FC Union Berlin respond to DFB/DFL

Clocking in at over 4,000 words nobody can accuse FC Union Berlin of a knee-jerk reaction in relation to the DFB ‘security summit’. Today, Union published a response to the summit, and through the well argued document, set out their reasoning for non-compliance with the DFB.

I tweeted a few of my favourite comments earlier today when I scanned the document.



I think it is important to know the full story. I previously blogged about it here but I was offering a view on why English fans in particular are drawn to Union. For a much deeper analysis from someone who knows much more about German football do take the time to read this blog piece by @valedave.

It was telling that Union declared on their website today that after "intensiver Diskussionen" with fan groups they had drafted this document. The fans should be at the heart of every football club. At Union the fans are largely from the local community and Union actively seek out their opinions. That is opposed to your 'fans' being a largely disparate group spread across the world and referred to as a 'market'.

I'll consider all of my tweets and the points they raise in the chronological order I made them. So, starting from the bottom...

Oktoberfest

Firstly, it's funny. Secondly, what a superb way to make a serious point and take a side-swipe at an acceptable part of German 'culture' that most people are aware of. The Oktoberfest point is clever in many ways. Primarily Oktoberfest is a tourist attraction. If you're unaware of what it is I suggest you read wikipedia. It's clearly a cash cow with drink prices increasing annually. In the last decade the average price of beer has increased by 43%. Oktoberfest is just a bit of fun though. Attending football matches though is dangerous and full of louts. The media (more of them later) lap it up and print pictures of drunk youths and scantily clad woman. Union point out, that compared to the Bundesliga, the world's largest fair is akin to a civil war zone. I've never been so can't comment. My friends have and agree it is carnage. All I can say is that fans at Union drink responsibly and it's much better value.

The fan mile

The 'fan mile' comment from Union was at first glance slightly perplexing, but when you look deeper, extremely shrewd. The 'fan mile' is always heralded by the media as a great success but Union expose the myth by noting that 99 arrests were made when Germany played Italy in Euro 2012. Has a Bundesliga game ever featured 99 arrests I wonder?

The Media

The demonisation of football fans in most countries is due to the media. I'll not waste time in covering well known examples. Suffice to say, Union make this point very well throughout their document. Ultras as the Taliban is so absurd it makes a mockery of the modern day media outlets that publish such rubbish. Again, I can only speak from experience but I have never witnessed any trouble at Union. Strangely, it is a question that I am often asked on Twitter and via my blog - I wonder why...

Social Responsibility

Social responsibility, a buzzword in the corporate world, is used often by Union throughout the lengthy submission. Ridding grounds of a standing area has had a devastating effect on the demographic of football matches in the UK. Whatever your views on stadiums and standing it is not right that local communities are priced out of watching live football. It's cheaper to watch Union than non-league football at Gateshead in the north-east of England. A damning indictment on the English game.

Union are a community club and rarely a week passes without a news story on the club website about an initiative, players attending a fan association or a youth camp. You get the picture and so do they. They know the community is their lifeblood. They invest time and money in building an association that is more than just a football team that plays 34 league fixtures a season.

The Taylor Report

All-seater stadiums are seen as the panacea by the DFB. The DFB believe that with the help of the Goddess of Universal Remedy they can cure German football of its image problems (and create lots of money). They appear blind to the fact that football changed immeasurably for fans after the introduction of all-seater stadiums in the UK. Union, in standing up to the DFB are standing up for the civil rights of every fan in Germany. Long may standing continue as it is one of the best aspects when attending a Union game. I can't imagine sitting at Union and nor can most people I speak with.

Banning orders

One of the main issues Union had with the DFB/DFL concerned banning orders. This is covered in the document but I'm not blessed with sufficient German skills to objectively comment. Luckily St Pauli have a Yorkshire Fan Club and have produced a great blog piece you can view here. David of Vale fame has also produced a very interesting and detailed blog piece here. A must read.

unsre Liebe, unsre Mannschaft, unser Stolz, unser Verein

I'm proud to have a season ticket at Union. Union have a phrase and I feel it is apt to explain it for those who are not aware of what UNVEU stands for. It means "und niemals vergessen eisern union". Nobody should ever forget 'Iron' Union for their courage in being the only club to stand up to the DFB with such eloquence. I only wish I understood every word!

