

On Nuremberg, Doll, and Sahin
By: Steven |
Jan Koller made his return to the Westfalenstadion tonight after a stint in France with Moncao. Dortmund returned to the Westfalenstadion after a road outing at Eintracht Frankfurt. Neither return was a very happy one.
We needed three points out of this match, as did Nuremberg. It was obvious that both sides would be pushing for goals, but neither Dortmund nor Nuremberg were able to hit the back of the net. 0-0 it is.
In the end, it was a pretty disappointing result. Alex Frei had a handful of opportunities to score but wasn’t able to finish. Kuba also had a chance, but the finishing just wasn’t there tonight. With Frei and Mladen Petric up front, you’d think the goals would be pouring in but they’re not and why that’s the case is a mystery to me. The results have to be better next season, and the first step in ensuring better results is hiring a better coach. Hopefully this result puts the nail in Thomas Doll’s coaching coffin.
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Speaking of Doll, kicker recently ran a story with the headline “No clear commitment to Doll”. If and when Doll gets fired (please let him get fired), who are the candidates Dortmund have lined up to replace him? Your guess is as good as mine, but I’m fairly certain that anyone would be an improvement.
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On a brighter note, Nuri Sahin will be returning to Dortmund next season after spending a year with Bert van Marvijk in Rotterdam. Hopefully his time in the Eredivisie will make him a better player at Dortmund (we need all the quality players we can get at this point). Sebastian Tyrala is another player I’d like to see get some more time in the first team. He’s a talent that needs to be pushing for a starting spot.
Looking to spend
By: Steven |Thanks to their qualification for the UEFA Cup, Dortmund will be bringing in extra money through sponsorships. According to this Westline article, the club will spend “eight figures” in the transfer market ahead of next season. If you’re good at math, you will realize that eight figures could be just short of $100 million (or euros, if that’s your sort of thing). Realistically though, BVB’s transfer budget will probably fall somewhere around the €15 million range.
So, what does that leave us? It leaves us a decent amount of money to spend (not quite the amount that Bayern likes to waste, but it’s still a start). It’s hard to say how far Dortmund will look to stretch their budget — especially since we don’t even know the exact amount they’re willing to spend — but I would guess they’re looking to bring in three or four new faces. Any guesses as to who they’ll be?
Pinstripes!
By: Steven |
The suffering caused from the awful jerseys of this season can finally be put to an end.
In an official release from the club, Dortmund will be wearing a slick looking new jersey for the 2008-2009 season. The predominant color is yellow (none of this half-and-half crap) with black pinstripes. The club will wear black shorts donned with the BVB logo (yellow shorts are also available).
For you fancy people out there, the jersey was made with Nike’s Dri-Fit system (seriously, does that really do anything?). Anyway, whatever Nike did with this new kit sure “hits the spot”.
Oh, and the best part about the new jerseys? No hideous exclamation mark.
Juve want Petric; Dortmund eye Bochum encounter
By: Steven |
According to Bild, Juventus are preparing to mount a €20million bid for Mladen Petric. In a later report from Tribal Football (which is completely unreliable), the boys from Turin are also mulling the idea of sending Tiago plus cash to Dortmund in return for our striker. No thanks, Juventus.
As for this weekend’s match against Bochum; we will be without Frei, who is injured yet again (knee problems as a result of the Switzerland/Germany friendly). The first meeting this season went to the good guys with Federico providing the game-winner. Hopefully we can make it two-for-two in Bochum because our standing in the league is way too low. A string of wins at this point in the season would be very nice.
Into the final, into the UEFA Cup
By: Steven |Thanks to the over-spenders in Munich’s win over Wolfsburg last night, Borussia Dortmund is virtually guaranteed a spot in next year’s UEFA Cup. Should we fail to win the Cup in Berlin, we’ll be given a spot anyway since Bayern will be finishing in a Champions League spot. But that kind of thinking is unacceptable. We know our opponent and we’re going to win.
Now if our league play wanted to pick up a little bit, that would be great…
Into the final
By: Steven |
Dortmund is into the DFB Cup final after a 3-0 win over FC Carl Zeiss Jena. Tinga was the first to find the back of the net, as he pounced on a loose ball in the box in the 13th minute. In the 71st minute, Diego Klimowicz scored in similar fashion to double the lead. Mladen Petric then added an emphatic third some 15 minutes later to seal BVB’s spot in Berlin.
Dortmund’s opponent for the April 19th clash at the Olympistadion is not yet known, but it will be either Bayern Munich or VfL Wolfsburg. The two teams will meet tomorrow to determine who gets to play opposite Borussia in one month’s time.
Dortmund vs. Hamburg: Bushwhacked
By: Steven |Ouch. So that’s what it feels like to be on the other end of a 3-0 drubbing.
HSV’s goal scoring exploits started fast and furious, with José Paolo Guerrero putting them ahead with only seven minutes gone by. Rafael van der Vaart, who I said would be the key man in this match, then made it 2-0 to Hamburg just before halftime.
On the other side of the break, Florian Kringe went and got himself sent off in the 51st minute, paving the way for Ivica Olic to make it a resounding 3-0.
Dortmund now sit in ninth place with nine points from seven games played.
Westfalenstadion to host Hamburg
By: Steven |The English (I mean German) Bundesliga is back in action today, with Dortmund looking to get back on the winning track against Hamburg.
Last Saturday, we lost 3-2 at Hertha. But today we welcome HSV to the Westfalenstadion, where we recently beat Werder Bremen by a resounding 3-0 scoreline. A win here would do us wonders, as we would move back up to the upper echelon of the table.
According to Thomas Doll, the Dortmund players are “fit as fiddle”, so we shouldn’t worry about them being unprepared. Hopefully he’s right. It will certainly take lots of energy and effort to contain Rafael van der Vaart. If we aren’t able to do that, it could be a long match for us.
GolTV Goodness
By: Steven |For American viewers such as myself, the following news will be sweet music to your ears.
9/22/07 - Hertha Berlin vs. Borussia Dortmund (11:30 AM EST) - GolTV
9/29/07 - Borussia Dortmund vs. Hamburg SV (time TBA) - GolTV
YES.
Know Thy Enemy: Schalke defeated
By: Steven |September 18, 2007. The first day of Champions League action. More specifically, it’s the first day of Group B action. And even more specifically, it’s Schalke’s first match in Group B. The stage is perfectly set. The “German Newcastle” are hosting Spanish side Valencia at the Veltins. It’s the perfect chance for Schalke to pull the upset, right?
Wrong.
David Villa scored in the 63rd minute, handing the visitors a 1-0 win. Sucks to be a Schalke fan!
That is all.





