UEFA EURO 2012: Facts, Player Economics and Infographics

Posted: May 24, 2012 in EURO 2012, Football economics, German National Team, UEFA, World Football
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The are way too many facts, stats, numbers, rankings and lists when it comes to UEFA’s Euro 2012 football tournament. This is particularly true as it relates to the 16 participating countries, the 368 players, the 31 matches, the Polish and Ukranian venues … the list goes on and on.

So, in order to help you focus on the essentials and our personal “everything Germany” bias, we have pulled together the highlights or in boxing terms, the ‘tale of the tape’ on Euro 2012. In fact, true to the bilingual content posted throughout our The Real Futbol blog, the broader Euro highlights up top are in English while the Germany team details below are displayed via a fancy German language infographic. Thanks to the compelling visuals produced by www.fussball-em-2012.com, your grade school German skills should suffice in enjoying this one.

Euro 2012 Facts, Figures & Euros

  • Co-hosted by Poland (pop. 38.5 Million) and the Ukraine (pop. 45.6 Million), Euro 2012 marks the 14th edition (#1 was held in France in 1960) and the 3rd competition with co-hosts
  • Euro 2012 features 16 European national teams. 24 teams will qualify for Euro 2016 in France
  • 31 matches will be contested in eight stadiums (four in Poland, four in the Ukraine) commencing June 8th and concluding with the final in Kiev on July 1
  • The 16 teams have been drawn into 4 groups, with co-host Poland leading Group A and co-host Ukraine leading Group D
  • According to FIFA World Rankings, 7 of the top 10 football teams in the world will be competing at Euro 2012. Only two teams have a ranking lower than 30, with Poland’s 65th place being the lowest
  • Euro 2012 is the most ‘remote’ championship yet with 16 teams collectively travelling 16,000 miles to reach the final in Kiev
  • 12 referees have been selected to officiate the 31 Euro matches representing 9 of the 16 countries. England’s Howard Webb is the only ref with previous Euro competition experience
  • Each team roster is limited to 23 players taking the total Euro 2012 player count to 368
  • Match tickets range from 30 to 600 Euros ; 85% of the roughly 1.4 million available tickets have been allocated for fans, the rest for tournament sponsors
  • The total price money earmarked for Euro 2012 is 196 million Euros, 12 million more than in 2008. All 16 participants will earn 8 million Euros; teams will get 2 million each for qualifying from the group, and 3 million for reaching the semi-final. The winner receives 7.5 million Euros. 
  • More than 12 million tickets were requested during the first application phase ending March 31, 2011
  • The market value of the Danish National Team (94.45 million Euros) is only 4.45 Million more than that of Portugal’s super star Cristiano Ronaldo
  • The Euros will feature the most expensive players in the world. Here’s a ‘top market value’ breakdown:

GROUP A: Poland, Robert Lewandowski (15 million Euros); Czech Republic, Petr Cech (25 million Euros);   Russia, Igor Akinfeev (17 million Euros); Greece, Kyriakos Papadopoulos (9 million Euros)

GROUP B: Holland, Robin van Persie (45 million Euros); Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo (90 million Euros); Germany, Mario Gomez (42 million Euros); Denmark, Christian Eriksen (13 million Euros)

GROUP C: Spain, Andres Iniesta (65 million Euros); Croatia, Luka Modric (39 million Euros); Ireland, Aiden McGeady (9 million Euros); Italy, Daniele De Rossie (32 million Euros)

GROUP D: England, Wayne Rooney (65 million Euros); Sweden, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (37 million Euros); Ukraine, Andriy Yarmolenko (9 million Euros); France, Franck Ribery (42 million Euros).

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German National Football Team Infographic (auf Deutsch) 

The Best Month to be a Real Futbol Fan … May

Posted: May 2, 2012 in Bundesliga, Contests, English Premier League, European Football, National Cup Competitions, Serie A, Spanish La Liga
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Last month, we featured 17 must-see April football matches, all of importance in regards to very tight domestic league competitions in England, Germany and Italy, and the Champions League. In Germany, the April 11 Bayern v. Dortmund clash of the Bundesliga Titans and resulting BVB victory, sealed the championship for the ‘Westphalians’. Borrusia’s unbeaten run (currently at  27) included consecutive wins against 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams to clinch the repeat Bundesliga crown. In the English Premier League, it was the ‘worst of times, it was the best of times’ for Manchester City as their April 8th match-up with Arsenal ended in an ugly 0:1 defeat and the near end to their domestic championship hopes — rival Man U was 8 points ahead in the table. Fast forward to earlier this week and City’s thrilling home victory against United putting them atop of the table on goal differential. All eyes will be on City this weekend as they face 5th place Newcastle in their second to last encounter of the year.

While the English and Italian domestic titles are still up in the air, Spain just today crowned Real Madrid its 2011/12 La Liga champion for the first time since 2007/08. The decisive victory came April 21st vs. arch-enemy Barcelona breaking a four-year unbeaten streak. Barca’s dip in form culminated in a 2 match losing streak, a loss in the Champions League semis to FC Chelsea, and the resignation of iconic Barca manager Pep Guardiola.

Speaking of the Champions League, the two away-legs of the semis featuring Chelsea at Barcelona and Bayern at Real Madrid produced some of the most dramatic and memorable moments in CL history.  While 10-man Chelsea defended to the death against a dominant Barcelona team culminating in a 90th minute decisive break-away goal by Chelsea underachiever Fernando Torres, the confident Bavarians clinched their second CL final appearance in three years in a wild penalty shootout win versus favored Real.

Without further ado, let’s look at the barn-burners on tap for May:

FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium, Chelsea vs. Liverpool, May 5th: Both sides have had rather strange, yet fairly fruitful campaigns. While both have under performed domestically, Liverpool has already secured one trophy (Carlin Cup) and Chelsea is still in the running for a FA Cup/Champions League double. If momentum were the deciding factor, the nod would have to go to Chelsea.

EPL, Newcastle vs. Manchester City, May 6: Newcastle will try to secure a Cl-spot for next season and would like to spoil City’s attempt at domestic championship glory.

Serie A, Inter Milan vs. AC Milan, May 6: AC Milan is currently in 2nd place in the Serie A table, one point behind undefeated Juventus Turin.  Inter has yet again underachieved and will try to spoil their rival’s title hopes and secure themselves a Europa league spot by winning this local derby.

EPL, Blackburn vs. Wigan, May 7: We picked this one because of its importance in the EPL relegation fight. Blackburn is a surefire relegation candidate if they lose this one on.

EPL, Liverpool vs. Chelsea, May 8: Three days after squaring off in the FA Cup final, the two meet yet again, this time more for pride and final table placement than anything else.

Europa League Final, Arena Nationala, Bucharest, May 9th: The 2012 UEFA Europa League Final will oppose two Spanish sides – Atlético Madrid and Athletic Bilbao with Madrid having last won the cup in 2010.

