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Sports MissingNo.'s Football Blog, featuring occasional guest posts – Fútbol is Life

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Kenka said:
The lack of consistency of the historical German clubs is puzzling, and I am not just talking about Schalke.

HSV is in the second division, Borussia Dortmund was once on the brink of collapse, Werder Bremen is a shadow of what it was once, Köln is even less than that and Kaiserslautern is well, Kaiserslautern. Gladbach is also not immune to bad seasons.

You might say that there similar cases in all leagues: Parma and Fiorentina in Italy, Lyon and Bordeaux in France, Everton and Leeds in England but in no other league have the historical titans failed so consistently. Especially Hamburg, Bremen and Schalke should be where Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham currently are. They either have a big supporter case, are implanted in rich regions, or both. I wonder what is wrong with their management, because that's where the root of the cause is.

If you think about it, the only heavyweights that have consistently performed at their level in Germany in the last fourty years are Bayern and Bayer. That's saying something...
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It is rather puzzling, and the absence of clubs like Schalke, HSV, and Kaiserslautern in the Bundesliga is a bit painful, even though each and every one of those clubs got to where they are after years, if not decades of consistent mismanagement.

On the other hand, it makes for one of, if not the most exciting second tiers of football across Europe. The fact that despite being lined with big names like HSV, Kaiserslautern, and Nürnberg, the teams that managed to get promoted last season are Heidenheim, a Bundesliga newcomer, and Darmstadt just further reinforces how far the formerly mighty have fallen.

The season is long enough to turn things around for Schalke still, so I would not lose hope on that front quite yet, @Imitatio. Especially given it's still a rather close race up there as everyone keeps tripping over themselves.
 
MissingNo. said:
The season is long enough to turn things around for Schalke still, so I would not lose hope on that front quite yet, @Imitatio. Especially given it's still a rather close race up there as everyone keeps tripping over themselves.
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Oh, totally. I remember our first season in the 2. BuLi with Grammozis, which didn't start out much better than this one. In the end we finished in first place (somehow, lol).
The issue is more the lack of stability / continuity for me. The only constant aspect is how inconsistent this Club is, on basically all levels. Not that it's anything new, but I'm finding it increasingly exhausting over the years. Leidgeplagt, haha. They're really testing my faith / loyalty here.
 
Imitatio said:
Oh, totally. I remember our first season in the 2. BuLi with Grammozis, which didn't start out much better than this one. In the end we finished in first place (somehow, lol).
The issue is more the lack of stability / continuity for me. The only constant aspect is how inconsistent this Club is, on basically all levels. Not that it's anything new, but I'm finding it increasingly exhausting over the years. Leidgeplagt, haha. They're really testing my faith / loyalty here.
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Ah, gotcha. Yeah, I can relate to that so well. Oh, so well...
 
Nice new crest and complementary wordmark logos.
news.sportslogos.net

MLS’s Seattle Sounders Unveil ‘Brand Evolution’ With Modernized Crest at Its Heart

With their 50th anniversary right around the corner, Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC have unveiled a new visual identity system with tweaked colors and a simplified crest as its centerpiece. About 19 months after club officials first announced they would “explore” the club’s identity...
news.sportslogos.net news.sportslogos.net
 
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MissingNo. said:
It is rather puzzling, and the absence of clubs like Schalke, HSV, and Kaiserslautern in the Bundesliga is a bit painful, even though each and every one of those clubs got to where they are after years, if not decades of consistent mismanagement.

On the other hand, it makes for one of, if not the most exciting second tiers of football across Europe. The fact that despite being lined with big names like HSV, Kaiserslautern, and Nürnberg, the teams that managed to get promoted last season are Heidenheim, a Bundesliga newcomer, and Darmstadt just further reinforces how far the formerly mighty have fallen.

The season is long enough to turn things around for Schalke still, so I would not lose hope on that front quite yet, @Imitatio. Especially given it's still a rather close race up there as everyone keeps tripping over themselves.
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What do you think is the reason for this mismanagement in the first place?
 
Kenka said:
What do you think is the reason for this mismanagement in the first place?
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Phew, that's a tough one to pin down.

I don't really follow the inner workings, or at least what is visible of them from the outside, for the other clubs we discussed, but a case can be made for the one I know best (Stuttgart), that there is some sort of climate that lead - and still leads - to people being put in positions to influence the club who are objectively not particularly well equipped for it, but have been placed there because of their history with the club as players or business associates, and have foremost their own interests in mind, placing them ahead of the club's.

