Re: BL 08/09 Match Day 27: Borussia Dortmund v 1. FC Koln [R] Subotic ties it for us with a goal in the 29th minute. Frei put in a corner kick and Subotic got free and headed home. 1-1
C'mon...we NEED a win here. Truth is, it looks pretty certain that a place in Europe is not at all realistic at this stage.
Not very realistic, no. And it doesn't help us that Scheisse is winning and Leverkusen plays tomorrow.
49th minute: Hajnal puts about a 30 meter volley on net. Mondragon pushed it against the post, but it rolled in from there! 2-1 BVB
81st minute: Geromel with an own-goal. He tapped in a Frei cross intended for Kevin-Prince Boateng, who was not in position to take advantage anyhow, but Geromel didn't know that. Boateng came in for Valdez in the 80th minute.
Of coarse it matters, at the end of the day you see progression from one season to the next. You were in 12th place last season, correct? I said in the beginning of the season that you will finish 6-9th place. Even if it's 9th place, that still shows an improvement of last season. There are a lot of quality teams this season. The Hoff has come out of nowhere, Italian Hertha has improved tremendously, Schalke would be top 3 any other season, same with Bremen, Leverkusen has usually been a top 3-7 side and Stuttgart has started to play like the champions of 2 seasons ago under Babbel. Too many teams have improved, you guys have improved with the new coach than your last, but you must take into consideration others improved also. Frei imo has really stepped up these past games and if he continues, you should try to get an extension out of him and keep him along with Zidan. Didn't see the game today, but it seems Frei played well and got involved in 2 of the 3 goals. Get another striker potentially for Valdez, who knows. I think priority number like I have said before is getting a creative player in midfield. Kuba + Hajnal + ? = winner.
Actually Cris, if Bremen beats Leverkusen and HSV beats Stuttgart tomorrow, we will just be two points behind Stuttgart, who are in fifth place. But, Scheisse and Hoffenheim sit between us and Stuttgart. I'm not worried about Hoffenheim as they are on a serious downturn. However, Scheisse is winning just like we are........ Could it possibly come down to them and us for fifth place? Might sixth place be a UEFA Euro League spot this season?? Hmmmm......
Regardless, it is an incredible wierd season and once again, the BL has delivered it's surprises, pains and heartaches till the very end.
EQ, he was only referring to our only having an outside shot of making it to a EuroLeague spot. "Improving" just doesn't mean much to us just like it wouldn't mean much to you if Bayern were to finish third. Easier said than done. He's not very happy with Klopp or club leadership. Again, easier said than done. It looks like Frei will leave, not because we want him to, but because he will want to. Valdez will probably stay and we don't know about Kuba. We'll see after the season.
Technically Bayern won first last season, so being 3rd really is not an improvement! LOL I just think that you guys should be more patient. If hypothetically Frei stays and extends along with another creative player joining you guys, you will see progression from this season. I think Klopp doesn't play as attacking as he could because you lack serious quality in attack. If management listens to him, you could have some quality players next season in attack and see a more attack-minded team along with a better place in the league than this season. Roma wasn't built in a day. You're going in the right direction.
EQ. It hasn't been "a day", we've been hearing "you're going in the right direction" for about four years now. We were "going in the right direction" at one point, then stupid f#cking Watzke decided to fire Bert van Marwijk. We went from a team "going in the right direction" to "relegation candidate" for two years running. While you are dealing in what could "hypothetically" happen, I am dealing in what is more probable to happen. The club does not have the money to get the caliber of player we need to move up to the next level. And it sucks, but between Frei and Valdez, the striker more likely to be here next season is Valdez. The "creative player" we've signed for next season is Mainz' Markus Feulner. And it probably won't get any better than that. Not unless we sell Frei, Kuba or both. Thanks for the optimism, but I fear it is a bit uneducated. Or at the very least "hopeful." Unless there is a surprise turnaround in some attitudes, we're witnessing Frei's last matches as a BVB player.......
very astute points... I agree that Valdez will most likely stay here.....loyal servant he is.... It's interesting what is going to happen with Kuba and Frei.... If I were a bettting man, Frei is going to leave before Kuba... Liverpool offers 10 EUR plus for Kuba - he is gone... btw...those Real Madrid rumors are bogus....(I hope) I genuinely hope that both stay....this team is not that far off from qualifying for CL....and challenging for the title next year....the young talent is surely there... one more CB and a striker that can poach 10-15 goals.......
Nah, this team definitely cannot win the league next season, maybe in a few years. For CB they are set, the only problem was Hummels got a season injury. They weren't conceding much with him and Subotic together, they are a fine pair. I understand what you mean Footy. Hopefully you fix some financial issues so you are able to buy quality players and improve because with your history/fans/stadium, you should be one of the top teams for Germany and not mediocre in the Bundesliga.