German Cup (DFB Pokal) Final, Olympia Stadion, Berlin, May 12th: FC Bayern vs. Borussia Dortmund, ‘Clash of the German Titans, part three’. Dortmund has not lost a match in 26 tries and has beaten Bayern in its last four tries. Bayern is trying to rebound from a disappointing domestic season, but use it’s Champions League momentum to shoot for part 1 of the part 2 trophy double.

Champions league final, Allianz Arena, Munich, Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea FC, May 19th: Bayern is the first CL finalist to play in front of a home crowd so the ’12th man’ definitely favors the Germans to with the crown. Both Bayern and Chelsea could be viewing for double championships – both are also in the finals of the domestic cup competitions.

nPower Championship Play-off Final, Wembley Stadium, May 19th: As of May 2nd, the final match-up was still undetermined but a 2 game play-off between Cardiff City v. West Ham United and Blackpool v. Birmingham City will determine the May 19th finalist. Wembley Stadium, the site of last year’s Champions League Final will once again host the final match which determines who earns promotion to the English Premier League. Last year, Welsh side Swansea City defeated Reading to win its first ever promotion to the EPL.

Coppa Italia, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Juventus vs. Napoli, May 20th: The 2012 Coppa Italia Final will be the final match of the 64th Italian domestic cup season of the top cup competition in Italian football. The match features Juventus and Napoli both of which are having very succesful seasons. Juventus, which as of May 2nd had not lost a match in Serie A competition, may be able to complete the Coppa/Serie A trophy double with a victory.

El Clásico [164th edition]: Why Real Madrid will Reverse it’s Losing Ways

Posted: April 19, 2012 in El Clasico, European Football, Spanish La Liga, World Football
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As most TRF readers know, my forte is German football and national team happenings so I am thrilled to welcome a guest blogger (with mad Spanish football knowledge) to the fold. Viqas Hussain is based in the UK and a loyal Real Madrid and Arsenal fan. I’ll turn the microphone over to him as he looks to persuade the masses why Real Madrid can finally beat Barcelona.

Once again, another mouth-watering el Clasico is upon us, the 6th meeting this season, and one which will be decisive in the La Liga title race. Real Madrid currently tops the table with 85 points but Barcelona isn’t far off, only trailing by four. The 164th el Clasico match-up will unfold at Barcelona’s Camp Nou this Saturday at 8PM GMT.

Earlier in the season, when Real Madrid entertained Barcelona at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Los Blanco’s looked like the bigger threat, especially in the first half, after scoring the fastest goal in el Clasico history in 23 seconds. After Alexis Sanchez had equalised on the 29th minute, the second half was all about the Catalans as Xavi and Fabregas scored to win 3-1. This was Real Madrid’s sixth loss to Barca, managing only one win and one draw in the last 8 encounters. The last time Los Merengues beat Barcelona was all the way back in May 2008 and they did so in style winning 4-1.

Despite recent history, a Madrid victory is never out of the question, so let’s take a closer look at what Real Madrid needs to do in order to beat Barcelona in a La Liga match for the first time in nearly four years.

Counter Attack with Conviction. Real Madrid is considered to be the best counter attacking team in the world by most. With Cristiano Ronaldo, Oezil and Benzema running down the field, they sometimes feel like an unstoppable force. They have utilised their counter attacking strategies well in the past against Barcelona with the use of Xabi Alonso’s excellent long and diagonal balls. If the whites get an opportunity then they should make full use of it with at least a shot on target. Sometimes what Madrid will do with these counter attacks though is that a certain player will keep the ball too long. This allows the Barcelona players time to get back and before you know it, there are more red and blue shirts than white ones. Quick and accurate passes will be needed here especially from the likes of Oezil and Benzema.

Ball Possession (nine-tenth of the law). Former La Masia Youth Academy player Albert Capellas spoke of Barcelona’s ‘five-second rule’ as a key to their possession strategy. This is where Barcelona will press it’s opponents immediately after losing possession but if they fail to regain  possession within five seconds, they drop deep and wait for precise triggers/opponent errors, such as the ball bouncing off a foot, before pressing again. With that said, the Madridistas will need to keep possession when they get the ball and do a lot better than the miserable 27% ball possession they managed in the January 18th el Clasico at the Santiago Bernabéu. To relieve some of the pressure, Madrid will need to keep the ball better and pass it more accurately — we have seen Madrid hopelessly kick the ball down field towards Ronaldo but 99% of the time these passes are unsuccessful. An excellent player to help Madrid keep possession is Esteban Granero. He excels at keeping the ball, regaining possession, and finding space to allow for passing, very similar to what Xavi and Iniesta execute so brilliantly for Barcelona.

Ready, set go … Set Pieces + Real Madrid = 3. One aspect of Real’s game that presents opponents with a clear and present danger is the set piece. With their aerial advantage thanks to Ronaldo, Ramos, Pepe, Benzema, Khedira, and Higuain, they can easily score from a badly defended corner. However, although Madrid has a huge aerial advantage, they are equally terrible at defending set pieces as was evidenced Tuesday night vs. Bayern Munich when Ribery scored from a corner as the ball fell to his feet. Madrid have also conceded some free kicks (most recently and notably against Malaga and Villarreal) because the players in the wall don’t do their job forward instead of simply jumping in place to block the ball. This lack of concentration and focus is a concern, something that does not plague their Catalan opponents.

Key personalities … Cristiano Ronaldo

He’s the one-time best player in the world and still contested by many as being the undisputed best. Ronaldo is very often criticised for not ‘showing up’ to the big games going all the way back to his Manchester United days where he failed to shine in the 2009 Champions Liga Final against Barcelona. Recent el Clasicos have shown that Ronaldo is now playing better and scoring more against Barcelona, scoring in the Spanish Super Cup Final and in the Copa Del Rey semi-final. The rest of his team’s mission is clear, feed CR7 and take advantage of his phenomenal aerial ability when possible. Cristiano is most likely to play on the left flank and will often find his marker Dani Alves much further down the field. Ronaldo will need to exploit these situations, exploit ‘acres’ of space, and get a good cross into Benzema or even a shot on goal.

Lionel Messi … One and Only. The best player in the world, and possibly all time, is impossible to stop 99% of the time. Having scored 63 goals, in all competitions already this season, 10 more than Ronaldo, Lionel Messi is having his most prolific season of his young career. Many managers have tried and failed to contain Messi from unleashing his black magic trickery, invisible movement and stunning finishes, not least of all Jose Mourinho. Back in last year’s Champions Liga semi-final el Clasico, Mourinho played Pepe in midfield to contain and track Messi wherever he went but this proved to be a disaster as Pepe was red carded for a rash challenge on Dani Alves and Messi subsequently scored 2 goals. If you appoint a player to Messi, Messi will drag the defender out of position and allow Xavi and Iniesta too much space. The best option is to mark Messi from zone-to-zone but this will require excellent communication led by Sergio Ramos. Defending in numbers has been a popular yet failed strategy.

