[footyfan1]

After a big win in Cottbus, (I’m still embarrassed that we have to call a Week 7 win in Cottbus “big”) we get to come home for a “kleines Ruhr Derby” (Small Ruhr Derby) this Friday night with VfL Bochum. As I’m sure most of you know already, VfL Bochum were slammed 6-0 at home this past Saturday by Werder Bremen.


I think Bochum will be eager to redeem themselves and I’m sure their coach, Marcel Koller, will be telling his players, “What better place to do it than the Westfalenstadion?”


One thing I feel will work in our favor is that while I think Bochum will come in and fight, I really don’t think Bochum CAN put up the kind of fight we survived in Cottbus. However, we cannot go into this match thinking it’s going to be easy either.


We need to put Bochum away and put them away early. Don’t give them any notion that they can come into our house and win.


I hope BvM will play Ricken again. And I think he will. Especially with the way the team kept it’s composure on the pitch on Sunday.


I think Ricken’s experience had a bit to do with that.


However, with Valdez most likely being fit enough for Friday, BvM has to decide whether to stick with Frei/Smolarek or give Valdez another shot.


Even though Smolarek didn’t score against Cottbus, in my opinion, he still played well enough and I think, deserves to stay in the lineup for now. At least until his “hot streak” comes to an end.


I’m hoping this will be our lineup for the Bochum match:


Weidenfeller, Kringe, Brzenska, Wörns, Dede, Kruska, Tinga, Ricken, Pienaar, Smolarek, Frei

[Arlo]

3 points and not least!!! and i just know that Ricken is going to help us achive this

[footyfan1]

Originally Posted by Arlo

3 points and not least!!! and i just know that Ricken is going to help us achive this

Every player on the pitch should help achieve victory.


However, the players cannot look at what Bremen did to Bochum last weekend and think it will be easy.


We have to come out playing hard and concentrate on putting this match away early. The best thing for us would be an early goal without giving it right the hell back!


Kill any enthusiasm Bochum may come in with and try to pound them into submission. Because I can guarantee you, Bochum will come to fight.


This would be a great match for our guys to begin to learn what "killer instinct" is. If they could just develop that, then we would be a "hot" team.

[HypoLuxa]

As you've said, Keith, this is a great opportunity to continue a good display and maybe put together a good run of results to get the confidence a bit higher among the players.

Is it just me or does it seem like most everyone out there is trying too hard to make the perfect pass or hit the top corner with every shot or make the perfect tackle? It just seems to me that the boys are pressing too hard and not letting their confidence take over and play like we all know they can.

A 6-0 win would do wonders for our confidence, fans AND players!

Won't happen, but it'd be nice....

[footyfan1]

Originally Posted by HypoLuxa

As you've said, Keith, this is a great opportunity to continue a good display and maybe put together a good run of results to get the confidence a bit higher among the players.

Is it just me or does it seem like most everyone out there is trying too hard to make the perfect pass or hit the top corner with every shot or make the perfect tackle? It just seems to me that the boys are pressing too hard and not letting their confidence take over and play like we all know they can.

A 6-0 win would do wonders for our confidence, fans AND players!

Won't happen, but it'd be nice....

I agree that the players seem to press themselves far too much, but I don't think they look for perfection, I think they are nervous and don't want to be the ones to screw up.

I think "HeyaBVB" said it best in the "How Much Is BvM To Blame" thread when he said that there is too much pressure being put on the team by management and fans.

I truly think this team wasn't ready for a goal of finishing in the top five. Even if Kehl and Metzelder weren't injured. It's a young team and it needs time to gel.

It's like I always say. You can't keep making player acquisitions (buying) for the future and then expect the future results immediately.

BVB has to learn that you can't replace experience with inexperience and expect to win immediately. It just isn't done.

However, the rest of the league seems to be cooperating with the time schedule this BVB team needs to grow. To have the problems we've had so far and still at least be in touch with the top teams has to be encouraging to the team.

We need to take these three points against Bochum because after that, one of the tougher parts of our schedule is coming up. After Bochum, we have to travel to Nuernberg, where it's tough for us even when Nuernberg sucks. They're a contender now, so they'll be doubly fired up to beat us. I intend to be at that match in Nuernberg.

Then we have two consecutive home matches. People might consider them "easy", but they are not.

The first one is against Bielefeld, who usually give us a tough match at our place or theirs. The next one is another Friday night match against Aachen. And you see what they've been doing so far this season.

