retired_liew wai kheng

19th July 2008
Friendly Round up

Union Berlin 0-2 Hertha
A chance for Hertha fans to get a look at the new signings – all of whom played a part in this match. Lining up with a 4-1-3-2 system, Hertha were too powerful for their cross city rivals who will compete in Regionalliga North division in the coming season. Early goals from Marcelinho and Danko Lazovic settled the match.

Maccabi Haifa 0-4 Hertha
The first match of a tour of Israel proved to be surprisingly easy, despite being televised on Israeli state television. Johan Vogel and Nelson Haedo Valdez were particularly effective in their roles. Valdez netted a treble, whilst Rodrigo Tiui also found the net.

Maccabi Tel-Aviv 0-0 Hertha
This Maccabi side put up much more of a performance than their rivals, managing to hold Hertha to a scoreless draw. MTA have been regulars in the UEFA cup group stages and showed more guile than Hertha had witnessed in their previous match.

Beitar Jerusalem 2-4 Hertha
The final match of the tour saw plenty of goals, including a late fightback from the hosts – the two goals scored were the first conceded in pre-season for Hertha. Kalou, Lazovic and a Valdez double beat the home keeper.

retired_liew wai kheng

22nd July 2008
Rat in, Spaniard out

With the 2008-09 Bundesliga season almost upon us, Hertha BSC boss Ulrich Hess has continued his rebuilding program by bringing in one player, and allowing another to move on, meanwhile speculating that he intends to sign four more players in time for the curtain raiser at Leverkusen.

Razvan Rat, a Romanian International left back come left midfielder joins the club on a free transfer from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk. The Romanian elected to walk from the club at the end of his contract after a dispute over unfulfilled promises. Rat can expect a tough task dislodging the current left back Malik Fathi from the team though. Fathi has established himself in the Nationalmannschaft, and also recently signed a new three year contract at Hertha.

Surprisingly Hess has elected to sell Javier Portillo, last seasons top scorer, to Italian club Parma for £7million. Portillo, a free transfer from Real Madrid last August, impressed many with his finishing ability, notching 11 goals for a shot shy team, to the point that he signed a new extended contract only in January.

Further rumour surrounding transfer dealings suggests that Hess has lined up four further signings, two of whom are believed to have been committed to the club by way of pre-contract agreements since March. When quizzed on the subject of these signings, Hess gave little away. “Its true, we have four players in our minds. Two are confirmed, and we are talking to two other clubs about deals. The sale of Portillo gives us the necessary funds to strengthen other areas of the team, without leaving us short of options up front. We still have Rodrigo, Valdez, Kerzhakov, Lazovic and Dorothea, plus further options in the reserves and Under 18’s.�

“With particular regard to Portillo, he made the following comments “It is a good move for him, and we are happy with the deal we struck with Parma. We also received offers from Betis and Marseille. The Betis offer was not as large as the Parma deal, but we accepted it as I expected that he would wish to return to Spain.�

retired_liew wai kheng

25th July 2008
West Ham 1-1 Hertha

The final pre-season warm up match was something of a game of two halves for Hertha. A cool first half display was not followed up after the break as manager Hess introduced his substitutes. Patrick Scullion equalised in the 80th minute for the Hammers, Rodrigo Tiui had given the visitors the lead in the 14th minute with a cute header.

The starting eleven will almost certainly – fitness permitting, be the team that starts at the BayArena against Leverkusen in a week’s time. The formation was 4-1-3-2, as follows:- Silvio Proto in goal with a back four of (right to left) Dusan Basta, Arne Friedrich, Wilfred Bouma & Malik Fathi. Johan Vogel patrols in front of the back four with the other three midfielders allowed more freedom to attack. Those three were Kalou, Marcelinho and Gilberto. Valdez and Rodrigo lead the line.

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Meet The Squad

Michael Melka - GK | GER | 30 | £400K
A solid squad player who made 15 appearances last season. He may not make this many this season.

Nico Pellatz - GK | GER | 22 | £675K
Decent young keeper who will expect to challenge Proto for the number one jersey.

Silvio Proto - | GK | BEL | 25 | £1.3M
Summer arrival from La Louviere who has 14 caps for his country. Should start the season in possession of the keepers jersey.

Arne Friedrich | D RC | GER | 29 | £5.5M
Fine defender who was crucial to Germany’s march to the Euro Championship final. Played at right back for Hertha last season but will start in the centre this season. A target for many big clubs, but Hess will not let him leave cheaply.

Ralph Gunesch | D RC | GER | 24 | £325K
Former St. Pauli defender enters his second season at the club having made a good impression in his first campaign. He may find the likes of Basta and Bouma harder to shift form the first team than Steinwerth was.

Pablo Batalla | D L | ARG | 24 | £425K
The full back has come off the transfer list in recent weeks after impressive pre-season performances. However the recent signing of Rat will be a kick in the teeth.

Wilfred Bouma | D LC | NED | 30 | £3.6M
The summer arrival is expected to start at the heart of defence and Hess will hope he can forge a tight partnership with Arne Friedrich.