Jose Mourinho … Not very special vs. Barcelona. Many admire Jose Mourinho for his use of mind games to unsettle the opposition and never letting them know what his next move is. From getting red carded himself several times to poking Pep Guardiola’s assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye, his antics have really unsettled the players and disrupted the matches. This has been continually happening in La Liga so it’s anyone’s guess which Mourinho will show up on Saturday.

El Clasico ‘Tale of the Tape’. This el Clasico will be a tense and tough game where Barcelona looks set to come out on top once again having won 11 of their last 11 La Liga games while Real Madrid’s form has recently dipped with 8 wins and 3 draws. Here are some more interesting stats about recent el Clasico matchups:

  • According to ESPN’s Soccer Power Index, Barcelona has a 50.2% chance of winning vs. 25.1% for Real Madrid
  • Messi has scored 41 La Liga goals with a 1.31 goal per match average vs. Ronaldo’s 41 goals and 1.27 goal per match average
  • Barcelona is unbeaten in their last 7 Liga games against Madrid with 6 wins and 1 draw
  • Pep Guardiola’s overall record against Real Madrid is 9 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat
  • In all time La Liga matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Real Madrid has won 68, Barcelona 64 with 31 draws.

The bottom line: Barcelona may be the best team in the world, but as Chelsea proved this week, they are still beatable!

North American Soccer League’s Atlanta Silverbacks Kick-off 2012 Campaign

Posted: April 9, 2012 in Contests, NASL, US Soccer
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This past Saturday marked the 2012 season opener for the North American Soccer League. The NASL is a professional men’s soccer league in the US (including Puerto Rico) and Canada one tier below Major League Soccer in terms of professional leagues in North America. This is the NASL’s 2nd act if you will … many might remember the original NASL which lasted from the late 60′s to the mid 80′s and boasted world-class superstar players including Pele, Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, George Best,Giorgio Chinaglia and Bobby Moore. The New York Cosmos where the most popular NASL at the time.

The NASL and the Atlanta Silverbacks celebrated year two of professional soccer on Saturday night in Atlanta

Fast forward 28 years and the new NASL is a young league with loads of potential. League play debuted on Arpil 9, 2011 (happy anniversary!) and features 8 teams spanning the US (6), Canada (1 with Ottawa starting play in 2013) and Puerto Rico. The regular season includes 28 games with teams playing each other four times — the play-offs consist of the top 6 teams. Last year, the Minnesota Stars who finished 6th during the regular season, claimed the inaugural NASL Championship.

Back to the 2012 opener … as a resident of Atlanta and long time fan of many variation of ‘the beautiful game’, it was only natural that I check out the local NASL team, the Atlanta Silverbacks, a 2nd year team with lots to prove after a dismal 2011 season including a whopping four wins.

Dressed in red & black, the hometown Atlanta Silverbacks get ready to square off against the expansion San Antonio Scorpions.

Before the game, much buzz surrounded the San Antonio Scorpions, their expansion team opponent, and how a victory versus the newcomers should be in the cards. Honestly, after looking at the roster compared to 2011, the new-look Silverbacks with 9 new players including six starters had much to prove as well. In looking at the media notes pre-game, the 2012 Silverbacks have strengthened each position, with the biggest improvement on the defensive end of things. New captain and 13 year English veteran Martyn Lancaster and Hungarian goalie Daniel Illyes look to lead the defensive charge.

The Nest side Section 109 Atlanta supporters heat things up with smoke bombs and drum lines

Playing in front of a sellout crowd of 5,000 fans at the soccer-specific Silverbacks Park, the home team fought their way to a 0:0 draw versus the weaker San Antonio side. Honduran midfielder and world cup veteran Danilo Turcios lead the offensive charge with a few quality scoring chances including a 17th minute side ‘netter’. In addition to Turcios, Chilean forward Reynaldo Navia, who had just arrived in town earlier in the week, provided some ‘oohs and aahs’ despite only playing the last 18 minutes. Overall, Atlanta managed 11 shots on goal versus San Antiono’s 5 and earned 10 corners compared to Scorpions’ four.

Atlanta Silverbacks players give thanks to the local supporters after their 0:0 draw versus the San Antonio Scorpions.

At the end of the night, I can only assume that the sellout crowd went home happy knowing they saw an encouraging 2012 debut by the home side on a perfect soccer weather evening. I for one look forward to tracking the Silverbacks’ progress throughout the 2012 season. TRF

The Best Month to be a Real Futbol Fan … April

Posted: April 4, 2012 in European Football, National Cup Competitions, UEFA, Uncategorized, World Football
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Spring has sprung and April Fool’s has just past. Besides much warmer weather, cleaning obsessions and trying yet another weight loss program to get you trim for summer, spring and specifically April means football (soccer) viewing at its finest. Considering we have a European Championship this summer, and very tight domestic league competitions in England, Germany and Italy, there are numerous barn burners (aka hot matches)  on tap within the next 10 weeks. We selected 44 ‘must see’ matches, for a total of 3,960 minutes ( or 65 hours) of viewing pleasure spanning European leagues (20) as well as Euro 2012, Champions League, Europe League, and domestic league cups (24 matches). This post focuses on the match-heavy and tres important month of April.

Bayern Munich celebrated it's last Bundesliga title in 2010 under Dutchman Louis van Gaal

The Bundesliga serves up 4 killer matches, all critical in determining who will be the king of the hill in German football come May 5th:

[APRIL 11] FC Bayern vs. Borussia Dortmund: Dortmund carries a 3 game winning streak into this game including a sweep of the series during their championship year in 2010/11. This game is obviously crucial to both clubs and kicks-off a brutal 3 game stretch for Dortmund that has them playing the top 3 Bundesliga teams in Bayern, Schalke and Gladbach.

[April 13] SpVgg Greuther Fuerth vs. FC St.Pauli: Fuerth and Pauli will battle for who gets promoted to top flight German football. St. Pauli has the most rabid, die-hard fans in German soccer so a lack of talent might be made up by pure passion.

[April 14] Schalke 04 vs. Borussia Dortmund: This ‘Revierderby’ matchup is unrivaled for pure hatred and disdain between the two sides who are a mere 25 miles apart but leagues a part (at least recently) in terms of match form and success.

[April 21] Dortmund vs. Gladbach: Another local affair between the two Borussia’s. Dortmund is aiming to repeat as Bundesliga champion and Gladbach is hoping to snag a Champions League spot for next year. Incidentally, Gladbach forward star and national team member Stefan Reuss is switching to Dortmund this summer.

