Much like TFA yesterday, I need your help with something soccer-related and German. You see, I just found out that the club I barely pull for--Schalke 04--will hire Oliver Khan as their new manager.
Since I cannot stand that man in any fashion, I will have to drop my slight allegiance to the Gelsenkirchen club. Therefore, I need a new Bundesliga club to pull for. A quick substitute would have been St. Pauli, but they will not be making the top flight any time soon. And while we were on the Hoff bandwagon earlier, the wheels have fallen off there.
So I need suggestions. Put 'em in the comments and let's see if we can work this out together.
This has been a ü75 request.
Go with my team...Hertha Berlin. Berlin is one of the greatest cities I have ever visited (plus I lived there for a while). Hertha has never been any good until this year. Well, I take that back. They have qualified for CL play previously but they haven't won the title since the days of the Third Reich. They are also sponsored by the German railroad company, which is kinda cool. Think of DC United being sponsored by Amtrak.
ReplyDeleteI support Cologne. Been to a match there, great atmosphere and our mascot is a goat! We're getting Podolski back next year and who knows, a UEFA spot might not be out of the question then.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked Werder Bremen; they're just outside the fringes of the top flight, but good enough to occasionally crack European competition. Win-win.
ReplyDeleteI like either Hamburger SV or VfB Stuttgart. Both teams have good history, but do not consistently top the table. Plus, some decent kits.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of partial to Werder, as their kits often look like what the Miami Dolphins would wear.
ReplyDeleteBayer are right out--think of aspirin every time I see the name. Hertha are an option, but I can't believe how reliant they are on a loan signing. I like Hamburg's crest, but I cannot pull for Stuttgart, I have had enough of Mad Jens. Koln is an option too. I do like the goat.
Ugh, I hate Oliver Kahn too. I don't really follow Bundesliga at all, but on the odd occasion I stumble across a match I have found myself rooting for Werder. I like the kits too, although not because of the Miami Dolphins.
ReplyDeleteI just want to stress that this will be a Bill Simmons level of involvement. At most, I might buy a shirt.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes wear my Cologne shirt in the park with the kids and lot of Germans come up to me, quite happy to see a relatively random shirt like that. No one really hates Cologne. Rabid supporters-- I see Cologne as similar to Norwich.
ReplyDeleteYou would.
ReplyDeleteKoln could move up nicely with the Podolski pick up. Our surnames are rather similar, especially when spoken. Perhaps a hero shirt?
i hear paris hilton is a fan of podolski if that sways you.
ReplyDeleteIf that sways you, I want no part of this project.
ReplyDeleteKoln has too many different spellings. Is it Koln? Cologne? Köln? There's too many different iterations to Google. Werder Bremen is the same in every language.
Koln with an umlaut is the proper German spelling. In English it is Cologne. If you can't do an umlaut then it is Koeln.
ReplyDeleteJust like Munich is Muenchen in German. Properly, in German it's with an umlauted u and not "ue" but i can't do the umlauts.
I agree with Fan's Attic. Go with Berlin.
ReplyDeleteI love doner kabobs. They taste delicious. They are the best in Berlin.
I started pulling for Hamburg this season because of Martin Jol. Which probably means you won't be choosing Hamburg.
ReplyDelete"our mascot is a goat!"
ReplyDeleteSay no more.
I like Jol. That doesn't hurt Hamburg's chances. Köln having an umlaut helps. TFA'a didactic lesson on German spelling hürts Berlin's chances. What if all Hertha fans are like that? I don't want to be associated with that.
ReplyDeleteRight now it's looking like Köln in first and Werder in second. Wolfsburg is a dark horse. I don't care about the VW connection, but saying Wolfsburg is pretty badass.
Is there no love for Mikey Bradley's club? Wasn't Moenchengladbaczistan where Keller had his castle?
all germans are thorough in their explanations. not just Berliners.
ReplyDeleteyes, i believe that is where Keller's castle was.
Hamburg does have the infamous Reeperbahn redlight district.
Cologne is closer to France than Berlin.
Hertha is a capital city club in Europe that has never been great or consistently good, so it's an anomaly among the major leagues.
Berlin plays at the Olympic Stadium where Jesse Owens pwned Der Fuhrer.
Well, I can't do Hamburg then. Cause the Millerntor is actually right next door to the Reeperbahn and it wouldn't be right to support two clubs from the same town. As stated above, I choose St. Pauli over anyone else. I just want a Bundesliga club to follow without feeling slimy.
ReplyDeletemmmm....doner kebaps....mmm.
ReplyDeleteDortmund, because the Westfalenstadion is probably the most badass stadium in the game.
ReplyDeleteHamburg's sponsor is Emirates, which could be cool if you're an Arsenal fan. While on the subject of sponsors, too, Bremen's kind of sucks: Citibank. I personally owe Citibank way too much money to make that viable; I can't watch games without thinking about my mortgage.
ReplyDeleteThen again, in a way I'm kind of a part owner...hmmmm....
Stevie Cherundolo plays for Hannover, you could cheer for them if you wanted to suport one of national team guys.
ReplyDeleteLuca Toni is pretty hot and he and Franck Ribery seem like good guys, I would support Bayern just because of those two guys. Poldi would be an added bonus.
Dortmund--too yellow and black, like the Steelers. No thanks.
ReplyDeleteHannover. I had forgotten about them. I like the "96" logo. Dolo's alright. Third place, I think.
Bayern--no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. If I can't stand Kahn, why would I give a second thought to the club that nurtured him? I don't like Toni's "I'm washing my ear" celebration. I did like the Toni-Ribery video from last year, though.
What is Köln's shirt sponsor, REWE?
St. Pauli is only three points away from promotion play offs in Bundesliga 2. Just sayin'
ReplyDeleteYeah, but some boardroom malfunction will happen where they fall apart at the end, or get deducted points. I just don't think it's safe to assume they will move up until they are actually play another match in the Bundesliga.
ReplyDeleteI remember my first season paying attention to them. They were down towards the bottom of the Regionalliga, while their amateur side was just short of promotion one league down. That club is amazing. Theoretically, they were very close to being in the same league.