Well, you have to remember that Doll was an emergency hire after Jürgen Röber quit, citing a lack of desire from the team and lack of leadership on the team. The Dortmund press and Watzke tried to make it seem as if the team had turned against van Marwijk. I think the team turned against management after they shoved van Marwijk out the door.
Well, as you know, he hasn't turned out to be the player I thought he'd be. He has "awakened" in the second half of this season, but he's still not good enough to get us to th next level. Not without a "Frei-caliber" guy lining up with him. That would be my bet too. I think the team will do all it can to keep Kuba, but if the club gets an offer it can't refuse, then yes, I think Kuba will be sold too. I think any Real Madrid rumors are bogus, but I also believe the Liverpool rumors are nothing but press speculation too. That's what sucks. We're never that far off, we can just never get all the pieces in place at one time. Management fills one hole and another develops. Management just isn't very good in their football personnel decision-making. They aren't very good at addressing a "potential" problem before it becomes a real problem. Which pisses me off because they push "potential' talent at us and expect us to rejoice, but they won't prevent a "potential" problem from happening because they "hope" the situation will resolve itself. One thing I say about BVB management is that they're "too optimistic" to do their jobs as well as they can or should. They never seem to want to deal with something bad until it hits. I think we need a guy in Zorc's position who isn't afraid to say to the fan base, "Look, some things are going to be really tough and you aren't going to like all of our decisions, but trust us, we've analyzed the situation and believe we are taking the best course of action." In my opinion, the cash situation is not the only thing holding us back. I don't believe it is even the only major thing. I think the main thing holding us back is that our management rarely makes efficient football decisions. I've made these points over and over, but I'll list them again: People love to point to Petric, as a good Zorc decision. However, even then, Zorc stepped in a pile of shit and landed in a bed of flowers. Remember, he bought Petric to be a freakin' MIDFIELD PLAYMAKER after he loaned out the midfielders we already had (Pienaar and Sahin)! They didn't even try Petric at striker until they found that Valdez and Smolarek were just incompatible (Smolarek was sold soon after) and Klimowicz was just too slow. People point to Hajnal. Well, Zorc could have had him for a million Euros less the season before. But no one wanted to sign a 2nd Bundesliga star. And had Hajnal been bought the previous season (as called for by yours truly ), not only could we have possibly avoided the relegation battle last season, but we could have not wasted Petric's time for the few times we did play him in central midfield and Federico could have played his customary right midfield spot off the bench instead of forcing him to try to be a playmaker when they "suddenly discovered" that Petric was just as good, if not a better striker than Frei.......... People point to Hummels and Subotic. To be fair, I think the scouts found Hummels and they work for Zorc. I do believe Bayern was about to look for a loan for this kid though. But when it comes to Subotic, we all know he was completely a Klopp find/signing. I think Zorc did well enough in finding Felipe Santana. He still has some developing to do, but at least he cost 2M instead of 12M...... Sure, the money problems are a valid excuse in some cases, but I think with a few better personnel decisions, we could be doing much better on the field. That being said, management hasn't done a horrible job at all. Actually, they've done a bit more than OK. It is just that they could and should have done better in some instances.
Unless Bayern takes care of business after this season, I think the Bundesliga is wide-open next season. We wouldn't be a favorite, no, but in the Bundesliga's current state, anyone in the top ten could conceivably take it with the right summer moves. I only think we won't because I believe we'll have to replace Frei's production. I don't share that way of thinking. No matter what your history, fans or stadium is like, you don't get to be one of the top clubs in Germany unless your management does the business behind the scenes and your team does the business on the field. That has not been happening at BVB for quite some time now......
playing Smolarek and Valdez at the same time was one of the dumbest and least talked-about moves With Liverpool and Kuba....Liverpool scouts saw Kuba a couple of times, and press, Bild mainly, jumped all over it for several reasons....Kuba's youth and play in BL, and Liverpool's innate need for a right winger.... personally, I would like for Kuba to stay for at least one more year....he needs to continue to work on his finishing and shot-making...and for BVB to make some noise in BL...damnit! one personnel move that I think has been good, and Footyfan aka Keith aka "BVB Insider Extraordinnaire" didnt mention is LEE...i think he has been fabulous at times....
They only did it because Frei had his hip surgery and they insisted Petric stay as playmaker. Yes, but what they fail to mention is Kuba is far from the only one they're watching. I think he will. I think it will take an obscene offer to get BVB to give him up after this season. I LOVE Lee! I think he should be playing more. I wanted BVB to move Dede up to the left midfield spot and play Lee at left back. But recently, Lee has been on the bench more often than not.