Rot Weiss Erfurt 1-1 Stuttgart II, Tuesday 7th August 2012

Rot Weiss Erfurt 1-1 Stuttgart II, 3.liga (att. 3,802)

Welcome to ....

A place as nice as Erfurt doesn’t deserve a football team.  And it very nearly might not after the start they’ve had this season: 3 games, 3 defeats, scored 1, conceded 10. But aren’t football teams meant to be from grim, industrial places, where people have nothing to live for but their football team?  But this is historic, scenic, picturesque Erfurt.  Castles (why is called a ‘citadel’?), medieval buildings, parks, a river so shallow you’d barely get your ankles wet when crossing…and a football team to boot!  I think I’d like to live here.  Perhaps I could afford a ground floor flat in a concrete tenement (there’s a few of them too).

Erfurt, yesterday.

It’s a nice walk to the Steigerwaldstadion too.  Avoiding the tram (which takes you direct to the stadium), exit the back of the railway station (opposite direction of the Aldstadt), head uphill through a delicious park, then stroll through the cobbled streets and huge dwellings of ‘Am Stadtpark’ and at some point you’ll see the floodlights.  The home terrace is at the far end.  Or follow the (few) fans.
Even the stadium is full of charm, despite possessing an athletics’ track.  Every athletics stadium should have a colourful flowerbed behind the goal, but I’ve only seen the Steigerwaldstadion thus far.  There’s also cover on one side only, and even this stand had massive gaps at the back to allow the wind and rain to blow in.  But it still looks beautiful, or at least it does in early August, where there’s no mistaking what a lovely place this is to come and watch footie.  It is an evening kick off and the sun is shining, the temperature is..temperate and there are beer and sausage stands aplenty.  No queues either, given the few fans.  And did I really hear the teams come out to some heavy metal which segued into Boney M?  (The latter were Germany’s finest disco export.)  I see there’s a ‘Drexler’ in the team too.  Might he be related to the founder of the Nazi party?  The ‘Weimar’ of ‘Weimar Republic’ is just down the road too; shame I didn’t have time to visit.

'Marathontor'

With three successive defeats, you’d expect to se a nervous home team, but not a bit of it.  From the off, RW attacked and in the 2^nd minute got a penalty when their player cut inside and was chopped down.  What is it about blatant penalties that require 7 (seven) members of the opposition to surround the ref, arguing?  Works for Man U, I s’pose.  The pen is despatched, and the Erfurt hordes go wild – or at least the 200 ultras, who, to be fair, never stopped singing throughout.  They were led by the ubiquitous man with a mic on the fence, supported by a drummer.  Mind, when they chanted ‘Erfurt, Erfurt’ is sounded like a plea for ‘effort, effort’, chant I’d like to incorporate upon my return home.  I am though a little tired of hearing ‘you’ll never walk alone’ at German matches and today was no exception.

Spot the half and half Erfurt/West Ham scarves!

Today was also my 1^st experience of the Bundesliga reserve team: Stuttgarter II are the under 23/reserve team of Stuttgart and, unlike in England, they’re allowed to take part in the national league.  I’d hate this to happen in England.  Who supports the 2^nd team today?  Friends and family of players?  Supporters of the first team who live in or near Erfurt?  Whatever their reasons, there are 19 of them here today (though they were a long way away at the other end of the stadium).  Whatever their number, I have seen that many police vehicles today on my walk to the ground, and 5 times as many coppers.  Who pays for all this? 

There's no escape, even when walking through the park.

Back to Stuttgart II.  Who plays for them?  How does it work?  For instance, is it a team with some experienced (lower division) stalwarts who are supported by young, up and coming potential future 1^st teamers?  And are players interchangeable between the 1^st and 2^nd team as they are in England?  Even if the reserves are playing in the national league?  Also, with the reserves not allowed to join their compadres’ division, what’s the point?  At least it’ theoretically possible, say, for Rochdale to get to the Premiership and play Man U.  Stuttgart II will never be allowed to reach Stuttgart I’s level, so what’s the point?  Though they can play Stuttgarter Kickers, who are a different team altogether (and share a ground with Stuttgart II).  Keeping up?

