Monday, 7 September 2015

VfB Stuttgart (Germany)


VfB Stuttgart, or Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart to use their full title, is one of the most prominent football clubs in Germany.

The club’s origins can be traced to the formation of Stuttgarter Fußballverein on the 9th September 1893. This club initially played rugby at Stöckach-Eisbahn before moving to Cannstatter Wasen in 1894. A football section was added in 1908 where they joined the Südkreis-Liga in 1912.


Meanwhile another local club Cannstatter Fußballklub had been formed as a rugby club in 1890 before quickly established a football team. In 1897 the reformed themselves by the name of FC Krone Cannstatt, playing football only. They joined the Süddeutschen Fußballverband  The club had their own ground, which is now home to TSVgg Stuttgart-Münster e.V. 1875/99.

On the 2nd April 1912 Stuttgarter FV and Kronen-Club Cannstatt merged to form VfB Stuttgart. The united club became members of the Kreisliga Württemberg before moving on to the Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden, where they were crowned champions in 1926-27.

In 1933 German football was re-organised under the ruling Third Reich. Sixteen top flight Gauligen divisions were formed. VfB moved into the Neckarstadion and were placed in Gauliga Württemberg.

VfB fared very well, going on to win the division in 1934-35, 1936-37, 1937-38, 1939-40, and 1942-43 while a rivalry with Stuttgarter Kickers intensified. The 1935 success led to a run right through to the national final, where they succumbed by a 6-4 scoreline to reigning champions FC Schalke 04.


At the end of World War Two, ‘Die Schwaben’ were placed in the Oberliga Süd, capturing the title in 1945-46 before the club enjoyed a real golden period. Another title was lifted in 1949-50 with the team going on to be crowned as national champions following a 2-1 victory over Kickers Offenbach in Berlin. 

Stuttgart won a second German title in 1951-52 with Georg Wurzer the successful coach once again as 1. FC Saarbrücken were defeated 3-2 at the Südweststadion in Ludwigshafen. Otto Baitinger scored twice with the other goal coming from star player Robert Schlienz who had lost a forearm arm in an accident.

VfB returned to Ludwigshafen to defeat 1. FC Köln 1-0 after extra time to win the DFB-Pokal German Cup to through a goal from Erwin Waldner to complete the double with the Oberliga Süd title in 1953-54.

The Pokal was lifted for a second time in the golden era under coach Wurzer in 1957-58 with a 4-3 extra time victory over Fortuna Düsseldorf in Kassel thanks to goals from Dieter Praxl, Rolf Geiger, Waldner and Lothar Weise.

VfB’s fine record led to them becoming founding members of the newly formed Bundesliga in 1963. Dieter Höller’s goals took the side to fifth in the debut season of the competition under coach Kurt Baluses.

Horst Köppel contributed goals while the team came in with several mid table finishes before another fifth spot was achieved in 1968-69 with Gunther Baumann in charge of the team. Hermann Eppenhoff’s team qualified for the for the 1973-74 UEFA Cup; going on to reach the semi-finals before going out 4-3 on aggregate to Feyenoord.


In an attempt to grasp the professional era, local politician Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder was elected as new president.. Despite this move, VfB were relegated at the end of the 1974-75 season. 

It would take two seasons to reclaim a top flight spot as the team coached by Jürgen Sundermann and including stars such as  Karlheinz Förster, Hansi Müller and Ottmar Hitzfeld romped to the 2. Bundesliga title.

In 1979-80 the last four teams left in the UEFA Cup were all from West Germany. VfB were defeated by Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-1 over two legs. After several promising Bundesliga seasons VfB Stuttgart were crowned champions in 1983-84, under coach Helmut Benthaus.

Jürgen Klinsmann joined the ranks in the late 1980’s from city neighbours Kickers. In 1988-89 VfB went all the way to the final of the UEFA but were denied their first European silverware as a Diego Maradona inspired Napoli ran out as 5-4 winners over the two games. 

The 1991-92 season saw the club being crowned as German champions for the fourth time under the guidance of Christoph Daum as Fritz Walter ended as top scorer in a side containing the likes of Michael Frontzeck, Matthias Sammer, Maurizio Gaudino, Eike Immel and skipper Guido Buchwald.

It would be 1996-97 before further honours arrived at Neckarstadion under the tutelage of coach Joachim Löw when VfB defeated Energie Cottbus 2-0 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin in the final of the DFB-Pokal with two goals from Giovane Élber.

The following season they reached the final of the European Cup Winners Cup in Stockholm but they lost the showpiece against Chelsea despite the efforts of star players Krassimir Balakov, Élber and Fredi Bobic

VfB went through a period of transition as it built the side around younger players such as Andreas Hinkel, Kevin Kurányi, Timo Hildebrand and Alexander Hleb making a name for themselves in the famous white and red strip with Felix Magath.in charge of team affairs.

