indomitable_lion
02-02-2007, 11:34 PM
First the most important news ;)
HSV Sack Doll
by Brian A. O'Driscoll
February 1, 2007
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5024/234newsmm6.jpg
Hamburger SV have confirmed the sacking of coach Thomas Doll in the wake of the club's 1-1 draw with Energie Cottbus on Wednesday night - a result that sank the club to the bottom of the Bundesliga.
HSV, ever-present in the German top flight since the Bundesliga's inception in 1963, are facing relegation after winning just one of their 19 fixtures to date.
Doll, the man who led the club to third place last season - and to the Champions' League group stage - was in danger of dismissal prior to the Christmas break. HSV won just once in the Champions' League and collapsed to the worst start in their history domestically.
The concession of a last-minute goal in Saturday's Bundesliga resumption match with Arminia Bielefeld coupled with the inability to see off modest Cottbus - a side who had lost their last seven matches - sealed Doll's fate.
"We regret having to make this decision," HSV chairman Bernd Hoffmann said in a statement. "We were convinced that we could turn this around with Thomas Doll. But after the results of the last two matches and the impression we got, we had to react."
The 40-year-old Doll also made a statement on Thursday, saying, "Obviously I'm saddened. I've had two great years at HSV. I hope the team can quickly get back on track."
HSV expect to announce a new coach ahead of Saturday's clash with Hertha BSC. Sacked Bayern coach Felix Magath is an early favourite, though departing Bielefeld boss Thomas von Heesen is also considered a possibility. Well well well. It finally happened. Since it had not happened a long time ago, I thought he was going to keep the job for the whole season.
Well, after the back to back doubles I am very surprised that Magath would get sacked simply for not winning the title. This column from The Guardian (http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/02/01/why_magath_had_to_go.html) attempts to explain.
Why Bayern had to sack Magath
Forget the back-to-back doubles: Felix Magath's eccentric behaviour and tactical neglect sealed his fate at Bayern.
by Raphael Honigstein
February 1, 2007 02:04 PM
http://i.eurosport.com/2007/01/31/334283-1718486-458-238.jpg
Bundesliga teams never simply draw matches. One of our many lovable national customs demands the use of a phrase unique to German football terminology; the voice on the radio or TV will always insist (with a hint of regret) that both sides "trennten sich unentschieden". They "parted company undecided".
It is unsure if this quirk can survive much longer after Wednesday's extraordinary hat-trick: three trite, uneventful draws decided everything - or, to be more precise, the fate of three managers at three of the league's most successful clubs. At Gladbach, Jupp Heynckes' unhappy tenure was brought to an end following another drab draw in the relegation battle. Shortly before midnight, Thomas Doll had lost the last remnants of sympathy on the Hamburg board. Their 1-1 draw with Energie Cottbus leaves them holding the "red lantern" - the German version of the wooden spoon - in the dark hole at the bottom of the table. But the biggest drama was naturally once again played out under the sunny Bavarian sky.
The morning after a thoroughly depressing 0-0 stalemate with lowly Bochum at the Allianz Arena, after which Bayern were booed off, Felix Magath took training and left, only to be asked back to Säbenerstrasse for a meeting with the board in the afternoon. The 53-year-old went to have his hair cut and returned to find his head on the chopping block. Afterwards, chief-executioner Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, known as "Killer Kalle" for his cold and sometimes downright ruthless demeanour, told the press about a "regretful move" that had been necessary in view of the club's league position. After one point from six in 2007, Bayern find themselves in a fourth spot that would entitle them only to participate in the Uefa Cup: "the losers' cup", according to president Franz Beckenbauer, and obviously quite beneath them.
Bild, Germany's biggest tabloid, first broke the news of Magath's marching orders. Their columnist Beckenbauer, who is away on business in Dubai and was not consulted before the decision, had tipped them off. The paper described the event as "a panic move", but in fact only the timing really surprised. Magath was always likely to be relieved of his position at the end of the season.