Joris Mathijsen | D LC | NED | 28 | £650K
Arrived from AZ Alkmaar in the January transfer window after some rave reviews in the Dutch Eredivisie. Has played well in fits and spurts so far, and as with Gunesch and Batalla, he may find himself spending time in the reserves this season.

Philippe Senderos | D C | SUI | 23 | £650K
Promising young centre back who will require regular action if he is to meet his potential. Time will tell as to whether he will receive this game time.

Patrick Müller | D/DM RC | SUI | 31 | £1.9M
Flexible and experienced, Müller is a valuable squad member who was virtually ever present last season. He should see plenty of action once again this season.

Christopher Samba | D/DM RC | COD | 24 | £275K
A versatile team player who signed a new deal in the summer. Identifying his best position may be crucial to making a lasting impact with the first team.

Malik Fathi | D/DM L | GER | 24 | £4.3M
A quality full back who has established himself at both club and international level. He should be almost ever present this season.

Rãzvan Dinca Rat | D/DM L | ROM | 27 | £1.7M
A free transfer signing from Shakhtar, Rat will challenge Fathi for the left back spot, and possibly provide back up for Gilberto in midfield. Should prove to be a worthwhile addition to the squad.

Dusan Basta | D/AM R | SCG | 23 | £2.9M
Full back likened to Cafu, and so far hasn’t disappointed in pre-season. Expected to start the season at right back.

Holger Hofmann | DM C | GER | 19 | £55K
Young hard tackling midfielder who saw some action at the end of last season when the midfield needed stabilising. With a new system in the offing, expect him to take a back seat unless injuries strike.

Johann Vogel | DM C | SUI | 31 | £5.75M
A extremely good midfielder who was picked up in January for a hefty £5m fee. A lot of money for a 31 year old, but so far he has looked worth every penny.

Gilberto | M L | BRA | 32 | £3.5M
The Brazilian was arguably the most consistent player in the squad last season. He will hopefully continue with this form into the new season as part of a much stronger midfield.

Christian Müller | AM R | GER | 24 | £1.5M
Homegrown winger who has struggled to make an impact with the first team. Unless injuries strike, he can expect to spend most of his season with the reserves.

Alexandr Samedov | AM R | RUS | 24 | £1.9M
Free transfer signing from Spartak who strengthened a weak area of the team at a crucial time in March. He will fight it out with Kalou for a spot on the right of midfield.

Alexander Ludwig | AM RL | GER | 24 | £450K
As with Muller, he can expect a tough season on the sidelines unless injuries strike key players.

Elroy Lammers | AM L | NED | 22 | £825K
The Dutchman can expect to start on the bench as Gilberto will be a hard man to displace. He has the time and the potential to make the step up to regular first team football.

Marcelinho | AM C | BRA | 33 | £2.7M
The creative hub of the team, Marcelinho made the Bundesliga team of the season last year. His probing and prompting will once again be key to the teams successes.

Stefan Schwarz | AM C | GER | 17 | £110K
Highly rated youngster who will provide back up to Marcelinho.

Bonaventure Kalou | AM/F RC | CIV | 30 | £6.5M
Versatile summer signing who will play a key role this season. His pace should cause opponents plenty of problems.

Nelson Haedo Valdez | F RC | PAR | 24 | £12.25M
A massive signing for the club, he should be able to add the necessary cutting edge to fire the side up the table.

Gregory Dorothea | S C | NED | 22 | £1.4M
Back up striker who will primarily play in the reserves.

Alexandr Kerzhakov | S C | RUS | 25 | £8.5M
New signing with proven strike record in the Bundesliga, will fight it out with others for a starting role up front.

Danko Lazovic | S C | SCG | 25 | £7M
Brought in from Feyenoord with a reputation for disrupting harmony. Hess will hope his other speciality comes to the fore – scoring goals.

Rodrigo TiuÃ* | S C | BRA | 22 | £5M
Big money signing from Fluminese in January who will benefit from a decent pre-season after some niggling injuries. Should score plenty of goals at this level.

Denes Toth | S C | HUN | 22 | £3.6M
Has all the attributes needed to succeed at the top level but has suffered badly from home sickness in his brief time at the club. Time will tell if he can turn his potential in to the finished product.

retired_liew wai kheng

30th July
Mexican Connection

Two of the promised signings arrived at the Hertha training ground for presentation to the world today. Both have arrived on a plane from Mexico City after finalising terms on their contracts with the Hertha sporting director.

Jan Lastuvka, a Czech International goalkeeper joins for £4.8m from Morelia, whilst Mexican International Midfielder Ricardo Balderas joins from Pumas for £4.2million.

Ulrich Hess made the following comments about the players:- “We’ve got a list of players here that we highlighted as possible Hertha players, and these two both scored highly in the required areas. When we received the Portillo money I targeted the areas where we could strengthen the team and make offers for the players who topped our rankings in those positions.

Lastuvka has Champions League experience with Shakhtar, International experience with the Czech Republic, and his get out clause represented excellent value for money. He is a tall man with excellent hands, huge hands. He will work well with Silvio Proto, so I now believe that we have two top goalkeepers to choose from.