The team progressed to the Champions League for 2003-04 before bowing out to Chelsea in the first knock out round. Coaches came and went over the next few years as VfB Stuttgart consolidated their place towards the top end of the Bundesliga. 


The consistency eventually bore fruit as VfB won the last eight matches of the 2006-07 season to win another Bundesliga title thanks to the likes of Pável Pardo, Ricardo Osorio, Antônio da Silva Mario Gómez, Serdar Tasci and Sami Khedira under the guidance of Armin Veh. 

VfB so nearly completed the double but went down 3-2 in extra time to 1. FC Nürnberg in the Pokal final. The ensuing seasons saw more top five finishes and qualification to the Champions League in 2007-08 and 2009-10. 

The latter of those campaigns ended quickly and league form was also disappointing leading to the replacement of young coach Markus Babbel with Christian Gross. The Swiss oversaw a big improvement with Die Schwaben securing a place in the Europa League.

The following campaign was most disappointing with two coaches being given their marching orders before Bruno Labbadia was hired in January 2011. He helped the side stave off relegation. 2011-12 was more successful with Martin Harnik starring as another Europa League place was sealed.


The 2014-15 season looked like it may end in relegation but a fine late rally saw Huub Stevens secure safety before Alexander Zorniger was appointed as the new head coach in June 2015. He lasted just a few months until being replaced by Jürgen Kramny.

The change failed to pay off as VfB were relegated at the end of the 2015-16 campaign. However, the goals of Simon Terodde fired the team to the 2. Bundesliga title at the first time of asking with Mitchell Langerak playing his part as goalkeeper for the side coached by Hannes Wolf.

Tayfun Korkut took over the managerial reins in the winter break in the 2017-18 season as Stuttgart finished in eighth place. Markus Weinzierl was the next coach at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. His short spell was succeeded by Nico Willig.

VfB ended in the relegation play-off place from where they were relegated on away goals after drawing 2-2 with Union Berlin. Further leadership upheaval saw Tim Walter appointed and sacked before 2019 was out with Pellegrino Matarazzo his replacement.

The team won promotion as runners-up in the 2019-20 season disrupted by the outbreak of Coronavirus as Nicolás González put away the goals assisted by Silas Wamangituka.

VfB Stuttgart will play in the Bundesliga in the 2020-21 season.


My visit

VfB Stuttgart 1 1.FC Köln 3 (Sunday 16th August 2015) Bundesliga (att: 59,500)


The match at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena, as the Neckarstadion had been renamed in a sponsorship deal, was the main attraction of my weekend in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany.

The 5.30pm kick off allowed me lots of time to expand my knowledge of the local football scene. It was the last match in the opening set of fixtures of the new Bundesliga season. The crowds were starting to gather in the bars near to my hotel in Bad Canstatt as I departed to go to my lunchtime fixture; the Oberliga encounter between SC Stuttgarter Kickers II and FC 08 Villingen.

Following that match I followed the advice to take one of the special U11 tram service direct to the stadium. It quickly became apparent while stood on the busy platform at Alexanderstraße that this would not be a simple task as the first special was packed solid. 

Instead I caught the next one heading back towards my hotel and followed the other fans in jumping off at Mercedesstraße. From there it was a twenty minute walk through a large open space used for the Canstatt Messe fair.


The main drag nearing the stadium was closed off to traffic. Stalls were serving fans with refreshments and souvenirs over the road by the Porsche Arena. I carried on up the road past the main entrance to the Haupttribune before finding the gates to give me access to the Untertürkheimer Kurve. Following a quick ticket scan and frisk and I was inside. I helped myself to one of the free match magazines from a huge pile and went upstairs.

It was time to be refreshed. The sausage was decent enough value at €2.40 but the beer was expensive at €4.20. It cost a further €1 for the hard plastic glass, which was refunded on return. It was slightly disappointing to find that the beer was Krombacher when it could have been from a local supplier. It was time to go upstairs and find my seat.

I always try and book a place on the end of a row, preferably in a place that gives me a good all round view. I was in the top corner of the lower continuous tier and cost €27. The level I was at was all seated, save for the Canstatter Kurve at the far end. 

That was where the most vocal home fans congregated and in the opposite corner at the same end to me, which housed the visiting supporters ultras. Another tier of seating was above with slight gaps at either side of the separate Haupttribune.


The Neckarstadion had changed massively over the previous twenty five years. It once had a running track, a main stand with the rest being open terracing apart from a basic cover opposite the seats. 

The stadium was the scene of the Euro 88 clash when Ireland defeated England. It had been converted to an all seater arena with a roof all the way around, but was rebuilt for the 2006 World Cup with the removal of the running track and construction of new stands.

The noise leading up to kick off from both sets of fans was tremendous along with the display of flags. The teams entered the arena to a tremendous ovation.

Neither side wasted any time in playing attractive quality football. Köln nearly struck first when a fine swerving shot from Matthias Lehmann struck the foot of the post with home keeper Przemysław Tytoń beaten.

