It’s a big gamble for Leipzig. That is an amortization of €25m p.a. on the fee and they lose him for free in 2 years when he’s still young. It looks like a horrible deal for Leipzig. Simmons holds all the power now.
German Football 2024/25
- Thread starter SilentWitness
- Start date
So Stuttgart makes it to the cup semifinal and probably end their small crisis / CL exit hangover. Will be interesting to see if they really stabilize and stay in the CL race now.
I had forgotten that we're already out of the cup again.
I had forgotten there was a game yesterday. Not that I would have watched anyways, but...
Btw, I watch less and less games. Is that only me or is that a general trend?
I used to know exactly when my team was playing and tried to fit other appointments around it so that I could watch the game. Now I often only find out on Friday afternoon that my team is playing on Friday evening and other appointments usually take priority. I used to watch CL on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but now I only watch my team or when I happen to be lounging on the couch.
It's why I have "Nobody in particular" listed under who I support. Got older, life got more important things to care about than cheering on some sports team, and where I was frequently in the stadium in my youth I now sometimes don't even watch games when I have time, but am just not feeling like it at the moment. It's just a game at the end of the day, it's not who I am. Still love the sport and watch a fair share of matches, still got teams I favour or dislike, but it's not a focal point of my being.
I also think it's just way easier to get saturated with the jam-packed calender of games these days. It's easier to look forward to games if they are a treat here and there, but if there's always a game on a stream somewhere and your team plays every week, sometimes twice per, the individual matches just feel less important and special.
Yep, that resonates with me. I remember how special it was to be able to watch a game of my club live on TV. And as you say, now you can watch something every day at practically any time. The exclusivity has been lost and for me it's also the money flooding the market. Something like City, PSG or Newcastle (to name just the three most prominent examples) just goes completely against my sense of justice and I would immediately be in favour of a strictly monitored salary cap in Europe. Unfortunately, I also know that this is not feasible. Without going into deep psychoanalysis, equal treatment is one of my absolute core values and this is being violated more and more, which makes me consume less and less football.
Can't imagine they will have a lot of wins though. What an absolute brain dead decision when Ten Hag is available.
I don't know mate. Yes, they start with a game against Stuttgart (but at home) but then they have Bochum, Union, Pauli and Augsburg lined up. Not exactly a murderer's row.
Yeah the monetary side definitely is also an issue to me. The amount of money in football, where it comes from, and how it is used is certainly something that impacts my enjoyment of the sport. The blatant and visible corruption of its governing bodies. Clubs being bought and propped up on cash infusions rather than merit, and used as marketing vehicles, tax-writeoffs or source of dividends. Sponsorship deals of questionable morality - had I been a Bayern fan for example, I'd have been absolutely livid with "my" club for taking Qatar Airways as a sponsor, and I applaud their fans for bashing the management over the head about it until they discontinued the sponsorship.
That and other things really make it hard to be a full-on fan these days for me.
The problem is that Kovac kind of personifies underdog mentality and style. Great if you are the underdog, but Dortmund will only against Stuttgart be the underdog.
That run of games after Stuttgart can become very tough and disappointing if Dortmund don't find good solutions to play through these teams, and that's exactly what I wouldn't expect from Kovac.
I fully expect two or three terrible to watch 0-0/1-1 results in these four matches.
I certainly hope so. Can't wait to watch those interviews!
Yeah, that (rightfully) didn't go over too well with the fans. No surprise, when you take into account that Bayern's ultras are left-leaning.
But hey, now they have "Visit Rwanda". Great choice, too.
Very healthy attitude
Köln taking the lead in Leverkusen just before half time. Should be a fun second half 
Oh man. The one game where I'm rooting for Leverkusen and they embarrass themselves..Köln taking the lead in Leverkusen just before half time. Should be a fun second half
and while I write this.. comeback is on!
Let's see what happens. Kölns counter attacks are great so this is still very open and looks good for them
It feels like Mislintat(sp?) is getting fired every year. Must be great fun to work with.