Despite winning unprecedented back-to-back doubles, he had long lost the faith of his players and the board. It wasn't so much the two bad results after the winter break but the veritable smorgasbord of inadequacies on show that hastened his departure. Systematic play was nonexistent. The entire team looked befuddled, gripped by a sense of insecurity.
Magath is not to blame for the disastrous transfer policy that is the root cause of Bayern's malaise - that responsibility lies with the board. But he compounded matters by not talking enough to his players. His policy of professional distance did not lend itself to the integration of new, young recruits like Lukas Podolski and it precluded the implementation of a modern tactical concept. "Not the end of an era," wrote Süddeutsche Zeitung today in recognition of the team's arrested development under Magath.
In fairness, Magath's emphasis on physical fitness did enable Bayern to overrun their rivals. At their best, in the spring of 2005, they played a powerful, muscular attacking game. That might have been enough to "dominate a domestic competition who are falling behind in Europe by the minute" (Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger) but, in the Champions League, Magath's tactical shortcomings were sadly evident. After the humiliating 4-1 defeat by AC Milan last season, a number of senior players privately complained about the lack of a coherent strategy. Magath "the Lord of the Medicine Balls" (SZ), failed to see the point. "Tactics are something for bad players," he quipped a few weeks ago.
It's easy to forget that Magath was hailed as "the super-brain of the Bundesliga" when he took over in Munich in 2004. A well-read, incredibly charming and witty man, he could talk for hours about football's similarities with chess, a game he taught himself in the late 70s. He had a reformist agenda; his declared aim was to shake Bayern out of their passive, slow style that characterised the last year of his predecessor Ottmar Hitzfeld. He managed to do that in his first season but then everything started to fall apart in the Dubai training camp of January 2006.
Inexplicably, Magath spent 10 whole days without speaking to anybody - not to the players, not to the board - and, after the Milan debacle, relations had become so strained that the board were debating his replacement. In one episode, he spent a whole hour in a car next to general manager Uli Hoeness without saying anything, then snapped: "If you want to fire me, you only have to tell me."
Full Article (http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/02/01/why_magath_had_to_go.html)
It seems Magath turned down the Hamburg job once he found out he would be taking it away from a colleague. I'm a bit skeptical about this one but here's the story from Goal.com
Magath Turns Down Hamburg To Respect Colleague
Sacked Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath has turned down the chance to coach Hamburger SV following Thomas Doll's departure, after finding out that the club were already prepared to bring on another coach before he became available.
http://goal.adbureau.net/IMPCNT/ccid=204/acc_random=21872322/SITE=EN.GOAL/AREA=2L/LANG=EN/AAMSZ=300x250/pageid=1979390
That person has been confirmed as Huub Stevens - a former Schalke, Hertha Berlin and Cologne coach. He was poised to take over from Doll before the late availability of Magath.
Magath was keen to take over ever since Doll's departure, and all set to sign, but found out at the last minute that he would be taking the job away from Stevens.
Hamburg sporting director Dietmar Beiersdorfer refused to go into the details, but did admit that the Magath saga was over.
"Felix Magath telephoned me this morning to let me know of his decision not to take the job," he said. "I can't say any more at this moment."
However, Magath himself was more elaborate, and spoke about how he was unable to continue negotiations after finding out about the agreement with Stevens.
"Before HSV [Hamburg] started talks with me on Thursday, they had
already agreed a deal with another coach," Magath told the Hamburger Abendblatt. "My professional morals dictated to me not to take the job away from my colleague."
He then went on to back Stevens: "He is the right man, and will save Hamburg from relegation."
Huub Stevens - a Dutchman, as his first name suggests - has spent five years with Schalke, during which he also won the Uefa Cup, back in 1997. He has also coached Hertha Berlin and Cologne.