[April 28] FC Bayern vs. VFB Stuttgart: It’s the Bayern vs. the Schwaben in a long-time rivalry. Mario Gomez, a one time rising star at Stuttgart will look to impress Bayern fans on his way to a goal-getter title (currently tied for 1st with Schalke’s Klaas Jan, ‘the hunter’, Huntelaar.

Will St. Pauli climb back into 1st division German football? The fans say 'Ja'.

Serie A is the best that Italian top division soccer has to offer. While AC Milan and Juventus Turin will surely battle into May to determine who ends up with the league trophy, surprise team Lazio hopes to hold on to a lucrative Champions League spot.

Can Miro work his magic once again vs. Napoli and Juventus down the stretch?

[April 7] Napoli vs. Lazio Roma: It’s the battle of Miro Klose’s 3rd place Romans vs. their 4th place Sicilian rivals. Will Rome’s Olympic Stadium be witness to yet another epic finish?

[April 11] Juventus vs. Lazio Roma: Only 5 days after the Napoli challenge, Lazio travel to Juventus to take on a squad determined to raise the league trophy for the first time since 2002/3.

The English Premier League has enjoyed a wild suspenseful year so here are 4 must see matches to add to your DVR lineup.

[April 8] Arsenal vs. Manchester City: Arsenal had a 8 game winning streak broken last weekend and City has struggled lately. If City does not fetch 3 points in this one, I see their title hopes rapidly vanishing.

[April 11] Queens Park Rangers vs. Swansea City: Both QPR and Swansea were promoted to the EPL last year and both are fighting hard to stay on top. Ironically, QPR has performed best this season vs. much better opponents so that might indicate Swansea will win.

[April 15] Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur, FA Cup Semi-final: Chelsea faces Barca on the 18th in the CL semi so it will be interesting to see who lines up for this ‘not as important’ match.

[April 21] Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Depending on how Chelsea performs in its home leg of the Champions League semi-final vs. Barcelona, some of the top players might be rested for the ensuing CL battle.

Can Manchester City wrestle the EPL title away from 19 time winner Manchester United?

[April 30] Manchester City vs. Manchester United: Hopefully, City does its part to remain competitive and we’ll have ourselves a blood match. I suspect Man U will look to avenge it’s 1:6 thumping back in October.

La Liga (Spanish Primera Division) is the most uncompetitive top European league … even the race of 1 and 2 is not as close this year with Real Madrid holding onto a 6 point lead with el Clasico part 2 yet to be played.

[April 8] Real Madrid vs. Valencia CF: Valencia is in 3rd place, albeit almost 30 points behind Real, so at least on paper this could be a close affair.

[April 11] Atletico Madrid vs. Real Madrid: It’s the battle of the top teams in Madrid and bragging rights … enough said!

[April 21] FC Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: El Clasico (part 2 in 2011/12) will still be the most viewed domestic football match in the world, despite the fact that Real Madrid has not won since May 2008. Who knows, the two Spanish giants might meet again in the Champion League final in May.

Atletico Madrid celebrate their 2010/11 Europa League title

As of this afternoon, the UEFA Champions League semi-finals are set and feature 4 breathtaking match ups …

[April 17] FC Bayern vs. Real Madrid: Can Robbin avenge bad times at his old Spanish club and can Oezil and Khedira show their fellow German national teammates on the Bayern squad how it’s done? Return-leg in Madrid, April 25.

[April 18] Chelsea FC vs. FC Barcelona: Can an aging Chelsea squad continue their fairy tale CL run and upset a heavy favored Barca? Return leg in Barcelona, April 24.

Stay tuned for must-see matches in May (domestic cup finals) and June (Euro 2012 battles).

1. FC Kaiserslautern: 7 Reasons why we will not be relegated to 2. Bundesliga Football

Posted: March 9, 2012 in 1.FCK, Bundesliga, German Soccer
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OK folks, it’s that time of the year again … we’re approaching mid-March aka crunch time for many struggling German Bundesliga 1st division soccer teams. There are 10 games left on the 2011/12 Bundesliga season schedule, and my beloved 1. FCK is in last place with no place to go but up (or down into 2nd division football in 2012/13). And that’s the thrust of this post, to provide 7 real world reasons why all FCK fans should keep the faith and believe in the ‘miracle of Betze’- our team’s ability to scratch and claw and avoid demotion to the 2. Bundesliga come May 5th. Why 7 you ask, because it is one of my lucky Roulette numbers, and, in addition to fan support and quality play on the pitch, the thing we need most right now is LUCK! Here’s my lucky seven:

Do the math: Like my good buddy T-Bone Callahan, FCKler 4 life and TRF contributor mentions, there are 30 points yet to be had and approximately 17-19 needed (based on past league stats) to remain ‘first class’.  While this translates to 4 wins (12 points) and 5 further draws (5 points) by matchday 34 on May 5th, the remaining opponents are, for the most part, beatable … Stuttgart today is a must win; Schalke at home, why not? Freiburg did it last week; away game in Freiburg, a must win of course; Hamburg- we should have won the 1st time, this time we’ll do it; Hoffenheim- a tough local rival, but with some momentum and guts …; Nürnberg and Hertha are definitely win-able while Dortmund, Hannover and  Leverkusen are probable losses.

Will wearing his heart on his sleeve save his job and his team from relegation? I sure hope so!

Stick with Marco Kurz: This is NOT the time to hire and fire. If anything, think long and hard about the future of GM Stefan Kuntz and his   recent player acquisitions, but don’t mess with Kurz. He brought the back to the 1. Bundesliga in 2010 and has great chemistry with his players.

More than a ‘one trick’ pony: As T-Bone has pointed out on numerous occasions, hoping to convert goals based on standards (free kics, corners and the like) and ‘pray for rain’ style ‘kick and rush’ soccer alone will not break the goal drought. Orchestrate attacks from the flanks and take advantage of the midfield speed and youth up front. All players are advised to watch a Miroslav Klose (ex FCK striker) highlight reel since most of his goals are of the aerial/header variety.

Consistency is vital, stop changing the recipe: Any one watching the team play this year would attest to a great degree of inconsistency on the pitch. Midfielders have been swapped all year, the Sturm (strikers) has had many, less successful faces and now, even the goal is becoming a position of controversy. Pick a starting 11 that is dedicated to the cause and willing to go to battle together and ‘just do it’. With that said, I do agree with comrade T-Bone that selecting a more aggressive, dual attacker formation during home games is a wise strategy. If FCK fans show up to the remaining home games, the ’12th’ man, along with the a more attack-minded formation, can really make the difference and hopefully turn draws into desperately needed 3 point victories.

Christian Tiffert has had a lousy season but it's never too late to make up for it with key goals and assists down the home stretch.

