsistent side in the league. It's really frustrating. Our home form is good, but we can't buy a point away. Jarolim is a diver and it certainly bit us in the ass, but Hitzi really shouldn't attempt that tackle in the box anyway. It was a dive, but going in like that in the box is practically begging for a dive and then leaving it to the ref to give the penalty or punish the dive. The former happened and it killed us.

[+Gooner+]

Why if Lehmann was to retire? Isn't he still just signed for this season?

If you can get Hildebrand back, you just let Lehmann walk......

But the club wants Lehmann to renew his contract and if he wanted to he could sign right now. Veh and Heldt keep talking about that. They said that they are not interested in Timo now that Lehmann plays and Gomez said he hopes VfB will be able to achieve something this season so Lehmann will stay. Plus, Hildebrand will leave in winter and the only way would be if Lehmann said in winter, no, I am not going to stay and Hildebrand would be willing to sit in the bench for the rest of the season. :D

And from what I have heard and read from VfB fans Hilde has lost a lot of sympathies for his contract poker and with some comments about his team mates. If they had the choice between Hilde and Lehmann, well, tough luck, Timo.

[footyfan1]

But the club wants Lehmann to renew his contract and if he wanted to he could sign right now. Veh and Heldt keep talking about that. They said that they are not interested in Timo now that Lehmann plays and Gomez said he hopes VfB will be able to achieve something this season so Lehmann will stay. Plus, Hildebrand will leave in winter and the only way would be if Lehmann said in winter, no, I am not going to stay and Hildebrand would be willing to sit in the bench for the rest of the season. :D


And from what I have heard and read from VfB fans Hilde has lost a lot of sympathies for his contract poker and with some comments about his team mates. If they had the choice between Hilde and Lehmann, well, tough luck, Timo.


Got it. Thanks a lot.

[Rainer24]

Quickly sliding down the table now. :(

[benztown]

Quickly sliding down the table now. :(

What table? I decided to ignore reality at this point...

[Rainer24]

What table? I decided to ignore reality at this point...


I should probably do the same if I want to avoid sleepless nights and expensive therapy. Everyone is so bunched together that a couple of wins could have us back in the top 6, but I just can't see it happening right now. We are so damn mediocre.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

I don't want to talk about that Koeln game at all - but Rainer got it right when he said 'We are so damn mediocre'. That's how I see it, and it's really a shame that management and the players were unable to consolidate the progress of that one brilliant year 2 seasons ago and that we now find ourselves back as a simple midtable side.

Can we make Europe this season? Sure we can, players are pretty good and if we find form we can move up the table again. But at the moment we're nowhere near such form and i'd be surprised if we finish the season in the top 5. 3 away losses in a row were really bad, but hey we've been getting used to that, but a loss at home to Koeln is really unexpected and enormously dissappointing. The worst result in a highly average season so far.

On Thursday we host Partizan Belgrade. We'll need to win that one to keep ourselves in the running in our Uefa Cup group - and on our present form that will be very hard. I hope we make it.

[Equilibrium]

You have Gomez, you'll make it. :cool:

[Rainer24]

I don't want to talk about that Koeln game at all - but Rainer got it right when he said 'We are so damn mediocre'. That's how I see it, and it's really a shame that management and the players were unable to consolidate the progress of that one brilliant year 2 seasons ago and that we now find ourselves back as a simple midtable side.




I almost feel like we would be a better team right now had we not won that title and instead finished 3rd or 4th. As it turned out, we went the typical Swabian way, i.e. not spending any real money to strengthen the squad, and what they did spend was on that enormous flop of a Marica. We let Beck go before this year and he has been very good for Hoffenheim, but we never manage to sign a single player I get get excited about, and we clearly need something that we aren't getting from the youth right now.

[Vfbstuttgartfan]

Belgrade at home tonight. I'm bummed with the team at the moment so can't be bothered to write any long preview, but basically we have to win to stay in the running, and I hope we do.

I wouldn't mind seeing Boka, Hilbert and Hitzlsperger benched after their calamities against Koeln. We shall see.