VfB responded soon after as they themselves struck the woodwork. A ferocious effort from Daniel Didavi smashed against the visitor’s crossbar with Timo Horn in the Köln net grasping thin air. Then Christian Gentner’s effort hit the left hand post on twelve minutes. 


Although Köln sporadically attacked, it was the home side doing most of the pressing. A mixture of bad luck, good goalkeeping and decent defending kept VfB at bay. It was surprising that the half ended scoreless. There was still plenty of optimism on the concourse while I enjoyed a beer.

The noise from the fans never abated. The Mercedes-Benz-Arena was proving top class for atmosphere. Stuttgart were giving the home support plenty to get excited about. Wave after wave of attacks and efforts on goal were being fired in, but the Köln defence would not give way. VfB’s Martin Harnik was having a fine match.

Shots continued to reign in. Horn was really earning his wages. Then out of nowhere the match turned on its head in the seventy fifth minute.

Köln’s Anthony Modeste broke into the area when Tytoń upended him. Referee Wolfgang Stark had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Modeste made no mistake as he dusted himself down and blasted the ball into the middle of the goal. 

It was amazing to see just how many away fans were in the seated areas in other parts of the stadium when the goal went in, yet there was no hint of malice. This was football how it’s meant to be.


Two minutes later the VfB support and team were left totally shell shocked. A fine but simplistic move cut the Stuttgart defence apart as they stood like statues. Kevin Vogt set up Simon Zoller to smash home and send the Köln fans into ecstasy.

VfB looked to rally and were offered hope when Zoller clipped the heels of Filip Kostić in the area. Didavi made no mistake from the spot to set up a frantic last eleven minutes.

VfB threw everything forward in search of an equaliser. Shots were saved and blocked while numerous corners put the squeeze on the Köln side, who were defending with all hands to the pump.

In the second minute of stoppage time, VfB lost the ball and Modeste broke away at pace and into the clear. As he got into the penalty area he slid the ball sideways for substitute Yūya Ōsako to roll the ball into an empty net.

By now I was stood at the back for a quick getaway. The goal was met by shrugs of shoulders and ironic smiles by the bloke next to me. The visiting fans couldn’t believe it. Talk about a smash and grab raid!


It was the cue for me to be off and running as fast as I could in my hurting feet caused by a new pair of trainers. Ideally I would catch a U19 tram at the stadium halt but there were none in view so I jumped aboard the first one I could and changed at Mercedesstraße for a service under the bridge to Wilhelmsplatz in the centre of Bad Cannstatt.

After dropping off my programme it was time to find some bars to take in the after match reaction. I decided to start in The Corner, a fine establishment showing sport and serving the lovely Schwaben Bräu. I had a nice chat with some locals. One showed me the UK scores. Chelsea had got hammered, Hull City drew and Rangers won. Time for more beer!

I selected Pfiff as my next port of call attracted by the cheap offer of Paulaner beer. The dreary dark bar served me a large Hefe-Weissbier. It was on to the lively and jolly bar up the street for a couple sat at the bar while watching the goals round up before heading over the road for a pizza and bed by 10.30.

The next morning I caught a direct SBahn service from Bad Canstatt to the airport for my Easyjet flight home. Fortunately I caught this one! It had been another superb weekend in Germany.






Tuesday, 19 May 2015

VfL Benrath 06 (Germany)



VfL Benrath 06 e.V. is a sports club with a strong football section from Benrath, a suburb of Dusseldorf in the north west of Germany, who were formed in 1906.

Benrath came to prominence in the 1930’s as they competed in the top two regional tiers. The club were crowned Westdeutscher Pokalsieger champions in 1932 and 1933 after progressing to the final rounds of the German championship in 1930 before losing out to Eintracht Frankfurt.


Under Trainer Sepp Kretschmann, Benrath won the Gauligameister Niederrhein in 1934 and 1935 as they continued to be the areas leading club. Schalke 04 ended the clubs dreams in the final round of 1934, while they went down 4-2 in the semi-finals the following year against VfL Stuttgart.

Such was the status of the club that when Germany defeated Luxemburg 9-1 in a 1934 World Cup Qualifier, seven of the goals were shared between Benrath’s Karl Hohmann and Josef Rasselnberg.


In 1938-39 Benrath left the Gauliga but returned in 1940-41 where they remained until 1944-45. It was the start of a gradual decline at the club although they were Deutscher Amateurmeister Amatuer Champions in 1956-57 under Trainer Franz Linken.

The club descended into local district football competition but began their rise again in 2008-09 to reach the seventh tier Bezirksliga Gruppe 1 after finishing as runners-up in Kreisliga A Gruppe 2.


Benrath finished in fourth in 2010-11 before winning the league title in 2011-12 to climb to Landesliga Gruppe 2 where the team finished in fifth place in their first season before being transferred to Gruppe 1.