To be fair, Dortmund isn't any better. They fired Rose smafter a staff meeting, fired Stanic after he allegedly badmouthed Terzic, now Mislintat. And with their weird management structure, anything else would have been a surprise, honestly.
Kane scores two more pens to increase his remarkable streak of converted pens.
It baffles me that some Bayern fans see Bayern play and think Kimmich is the problem. Another masterclass display in midfield from him, had a big role to play in the first penalty with the pass to Kane and then could've had a couple of assists otherwise.
The combination matters. Kimmich/Pavlovic works because one of them stays in position and keeps the structure. Kimmich/Goretzka has always been an issue.
We all know the first one he misses will be an important one that costs us greatly.
There are people saying Bayern shouldn't renew his contract but rather go for Stiller to play with Pavlovic and Bischoff. Stiller is good but not at the level of Kimmich.
It is known.
I don't think I've ever witnessed a season as weird as what Magdeburg is currently doing in the 2. Bundesliga.
How are you unable to win a single home game while destroying the competition in away games?
I guess that raises the question if they're a good team that's doomed by a mental block or a weak team surviving thanx to a lucky spell.
How are you unable to win a single home game while destroying the competition in away games?
I guess that raises the question if they're a good team that's doomed by a mental block or a weak team surviving thanx to a lucky spell.
Kovac has never won in Dortmund as manager
Kimmich/Pavlovic is like Modric/Kroos while Kimmich/Goretzka is Modric/Vidal.
I am afraid that streak will end this season.
Is Ryerson prone to throwing tantrums like he's shown today? Seemed on edge for a fair bit before he got himself sent off with his antics. Can't even say it's undeserved the way he flailed around for that second yellow, even he certainly thinks differently.
Imagine you have to live in Dortmund and have Kovac as a coach. (Yes, I know that he probably has a house elsewhere.)
I'd rather not, I don't have a public humiliation kink.
I didn’t see the game but from I read this is on Kovac, isn‘t it? Ryerson was on a yellow and noticeably close to blowing up but he didn’t sub him. There was only a €30m RB available on the bench…
Ryerson was definitely visibly working himself up to completely blowing his fuse. At the very least they should have called him over to the bench for Kovac to tell him to hakuna his tatas, if not sub him off. Kehl getting himself a yellow card for having a go at the 4th official showed that there was a good bit of agitation on the bench as well.
Part of the problem was that the referee increasingly lost his poise in those last minutes when things got really agitated and failed to calm the game down. Rather than taking someone who was getting wound up aside and giving some stern warning to cut it out, he seemed to be falling behind the action and just hectically reacting for the last fifteen minutes or so.
But ultimately a player's behaviour is on themselves, obviously.
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Kovac is simply not a particularly good manager. No idea what BVB were thinking, massive unforced blunder.
Well... name one better manager who would willingly join their current chaos?
They would be right. Kimmich is a great player in many aspects but he slows the game down irretrievably for a team that needs quick ball movement to break down defenses. Every touch he has takes 1-2 seconds too long.
It might look like a masterclass against Bremen when the whole game is slow as a tortoise but against top opponents it means Bayern become completely toothless and uncreative with him pulling the strings. And then they get countered because he is as slow to react in defensive transitions as he is on the ball.
He is like Thiago after 5 beers and a Schweinebraten.
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Ten Hag is available and even sat in the stands before next to his buddy Sammer. About ten hag times a better manager than Kovac.
Yes, but would he want to join them? He just left a similar mess of a club.
Obviously I'm not privy to the plans of neither BVB nor Ten Hag, nor to their talks, but I would assume it would be an attractive job for him. A mess in size not anywhere comparable to United and a much easier job as the balance of team quality and expectations is much more favourable. The air is nowhere near as thin in Dortmund and the squad, while in need of quality investment, is at least very coachable.
I just don't understand the managerial hiring policy of BVB, they seem intent on systematically destroying their brand of football. I think it would have been a perfect fit for both sides to get back to their brand.