Converting goal opportunities. In FCKs 10 tie games this season (3rd highest of all 18 Bundesliga clubs), we counted an average of 2 legitimate, ‘you don’t have to be Messi to score’, missed goal chances per match. Last week vs. VFL Wolfsburg, the red devils squandered  4 such golden opportunities. Key to success: Get out of your own heads, convert the goal shots  you worked hard to create and say ‘yes’ to freebies your opponents might afford you

Don’t cry over spilt milk: Or as my economics professor used to say, ‘sunk costs are sunk’ – what happened yesterday is irrelevant, the past investments you made in players, the great players you lost … all that matters not in the present. Don’t make decisions based on what you did yesterday! With that said, play the game and fight like you meant it and focus on goal getting at every turn versus still lamenting the loss of former FCK strikers such as Lakic, Jendrisek and Hoffer. Belief starts from within!

1.FCK Herzblut: FCK fans are the truest, most loyal fans in the world. We bleed red and white and ‘would walk 500 miles and 500 more’ to not only support our Jungs but also see them fight their way to safety this year. Remember Fritz Walter, remember Klose, Kuntz, Rehagel, and the miracles of ’91 and ’98, hell remember the Alamo if it helps save our arses this year!

Check out this clip of FCK fans at their finest … These scenes are from last August’s home game vs. Augsburg … a not too distant memory. Hoeher Hoeher FCK! 

Germany’s Bundesliga: Healthy, Wealthy and Wise ?!

Posted: February 28, 2012 in Bundesliga, Football History, German Soccer, World Football
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This is my long overdue post on the German first division of football, ‘Die Bundesliga’, and why its Rodney Dangerfield “I get no respect” mantra of years past has been replaced by stiff competition, great players, a rabid fan following and media attention around the world.

Modern Bundesliga football makes the heart sing

What was my personal wake up call? The turning point that made me think, woah, the Bundesliga is much more than a bunch of local ‘Provinzkicker’ and a few strong regional teams with a faithful fan base within their Bundesland (German state) and maybe a few expat stragglers. Here are some musings …

Who the hell is Wolfsburg? Founded in 1938, the football club grew out of a multi-sports club for Volkswagen workers in the city of Wolfsburg and is a wholly owned subsidiary of VW Group. Aside a 2nd place finish in the 1995 DFB Pokal (German Cup), the team was anything but impressive and spent decades trading places in the German 3rd and 2nd division before staying put in the 1. Liga after the 1997 season … And then there was the 2008/9 Bundesliga season.

Top Bundesliga goal-getters and champions VFL Wolfsburg's Edin Dzeko and Grafite

Not only did ‘Die Woelfe’ (the wolves) win the Bundesliga title, they did so in dramatic fashion with a must-win victory the last game of the season. Beyond that, they tied the Bundesliga record for consecutive wins and were the only team to boast two 20+ goal strikers with Brazilian Grafite and Bosnian Edin Dzeko scoring 28 and 26 respectively. While Grafite is past his prime and now plays club football in Dubai, UAE, Dzeko is a reliable striker and steady goal scorer for English Premier League side Manchester City. The other big sensation that year was 1899 Hoffenheim, a freshly promoted team that shocked the league winning the Herbstmeisterschaft (autumn title) at the season’s halfway mark. While devastating injuries and bad luck spoiled their championship run, it was refreshing to have the newbies along with VFL Wolfsburg dominate the footballing headlines. These epic performances and the entire roller coaster 2008/9 Bundesliga season made me realize how fun the Liga is and how extremely competitive many teams are, all with the desire and ability to give Bayern a run for their Euros.

Why would Raúl play in Germany? Raúl is a Spanish footballing legend who spent most of his career with Spanish club Real Madrid. He’s s the club’s all-time top goalscorer, a three-time winner of the UEFA Champions League and its all-time leading scorer. When he left Spain in 2010 and headed for Bundesliga club Schalke 04 most figured he’d have one more year of quality football left in his now 34-year-old body.  But why Germany? Why learn a new language at such a ‘ripe’ age? And why subject yourself to inevitable disappointment after decades of top flight football accolades and accomplishments. To sum it up in Raúl’s words: “I really enjoy playing in the Bundesliga. No matter where we play, the stadiums are full and the atmosphere is incredible”. Enough said. Judging by the caliber of the league’s players and the number of foreign stars making the move to Germany, the league’s reputation has gotten a major boost. And yes, Raúl is still ‘Auf Schalke’, still playing is aging butt off.

Let’s dig a bit deeper and compare Bundesliga facts and figures with the other ‘big’ leagues — the English Premier League (EPL), Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A.

Bavarian translation: "We are who we are" and " We are Champions"

Competition: This is what it’s all about … teams clawing and scratching to gain an advantage in the league table and hopefully finish in a favorable position that will bring the club major revenue via a Europa League or Champions League spot, or perhaps even a league championship. Let’s look at titles — according to a recent Kicker Sportmagazin statistic, the last 7 Bundesliga championships have been won by 4 different teams (Bayern, Wolfsburg, Stuttgart and Dortmund). Compare that to England, Italy and Spain, where 2 teams have dominated the league during that same time frame. Let’s look at table positions among the top 4. As of late January, 1 point separated Bayern at the top from 4th placed Borussia Moenchengladbach; 6 points separated Italy’s 1st place Juventus Turin from Inter Milan’s 4th position, while the point difference between one and four was 13 in England and 18 in Spain. Lastly, when looking at ‘first vs. worst’ matches dating back to 2000, German Bundesliga underdogs have a 26.3% chance of beating their top ranked rivals compared to only 17.6 % in England and a shocking 0% in Italy. Yes, within the last 11+ years, not one Italian last placed team has beaten a first placed rival.

Diversity: Thanks to an awesome German football statistics site called Transfermarkt (with English, Italian and Spanish versions among others), we know that 49% of all 519 players in the 1. Bundesliga are foreigners compared to 38% in La Liga, 48% in Italy and a whopping 63% in the English Premier League. The foreign player statistics are useful because they help silence naysayers that claim the Bundesliga is isolated and insular to top foreign player investment. In terms of attracting top international talent to Germany, the ‘homegrown’ approach has worked really well, and within the last 3 years in particular, German-born stars such as Mueller, Goetze, Reus, Kroos, and Schuerrle have single-handedly taken Bundesliga competition to the next level. The tables are slowly turning with Spanish and Italian teams recruiting the likes of Oezil, Khedira and Klose away from the homeland.

Another unforgettable match at FCK's Betzenberg

Fan base: The Bundesliga continues to boom. Average per match attendance in the first 17 games of the 2011/12 season was 44,791, the best in the league’s history, and 48% higher than Serie A figures, 32% more than La Liga and 23% higher than England’s top flight. A total of 6.78 Million fans saw 153 games in the first half of the season, a 7% increase from 2010/11 when a total of 12.88 Million filled German stadiums to see Bundesliga action.

