[wolfsburgh]

According to the club, it is done with its preseason acquisitions.

The new guys (former club in parentheses):

Krzynowek (Leverkusen)
Madlung (Hertha)
Moehrle (Duisburg)
Boakye (Bielefeld)
Stegmayer (Bayern)
Santana (River Plate)

Klimowicz resigned for a year (the market must not have been kind to him). D'Alessandro was loaned to Real Zaragoza. Schnoor left.

I'm not blown away by the acquisitions. Krzynowek I think is overrated, although he can be an impact player on the left. Madlung never really showed any consistency at Hertha and is, perhaps, a threat to throw a game at any time. Moehrle is a solid pick-up; he was the best of a bad lot in Duisburg, but I don't think he's anything more than depth for the club. The new Schnoor? Boakye has had flashes of brilliance, but he too is terribly inconsistent and isn't going to be much more that a late games sub. I know nothing about Stegmayer, and assume he's a project for the future. Santana I know nothing about--I think the club is looking to him to possibly be its playmaking MF. Signing Klimo is a good thing. I have mixed feelings about D leaving, but on balance I don't think he was going to help us much anyway.

Bottom line is that I don't think the club got any better, which means if the team plays like it did last year, it's going to be another long season.

Here's the new shirt (which looks nice):

http://www.vfl-wolfsburg.de/index.php?id=15407

[sportfriend]

great to see a wolves fan, one of my favorite sides in 1st liga

i gotta ask, where the hell was Levan Tskitishvili this season? every match i watched he wasn't playing and i got really angry

[wolfsburgh]

Originally Posted by sportfriend

great to see a wolves fan, one of my favorite sides in 1st liga

i gotta ask, where the hell was Levan Tskitishvili this season? every match i watched he wasn't playing and i got really angry

Another fan! Tskitishvili played a lot under Fach, but wasn't preferred by Augenthaler and rarely played once Augenthaler took over. Don't really know if there is a story there--my understanding is that Augenthaler simply thought he had better options. Guy is still with the team, so there is always this season to impress the coach.

[sportfriend]

that's really disappointing and surprizing for a Freiburg fan to hear.

At the start of the season, it seemed he was usually in the starting 11...isn't that so? i actually wasn't aware Augenthaler took over.

c'mon Tskito!!!!

[wolfsburgh]

Originally Posted by sportfriend

that's really disappointing and surprizing for a Freiburg fan to hear.

At the start of the season, it seemed he was usually in the starting 11...isn't that so? i actually wasn't aware Augenthaler took over.

c'mon Tskito!!!!

Don't hold me to exact numbers, but he probably started 3/4 of the games in the first half of the season, but when Augenthaler took over at the winter break, I think he only played in a couple games the rest of the way. I'm not aware of any long-term injury--Augenthaler simply didn't play him.

[sportfriend]

tsk tsk! send him back to Freiburg then!

[urtel]

I'm glad Augenthaler is still in charge of the club. I really like what he did with Bayer. If he doesn't change from last season's ways...look out.

I like Jacek Krzynowek. Another wish is that he performs better than he did in the World Cup.

BTW, I'm painting my Jetta "Wolfsburg" green during the winter.

[vflkirwan]

Seems to me like every year since Peter Pander resigned the team is getting slightly worse. They don't have the offense they used to, but they still have the same defense.


I wanted to catch the VfL - Hannover game but natrulich that game is played in this year of the season (and I have no time at work left because I already spent 3 weeks in Germany this year ) We did run into Effenberg at the US-Czech game and it was quite fun listening to my friend bitch about him and then telling him how much he sucked at Wolfsburg. I hadn't been to Wolfsburg since 99. The new Autostadt was very cool and the new VW Arena was spectacular. Got the full tour and it is top rate from start to finish. Lots of pics of the stadium and Wolfsburg can be found here: www.njbrigade./gallery.html (select Germany - then Wolfsburg)


And if you get a chance, download their new screensaver from the team website. Very cool and interactive, has up to date game scores, table info and news.

Grün-Weiß VfL!!

[Grubic]

Originally Posted by wolfsburgh

Don't hold me to exact numbers, but he probably started 3/4 of the games in the first half of the season, but when Augenthaler took over at the winter break, I think he only played in a couple games the rest of the way. I'm not aware of any long-term injury--Augenthaler simply didn't play him.

He's gone now. Free transfer to Panionios in Greece.

[Grubic]

Just wondering everyone's thoughts on how Wolfsburg will do this year. I'm being optimistic and think they can finish in the top 12 or so. Santana is a great addition to the team. He's still learning/growing but he doesn't stop moving. Effort is what his game is about.

I've only seen him play a bit and some clips here and there but from what I've seen and read I think he'll be a solid player once he gets settled.