After a narrow escape from relegation in 2015-16 Benrath found themselves in the relegation play-offs the following season where wins DJK VfB Frohnhausen, TuS Fichte Lintfort and SV Uedesheim were enough to retain their status.

However, there was no escape after a bottom place in 2017-18 despite the goals of Yannick Krohn. Benrath narrowly avoided another demotion from Bezirksliga Gruppe 1 in 2018-19 with a similar story emerging in 2019-20 before the season was aborted owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.. by 2012 before they dropped back down to the Niederrhein Landesliga.

VfL Benrath 06 will play in the Niederrhein Landesliga Gruppe 1 in the 2015-16 season.



My visit

Sunday 1st March 2015

For the second time in 2015 I decided to make the most of my Sunday off work. After a brilliant day out in Turin and Milan, I decided it was time to head to one of my favourite city’s.


My early morning flight from Stanstead deposited me at Bonn/Koln Airport slightly ahead of schedule. My destination via Düsseldorf was to be the Bundesliga clash in nearby Mönchengladbach between Borussia and  SC Paderborn 07.

Unfortunately I couldn’t stay over and take advantage of my late start at work the following day as it was my turn to head off for my retraining on the company’s Fit for the Future plan. It’s fair to say I wasn’t massively looking forward to it; not least as I really fancied a night out in Düsseldorf’s Aldstadt, but hey ho.


While it’s fair to say I’m a fan of German ales and pubs, I most certainly didn’t want to be in one all day. With this in mind I made plans to get the most out of my limited time. While I could find no early kick offs to marry up a ‘double’, the Karl-Hohmann-Straße home of VfL Benrath grabbed my attention when doing research.

Because I had a match ticket and the German’s recognise the importance of football fans, I only needed a train ticket to Benrath as the rest of my journey to the game was all inclusive with the already cheap ticket. It was a stark reminder of how we are taken for a ride, and a bloody expensive one at that, in the UK.


Alighting at Düsseldorf-Benrath station I quickly realised I’d left my Scarborough Athletic woolly hat on the train and the weather was cold if bright. I rung Dad to chat over Boro’s game the previous day and to see how the turn had gone at the Railway Club. It made the walk through the pretty enough little town go quicker.

The final bit of the walk meant a footpath over the dual carriageway to the grounds of the sports club. The gates by the clubhouse were open so in I went. The main arena was flanked by two other pitches; the first with an asphalt surface and the far one with a 3G pitch with club offices, changing facilities and a café on the approach.


Despite the main pitch having a running track around it, I was impressed. It was a typical German arena of the 1950’s onwards. The one covered stand ran down most of one side, with several rows of open terracing running down the opposite side and behind the far end curve.

Having got all the photos I required I headed off as several of Benrath’s youth teams players began to arrive. This is where my plans went a little array.


As it was a nice day and I loved my walks, I decided to follow the path for the best part of a couple of miles through some lovely scenery to Niederheid tram stop, only to find out that there wasn’t a service for quite some time. There was a tram due back to the station so I plumped for that option. While I enjoyed the ride in a very pleasant area, time was getting the better of me.

Even worse was to follow as I got on a slow stopping train into Düsseldorf in frustration at the late running fast service; which promptly hurtled past us a few seconds after we departed Düsseldorf-Benrath!


I’d guess that there may be occasion for me to find myself in Düsseldorf at some point in the future. If I do, I’ll look out for Benrath’s fixtures in case I can fit it in between more prominent matches.







Sunday, 17 May 2015

Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany)


Borussia VfL 1900 Mönchengladbach e.V or Borussia Mönchengladbach or BMG for short is a professional football club from the city of Mönchengladbach in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany.

The club were formed as FC Borussia in 1900 in the Eicken district of the city. By 1912, ‘Die Borussen’ found themselves in the Verbandsliga, at the time the highest division the club could play in.

The club purchased land at De Kull in March 1914 and began to build their Bokelburgstadion. In 1919 Borussia merged with local club Turnverein Germania 1889, to form 1899 VfTuR M.Gladbach.


The move paid dividends as they defeated Kölner BC to win the Westdeutsche Meisterschaft final of 1919-20. However, by 1922 the merger had drifted apart as the club became known as Borussia VfL 1900 e.V. M.Gladbach.

The Nazi Party gained control of Germany in 1933 with domestic football being split into sixteen regional Gauligen. Gladbach were placed in Gauliga Niederrhein and later in various regional Bezirksklassen leagues.

Once peacetime resumed, the club won promotion to the regional second tier Landesliga Niederrhein in 1948-49 and then to Oberliga West the following year. Borussia’s first Oberliga title arrived at Bökelbergstadion in the 1958-59 season.


In 1960 Gladbach won their first major honour as they defeated Karlsruher SC 3–2 to lift the DFK-Pokal at the Reinstadion in Düsseldorf. In 1961 the club took up their current title following the city of  München-Gladbach became Mönchengladbach.