Media exposure & global curb appeal: Ironically, the German Soccer League (Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL)), has done a much better job of promoting and more importantly providing match access abroad than at home. That’s good for us in the states, yet crappy for my family and buddies in Deutschland. While the German pay-per-view option (Sky TV) has a few million Bundesliga package subscribers, the other 80 million Germans have to wait for Saturday nights and the Sportschau (celebrating 50 years in 2012) to get their Bundesliga fix. The local channels ARD and ZDF do broadcast occasional Bundesliga clashes as well as Champions League action but our options stateside are much better! On any given weekend (starting with the solo Friday night game), I can tune into 3-4 Bundesliga matches on GolTV, the Spanish language ESPN Deportes, or ESPN Now’s internet stream, which is also available via my XBOX 360. In addition, GolTV offers two Bundesliga-specific programs, a 30 minute weekly match preview called Bundesliga Magazine and a 30 minute match review with Hallo! Bundesliga.

So to sum it up, I strongly believe old Ben Franklin’s enduring saying “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” most accurately applies to the Bundesliga in 2012.

The German National Team: A Bumper Crop in 2011

Posted: November 24, 2011 in Football History, German National Team, German Soccer, Men's Team
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As we celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S. and commemorate the celebrations that originated in Plymouth in 1621, I figured it would be an ideal time to give thanks to something near and dear to my heart … ‘Die Mannschaft’, the German Men’s National Soccer Team. The popularity and on-the-pitch success of Joachim Loew’s men is at an unprecedented high and if current form is an indicator of future performance than the country’s #3 world FIFA ranking is probably on the low side.

Here is Germany’s ‘tale of the tape’ for 2011:

  • 13 national team international matches-6 Euro 2012 Qualifiers, 7 Friendlies
  • 9 wins, 3 ties, 1 loss
  • Perfect Euro 2012 qualifying campaign: 10 games, 10 wins, 30 points, 34 goals scored, 7 conceded (21 goals scored in 2011)
  • Five starters scored 5 or more goals including Mario Gomez (6), Miroslav Klose (5), Thomas Mueller (5), Mesut Oezil (5) and Andre Schuerrle (5)
  • Youngest Germany team in modern history
  • Miroslav Klose, 2nd on international goal list to Gerd Mueller, celebrates 100th cap with 2 goals in Kaiserslautern (March 26)
  • Friendly victories over Brazil (3:2), The Netherlands (3:0) and Uruguay (2:1)

Beyond the outstanding on-the-field results,what made Die Mannschaft particularly lethal in 2011 and heading into Poland And Ukraine (Euro 2012) next June is the roster depth at each position and overall youth. There’s a running joke routinely thrown in the face of new job applicants (especially in Germany where the average age of out of school employees is 25+) that calls for a 20-year-old job candidate with 10 years of work experience. This reminds of the German youth movement, players like Goetze (19), Schuerrle (21), Toni Kroos (21), Thomas Mueller (21), Mats Hummels (22) and Oezil (23) are babies but have all played for many years and gathered more than their share of high-profile, international match experience.

Speaking of the young guns as well as the ‘tribe elders’, here are some individual accolades I deemed appropriate for 2011:

Schuerrle celebrates his first goal for Die Mannschaft vs. Uruguay

Newcomer of the year: Andre Schuerrle. Last year he played at Mainz, this year’s he’s secured a lucrative deal with Leverkusen, and with 5 goals (all in 2011) in 11 national team appearances he’s one of the young guns shooting for Euro 2012 glory.

Comeback player of the year: Mario Gomez for finally finding the back of the net as a member of the national team and swaying German public opinion about his value as Germany’s star.

Oezil and his Real teammates celebrate

Bonefide superstar: Mesut Oezil is a stud. Propelled into the international spotlight with a solid world cup performance in South Africa, his Real Madrid debut in 2010 was nothing  short of spectacular. He led Spanish La Liga in goal assists last year and has become Mourinho’s MVP with his ability to satisfy Cristiano Ronaldo’s insatiable appetite for goals.

The 75+ CAPS Club: Piere Mertesacker (79), Lukas Podolski (95), Miro Klose (113), Philip Lahm (85) and Bastian Schweinsteiger (90) are German’s tribe elders and by far the most experienced of the bunch. While Klose might still make it to Brazil in 2014, the others have at least 3 or 4 more major international tournaments in them.

“Seems like he’s been there forever” award: Manuel Neuer has only collect 25 caps as Germany’s #1 in goal but ever since he replaced Rene Adler before South Africa, the humble Bayern keeper has settled in as the calm and collected ‘back-stop’ of Die Mannschaft. Considering many goalies play well into their 30s, Neuer has at least another decade of history making in front of him.

Razzie recipient (award for ‘worst’ performance): Michael Ballack is settling into his supporting role for Bayer Leverkusen, but his exit from the German team was anything but graceful. Hexed with a major pre-worldcup injury, he never recovered to represent Deutschland and feuded loudly and often with DFB (German Soccer Federation) officials about his dismissal.

“Don’t quit your day job’ award: Philip Lahm for authoring a ‘tell all’ book on various managers of the national team forcing a public apology and debate over his worthiness as German captain.

“Clicking on all cylinders” award: German Youth academies for nurturing supreme soccer talent and re-vitalizing and re-juvenating German soccer from the amateur ranks to the national side.

“Would hate to have your job” award: Paul the Octopus, the famous German cephalopod mollusc known world-wide for its ability to predict all victors of the 2010 World Cup. Although Paul is no longer in the prediction business (in fact, he ended up as a tasty fried side dish some time ago), he has inspired a new generation of savvy octopuses that will no doubt be  thrust into the Euro 2012 spotlight when it comes to next summer’s wagers and predictions.

The German Fussball ladies huddle up pre-game

“Show them how it’s done” award: German Women’s National team and their gracious early exit from the 2011 World Cup as well as their overall tasteful and humane handling of the Birgit Prinz saga.

11.11.11: 11 Football Matches, Teams and Players to Watch

Posted: November 11, 2011 in EURO 2012, Football Curiosities, Football Leisure, German National Team, Men's Team, UEFA, World Football
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November 11, 2011 means different things to different people. To some, it signifies the Cosmic Portal Transit Date (hop aboard the train of ‘life’s true happiness’), others observe it as World Day of Interconnectedness (at 11AM be nice to and ‘connect’ with anyone and everyone), while others celebrate Nigel Tufnel Day, the fictional rocker from the world’s loudest band Spinal Tap, who loves to turn his amps up to 11 when he needs that “extra push over the cliff.”

