Well, what did you guys think of this past season? Overall I would rate it a success. After finishing 10th in the league the year before, very few would have predicted us to make the top 3, but we did. We certainly took our time, however, in attaining a good league position , but the youngsters in our squad seemed to really start playing well together as the season went on. The DFB Pokal was also a success. Yes, we got trashed by a MUCH MUCH Better Bayern side in the final, all credit to them. But no team in Europe was going to beat Bayern on that day (save for maybe Inter). The important thing was we contested a cup final, and continued our +20 year run of never losing a DFB Pokal game played at the Weserstadion. The Europa League was not bad. I had hoped we would go further, but the team played it heart out, even when going out to Valencia. We absolutely dominated our Group at the beginning of the competition, and with the exception of Pieter Niemeyer, I think our young players got a great chance to test their European mettle in a group with the likes of Athletic Bibao, etc. All in all, I would give the season a B+ (using the American system, of course ) The fact that we were able to finish 3rd, with the team that we had, while the league was much more competitive this year, makes me believe that if we strengthen our squad this summer we can finish 2nd, or hell, who knows, MAYBE catch Bayern on a bad stretch and pip them for the league. Thoughts, fellow green-whites and interlopers?
I expected a top 5 finish at the start of the season, that the team made the CL quali spot is a great achievement. In some phases of the season we played badly, with young players such inconsistency can happen*, but in almost all matches I saw a good moral in the team. So I am as well very happy. *: But it must be worked on these things to play more consistent, especially scoring efficiency and avoiding defense mistakes. How next season will run is hard to say, for some players the CL (at least the quali) is a new experience. Every team must re-develope, let's see how it works.