Chemnitzer 3-1 Darmstadt 98, Wednesday 8th August 2012

Chemnitzer 3-1 Darmstadt 98, 3.liga (att. 5,200)

The Big Match.

 Maybe I was having a bad day. Maybe ny heart wasn’t in it from the start. After all, I’d travelled from Erfurt to Dresden, dropped my bag off, then headed to Chemnitz.  A fair bit of travelling, on top of what I’d already done in the past week and a half.  But I don’t think it was that.  I just found Chemnitz (the place) a bit of a chore, from the dismal walk up the hill to the ground (about 20 minutes from the station), past many a derelict building, to the walk to a city centre (20 minutes the other side of the station) of no renown.  

The outside of the stadium.

Having said all that, there is one MUST SEE, the Karl Marx statue outside a non-descript block of flats in between the station and city centre.  Under the communists, this was Karl Marx Stadt, but since reunification, it’s been renamed ‘Chemnitz’ and Karl’s name has been besmirched.  The workers will rise again!

Working men of the world unite!

The walk to the ground has a resigned feeling.  Lots of grand, yet dilapidated buildings.  (This theme is re-visited at the game, as behind one goal is a similarly described construction.) Chemnitz is apparently on the rise.  If so, it has quite a way to go.  And how awful must it have been in the first place?

Like Craven Cottage.  But not.

Next to the stadium is an indoor carting track which doubles as some kind of drinking hole.  About time, cos there’s nothing else.  Inside the ground though, there’s beer and sausages aplenty.  And the stadium is a proper throwback to how things used to be; one small covered stand and 3½ sides of open terrace, endless high fencing (both at pitchside and the terrace, splitting it into pens, th elater of which might be a good idea were it not for the fact that everyone comes through the same pen to begin with.  The attendance probably isn’t great but it looks busier than it is due to the habit of pinning banners to the perimeter fence, resulting in no-one standing on the first 10 steps or so of the terrace as you’d be unable to see.  Chemnitzer have plans for a rebuild.  Let’s see if it comes happens.

The new stadium plans.

The ‘fankurve’ (behind the goal) does its best but most of the noise simply wafts into the air, like the smoke from a nearby chimney.  In the second half, there is choreographed singing between the fankurve and the tribune side, but our terrace is for the aficionados.  Or those who can’t be bothered to sing inbetween smoking/eating/drinking.

The ultras welcome their heroes.

Chemnitzer win 3-1. The opener is a smart finish from a left wing cutback.  It’s 2-0 before half time with a goal I’ll presumably never see.  I was in the queue for sustenance.  3-0 and it’s all over though I am alone in the home end for applauding Darmstadt’s consolation.  I’m tired and I just wanna see more goals.

The Damage:
€9.50 ent
€2.50 sausage
€2.50 beer
= €14.50

I’d have had a programme as well, were it not for the queue at their ‘fanshop’, a hut with a small window.  Take a tip from Rot Weiss Erfurt, yesterday – have a pretty lady (or man!) with a pile of programmes for sale as you enter.

There's SOME cover...over the ticket booths.

Pre-match drinks.

Down the long side terrace.

The away end..few in number.

I bet this used to look nice.

The teams come out.

 

Sunset over stadion an der gellertstrasse.

If I didn't know better, I'd swear something was on fire.

Chemnitzer employ the latest scoreboard technology.

Overlooking the main stand.

The Main Stand empties at full time.

Behind the goal.

It's a simple construction, but I like it.

Bye bye!

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...

Kaiserslautern 3-3 Union Berlin, Monday 6th August 2012

Kaiserslautern 3-3 Union Berlin, Bundesliga 2 (att. 31,618)

Welcome to ...

Pulling into Kaiserslautern railway station, you can’t miss the stadium – a massive edifice high up on the hill, overlooking the town.  And as if to accentuate its size, why not build some tower blocks next to it, which aren't much taller?  Like the Sports Direct Arena (nee St. James’ Park) at Newcastle, this has three huge sides and a fourth, smaller one.  Capacities are roughly similar too, 49,980 against 52k.  However, one crucial difference lies in the admission fees.  The last time I was at St. James’ I was charged £39 for a seat up in the gods.  Today, it was 12 euros, or about £9.60 at today’s rate.  OK, it was Bundesliga 2, not the Premiership, but still.  I could see the players, for one thing.

The 2 tallest buildings in Kaiserslautern (possibly).