To me, November 11 means two things; a great excuse for a delicious roasted goose dinner to celebrate The Feast of St. Martin (aka St. Martin’s day) and the chance to witness some of the most intriguing football fixtures spanning international friendlies, EURO2012 play-off qualifiers and 2014 World Cup (WC) qualifiers. Since this is a football and not a food blog, I’ll focus on the 11 matches, teams and players bound to make an impact on this historic day. If you are keeping count, Friday will feature 4 Euro qualifiers,  13 international friendlies, and a whopping 35 WC qualifiers played across 4 continents.

[11] Colombia vs. Venezuela (WC2014 qualifier): Colombian football has always intrigued me and I have always rooted for the traditional underdogs who’s last WC appearance dates back to 1998.

  1.  While the likes of Higuita and Valderrama are long gone, new phenoms include forwards such as Radamel Falcao and  Hugo Rodallega. Speaking of underdogs, Venezuela has never qualified for a world cup, and until its 2011 Copa America semi-final finish, has never finished better than 5th in any tournament. With a recent WC-qualifier win over the mighty Argentinians, this match should prove wide open, but in the end Venezuela will come up short by 1:2.

    Bad hair was a trademark of this Colombian football legend


[10] Republic of Ireland: ‘The luck of the Irish’ EURO2012 play-off draw saw the team from the Emerald Isle paired up against Estonia, by far the easiest (at least on paper) of the four play-off match-ups. After being cheated out of a World Cup South Africa spot based on Thierry Henry’s now infamous ‘hand of god’,  the footballing world is ready to see Ireland return to the world stage. With the Euro Championship in 1988 being their only appearance, colorful coach Giovanni Trapattoni and captain Robbie Keane are determined to a new page to the history books. I predict a 3:1 goal spread on aggregate across the two Estonia matches on the 11th and 15th.

[9] France vs. USA:  As U.S. soccer historian and avid soccer film collector Dave Wasser pointed out to me, the last encounter of these two was 1979, a 3:0 cake walk for France. Honestly, I don’t know if the U.S. is any better off than 32 years ago but at least ESPN2 found it worthy enough to broadcast. With all cynicism aside, it will be interesting to see how Juergen Klinsmann preps his men for the battle over frog legs. Thanks to Dave, here are a few clips from the 1979 encounter.

Keane is still Ireland's 'King of the World'

[8] Robbie Keane: The Irish National Team captain has made a recent move to LA but is still considered the ‘difference maker’ for The Boys in Green and their top international goal scorer with 51. With the LA Galaxy’s November 20th MLS Cup Final approaching, Keane will have to log more than 10,000 miles to compete in both Euro playoffs and the MLS match over the next 9 days. We’ll see how much juice is left in the tank by the time 2oth rolls around.

[7] Turkey vs. Croatia: I thought Turkey would have a much easier go of it in qualifying for EURO2012. While they did not stand much of a chance to top their qualifying group vs. the Germans, the talent-heavy side led by the iconic Dutch master Guus Hiddick has looked very ordinary and now faces Croatia in the 2 game play-off. Turkey might be the home side for the first leg match, but without Nuri Sahin they could well find themselves dominated by Tottenham Hotspur’s Luka Modric. Also look for some fireworks from Croatian and Bayern striker Olic as he looks to rebound from a slew of nagging injuries. I see Turkey finally getting its act together and claiming the EURO spot with a 2:1 aggregate victory over Croatia.

Klinsman scored 47 goals in 108 appearances for his country

[6] Juergen Klinsmann: I love this guy; love what he achieved as a player, love how he resurrected German soccer and made the entire country look like heroes in 2006, love that he made Jogi Loew a household name (well almost) and love the fact we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the US since his national team coaching appointment.I realize he’s already under fire for not winning much as U.S. coach thus far, but let’s look at France as the turning point. He’s taking his time, taking chances and believing in talented youth, much like he did with David Odonkor in 2006 when he shocked German football ‘experts’ with the speedsters’ world cup squad nomination. Go Klinsi go and take 4 points from the next two matches with France and Slovenia

[5] England vs. Spain: I am skipping ahead to Saturday’s clash of the Titans but would be remiss if I did not mention this classic match-up (12:15pm Eastern, Live on Fox Soccer) and the bragging rights a stake. While this might just be another friendly on paper, the two camps are taking matter seriously with England skipper Fabio Capello truly taking one for the team by missing his youngest son’s wedding also scheduled for Saturday. On the footballing side, I see England struggling to keep up with Spain’s high-powered offense and second to none team play. Spain 2, England 0.

Phillip Lahm sport's his country's new EURO2012 Home kit

[4] Ukraine vs. Germany: Germany can break its curse of loosing end-of-the-year international match by upending Ukraine in Kiev tonight (live on ESPN3.com at 2:45PM Eastern).  While this will be a cold, maybe even close to zero degree affair, and stars like Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Neuer and Klose are inactive, ‘Die Mannschaft’ surely realizes the symbolism of playing in Kiev’s newly renovated Olympic Stadium and host of next summer’s EURo Final on July 1 (233 days and counting). Other match notables include Jogi Loew’s decision to feature the Oezil Goetze midfield duo (a first) and the DFB (German Soccer Federation) will unveil Germany’s EURO2012 kit.

[3] Mario Goetze: “Wir sind Deutschland” (we are German). Jung, dynamisch und erfolgreich (young, dynamic and succesful).” Dortmund’s Super Mario 2.0 is all that is good with German football … the domestic leagues are gaining international respect and pulling in record revenues; the German’farm system’ is sophisticated and extremely well-funded and ‘harvesting’ one bumper crop after the next (Mueller-Boateng-Reuss-Schuerle-Kroos-Pedersen-Goetze …); and the national team is winning (record EURO qualifying stats, solid friendly victory over Brazil this summer).

[2] Luka Modric: The Croatian midfielder and Spurs star was the most talked about English Premier League transfer that did not happen during the July-August transfer window. Modrić was heavily pursued by cross-town rivals, Chelsea who made an offer of £40 million ( £25 more than they paid for him) which was later rejected. He is a midfield marvel and was once dubbed the ‘Croatian Cruyff’ and at 26 has yet to reach his full superstar potential.

[1] Bosnia vs. Portugal: Bosnia-Herzegovina has a score to settle with Portugal after the Iberians edged the Balkan nation to a place in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after winning the WC qualification play-offs. While Portugal boasts the more impressive roster led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Pepe, Bosnia’s 25 year old striker Edin Dzeko is currently in cracking form with Manchester City so maybe he can single handily carry his squad to Ukraine & Poland. I think this will be the upset match-up and Bosnia will outlast Portugal 3:2 on aggregate after the return leg on November 15th.

Portugal celebrates after securing a 2010 World Cup birth in a tense play-off with Bosnia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, to all the players and teams today competing for glory, pride, respect or honor, channel your inner Nigel Tufnel and remember to turn your amps up to 11 (on11.11) when that “extra push over the cliff” is required.