Oh and if you want to keep up with this saga, I highly recommend the 2nd half of Nurnberg vs. Bayern if it gets capped ;)
HSV Sack Doll
by Brian A. O'Driscoll
February 1, 2007
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/5024/234newsmm6.jpg
Hamburger SV have confirmed the sacking of coach Thomas Doll in the wake of the club's 1-1 draw with Energie Cottbus on Wednesday night - a result that sank the club to the bottom of the Bundesliga.
HSV, ever-present in the German top flight since the Bundesliga's inception in 1963, are facing relegation after winning just one of their 19 fixtures to date.
Doll, the man who led the club to third place last season - and to the Champions' League group stage - was in danger of dismissal prior to the Christmas break. HSV won just once in the Champions' League and collapsed to the worst start in their history domestically.
The concession of a last-minute goal in Saturday's Bundesliga resumption match with Arminia Bielefeld coupled with the inability to see off modest Cottbus - a side who had lost their last seven matches - sealed Doll's fate.
"We regret having to make this decision," HSV chairman Bernd Hoffmann said in a statement. "We were convinced that we could turn this around with Thomas Doll. But after the results of the last two matches and the impression we got, we had to react."
The 40-year-old Doll also made a statement on Thursday, saying, "Obviously I'm saddened. I've had two great years at HSV. I hope the team can quickly get back on track."
HSV expect to announce a new coach ahead of Saturday's clash with Hertha BSC. Sacked Bayern coach Felix Magath is an early favourite, though departing Bielefeld boss Thomas von Heesen is also considered a possibility. Well well well. It finally happened. Since it had not happened a long time ago, I thought he was going to keep the job for the whole season.
Well, after the back to back doubles I am very surprised that Magath would get sacked simply for not winning the title. This column from The Guardian (http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/02/01/why_magath_had_to_go.html) attempts to explain.
Why Bayern had to sack Magath
Forget the back-to-back doubles: Felix Magath's eccentric behaviour and tactical neglect sealed his fate at Bayern.
by Raphael Honigstein
February 1, 2007 02:04 PM
http://i.eurosport.com/2007/01/31/334283-1718486-458-238.jpg
Bundesliga teams never simply draw matches. One of our many lovable national customs demands the use of a phrase unique to German football terminology; the voice on the radio or TV will always insist (with a hint of regret) that both sides "trennten sich unentschieden". They "parted company undecided".
It is unsure if this quirk can survive much longer after Wednesday's extraordinary hat-trick: three trite, uneventful draws decided everything - or, to be more precise, the fate of three managers at three of the league's most successful clubs. At Gladbach, Jupp Heynckes' unhappy tenure was brought to an end following another drab draw in the relegation battle. Shortly before midnight, Thomas Doll had lost the last remnants of sympathy on the Hamburg board. Their 1-1 draw with Energie Cottbus leaves them holding the "red lantern" - the German version of the wooden spoon - in the dark hole at the bottom of the table. But the biggest drama was naturally once again played out under the sunny Bavarian sky.
The morning after a thoroughly depressing 0-0 stalemate with lowly Bochum at the Allianz Arena, after which Bayern were booed off, Felix Magath took training and left, only to be asked back to Säbenerstrasse for a meeting with the board in the afternoon. The 53-year-old went to have his hair cut and returned to find his head on the chopping block. Afterwards, chief-executioner Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, known as "Killer Kalle" for his cold and sometimes downright ruthless demeanour, told the press about a "regretful move" that had been necessary in view of the club's league position. After one point from six in 2007, Bayern find themselves in a fourth spot that would entitle them only to participate in the Uefa Cup: "the losers' cup", according to president Franz Beckenbauer, and obviously quite beneath them.
Bild, Germany's biggest tabloid, first broke the news of Magath's marching orders. Their columnist Beckenbauer, who is away on business in Dubai and was not consulted before the decision, had tipped them off. The paper described the event as "a panic move", but in fact only the timing really surprised. Magath was always likely to be relieved of his position at the end of the season.
