SV Waldhof have a mountain to climb

[DangerousSausage]

It's been a while since the last update so here it is. After heartbreakingly missing out on promotion to the third division on penalties, Waldhof Mannheim made some good additions to the squad and went into this season with the clear aim of making the play-off for the third season running. It hasn't gone to plan, however. The team has often looked bereft of confidence, not helped by the tactical inflexibility of the manager. After seven wins and six defeats and with a big gap opening to second place, manager Gerd Dais was given his marching orders last week - the first time Waldhof have fired their manager mid-season since 2007. Ex-Frankfurt and Besiktas midfielder Michael Fink has taken the reins until a permanent manager can be found.

The rot seemed to be continuing in the Baden Cup against Astoria Walldorf, with Mannheim going in 2-0 down at the break, only for the team to turn it around in thrilling fashion and win 3-2. This set the stage nicely for yesterday's visit of Kickers Offenbach, themselves sitting pretty on top of the table. This is a local derby and a match with a lot of needle. During last season's fixture three OFC players got involved in a punch-up with a solitary (and elderly) Waldhof fan in the stand. One of them was the visitors' goalkeeper Daniel Endres, who played yesterday. The crowd let him off far too lightly IMO. The match was played to a slightly disappointing crowd of 8000 in poor conditions. The lack of coffee on sale didn't help.

Goals are at 2.24 and 6.11, and there's a questionable offside decision at 5.44, enjoy! Pulling the strings in midfield was Daniel Di Gregorio, who returned after nearly 18 months out in the summer but who the previous manager sadly never trusted with a place in the starting line-up.

 

 

[DangerousSausage]

Yesterday there were two important matches on in the Sausage household. As well as watching Notts on iFollow, I was watching Waldhof Mannheim's return match at Kickers Offenbach live on TV!

Michael Fink got the team back in the running until the winter break but wasn't allowed to continue as he didn't have the UEFA A licence. A replacement was found in the shape of Bernhard Trares, a former Schalke and 1860 Munich coach, who has really stamped his mark on the team and got them playing good football.

By now the name of this thread is a nonsense - at the start of play Waldhof were just three points behind Offenbach (who were sitting in the second and last play-off spot) with two games in hand, and have now moved ahead of their rivals. Waldhof are now in the driving seat for the promotion play-off for the third year running, possibly against 1860 Munich. As this was a bit of a six pointer as well as a derby, it was attended by a season-best crowd of 13,200, including 2,700 from Mannheim (selling out their allocation).

The late winner comes on 6.27 and might give some of you a Charlie Palmer flashback! As derbies are about atmosphere, everything from 8.00 onwards is post-match celebrations, from about 12.00 celebrations with the team.

 

[DangerousSausage]

It's a sign of madness replying to myself but I'll do it anyway!

I suffered play-off disappointment part four at the weekend. Waldhof managed to secure a play-off spot for the third season running, this time playing KFC Uerdingen (who once played in the Bundesliga under the name Bayer Uerdingen). Waldhof managed to lose the away leg 1-0 after missing two gilt-edged chances but still had a chance going into the home leg. More than 24,000 were there but to be honest there was a bit less of a buzz in the air compared to the last two seasons. The match proved to be an unforgettable one.

In short, Uerdingen won 2-1 and secured promotion (more on that later). But it's the scenes off the pitch that will stay longer in the memory. About the time that Waldhof equalised, a group of Uerdingen followers marched unhindered into a home block accommodating many families and started picking fights (there were loads of riot police about, but they were standing outside the stadium). With about ten minutes to go, with Waldhof on the attack but chasing what looked like a lost cause and with some of their more intellectually challenged supporters feeling they had a point to prove, certain elements among the ultras started throwing bangers and fireworks onto the pitch and didn't stop. It looked like a coordinated action. Eventually the match was abandoned and the visitors awarded a 2-0 win (meaning Waldhof's first play-off goal in six attempts was effectively scratched off). Oh, and all this was on national TV as well. What a sad end to a great season.

I'm still much angrier about those scenes and the morons who tried to injure players and stewards than I am about any football match. If you'd asked me on Sunday, I'd have said that I'll never return. However, I've been going for ten years now, I care more than is good for me and I don't want to leave the club to the morons, so I probably will.

The club has been very accommodating to the ultras in the past - they can make block bookings for tickets, have a container within the ground and stand in a seated area behind the goal. All that is now over - from next season they're going back to the proper terrace in the corner. The ultras have been a great asset to the club over the years but many people's patience with them has run out. The idiots among them have got to go.

Here's the choreography prepared before the match before everything fell to pieces, on the topic of rising from the dead. The zombie appears at about 1.10. It'll be a while before we see anything like this again, sadly.

There might be a postscript though - Uerdingen failed to submit the deposit for the license for the third division in time, which according to the rules is grounds for rejection. In that case, the losing team in the play-offs goes up. This story could yet get more bizarre still...

[Magic magpie]

Only time will tell if this will be there year 

[DangerousSausage]

34 minutes ago, Magic magpie said:

Only time will tell if this will be there year 

The football is over and Waldhof lost again. Twice. On the field of play it should be over.

However, I've just read that Uerdingen failed to transfer their deposit to the DFB on time. All clubs from the third division upwards need to do this to prove they can make it through the season, and the DFB are very strict on it - Waldhof were actually relegated in 2010 for transferring the money too late. There is NO wriggle room. And the DFB's statutes clearly dictate that the losing team in the play-off go up in that case. If the DFB don't want Waldhof in the same league as Kaiserslautern and Karlsruhe next season (and after Sunday I couldn't blame them) they could have a bit of a problem on their hands.

And now Uerdingen's Russian benefactor Mikhail Ponomarev has issued a statement saying they did everything correctly and on time, that it's all the bank's fault, and that if the DFB finds against them they won't bother appealing and Ponomarev will leave the club. "The dog ate my homework" in other words.

Which could all mean that Waldhof Mannheim could be on the brink of the most underwhelming promotion since they won promotion ever. On Monday we'll know.

[Magic magpie]

Every dog has there day let’s hope Monday it’s there day. I thought that league went till september shows what I know 

[Chris Website URL Visit Site 𝕏 fmcj10 Instagram fmcj10]

Oh wow, those crowds though.

I am sure the club can re-build to challenge for promotion, it's football and although missing out on promotion can be disappointing. It can lead to further excitement when your beating every other team again.

Just ask @super_ram who supports the experts at this dilemma.  

[liampie]

@DangerousSausage that grave yard and zombie looks bizarre and pretty surreal but also kind of cool. german fans seem to make their own fun before kick off!