Results in the previous period were not deemed sufficient for BMG to join the newly formed Bundesliga in 1963, so they were placed in the Regionalliga West. The team won promotion to the top flight for the 1965-66 campaign along with Bayern München. The two clubs would become fierce rivals over the following decade.

Gladbach lifted their first Bundesliga title in 1969-70 and then followed it up with a consecutive win the following season of 1970-71 under head coach Hennes Weisweiler and legends Berti Vogts, Rainer Bonhof and Günter Netzer starring on the pitch. 

BMG reached the final of the UEFA Cup where they went down to Liverpool 3-2 on aggregate in 1972-73 with Jupp Heynckes scoring both goals in the home second leg.

A second Pokal was also collected in 1972-73 by courtesy of a 2-1 extra time victory against 1.FC Köln with Herbert Wimmer and Netzer scoring the goals. ‘Die Fohlen’ would continue to embark on a golden period over the next few years.

The team ended as Bundesliga runners-up in 1973-74 with Heynckes continuing to bang in the goals before BMG were crowned as champions for a third time in 1974-75 aided by the signing of Allan Simonsen with Henning Jensen, Wolfgang Kleff and Uli Stielike also starring.

BMG also went on to reach the UEFA Cup Final. After a 0-0 draw against Twente in the first leg in Düsseldorf, the team won 5-1 in Holland thanks to a Heynckes hat trick and a brace from Simonsen.

The league crowd was retained in 1975-76 after Udo Lattek had arrived as head coach. The team had reached the last eight of the European Cup before going out on away goals to Real Madrid. The 1976-77 campaign would see further advancement.

Wins over Austria Wien, Torino, Club Brugge and Dynamo Kyiv set up a final against Liverpool at the Stadio Olympico in Rome. Despite an equalising Simonsen goal, Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners.

Borussia lifted Deutsche Meisterschale for the third consecutive time in the same season which set up another run in the European Cup of 1977-78 when the team went all the way to the semi-finals before losing out once again to Liverpool while also finishing second in the league.


In 1978-79 Gladbach lifted their second UEFA Cup as Red Star Belgrade were defeated 2-1 over two legs. They reached the final once more the following season but could not repeat their triumph as they were defeated on away goals by Eintracht Frankfurt after the tie ended 3-3 on aggregate.

Players had to be sold in the 80’s to balance the books and as a consequence the trophies did not arrive. With Lothar Matthäus and Norbert Ringels in the side BMG reached the 1983-84 Pokal final but were defeated by Bayern München in a penalty shoot out. Matthäus moved on to Bayern after the game.

In 1991-92 BMG lost another Pokal Final on penalties; this time to second tier side Hannover 96. Gladbach returned to the final in 1994-95 and this time lifted the trophy following a 3-0 win against VfL Wolfsburg in the Olympic Stadium in Berlin thanks to goals from Martin Dahlin, Stefan Effenberg and Heiko Herrlich.


Gladbach were relegated to 2. Bundesliga in 1998-99, where they remained until promotion was won in 2000-01 thanks to goals from Arie van Lent and Peter Van Houdt under head coach Hans Meyer. 

In 2004 former Holland coach Dick Advocaat was appointed as head coach as the club moved from Bökelbergstadion to a new state of the art stadium on the outskirts of town called Borussia-Park.

Advocaat’s spell lasted less than a season before former player Horst Köppel took over the reigns as BMG continued to finish in the bottom half of the table. Legendary former player Heynckes took over for the 2006-07 campaign.

The move backfired badly as Borussia were relegated at the end of the season. The club regained their top flight status at the first attempt Swiss coach Lucien Favre took over in January 2011 and began to improve the side after helping them avoid relegation.


In Favre’s first full season at the helm, the club finished in fourth place, but they went out of the Champions League in the qualifying round to Dynamo Kyiv at the start of the next campaign. BMG managed an eighth place finish in 2012-13 despite losing key players including Marco Reus. 

The momentum continued as a Europa League place was gained at the end of the 2013-14 season, before Favre's side finished in the Champions League places at the termination of the 2014-15 campaign from where they failed to get out of the group stages. 

André Schubert took over as coach in September 2015 as the goals of Raffael helped BMG to fourth place in the Bundesliga as Mahmoud Dahoud and Lars Stindl created the chances. In 2016-17 the side dropped down to the Europa League, reaching the Round of 16 after Dieter Hecking had been appointed as coach.

Two consecutive mid table finishes ensued before the creativity of Thorgan Hazard supplying Alassane Pléa and Jonas Hofmann helped Mönchengladbach to fifth in 2018-19.  Marco Rose became the club head coach in April 2019.

His team finished in the Champions League places in the 2019-20 season which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and saw Marcus Thuram in fine form.

Borussia Mönchengladbach will play in the Bundesliga in the 2020-21 season.