#UNVEU

Follow @UnionBerlinMan

Englische Woche - Union v Energie Cottbus

The term 'Englische Woche' had bamboozled the small crowd of Auslanders (foreigners) that had gathered to watch Union's third game in 9 days. We should have guessed. The term 'Englische Woche' came about in Germany to describe a week where 3 games are played - a happening synonymous with the English game that harks back to a time when games were scheduled this way to accommodate the cricket season.

The Köln game on a Friday night had kicked off the 'trilogy' with Union coming from behind to win 2-1. It was a very English affair. Not pretty but both teams were scrapping for the points. The fans carried Union over the finish line.

The Wednesday saw Union face FC Erzgebirge Aue who were, at that stage, second bottom and on the same points as Union - five. Union took the lead after 7 minutes through Terodde. Last term the fixture had finished 1-1 and with Union's defence looking frail and devoid of confidence on more than one occasion, it was no surprise that Erzgebirge leveled 7 minutes from time. All very symmetrical. However, whilst a point was not ideal it meant that Union went in to their home game against local rivals Cottbus undefeated during Englische Woche.

My first Union away game was against Cottbus. On the trip to that game a group of youngsters had informed me that Cottbus fans were, and I paraphrase and translate, 'a bunch of farmers from the middle of nowhere.' On arrival in Cottbus on a Sunday morning it was hard to disagree. Whilst there were a few more police around than usual at Ostkreuz Station there was no hint of trouble. Judging by my visit to Cottbus the away fans had probably been shepherded in to the ground en masse.

One of the reasons for writing a blog and following Union was to widen my circle of acquaintances. The four of us who managed to meet up at Ostkreuz were a 50/50 split of Americans and Brits. Matt, who I met at the Köln game, has promised (slightly under the influence) to write a blog piece in the coming months. He knows the offside rule and likes a beer - it will be good material I'm sure.




The game was a sell out for the fourth consecutive home game in a row. The 16,750 capacity crowd were in good voice and the Union home end looked awesome decked out in red and white. The Energie contingent had brought along some very strange reflective boards in gold and red. They looked almost mystical when held aloft.



Nemec started up front with Terodde as Neuhaus opted to go 4-4-2 - this has to be Union's best formation at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. It was just after the half hour mark when Terodde scored after Mattuschka had salvaged a short-corner gone awry. Much to the amusement of our group as Rob had just stated, "we never score from short corners." The corner routine did not work but the ball fell kindly to Mattuschka who scooped in a cross and Terodde was quickest to act and headed home, via a ricochet from the keeper, for his 2nd goal in as many games. (Click here to see Terodde score the quickest hat-trick I have ever seen in under 3 minutes - albeit in a friendly.)



Union came out for the second half and looked a touch off the pace. They were punished by a well taken goal from Adlung. The ball broke to the Energie player just inside the box and he placed the ball in the top right. Haas, the Union keeper, had no chance. As luck would have it, Rob had just uttered that Energie looked poor! The Energie euphoria was short lived however as Union hit back within five minutes. Terodde slid a neat ball through to Quiring. The Union right winger is full of running and it was his pace that led to the Union goal in the first half, when he won a corner. The goal was just reward for an energetic display. 2-1 Union.

There are times during a season when you just know you're going to win. This was one of those days. Or had the half-time pint just kicked in? On 70 minutes Union conceded a penalty and were down to 10 men. A huge turning point in a physical encounter. However, the touch was minimal and whilst the referee had no option but to point to the spot, the sending off of Schönheim was harsh, as there appeared to be a Union defender alongside him.

It would be easy to say that Energie squandered the goal scoring opportunity that had been gifted but that does a disservice to Haas. He guessed left and was half way across the goal by the time the Energie striker shot. He palmed the ball away with a strong left arm and Union were able to welly the ball out for a corner. Mattuschka was like a man possessed and raced over to congratulate his team mate and clearly realised the significance of the save. It was match winning.