You then get a dynamic of those people influencing decisions within the club that leads to people being hired for management who are typical yes-sayers, culminating in a never-ending downward spiral of bad decisions, pushing those who advocate for change and manage to come in with fresh new ideas against all odds out eventually. Local press is seemingly supporting the establishment, which only adds to an overall climate that is unsupportive of change.

Knowing that, it does not seem too far-fetched to me that this might be a general issue historic clubs have to deal with, and those that are a shadow of their former selves simply never managed to overcome that dynamic.
 
MissingNo. said:
Phew, that's a tough one to pin down.

I don't really follow the inner workings, or at least what is visible of them from the outside, for the other clubs we discussed, but a case can be made for the one I know best (Stuttgart), that there is some sort of climate that lead - and still leads - to people being put in positions to influence the club who are objectively not particularly well equipped for it, but have been placed there because of their history with the club as players or business associates, and have foremost their own interests in mind, placing them ahead of the club's.

You then get a dynamic of those people influencing decisions within the club that leads to people being hired for management who are typical yes-sayers, culminating in a never-ending downward spiral of bad decisions, pushing those who advocate for change and manage to come in with fresh new ideas against all odds out eventually. Local press is seemingly supporting the establishment, which only adds to an overall climate that is unsupportive of change.

Knowing that, it does not seem too far-fetched to me that this might be a general issue historic clubs have to deal with, and those that are a shadow of their former selves simply never managed to overcome that dynamic.
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If what you say about Stuttgart is true, then it's puzzling indeed. This club should be swimming in money, pretty much like the lederhosen a few hundred kilometers South-East. They have a metropolitan of 5M+ inhabitants in one of the richest regions of the richest supranational entity in the world, they have a stadium of 60'000 seats that is full in every home game and if that was not enough, they could enter anytime a strategic partnership with the German automotive industry to increase their profile and wallet size.

I will never understand how they could go so low. All I wish Stuttgart is a steering comittee that knows a thing or two about money. If the 50+1 rule was not in place, I would immediately single out Stuttgart as an acquisition target - Europe-wide.

By the way, the first paragraph could apply to other German clubs as well.
 
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Kenka said:
If what you say about Stuttgart is true, then it's puzzling indeed. This club should be swimming in money, pretty much like the lederhosen a few hundred kilometers South-East. They have a metropolitan of 5M+ inhabitants in one of the richest regions of the richest supranational entity in the world, they have a stadium of 60'000 seats that is full in every home game and if that was not enough, they could enter anytime a strategic partnership with the German automotive industry to increase their profile and wallet size.

I will never understand how they could go so low. All I wish Stuttgart is a steering comittee that knows a thing or two about money. If the 50+1 rule was not in place, I would immediately single out Stuttgart as acquisition target - Europe-wide.

By the way, the first paragraph could apply to other German clubs as well.
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It's a long running theme that nobody seems to know where all the money is going to at VfB, apart from the stadium and all the modernisations it has seen in recent years eating up a shitload of it. Well, that, and the — who even still has track of how many? — sacked coaches we still have on the payroll.
It's inexplicable. You have both Mercedes, and now also Porsche backing you financially, and yet are seemingly always on the brink of financial collapse? For fucking real?

It's a never-ending story. And it sucks. The fan support is amazing, though.
 
MissingNo. said:
It's a long running theme that nobody seems to know where all the money is going to at VfB, apart from the stadium and all the modernisations it has seen in recent years eating up a shitload of it. Well, that, and the — who even still has track of how many? — sacked coaches we still have on the payroll.
It's inexplicable. You have both Mercedes, and now also Porsche backing you financially, and yet are seemingly always on the brink of financial collapse? For fucking real?

It's a never-ending story. And it sucks. The fan support is amazing, though.
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So it is a problem with the management then.

One of the mandates of the DFL should be to have the possibility to impose audits on the top-flight clubs. If your clubs have the potential to be world-class, then they should aspire to be and stay so. The reason why the Bundesliga earns so less money from international TV deals is that it is lacking powerhouses.
 
Kenka said:
So it is a problem with the management then.

One of the mandates of the DFL should be to have the possibility to impose audits on the top-flight clubs. If your clubs have the potential to be world-class, then they should aspire to be and stay so. The reason why the Bundesliga earns so less money from international TV deals is that it is lacking powerhouses.
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Always has been. It has only become more prevalent in the last two decades. Basically, ever since they last claimed the championship title, things went down the shitter with nigh unstoppable force. Every little up is followed by a massive down.

It's exhausting, to say the least.
 