After that, we have ANOTHER Friday night match IN BREMEN!

That's before we come home to face Hertha BSC Berlin (I intend to be at that match!) and follow that up with a trip to Frankfurt, where we got our asses handed to us last season!

After Frankfurt, we host Wolfsburg, go to the Arena auf Scheisse for the Derby with Scheisse 0-6 and finish the first half hosting Bayer Leverkusen.

Why did I go through all of that? To show that this match against Bochum could be a real high or low point in our season.

I think it's going to get tougher after this. Between here and the winterpause we don't have two "easy" matches in a row.

I also think we can't afford to throw away anymore points.

For me, anything less than a victory will be a huge disappointment.

[Arlo]

same thing with disappointment here, 3 points, not less!!!
every point we lose at home, in Westfallen, is a disappointment for our spectators

[Coon]

Originally Posted by footyfan1

I agree that the players seem to press themselves far too much, but I don't think they look for perfection, I think they are nervous and don't want to be the ones to screw up.

I think "HeyaBVB" said it best in the "How Much Is BvM To Blame" thread when he said that there is too much pressure being put on the team by management and fans.

I truly think this team wasn't ready for a goal of finishing in the top five. Even if Kehl and Metzelder weren't injured. It's a young team and it needs time to gel.

It's like I always say. You can't keep making player acquisitions (buying) for the future and then expect the future results immediately.

BVB has to learn that you can't replace experience with inexperience and expect to win immediately. It just isn't done.

However, the rest of the league seems to be cooperating with the time schedule this BVB team needs to grow. To have the problems we've had so far and still at least be in touch with the top teams has to be encouraging to the team.

We need to take these three points against Bochum because after that, one of the tougher parts of our schedule is coming up. After Bochum, we have to travel to Nuernberg, where it's tough for us even when Nuernberg sucks. They're a contender now, so they'll be doubly fired up to beat us. I intend to be at that match in Nuernberg.

Then we have two consecutive home matches. People might consider them "easy", but they are not.

The first one is against Bielefeld, who usually give us a tough match at our place or theirs. The next one is another Friday night match against Aachen. And you see what they've been doing so far this season.

After that, we have ANOTHER Friday night match IN BREMEN!

That's before we come home to face Hertha BSC Berlin (I intend to be at that match!) and follow that up with a trip to Frankfurt, where we got our asses handed to us last season!

After Frankfurt, we host Wolfsburg, go to the Arena auf Scheisse for the Derby with Scheisse 0-6 and finish the first half hosting Bayer Leverkusen.

Why did I go through all of that? To show that this match against Bochum could be a real high or low point in our season.

I think it's going to get tougher after this. Between here and the winterpause we don't have two "easy" matches in a row.

I also think we can't afford to throw away anymore points.

For me, anything less than a victory will be a huge disappointment.

Great points... this match will be very important. This match reminds me a lot of the friday Gladbach game. Gladbach got their asses handed to them by Aachen the week before and we played them at home. Anyway the match ended up 2-2 and the players got booed at home. Hopefully they have learned from that and do not let it happen again.

[AMK3]

What i want to know is why Ricken is not playing all the time under BvM, and turning out for the reserves. In my opinion he's a quality player

[footyfan1]

Originally Posted by AMK3

What i want to know is why Ricken is not playing all the time under BvM, and turning out for the reserves. In my opinion he's a quality player

Because Ricken doesn't always show his "quality." Which is why until last week, his ass was DESERVEDLY playing on the reserve team.

He only shows it after his ass has been on the bench for awhile. And we have enough quality midfielders to keep his ass on the bench when he doesn't show his "quality", which over the past three or four years has been most of the time...

In other words, he didn't play before last week because he didn't deserve to.

He always seems to play well in Cottbus. Let's see if he keeps it up. As far as I'm concerned, he earned another shot.

[footyfan1]

Originally Posted by Coon

Great points... this match will be very important. This match reminds me a lot of the friday Gladbach game. Gladbach got their asses handed to them by Aachen the week before and we played them at home. Anyway the match ended up 2-2 and the players got booed at home. Hopefully they have learned from that and do not let it happen again.

I think you have two matches mixed up. Yes, we played Gladbach after they got their asses handed to them in Aachen, but that was the match we lost to them 1-0 in Gladbach.

The match that ended 2-2 and with the players being jeered off the pitch at home was the next Friday night against Hannover 96.