90elf: Germany’s First Soccer Radio

Posted: October 31, 2011 in Bundesliga, Football Leisure, German Soccer
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Staying connected with friends, family and football (soccer/fussball) are vitally important (sehr wichtig!) and over the past 3 years in particular technology has led the way in keeping us tuned in … think Skype, Vontage, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  On the ‘access to football’ side of things we have experienced a true Renascence and between cable/satellite/ and online streaming sources I can tune into virtually ANY Serie A (Italy), La Liga (Spain), Bundesliga (Germany) or Premier League (England) match.

Germany's only Bundesliga footie radio

However, my absolute favorite and 100% reliable source for German Bundesliga games is 90elf (90 eleven), Germany’s football/soccer radio, and THE source for live German language audio coverage of all Bundesliga games, German Cup (DFB Pokal) matches as well as select UEFA Europa League and Champions League fixtures featuring German clubs. Thanks to 90elf’s media & PR guy Martin Huelsmann, we recently completed a Q&A (Frage/Antwort) session explaining the who? what? where? when? of the station. I left the original Auf Deutsch (in German) and translated the essence for non-German readers. While the language barrier might keep you from enjoying 90elf coverage to the fullest, I contend listening to a Bundesliga game this way is the best method to learning Deutsch, or if nothing else, getting a true flavor of the beautiful game, German style … Enjoy!

90 sekunden, 11 Fragen (90 seconds, 11 questions)

Am Besten mit etwas 90elf Background starten: Wie lange in Betrieb? 90elf, Deutschlands Fußball-Radio,  überträgt seit August 2008 alle Spiele der 1. und 2. Bundesliga in voller Länge, einzeln und in der Konferenz, dazu den DFB-Pokal.

90-11 background: Germany’s soccer radio has been broadcasting since August 2008 including all Bundesliga (1st and 2nd division) games, in full length, individually or in conference  mode. Additional broadcasts include the German cup.

Warum gegruendet? Weil Fußball das beste der Spiel der Welt ist und in Deutschland für einen Spartensender bei König Fußball das größte Potential ist.

Why did you start/found the station? Soccer is the best game in the world and in Germany provides the best potential as a succesful niche station.

"Einfach Play Button klicken" (just press play) to hear live Bundesliga games

Hoererzahlen (historisch bis Heute): Mit über 2 Millionen Hörkontakten hat 90elf einen meisterlichen Auftakt in die Bundesliga-Saison 2011/2012 hingelegt und feiert damit gleichzeitig ein Rekordergebnis in seiner nun dreijährigen Geschichte. Zum Vergleich: In der letzten Saison wurde Deutschlands Fußball Radio pro Spieltag durchschnittlich 1 Million Mal eingeschaltet.

Listener statistics: Heading into the 2011/12 season, we registered over 2 million listeners, a new record in our short three year history. Comparatively, this is one million more than tuned into Bundesliga broadcasts last season.

Ausser Bundesliga-LIVE, was sind die Lieblingsprogramme? Ganz klar der 90elf-Bolzplatz, der interaktive Fußball-Talk auf 90elf in der Woche (dienstags, mittwochs, donnerstags 19.00 Uhr CET)  Hier kommen Fußballer, Experten, aber auch Fans zu Wort.

Besides the Bundesliga-LIVE broadcast, what are some other favorite programs? Clearly, our 90elf-Bolzplatz (training ground) show, featuring interactive soccer chats involving our experts, professional players and fans, is a big hit. It airs during the week – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday- 7PM Central European Time.

Was is der ‘Fan-Favourite’ Lieblingsfeature auf der Webseite? Neben den Livestreams natürlich die Beiträge und Sendungen zum Nachhören, aber auch allgemeine Infos zum Tabellenstand und zum Programm.

What is the fan favorite/ fave website feature? The Livestreams and various on-demand programs and regarding. Also, anything related to the league table and stats.

Bitte erklaeren Sie das Verhaeltniss/Zusammenspiel zwischen 90elf und social media: Social Media ist gelebter Bestandteil unseres Programms: Wir binden die Hörer über Facebook & Co. aktiv ein, wo es geht. Bis hin zur Fankonferenz bei Facebook: Hier werden die User zum Programmdirektor und haben Einfluss zu welchem Spiel geschaltet werden soll und worüber gesprochen werden soll.

Please explain the interplay between 90elf and social media: Social media is a vital part of our programming and we try to connect our listeners at every turn through popular services like Facebook and our fan conference feature. The conference lets our listeners put on the ‘director’s hat’ and make decisions on which games are broadcast and what the play-by-play reporters should talk about.

Wie lauten die Zukunftsziele des Senders? Englisches Programming? Pay-per-view Abo/Subscriptionmodelle? Videos, Live-Stream oder andere Multimedia Formate? Mit der hohen Qualität unserer Berichterstattung sowie weiteren Live-Rechten und Übertragungskanälen wollen wir ganz klar auf die große nationale Fußball-Bühne. Mit den aktuellen  Zahlen  sind wir auf dem besten Weg dahin und haben die Qualifikation sozusagen erfolgreich bestanden.

What’s in 90elf’s future? Based on the high quality programming and reporting, we plan to take the station to the larger national soccer stage. The current fan interest and downloads give us the demand proof we need to move forward.

Das Prachtstueck des 90elf Fussball-Radios ist meiner Meinung nach der Moderatorkader. Wer gehoert den Bei Euch in die ‘Startelf’ ? Wer ist Mannschaftskapitaen? Kapitän ist Programmchef Fabian von Wachsmann, Chefreporter ist Tom Hilgers. Beim gesamten Kader gilt aber eigentlich: Der Star ist die Mannschaft. Aber natürlich freuen wir uns auch sehr, so einzigartige Reporterpersönlichkeiten wie Manni Breuckmann oder Günther Koch in unseren Reihen zu haben.

I am convinced the ‘crown jewel’ of 90-elf radio is your team of match reporters and commentators. Who comprises your top 11 and who is your captain? Our captain is program director Fabian von Wachsmann, chief reporter is Tom hilgers, and larger than life radio personalities Manni Breuckmann and Günther Koch are among our reporter ranks as well.

Letzte Frage: Der neue 90elf Fan hat nur 2stunden pro Woche Zeit fuer Euer Programming? Was ist eine ‘must listen’ Sendung oder Uebertragung? Beides: 90 Minuten Spiel und die restlichen 30 für den 90elf-Bolzplatz in der Woche, um keine Entzugserscheinungen zu bekommen.-)

Last question: What are the ‘must listen’ shows you recommend for a new 90elf fan who has 2 hours per week to spare? I say they listen to a 90-minute Bundesliga broadcast of their choice (or the conference option for all games in 90 minutes) and spend the other 30 minutes tuning into the ‘Bolzplatz’ broadcast.

Now that you have read this … you know what to do; check out 90elf.de, Germany’ go-to-source for Bundesliga radio broadcast action.

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