Despite winning unprecedented back-to-back doubles, he had long lost the faith of his players and the board. It wasn't so much the two bad results after the winter break but the veritable smorgasbord of inadequacies on show that hastened his departure. Systematic play was nonexistent. The entire team looked befuddled, gripped by a sense of insecurity.
Magath is not to blame for the disastrous transfer policy that is the root cause of Bayern's malaise - that responsibility lies with the board. But he compounded matters by not talking enough to his players. His policy of professional distance did not lend itself to the integration of new, young recruits like Lukas Podolski and it precluded the implementation of a modern tactical concept. "Not the end of an era," wrote Süddeutsche Zeitung today in recognition of the team's arrested development under Magath.
In fairness, Magath's emphasis on physical fitness did enable Bayern to overrun their rivals. At their best, in the spring of 2005, they played a powerful, muscular attacking game. That might have been enough to "dominate a domestic competition who are falling behind in Europe by the minute" (Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger) but, in the Champions League, Magath's tactical shortcomings were sadly evident. After the humiliating 4-1 defeat by AC Milan last season, a number of senior players privately complained about the lack of a coherent strategy. Magath "the Lord of the Medicine Balls" (SZ), failed to see the point. "Tactics are something for bad players," he quipped a few weeks ago.
It's easy to forget that Magath was hailed as "the super-brain of the Bundesliga" when he took over in Munich in 2004. A well-read, incredibly charming and witty man, he could talk for hours about football's similarities with chess, a game he taught himself in the late 70s. He had a reformist agenda; his declared aim was to shake Bayern out of their passive, slow style that characterised the last year of his predecessor Ottmar Hitzfeld. He managed to do that in his first season but then everything started to fall apart in the Dubai training camp of January 2006.
Inexplicably, Magath spent 10 whole days without speaking to anybody - not to the players, not to the board - and, after the Milan debacle, relations had become so strained that the board were debating his replacement. In one episode, he spent a whole hour in a car next to general manager Uli Hoeness without saying anything, then snapped: "If you want to fire me, you only have to tell me."
Full Article (http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/02/01/why_magath_had_to_go.html)
It seems Magath turned down the Hamburg job once he found out he would be taking it away from a colleague. I'm a bit skeptical about this one but here's the story from Goal.com
Magath Turns Down Hamburg To Respect Colleague
Sacked Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath has turned down the chance to coach Hamburger SV following Thomas Doll's departure, after finding out that the club were already prepared to bring on another coach before he became available.
http://goal.adbureau.net/IMPCNT/ccid=204/acc_random=21872322/SITE=EN.GOAL/AREA=2L/LANG=EN/AAMSZ=300x250/pageid=1979390
That person has been confirmed as Huub Stevens - a former Schalke, Hertha Berlin and Cologne coach. He was poised to take over from Doll before the late availability of Magath.
Magath was keen to take over ever since Doll's departure, and all set to sign, but found out at the last minute that he would be taking the job away from Stevens.
Hamburg sporting director Dietmar Beiersdorfer refused to go into the details, but did admit that the Magath saga was over.
"Felix Magath telephoned me this morning to let me know of his decision not to take the job," he said. "I can't say any more at this moment."
However, Magath himself was more elaborate, and spoke about how he was unable to continue negotiations after finding out about the agreement with Stevens.
"Before HSV [Hamburg] started talks with me on Thursday, they had
already agreed a deal with another coach," Magath told the Hamburger Abendblatt. "My professional morals dictated to me not to take the job away from my colleague."
He then went on to back Stevens: "He is the right man, and will save Hamburg from relegation."
Huub Stevens - a Dutchman, as his first name suggests - has spent five years with Schalke, during which he also won the Uefa Cup, back in 1997. He has also coached Hertha Berlin and Cologne.
Oh and if you want to keep up with this saga, I highly recommend the 2nd half of Nurnberg vs. Bayern if it gets capped ;)