Erfurt's main stand.

Anyway, Erfurt piled forward throughout the 1^st half, creating chance after chance, but being unable to add to their lead.  Now I know why they’re struggling.  The second half is not nearly as one-sided but RW are still comfortably on top, despite the reserves hitting the bar with an out of the blue long ranger.  Then, in the 77^th minute a careless foul just inside the Erfurt half leads to a lofted punt into the box, a looping header, and it’s one-all.  What an awful way to concede.  It could be a season of struggle for the home side.

The Damage:
€11 ent
€1 prog
€2 sausage
€2.50 beer
€4 badge
= €20.50

The giraffe-like floodlights.

Turnstiles outside the 'Marathontor'

Stadium plan.

The view from behind the goal.

Erfurt: all banners and flowerbeds.

Rot Weiss ultras.

...and again.

The Marathontor.

The Main Stand

The view towards the scoreboard.

The away end.

The giant scoreboard.

The teams come out (not that you can tell).

A floodlight leans in.

The main event.

The main stand roof.

Welcome to...(II)

The view from the top of the terrace.

Match action.

I can see the downside of playing here...

Hallescher 3-0 Rot-Weiss Erfurt, Saturday 4th August 2012

Hallescher 3-0 Rot-Weiss Erfurt, att. 11,326 (3.liga)

Welcome to ....

Seems I still haven’t learnt my lessons re: being in possession of a map of the necessary quality to get to the game.  Still I normally like a challenge, but, arriving at Halle with 19 minutes to kick off and an inadequate map, meant there was no way I’d see the start.  Also, it was too late to even follow any fans.  Through educated guess work (though it took me 10 minutes to scout the surrounds of the station and catch my bearings) I headed in roughly the right direction.  20 mins and another educated guess later, I turned right and after a block or so I could hear the sound of a football crowd. And within a minute of that, there was no mistaking it, the home team had scored.  4th match of my tour and I’ve yet to see a home goal…but I’ve heard one.

The home end celebrates a later goal.

I got there 20 minutes in, bought a match ticket from the ‘fancenter’ (there's one on each corner of the ground lateness was no barrier to security though who gave me the body search of my life, so far) then told me I couldn't take my shoulder bag into the stadium so into a metal container it went and I was given a ticket like visiting a cloakroom. How glam!  So in I went and found myself in Hallescher's ‘fancurve’ (home end).

Looking towards the away corner.

The match ticket was €12.  More than I expected.  However, I saved on wurst and beer cos you could only pay by stadium card, and I didn’t have one.  God, these things get on my wick.  All the rage in Holland, it means the floating fan can either buy a card and add money on to a specified (high) amount, spend as high a % as possible of it (cos you ain’t getting’ any change, pardner)…or go hungry.  Being a) a man of principle and b) an anti-social b****** who didn’t  fancy the rigmarole of a conversation, I went hungry.

The Main Stand.

The match? 3-0.  As I said, I missed the 1^st goal, but the 2^nd was a well-worked set piece, the near post flick-on from a corner ending with the ball poked in at the back post through a ruck of players.  The 3^rd was screamer of a free kick from way-too-far-out-to-try-it.  I dunno who was more surprised – me or the keeper.  

As for the fans, lots of noise, including a choreographed chant between the fancurve and the ‘GP Papenburg Tribune’ in the second half and I was ideally placed, having moved to the corner for a better view and some SHADE.  It was a roaster!

The winners take their bows...

The stadium was small, but perfectly formed, and nearly a sellout with a 12,000 capacity.  The stadium has been rebuilt inside the walls of its former home, which gives it a very smart look.  They’ve got rid of the old track around the pitch, and now it’s a modern, cantilevered stadium, with three sides of seating (save for a standing area in one corner for the away fans) and a terraced home end.  Just make sure you know your way there!

The Damage:

€12 ent

= €12

...and the losers take theirs.

Hallescher fancurve

Behind the goal.

A bit more sparse in the far corner.

Fans clamour to salute their heroes.

Fans' social club.

After the match...drinks ahoy!

Back of the main stand.

A perfect match of old and new.

Statues outside the stadium.

A grand entrance.

The main event...a hoarding in town.