My visit

Borussia Mönchengladbach 2 SC Paderborn 07 0 (Sunday 1st March 2015) Bundesliga (att: 53,152)


For the second time in 2015 I decided to take advantage of a Sunday off work and head overseas by courtesy of a budget airline. Unfortunately on this occasion I had to be back the same day to attend a course at work the following morning.

I snatched a few hours sleep after my late shift before getting up bright and early to take the 83 all night bus to Golders Green, where I caught the pre booked packed National Express service to Stansted.

My mood wasn’t A1 as I listened to England’s latest World Cup cricket disaster against Sri Lanka. At least I had the consolation that the day could only get better; and so it was to prove.

The Ryan Air flight allowed me to see outside and even spot some football grounds on a beautiful morning over Holland and we arrived early into Cologne/Bonn Airport, which enabled me to visit the home of Vfl 06 Benrath on the way into Dusselfdorf. I only needed a lesser rail ticket as my match ticket covered all travel inside the NRW region.


My original plan had been to have a beer or two in Dusseldorf’s Aldstadt but time was limited owing to a muck up or two in Benrath. I had a quick look outside the station but nothing looked too attractive. I decided to head straight to Mönchengladbach and take my chances from there regarding refreshment.

Plenty of BMG fans were waiting on the platform. The train was packed on arrival with both sets of fans making plenty of noise. I stood by the door next to the empty first class compartment. Beers were flowing amongst the young Paderborn following, but there was no hint of any menace. 

After the train picked up in the incredibly ugly town of Neuss, which did a remarkable job of making Middlesbrough look pretty in comparison, the carriage became more of a mix between fans. The Paderborn lads offered large bottles of beers from the wooden crates to their BMG peers. If only it was like that in England!


Mönchengladbach didn’t seem to have too much going for it aesthetically either. Plenty of fans, many of whom were also in ale, loitered around the station. I didn’t spot anywhere too promising. I had read that the old town was the place to be, but I didn’t want to get lost.

Instead, I got onboard the free buses included in the match ticket that ran at regular intervals from the station and that of adjoining town of Rheydt to Borussia Park. The journey took around twenty minutes.

The buses dropped us behind the north end of the stadium. I was hungry so the smell of the bratfurst stand made my decision easy. This was washed down with some fine dark Bolten Alt beer. The prices were most reasonable at under €3 for each item. This was to be the same inside the stadium.


I could see through the wire fences that food and drink was paid for by cash once inside, rather than the token system favoured by many clubs in Germany and Holland, so I made my way into the south end. The ground floor concourse had all manner of goodies on offer including beers, several type of wursts, schnitzels, pizzas, breads, fish and even ice cream!

Unusually, there was no sign of any programmes, so I climbed the stairs to the upper level where my seat was located. I went inside to have a look and take some photos before the crowds assembled.

Borussia Park was really impressive. It had two continuous tiers all the way around. The lower section behind the South goal was terracing, as was the corner section below me for the use of away fans. The rest of the ground was fitted with dark green seating. The main side, opposite to me, had corporate boxes and media areas.


I asked the steward by my entrance about programmes. Although he could only speak a little English, he was polite and most helpful. As I was walking to the concourse, a lady passed with what looked like a programme. He asked where she’d got it from as I pointed to it and directed me back downstairs to the club shop.

Another friendly member of staff who spoke perfect English served me. As I had left my Scarborough Athletic hat on an earlier train I splashed out on a new BMG bonnet as the wind was getting chilly. The colour programme was just €1.

There was still time for more food and drink before the teams came out, not there’s any rush in Germany. Fans can take their beers to their seats. I settled into my perfect position on the raised row right by the entrance. The view was excellent with the Paderborn fans below adding to the atmosphere. There were plenty of visiting fans in other sections too; all without any hostility.


As is usual in Germany the fans put on a show before kick off as the PA whipped up the frenzy. The teams came out as the rousing BMG club song was being bellowed out to accompany the excellent speaker system.

It was the visitors who started out the better side in the opening exchanges but they were bereft of any shots at Yann Sommer in the home net. Instead it was third placed Gladbach who took the lead with a deflected shot from Fabian Johnson on eighteen minutes.

BMG looked good in possession with Ibrahima Traoré, Raffael and Johnson standing out. The Foals went in at the break 1-0 up as I got to the front of the queue for food and beer.

The second half was an end to end affair with Sommer making a terrific save to maintain the home sides lead. The game was decided with another deflected goal. This time it was a strike from Patrick Herrmann with nine minutes remaining that wrong footed Lukas Kruse in the Paderborn net.


I knew it had been an enjoyable game as the time went so quickly. At full time I made my way back to join the orderly queue for the buses. The game had finished at 5.20 and I was back at the station before 6pm. All the traffic lights were set in favour of the endless vehicles transporting the fans.

With my direct train back to the airport leaving at 6.40 I walked across the square by the bus station and found a bar full of returning fans. They also served Bolten so it would have been rude not to indulge in a couple more for the road.