The drama continued as Adlung was sent off to even things up a bit. It must have been for something he said to the linesman. We didn't care. The game opened up with Cottbus throwing everything forward. In the closing stages their keeper was in the Union box on more than one occasion. In injury time Union sealed the points with a goal on the counter-attack. Union had a man over although due to a neat shimmy by Jopek he was not required, and the midfielder drove the ball home to make it 3-1.

7 points from 9 in Englishce Woche. St Pauli next up in the Friday night game on October 5th. Union are on the up!

Massive thanks to Groundhopping etc. for the photos. They are brilliant and really capture the key moments and bring the blog to life.

There's a first time for everything - Union v Köln

Union Berlin V Köln. Of course, a fixture of huge importance to both sides, as prior to the game, both were winless in the Bundesliga II this season. However, I’ll always remember it as the Friday night one of my good mates ‘got it’. He finally understood football.

My mate Rob was in Berlin with his girlfriend and was given the option of an alternative tour of Berlin street art or a Union match. Union were without a win this season and the street art tour was highly recommended – Cruise being Cruise chose the football. A decision made stranger as this was only his second ever football match. He does not really like football. Who can blame him, as a Colchester United home game, was hardly likely to get him enamored with the beautiful game.

I’d clearly done a good ‘sales job’ on Cruise. ‘You can drink beer, eat a sausage and have some banter with me while the game is on mate’ was all it took. He must love beer and sausage. He diligently took my advice as we took on refreshments at Ostkreuz where the purchase of a Berliner Kindl beer is mandatory. The train filled up with Union fans and we were sharing the carriage with some away fans. No sign of trouble - just a mass of red and white on display from both sets of fans.

The plan had been to go and visit a statue in Köpenick but time was in short supply so we abandoned that cultural idea and instead headed through the forest towards the ground. The game was Union’s third sold-out home game in a row and we’d arrived with precision timing at the busiest period – half an hour before kick-off. However, such is the efficiency of the facilities, we had ample time to get ourselves fed and watered.



“This was only the second match of football I've ever been to and the first one I've enjoyed. The crowd were electric, the chaps with beer backpacks were a welcome feature, and the whole atmosphere of walking up through the trees, the grills and bars outside the stadium and the friendliness of the crowd reminded me more of a festival than a sporting event.”

The game kicked off with the Eisern in good voice. Everything was going well for about 2 minutes until disaster struck. The referee awarded Köln an absolutely disgraceful penalty. The fans in the home end were seething. It looked harsh from our end of the ground but I had a sneaking feeling that perhaps the Union defender had scythed the Köln striker down. TV replays show it was a fair challenge from the side. Union were one down and had an uphill struggle ahead. However, their fans continued to show their support and there were still 87 minutes to reverse the score line. My 2-1 prediction was still on.

Union commanded large swathes of possession and Köln seemed content to harry and press without Union actually creating too many clear cut chances. The Union goal, poked home by Silvio on the half hour mark, had something a touch comical about it. Perhaps it was the defending or perhaps it was the way the way the ball seem destined to cross the line. It was akin to a game of pinball where you know finally you’ll hit the ‘high score thingy’ if you keep whacking the ball in the same direction. That analogy is especially for Cruise.



Union's youngest fan?

The second half continued in the same vein with Köln appearing happy to try and hit Union on the counter-attack. Köln were being made to look every inch the team without any confidence and it made sense that they were also chasing their first win. In a previous blog I cited Mattuschka as the driving force behind Union’s likely success this year. Due to being on the bench and struggling to find form he’s had a quiet season so far, but he rose to the occasion and after the ball was well worked to the left flank, he cut inside, before curling a delightful chipped pass in to the bottom corner to make it 2-1 on 56 minutes.

Rob and I went berserk and ended up chatting to some guys around us who had certainly been taking full advantage of the bloke selling beer from his backpack – as had we to be fair. The Dortmund fan was very impressed by the atmosphere. High praise indeed. The Union fans started hoisting their scarves aloft and chanting. Rob was trying to capture this on his phone. I stood surveying the scene. My mate who did not like football was in Berlin and was loving it. Union held on with crowd urging them over the finishing line to notch a valuable first 3 points of the campaign. Job done on all counts.