Buying a ticket in the westtribune fankurve was simple. Just rock up to the ground, into the ‘fanshop’ and hey presto!  Of course, it’s a lot easier in Bundesliga 2 when you have a capacity like ‘lautern, but even last season, in Bundesliga proper, they only sold out 3 times: Dortmund, Schalke, Bayern.  I wanted a standing ticket and the lady apologised, but the only ones available were high up in the corner. Fine.  So I found myself in section 6.4, where it was standing, but you could sit if you wanted, amongst the rail seats.  With plenty of space around me, I tried half a dozen positions before settling on one.

THIS is how you decorate roadside verges.

A dull first half passed and at half time I went for sausage and beer.  In an odd layout, all the food and drink kiosks are on the ground floor, but once I got there I figured I’d like to take some pics from low down in the stadium.  So I snuck onto the terrace.  I say ‘snuck’; a steward was checking tickets and I fiddled with my pockets as I went past.  Inside, I noticed everyone inside had a season ticket card, so maybe this area was ST only. In which case I decided to stay, being closer to the action (both on and off the pitch).  Indeed, I wasn’t too far behind the ‘Frenetic Youth Ultras’ (great name) who seemed to be the main cheerleaders – they were next to a man with a drum – along with a section bang in the middle of the tribune.

Looking down on the home end.

The match was scoreless at half time, the main thing I remember being how hapless the ‘lautern centre forward was.  I don’t know how many promising moves were ruined by his ‘interventions’.  So of course he later scored 2 excellent headers (Idrissou, from Cameroon, he was).  So, second half, and within 5 minutes the game had turned on its head.  Underdogs Union broke away and Parensenhit a rasping left footb drive across the keeper and into the far right corner.  Then a one-on-one was missed, but no matter, as the visitors extended their lead after 54 minutes.  A delectable throughball and Zoundi (from Burkina Faso, no less) rounded the keeper to score from an acute angle. This is one of my favourite types of goal and it ought to happen more often, the rounding of  keeper.

1.FCK tribute on a roundabout (note 'fans' on wall)

The home fans were now starting to turn on their heroes.  With no sign of a home goal, Union put one on a plate for them.  A ‘lautern corner came in, and perhaps remembering his 1^st half efforts, absolutely no-one bothered to mark Idrissou who headed in from 6 yards.  A gift.  And with this goal, the inevitable change of tide.   The Red Devils came swarming forward, the fans were behind them (great noise from the steep stands) and Berlin’s defensive midfield looked sluggish.  In short, it looked a matter of time.  A slick move finished with a fantastic header by Idrissou and then, with 4 minutes remaining, another slick move sliced Union apart and Zuck scored a terrific half volley, slamming it home with his left peg.

Union fans pay homage.

There was still time for ‘lautern to blaze a one-on-one into the crowd and with the game won for the pre-season promotion favourites, the crowd were bouncing.  However, in Union broke, the ball rolled just outside the box and Pfertzel bit it low into the corner.  Stunned silence.  Joyous Union fans at the far end.  (I could just about hear them for the 1^st time, though I could see by their jumping, they’d never stopped singing throughout.)  It was the perfect end to a see-saw match.

The view from the corner.

I thoroughly enjoyed Kaiserslautern and the Fritz Walter Stadion.  It’s steep, hemmed in, and the fans in the home end make for a terrific din when they all join in together (much of the time, the singing seemed divided between sections).  Kaiserlautern are one of the great names in German football, a traditional old team who've been there since the beginning.  Indeed, their stadium is named after a former legend of 1.FCK and the national team, in the former's heyday of the early 1950s.  Since the advent of the Bundesliga in 1963, 'lautern have won it twice, including as recently as 1998.  Hopefully they'll return soon, I love this stadium.

Lower down, 2nd half.

The only downside is the place; Kaiserslautern must be one of the most boring towns in Germany.  A sign of its previous dependence on the American airbase nearby?  Either way, I can see why it doesn’t get a mention in the Lonely Planet.  Dull dull dull.  I was staying in Karlsruhe, which was a mission at the time of night this game was played, but another thing the stadium had: train times to various places on their scoreboard.  Where do you get service like that in England?  What football club cares?

The Damage:

€10 ent

€1 postcard

= €11

Outside the stadium.

One corner.

Terrace and seats on adjacent training pitch.

Welcome to ....(2)

We can all identify with this feeling.

An unassuming entrance.  Under the flats and up the hill.

Fans climb up the hill.

The view from inside the stadium.

Who does this guy support?

High up before kick-off.

Flags are waved behind the goal.

Looking towards the away end.

Union are bottom left.