My train was waiting at the station, which was busy with drunk celebrating supporters awaiting their transport home. They seemed to be rather pleased with the possibility of Champions League football.


Once aboard the train I drifted in and out of sleep, while been most mindful of the importance of not missing my stop! I was extremely tired but my will power kicked in. Once at the airport I found out that my flight had been delayed by 20 minutes to 9.55. Not that it would bother me too much.

I found a seat and drifted off once more, awaking as the queue started to form to board the plane. Despite some loud foul mouthed arrogant Londoners making idiots of themselves, I managed to have a bit more shut eye on the hour flight. The Stansted Express took me back to Liverpool Street and I was in bed for just gone midnight after a really brilliant long day out.

I couldn’t recommend it more.









Monday, 23 February 2015

Albirex Naiigata Singapore (Singapore)


Albirex Niigata Singapore is a satellite side of the club of the same name who are based in the Japanese city of Niigata and play in the J League system.

The Japan based outfit were formed in 1955 whose major honours were the J. League Division Two title in 2003 as well as the regional Hokushin'etsu Football League in 1986, 1996 and 1997.

The club also fields teams of the same name in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as well as in Barcelona where they compete in the Quarta Catalana.


Albirex joined the S. League in Singapore for the 2004 season using Jurong East Stadium as its home venue, where they went on to win the League Cup in 2011. The team consistently finished in mid table for many seasons before a couple of third place endings in 2012 and 2013.

The 2014 campaign saw ‘The White Swans’ complete the campaign in fifth place under head coach Tatsuyuki Okuyama, which was back up with third place in 2015. However, the team lifted the Singapore Cup following a 2-1 win against Home United.

The trophy was retained in 2016 as Tampines Rovers were defeated 2-0 as new head coach Naoki Naruo led the team to their first S League title, with Atsushi Kawata leading the scoring. Kazuaki Yoshinaga was appointed in charge of team affairs in December 2016. Global Cebu were defeated on penalties in the cup final to make it three in a row.

Another league and cup double followed in 2018 as Shuhei Hoshino rattled in the goals. Keiji Shigetomi arrived as head coach in December 2018, as the side ended the 2019 campaign in a disappointing fourth position.

The goals of Tomoyuki Doi led Albirex to the league title in 2020, in a season shortened by the Covid-19 pandemic. They ended the 2021 campaign as runners-up prior to the arrival of new team boss Kazuaki Yoshinaga who led his side to the league title in 2022, going on to retain the title in 2023 as Seia Kunori ended as club top scorer.

Albirex Niigata Singapore will play in the S. League in the 2024 season.

My visit

Albirex Niigata Singapore 0 DPMM 1 (Tuesday 28th October 2014) S. League Championship Round (att: approx 800)


My holiday was going superbly well having bid farewell to my victorious Beer Battered Seadogs team mates after a victory in the Chaophya Park Thailand International Cricket Sixes Tournament. Following an extra days fun in Bangkok, I had arrived mid-afternoon at Changi Airport.

My room at the 81 Orchid Hotel in Geyland was hardly inspirational, but it was all I required. A check of the internet and a spruce up and I was ready to walk through the heavily populated Chinese area to Kallang station on the SMTS train system for a ride to the far side of the island to Chinese Gardens on a busy commuter service. From there it was a brisk five minute walk up to the ground.


The Jurong East Stadium looked impressive on the walk up. A large raised Main Stand dominated the scene with its tower in the centre. The opposite side had a few rows of open bench seating, with both ends enclosed by high hedges and fencing and being out of bounds to spectators.

The Main Stand concealed a multitude of other activities. Inside were facilities for table tennis and badminton as well as a fitness centre. The crowning glory was a magnificent open air swimming complex at the rear with pools and water theme park. It was a sight I’d grow accustomed to over the next few days in a state that took its fitness, communities and sport very seriously. It even had an KFC and Pizza Hut.


I paid $7 (around £3.50) admission from the ticket booth on the first tier of the stand. The choice of food and drink from the outlets was extremely limited. I was given a couple of card fans to keep myself cool in the sultry conditions. There was no programme but the league issued the fans, which when opened out gave the squads on one side, with a match preview on the other.

I’d noticed the land being very wet on the flight in and the pitch cut up in places to suggest there had been earlier heavy rain. The match was very important in the Championship rounds, similarly used in Scotland. Both sides needed to win the game as well as their final fixtures on the Friday to have a chance to lift the title. The visitors from Brunei were three points in advance of their hosts before kick-off.


There was a young enthusiastic crowd in attendance, with a group of home fans around a drum banging out a beat. A few had made the journey to support their heroes in red and black.
The first half was played at a very slow pace, which was understandable in the heat. 