When we were watching Lastuvka in the Mexican league for Morelia, we noticed an excellent creative player called Balderas, who was playing for Pumas. We spent a bit more time examining him and were particularly impressed with his performances in the Copa Libertadores. Marcelinho won’t keep going forever so we see Balderas as a long term replacement.�

retired_liew wai kheng

1st August 2008
The Final Pieces

The final two signings promised by Hertha boss Ulrich Hess arrived today having finished their previous contracts. Maxi Rodriguez from Espanyol and Theo Lucius from Ajax will both expect to take a back seat as the season gets underway in two days time. Both should prove to be valuable additions to the first team squad as they aim to challenge for Europe.

retired_liew wai kheng

Monday 4th August 2008
Hertha start with win

Bayer Leverkusen 1-3 Hertha BSC

Uli Hess saw his Hertha side get the perfect start to the season as they picked up an excellent win at the BayArena. Against a strong home side, Hertha took control early on and controlled the game throughout, creating more chances, and most importantly scoring more goals.

The starting line up featured five debutants, and three more came off the bench to appear in the blue and white stripes for the first time – crucially all eight looked comfortable with the game plan.

Rodrigo and Valdez netted either side of halftime, but Hertha were pegged back on 69 when the talented Ryan Babel pulled a goal back to awake the dormant home support. Carsten Ramelow took the calls for commitment too far and saw red for an appalling challenge with ten minutes to go. Freshly introduced substitute Kerzhakov took advantage of gaps in the Leverkusen defence to seal the victory by lobbing Cudicini.

Leverkusen: C.Cudicini, Adriano, P.Van der Heyden, U.Mohrle, E.Al-Qaisy, I.Amanatidis, J.Krzynowek, E.Barreto, C.Ramelow, R.Babel, C.Carignano – Subs (I.Azaoum, B.Schneider, Z.Grygera)

Hertha: S.Proto, D.Basta, M.Fathi, A.Friedrich, W.Bouma, J.Vogel, B.Kalou, Marcelinho, Gilberto, NH Valdez, R.Tiui – Subs (R.Rat, T.Lucius, A.Kerzhakov)

MOM – B.Kalou

retired_liew wai kheng

Bundesliga Week 1 Results:-

Aachen 0-1 Erfurt,
Bochum 0-2 HSV,
Cottbus 0-2 FC Köln,
Dortmund 2-0 1860 Munchen,
Bayern 4-0 Lubeck,
Gladbach 3-1 Schalke,
Stuttgart 1-2 Wolfsburg,
Werder Bremen 2-0 Hannover 96

retired_liew wai kheng

Monday 11th August 2008
Berlin Romp

Hertha BSC 5-0 Aachen

The blue and whites romped to victory in their first home match of the season in front of 54,834 at the Olympiastadion this afternoon. Buoyed by the opening weekend victory over Leverkusen, Uli Hess’s men put on a confident display against newly promoted Aachen, who after falling behind early on, were always struggling to keep up with the pace.

Hertha suffered a set back before kick off when Rodrigo Tiui suffered an injury in training. The natural replacement was Kerzhakov who stepped in after his goal scoring sub appearance at BayArena, and opened the scoring in the 6th minute with an early contender for goal of the season. Seconds later Klitzpera put through his own net to put Hertha comfortably in command, and give them a platform on which to perform.

Shortly after the break Kalou skipped past two and rounded the keeper to net his first for the club and really kill the match as a contest. This allowed Hess to introduce three more debutants – Maxi, Balderas and Lazovic. All three benefited from the game time, and two made a noticeable impact. Lazovic teed up Friedrich for the fourth, and Mexican Balderas banged in the 5th from distance in the final minute.

A difficult season beckons for Aachen, but Hertha look pumped for a top season

Hertha: S.Proto, D.Basta, M.Fathi, A.Friedrich, W.Bouma, J.Vogel, B.Kalou, Marcelinho, Gilberto, NH Valdez, A.Kerzhakov – Subs (D.Lazovic, R.Balderas, M.Rodriguez)

Aachen: K.Nicht, T.Stehle, T.Gellner, M.Sichone, A.Klitzpera, M.Vorbeck, M.Christ, K.Michalke, S.Rolfes, M.Yeates, W.Sanou – Subs (L.Reghecampf, K.Jones, D.Gomez)

MOM - Gilberto

retired_liew wai kheng

Bundesliga Week 2 Results:-

1860 Munchen 1-4 Leverkusen
Erfurt 4-0 Bochum
HSV 1-1 Stuttgart
Hannover 96 2-0 Cottbus
Lubeck 1-1 Dortmund
Wolfsburg 1-1 Werder Bremen
FC Köln 1–0 Gladbach
Schalke 2-0 Bayern

League Table
<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">1 Hertha 2 2 0 0 +7 62 Erfurt 2 2 0 0 +5 63 FC Koln 2 2 0 0 +3 6 4 Werder 2 1 1 0 +2 45 Dortmund 2 1 1 0 +2 46 HSV 2 1 1 0 +2 4</pre>