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Originally Posted by david29
Good god, has it really come to this? That I'm somehow relieved at snatching a point when we're at home to f**king Bielefeld!? Granted, at least the team had shown some heart in the dying stages to grab some late goals in the last week, but our performances at home this season are just a f**king embarrassment. Or at least, I hope they are to the players themselves.
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That is indeed what it has come to. I told Chris on the list that his expectations are too high for this team. They just aren't as good as management told us they were.
Also, I'll tell you something else I told Chris. We have to give Bielefeld credit. Trust me man, this isn't the same old Arminia......
You can't just see "Bielefeld" and say, "We should whomp them!" They are right on FC Bayern's tails.
But, all in all, I agree with what you're saying. Boy, do I agree!!
You will see on the rep you got for this one!
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Originally Posted by david29
For god's sake, why are these guys seemingly intimidated by having 80,000 people on their side every fortnight? This isn't the Bernabeu, you're not going to get heckled at halftime if it's still 0-0. Why is it every week I feel as though it's going to take a miracle for us to put two goals in the back of the net? How can be spend almost £10 on strikers and be even more toothless in front of goal?
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If you've been reading the list mail, you see what I say about the strikers. "New names, same old shit!" About the only one who's come close to looking dangerous this season has been Smolarek and he's starting to show signs of tailing off again. But, I hope that's just the switch back to the 4-3-3.
Maybe I shouldn't say Ebi the only one who's "come close" to looking dangerous. Valdez "looks dangerous", but has done nothing with it. Ebi has at least put three in. However, I do feel that once Valdez gets one, they'll keep coming.
Problem is, I said that all last season about Delron Buckley too......
BTW, on Valdez, I'm trying to finish the translation of an interview with him before the Bielefeld match. Interesting reading.
BTW, on our team being intimidated by our own crowd? I can freakin' understand that. I don't accept it as an excuse, but yeah, I can understand it!
No, it's not the Bernabeu, but if you ask BVB players and opponents alike, most of them will tell you it's the most intimidating sight in German football.
Dude, have you ever been on the pitch in that stadium and looked up??
Chris and I did it after we won the title in 2002. I was almost f#cking knocked on my ass from the mere sight of it and I wasn't even playing a match. I wondered how they do it without getting totally nervous.
Take a look at this.
We have:
Weidenfeller: It doesn't seem to affect him now, but it did when he first joined us. How do you think Warmuz got to play so much a couple of seasons ago?
Degen: Degen talks a lot, but I think deep down, he's a punk with a big mouth. I don't think the stadium intimidates him, I just don't think he's tough enough for the Bundesliga.
Brzenska: I think he gets intimidated by the crowd and he's overrated. He's not as good as he was made out to be last season.
Amedick: I could see it in him on Saturday. The difference between his overall play in Nuernberg last week and this past Saturday was obvious. His defending was still pretty damned good, but he made so many bad passes, it was crazy. Bielefeld executed their game plan better than anyone I've seen this season, but you could tell even on TV that Amedick was nervous.
Woerns: Used to it.
Dede: Used to it.
Kruska: Shows more ability to play under the home pressure than many of the older new players.
Pienaar: He sucked home and away, but you could see he looks more relaxed in away matches. He's one of the new players I think the surroundings clearly intimidates.
Kringe: Used to the crowd, but not improving anymore. Seems to have stagnated.
Ricken: Out with the shoulder injury, but seems to only play well in Cottbus and Milan these days......
Tinga: Still getting used to everything, but still, at least in my book, has been our most consistent field player not named Dede this season.
Sahin & Tyrala: Really haven't played enough at home to say anything about them.
Frei: Even though he's freezing up at home and away, you can see more tentativeness from him in matches at the Westfalenstadion. Has been more valuable as a set-up man than a finisher. That's not what we bought him for.
Valdez: Doesn't seem to be intimidated by the crowd. Just hasn't had any luck. When he's been healthy, he's contributed to the team. Can't think of one "bad" match he's had. He just hasn't scored yet.
Smolarek: Is not intimidated by the crowd and works his ass off. For me second only to Valdez in overall effort. Can't lay the blame for any of this at his feet. He's the only one of the three who other teams seem to be concerned with finding the net....
So, again, while Westfalenstadion may not be the Bernabeu, it is still easily the most imposing sight in German football, bar none.
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Originally Posted by david29
Say what you want about the defence, but if ever the mantra of 'defending as team' was true, it's what I see from BVB. Now we hardly posses the most watertight back four in world football, but when your front men miss chance after chance and your opposition bloody well knows this and is content to press then ninety minutes must feel like an eternity for some of those guys. Not to mention Weidenfeller. Must get sick of knowing that in most cases, conceding just one goal will be enough and we'll just strangle ourselves out of the rest of the game.
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All true. However, the strikers aren't the only problem. Any threat from our midfield is non-existent. Other teams know that too. I think that is what is killing us more than anything. And that's due to Pienaar's complete failure to this point.
Not only does Pienaar get completely intimidated at home, he also gets frustrated faster than a teenage boy trying to get his girlfriend's panties down for the first time.
If that guy can learn to work through his frustration, we'll have a nice attacking midfielder on our hands. He just gets frustrated and taken out of his game the first time something doesn't go his way.
And we need this guy. If we can get him going, it would open up easier opportunities for the strikers.......
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Originally Posted by david29
That said, I'm no closer to an answer than anyone else is. I'm just sick to death of being dictated to by sides that, given the talent we have available, we should be disposing of. Or at least putting to the sword. Christ, I'd take that at the moment. No more 'we have understood'. Just put a few past Aachen and be done with it...
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I hope it's that simple. The problem is this. We have the "talent", we just don't have the attitude. Chris complained about the team not "playing like men." I asked him what the hell did he expect when management buys "nice guys" and young boys??
We don't play like "real men" because there's a shortage of "real men" on the team.
BVB management are afraid to buy strong-minded, cocky players for fear of "damaging goodwill within the team".
Yeah, they might sing "Kum Bai Yah" (However, you spell that shit!) with each other before and after matches, but until we get a few a$$holes on the team, this BVB squad will always underachieve.
And yes, despite my responses here, I still meant the "HELL YEAH!" I wrote when giving you rep for this post.
I still mostly agree in principle. I've just resigned myself to the fact that management sold us a bunch of bullshit with this team and they still have work to do.
You know what's funny??
According to "kicker", we're still two points ahead of last season's pace.
Despite all the problems, we're still ahead of last season's pace when we had guys like Rosicky and Kehl in the lineup.
We have that despite having a worse team. I think BvM must be doing something right.
Also, another thing I told Chris is that despite the result, that was the best home performance of the season. And it was. People don't want to seem to give Bielefeld credit.
They are fifth in the table for a reason. This isn't the same old Arminia.
I usually think I have the answers when it comes to BVB. Just like most other fans. However, the answer I have to this situation is the one nobody wants to hear or read.
Patience. We need to be patient. It's not the time for knee-jerk reactions. Not quite yet.
This team is coming along. We just need to throw out all the bullshit goals management put up and let this team gel. That process has started already.
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Match Day 10: BVB v. Arminia Bielefeld [R]
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