Just before half time I decided to try my luck to head up to the balcony high above the stand. The Japanese official could not have been kinder. It turned out that Reading were his favourite team in the UK. I saw out the last few minutes taking photos. The Albirex clubhouse was upstairs. This had a ‘jackpot’ room with gambling machines and a small café area but no bar.


For the second half I decided to go into the relative cool of the open seating. The former Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean had his Brunei charges set up very well. They began to get on top after the restart.

Former Sunderland and Northampton Town attacker Roy O’Donovan was pointed out as the star player in the preview and he didn’t disappoint playing off the big Brazilian, Rodrigo. Irishman Joe Gamble played in a midfield holding role and made himself constantly available while never giving the ball away.


It was O’Donovan’s class that sealed the game when a superb piece of skill and pin point cross allowed Adi Said to head home unmarked just after the hour mark. The home side had a go in what turned out to be an excellent end to end game. 

DPMM just about deserved the points for their professionalism in the second half. However, it was not be without a major loss. Albirex’s forwards tended to go for one pass too many when a shot on goal would have surely gained more dividends.

I’d quite liked the referee, the turban wearing Sukhbir Singh. He counted the seconds the keeper held the ball to cut down on time wasting. He took no lip from the players. I later found out that he had a reputation as a disciplinarian and so it proved.


O’Donovan, already on a yellow card, did something to upset the official in stoppage time to earn a second yellow card and a dismissal. Kean was not particularly happy. His side hung on but they’d be without their star man for their vital final game.

I was extremely hungry at full time. I also needed another decent pair of flip flops so a trip to the night market at Chinatown was in order. It really was a vibrant scene, despite in getting near to closing time. I drew a blank for footwear, but I hit the bull’s eye in the food department.

The enclosed Smith Street had vendors selling their wares. I got an excellent value chicken and rice dish before someone came out of a nearby bar and sold me a much needed glass of Tiger for $4.50, which represented decent value and was a lot cheaper than I expected.


The chap who served me was brilliant in customer service. I so nearly stayed for more but wanted to head nearer home. Footwear was purchased for the equivalent of a fiver on Geylang Road, but I had trouble in getting any establishments to sell me a beer. I sensed it was just for those dining.

I had no problem sleeping after what had been a great introduction to normal life in Singapore and the S. League.


Unfortunately on my return I had a bit of a disaster with my laptop, losing most of my Singapore pictures. Therefore several images on this page have been taken from the internet.








Balestier Khalsa (Singapore)

Balestier Khalsa FC is a football club from Singapore who were formed from a merger in 2002 to compete in the S. League.

The merger came from the following clubs:

Balestier Central FC was formed on the 10th October 1898 as Fathul Karib FC, playing in the Farrer Park area of the island. The club lifted the Singapore Cup in 1958, before changing their name to .Balestier United Recreation Club in April 1975 at which point they joined the inaugural National League. 

In 1988 Balestier joined the Singapore Premier League, which was the forerunner to the S. League. The national cup was won once more in 1992. As a founder member of the S. League in 1996 the club changed its name to Balestier Central.


Clementi Khalsa FC served the Sikh community of Singapore playing out of Clementi Stadium as they joined the S. League in 1999.

Following the merger the club took up residence at Toa Payoh Stadium and won the League Cup Plate in 2012 after a decade of average league finishes. They went one better in September 2013 as DPMM were hammered 4-0 as the League Cup was won.

The experienced German coach Marko Kraljević took over team affairs in the 2014 season with the first ever marquee signing, the Croatian striker Goran Ljubojević providing the goals.

Balestier Khalsa FC will play in the S. League in the 2015 season.


My visit

Wednesday 29th October 2014

Few things in life give me as much satisfaction as a day off in a new area with a travel pass and information about local football. I needed no second invitation to go out and explore.


Determined to keep to a strict budget and live like a local, I’d eaten chicken and rice at a small café at Aljunied station. Getting to Toa Payoh necessitated a couple of changes, whci took some getting used to; as did standing on the left of the escalator rather than the right, as in London.

Eventually I arrived, and was soon out in the searing heat. Fortunately the stadium didn’t seem too far away according to my pre-printed map. Indeed, I thought it was closer than I thought, only to find out the first towering stand and floodlights belonged to adjoining swimming complex.

The Toa Payoh Stadium was just a little further. The gates were open and locals were using the athletics track around the pitch as well as a pleasant path inside the arena.


The Main Stand ran the full length of one side. Like most structures in Singapore, the majority was taken up by large smooth concrete steps but only the centre had proper plastic seating. The far side had a section of open seating as did both curves behind the goal.

I walked all the way around the arena to take advantage of all angles for photos. It really was a stunning day, but the humidity was soon taking effect. I wasn’t upset to catch a bus back to the interchange, even though it was a short distance. The water inside the complex really was appreciated.

I was under way on my first groundhop in Singapore and first impressions were good!


Unfortunately on my return I had a bit of a disaster with my laptop, losing most of my Singapore pictures. Therefore most images on this page have been taken from the internet.