Hearing him wake up and sing 'Union Berlin' on Saturday morning was brilliant. I'll leave the final word with Rob. It says it all and is an equally damning indictment on the modern game in the UK.

"If football was more like this in the UK I'd probably be a football fan. For the first time in my life I felt like I 'got it'."

Follow @UnionBerlinMan

It's the hope (plus Steve Bruce & Jimmy Hill) I can't stand

Union faced mediocre opposition for the majority of the July pre-season and it was only the last 3 games that provided a stern test of their attacking verve and defensive agility. Prior to the spate of pre-season friendlies, I wrote on July 10th, my chief concern, was Union's "lack of fire-power". I was made to look foolish - or so I thought - when they hammered home over 60 goals in their pre-season friendly matches.

At present, Union resemble the Sunderland team that Steve Bruce was in charge of last season. The similarities are many (and mounting) and I'm getting worried now - if Bruce had not been swiftly sacked by the forward thinking Ellis Short we would have been relegated. Is Bruce somehow exacting revenge on me for my constant barracking of the fat Geordie on Facebook? Union have taken only 1 point from a possible 15 thus far.


Mrs Doubtfire

Not getting stuffed

Union are yet to be hammered this term unlike last year when they suffered a couple of heavy defeats. Union's defeats have been narrow - and thus avoidable. It was the same with Bruce's Sunderland.

In addition, when Sunderland have been relegated it has almost always gone to the wire. We were reliant on another side getting beat, when I was in the away end at Notts County, and we survived after a shocking 3-1 reverse. We took 17,000 away fans to Maine Road, and were relegated after an epic encounter which we lost 3-2. We lost 1-0 at Wimbledon and our striker missed a gilt-edged chance to level. It's still talked about. Coventry delayed the kick-off so they could play out a draw and relegate us - this also is still talked about (it was in the 70s!). So much so, that Jimmy Hill, who orchestrated the disgrace, was roundly jeered at Craven Cottage a couple of years ago. Let's hope I'm not at VFL Bochum on the last day of the season in mid-May chewing my fingernails!

Not knowing your best XI and formation

When sacked, one of Bruce's many excuses, was the squad needed time to gel. This was not helped by Bruce not knowing his best XI and formation. I'm guessing Union fans are seeing the link here. If you're not, Union manager, Uwe Neuhaus has fielded a number of different starting elevens this season and has also tinkered with the formation. Players are, in the main, creatures of habit. They like a system and they like to play it on a regular basis. Bruce was unclear tactically and relied on motivation alone it appears - which was also clearly failing as Martin O'Neill demonstrated. I'm certainly not putting forward any view here that Bruce and Neuhaus are similar. I'm merely pointing out the similarity of the problem both managers face(d) and where teams/managers can end up if this is not remedied quickly.

Injuries

Another Bruce excuse was that the Sunderland squad was somehow injury jinxed. You could write a book with the copy that Bruce fed the local rag about Sunderland's injury problems last year. Again, I'm not painting a picture that Neuhaus is similar here. However, a couple of Union players made comments about the spate of injuries post the Berlin derby. I just hope that Union do not fall into the 'Bruce trap' and focus on the excuses/explanation rather than the solution. Football clubs have a squad for reason. Bruce had a soon-to-be International footballer sitting in the reserves. Give youth a chance and focus on the positives rather than getting your excuses in early is of paramount importance.


James McClean - from reserve player to international

The derby defeat

Union have suffered what Bruce’s Sunderland suffered last year. A narrow derby defeat. For Sunderland this sapped the fans' morale and the defeat arguably had a damaging effect on the atmosphere at the SOL. Newcastle inversely went on a good run and managed to finish in a position way beyond most sensible Geordies' (I know a couple) wildest dreams. A key difference with Union is that the fans always back the team. They were applauded off at the end of the derby defeat.