MissingNo. said:
Always has been. It has only become more prevalent in the last two decades. Basically, ever since they last claimed the championship title, things went down the shitter with nigh unstoppable force. Every little up is followed by a massive down.

It's exhausting, to say the least.
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Good luck then. And in the hypothetical scenario that not even the DFL has the guts to take the rights decisions, I hope you find one day that one group of investors that don't fear hard work and have the business acumen to increase your profitability or revenue (or both).
 
Kenka said:
Good luck then. And in the hypothetical scenario that not even the DFL has the guts to take the rights decisions, I hope you find one day that one group of investors that don't fear hard work and have the business acumen to increase your profitability or revenue (or both).
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As far as investors go, we have reached the current limit of 25% mandated by club statutes now, with an odd 1% being held by the kit supplier, and the remainder being equally shared between Mercedes and Porsche, with the latter's share being agreed upon, but currently being held up by formalities and to be finalised soon.

Truth be told, I have given up hope on things getting better long ago, but I would love to be proven wrong.
 
Can't believe VfB just keeps winning. Five in a row, with a total of six out of seven. Featuring 13 goals by Guirassy, which, after seven matches played, is an all-time record in the Bundesliga.

Madness. Utter and complete madness.
 
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International break and no league football make MissingNo. go crazy.

Might as well watch USA vs Germany tonight. Curious to see if there is any improvement with Nagelsmann at the helm.
 
MissingNo. said:
Might as well watch USA vs Germany tonight. Curious to see if there is any improvement with Nagelsmann at the helm.
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Well, that started out a bit rough, as was to be expected. But the second half actually wasn't half bad? Now to wait and see if that was a mere flash in the pan, or the beginning of an upwards trend.

As a Stuttgart fan, I was happy to see Führich got to make his debut for the national team, if only for the last couple of minutes.
 
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Alright, NOBODY MOVE!

ZYX14yi.jpg


Finally managed to beat Union, too. What is happening?
 
Being a football kit collector is looking at this image and going, hmm, let me see which of these teams has kits for sale.
 
MissingNo. said:
Alright, NOBODY MOVE!

ZYX14yi.jpg


Finally managed to beat Union, too. What is happening?
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Hope for Germany

Meanwhile in the Eredivisie, PSV, Feyenoord and AZ keep winning. Everything else is a weird free for all.

The most bizarre thing of them all is the fact that Ajax is currently 17th(!) in the league. Yeah, they still need to complete the last few minutes of RKC - Ajax (due to a horror injury) and need to play a delayed game against Volendam, but it’s absolute C H A O S in Amsterdam.

As someone who follows the sport it’s bizarre. As a Feyenoord fan, their rivals… pffffff hahahahaha.
 
Sadist said:
Hope for Germany

Meanwhile in the Eredivisie, PSV, Feyenoord and AZ keep winning. Everything else is a weird free for all.

The most bizarre thing of them all is the fact that Ajax is currently 17th(!) in the league. Yeah, they still need to complete the last few minutes of RKC - Ajax (due to a horror injury) and need to play a delayed game against Volendam, but it’s absolute C H A O S in Amsterdam.

As someone who follows the sport it’s bizarre. As a Feyenoord fan, their rivals… pffffff hahahahaha.
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Yeah, whatever is wrong with Ajax this season is just extremely weird.

As for "hope for Germany", though… Eeeh. I'm pretty sure that once all is said and done, Bayern will have one another championship. Stuttgart will be lucky to finish in the single digits, because there is no way in hell they can keep this up over the entire season. Dortmund will slow down eventually, as they always do. Leipzig, I'm not sure about. Bayer is playing extremely well this year, to the point where I'm half convinced they will pull it off. But experience says that in the end, Bayern always does it somehow, if only by sheer incompetence of their competition.

It's nice to dream, though.
 
So Stuttgart narrowly lost last Saturday against Hoffenheim. Still overall a good performance, just a bit unlucky.

And today they best Union again, this time in the cup. Feels good.

Can't help but feel a just a tiny bit sorry for Union and their eleventh consecutive loss across Bundesliga, German Cup, and Champions League, though.
 
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Bayern out again in the second round of DFB Pokal. Against 3rd-tier Saarbrücken. This is the fourth consecutive time they've been eliminated in quarter finals or earlier.

Yes, I'm triple-posting, try and stop me.
 
EvilChameleon said:
Time to revive this thread with urgent news;
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That's a hell of a winning streak!

I'll take this opportunity to say that life as a Stuttgart fan keeps being unreal this season, as they just. Keep. Winning. I'll take it after years of agony.
 
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MissingNo. said:
Yeah, whatever is wrong with Ajax this season is just extremely weird.