Lack of creativity

One of Sunderland's major failings, in pretty much every relegation season, has been a lack of creativity in midfield - although Bruce would laughably claim "we created enough chances to win two football games". This is one area that I see a glimmer of hope for Union. Chances are being created. It's just a case of getting confidence back and converting a few more chances. Easier said than done of course but surely Mattuschka will return to the side and be dictating play like the Tuschka of old and Nemec will be given a chance and start banging them in. This conclusion though reminds me of being a Sunderland fan. I'll leave you with the name of a fanzine that I used to read in my youth. 'It's the hope I can't stand'.

Follow @UnionBerlinMan

The Berlin Derby - Union v Hertha

I was stuck on an aeroplane so missed the biggest game of the season. Luckily my partner in crime was there and has kindly written an excellent blog - thanks Rob, pints on me next time!

If you ask me, football fans are far too keen to panic. Whether it be a fumbling goalkeeper or a misfiring striker resulting in a poor run of form, the default setting is to panic. It may be true when looking at Union’s points tally (1 from 12) to reach for the panic button, but Monday night was about much more than simply getting three points and climbing up the table

The “Stadtmeisterschaft” really means something. I’ve never lived in a city where two teams dominate the footballing landscape. For the uninitiated, Union in the east, the other lot in the west. As an east Berliner I’ve loved going to see Union over the years, but this was going to be my first derby experience.

One of the first and most interesting things I saw was the presence of a few Hertha fans getting a pre-match beer and sausage at an ostensibly Union meet-up point. There was no trouble, no lingering mendacity, just a couple of blokes in the wrong shirt enjoying their wurstchen. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there could (or maybe even was) some trouble between rivalling ultras, but from my limited derby experience I can’t imagine that this image is replicated at similar matches.

Just under an hour to kick off and the main stand is RAMMED. I emphasise this because usually you can rock up say half an hour before kick-off and still wiggle into a fairly decent spot on or around the half way line. Instead the Unioner were there in force, flags, scarves and voices at the ready. When the Hertha players came out to warm up, the whistling was deafening. Like I said, this game really means something.



After an inspiring display of choreography from the Union Ultras, the game was finally underway and for the first quarter of an hour or so, things were looking good for Union. I’m not entirely sure if they had a detailed, tactical plan, but the high-tempo up and at ‘em approach seemed to be working. I’ve maintained that Union are one decent striker away from being a consistent top 6 finisher in Liga 2, and the inability to take (or even create) clear cut chances continues to be a problem.



Once Union had huffed and puffed for a bit, Hertha started to settle in to the game and after a slick passing move, Wagner stuck away the first goal after half an hour. The first half rather fizzled out after that, but after two minutes of the second half Union had their first clear cut chance – a header at the back post which Nemec headed wide. A chance none the less, and this gave us some hope that more was to come. Which it did.

Although not before some Unioner with whom we were standing marked us out as a couple of foreigners and asked us how we ended up at the game. In our Denglish we told them our stories and in no time at all they were educating us about Leipzig’s Liga 4 team. Unlike much of Berlin, where an English accent is an invitation to holding a conversation in English with a German in possession of an American twang, Unioner are always more than welcome to put up with a litany of grammatical mistakes.

After 69 minutes a cross found its way to the diminutive Quiring at the back post who forced the ball in with a crouching diving header. And the crowd went nuts, I mean really nuts. We were jumping and hugging our new mates from Leipzig and I can honestly say it was one of my most euphoric moments watching Union. With twenty minutes to go it was honours even and with the momentum of the goal, Union were looking good to at least make sure it was honours even.



Hope is a funny emotion; I suppose the antithesis to panic in many ways. Whilst panic induces blind pessimism, hope allows a form of unfounded optimism to wash over the soul and increases expectancy to the point where you truly believe that anything is possible. Well, for at least three minutes last night I had hope, and then after conceding a free kick following a nothing foul, Ronny drilled a low, left foot shot from around 22 yards that squirmed under keeper Haas.

And that was that really, the game ran away from Union, and despite the introduction of Silvio, we were unable to convert pressure and desire into chances or even shots on goal.

Still, come full time the Union fans were in full voice. We believe in our club and players and despite the result remain dedicated to the cause

Eisern Union!