As for "hope for Germany", though… Eeeh. I'm pretty sure that once all is said and done, Bayern will have one another championship. Stuttgart will be lucky to finish in the single digits, because there is no way in hell they can keep this up over the entire season. Dortmund will slow down eventually, as they always do. Leipzig, I'm not sure about. Bayer is playing extremely well this year, to the point where I'm half convinced they will pull it off. But experience says that in the end, Bayern always does it somehow, if only by sheer incompetence of their competition.

It's nice to dream, though.
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It's refreshing to be reading this months later and being able to chuckle, given that it doesn't seem to pan out quite as expected. Good stuff. ;D
 
Imitatio said:
It's refreshing to be reading this months later and being able to chuckle, given that it doesn't seem to pan out quite as expected. Good stuff. ;D
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Lmao, I forgot about that post. One of those rare times when it's really nice to be wrong!
 
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Ah, glad this got bumped, so I can share this fun image from yesterday.

Naturally, the LAFC coach was pissed. Poor baby.
 
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I haven't posted much because Barça this season has been pathetic but I have to say I have yet to see a match more boring than last night's Athletic Club - Barça. Zero chances. Two teams that seemed to be OK with a draw (when Barça could put pressure on Real Madrid, and Athletic could inch closer to UCL football).

One loss away from finishing the season in March. Amazing display this year.
 
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If Stuttgart seriously ends up playing in the CL next season I'm gonna lose it. The development they’ve gone through since Hoeneß took over is unreal.
 
Good to see Arsenal making it to the quarter finals. And hey, Barca managed, too. They did quite well, given how many injuries they had to compensate.
 
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Streich leaving Freiburg at the end of the season after 29(!) years with the club is quite the news.

Bayern not winning the league this season after winning it eleven times straight is super refreshing. Doubt they'll manage to make up ten points in eight games unless Leverkusen absolutely craters for some inexplicable reason.

Stuttgart still being on course for that CL spot this late into the season is something I didn't expect to happen at all.
 
So I know this thread is very slow and Barça isn't well-liked but I cannot believe that the club that has been a joke for the past 6 years in Europe came back against PSG in Paris. What a game.
 
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This last CL matchday was fantastic! So many goals, close matches, so many opportunities for the second legs. So good!
 
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Hi everyone!

I've put up a poll for our tiny community to decide how we want to proceed with this thread.

Either we keep this one around, or I create a new thread for the new season starting this summer. You decide!

My thoughts are that a new thread each season might revitalise interest a bit more than the same old thread, but I want to know what you think.

Cheers!
 
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MissingNo. said:
Alright, everyone. Thought I should start off with sharing my personal favourite club — the VfB Stuttgart. You may or may not have heard from us, but we used to be a very minor deal in European Cups back in the day (as in, we used to participate on a regular basis), while nowadays we struggle to stay in the Bundesliga.

So if you think you're too afraid to participate in here because your favourite team is "shite" — think again.
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How has Hiroki Ito been for Stuttgart this season? Just curious as I'm a fan of Japanese football.

Of course your former captain Endo left for Liverpool and he's done well there, and rather incredibly you've gone on to have a very strong campaign without him, very likely looking to finish in the CL places.
 
bixente said:
How has Hiroki Ito been for Stuttgart this season? Just curious as I'm a fan of Japanese football.

Of course your former captain Endo left for Liverpool and he's done well there, and rather incredibly you've gone on to have a very strong campaign without him, very likely looking to finish in the CL places.
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Ito is a focal point of our defense. The lad is performing so well I fear he won’t play for our side much longer.

Stiller has really replaced Endo extraordinary well, to my own surprise. Everyone got straight up better with Hoeness at the helm.
 
MissingNo. said:
Ito is a focal point of our defense. The lad is performing so well I fear he won’t play for our side much longer.

Stiller has really replaced Endo extraordinary well, to my own surprise. Everyone got straight up better with Hoeness at the helm.
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Good to know. On another forum I spoke to a Stuttgart fan who didn't rate Ito so highly and thought he wasn't good enough for the Bundesliga. Sounds like that's nonsense then.

You should be able to keep Hiroki a bit longer with the promise of European football, I hope.
 
bixente said:
Good to know. On another forum I spoke to a Stuttgart fan who didn't rate Ito so highly and thought he wasn't good enough for the Bundesliga. Sounds like that's nonsense then.

You should be able to keep Hiroki a bit longer with the promise of European football, I hope.
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Huh, I don't get that at all. Yeah, I hope that CL/EL will be enough to keep key players around for a while longer.
 
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