Raptor

That explains why I couldn't find it while trying to sticky this: you were on the case :p

retired_bbcarr

would you expect anything else?

retired_britty

You guys are a lot cooler to me than I probably deserve. Thanks again.

retired_britty

September 19th, 2003

German Regional Division North – Game 6: VfR Neumünster v. Dynamo Dresden

Ah, the perilous away game. Here’s hoping for a turn of fortune.

Neumünster (5-3-2): Freidrichs; Lass, Schröder, Gersdoft, Westphal, Petersen; Bagemiel, Dede, Hey; Zoric, Reibe

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Bittermann; Brenes, Frölich, Wagerfeld, Däbritz; Neubert, Janssen

All this past week I’ve been tinkering, toying, trying to find the right mix of offense and defense to properly compliment these players and this team. But, I’m sure it’s the players and not me as we come flying out of the blocks for today’s matchup. It only takes three minutes before Freidrichs is called into commission, forced to make a stellar save on a point-blank volley effort from Neubert that was as much a save of sheer luck as it was ability. To his credit, Neubert is undeterred, and continues firing, although his second attempt is well-wide of net, his third, on 19 minutes is the one which we’ll happily claim as our own. The move begins with Langen easily slipping past Petersen to put a pass right to the feet of a wholly unmarked Brenes, who whips a cross into the box from the left that actually drops and nearly settles before Neubert makes it to the ball first, drilling it into the back of the net for the opener. Less than five minutes later, Tim Janssen, who is becoming more and more valuable with every single game he plays, is all too happy to meet another of Brenes’ crosses into the box, leaping high into the air to get his head to the looping cross and send it underneath Freidrichs and into the net.

2-0, and we’re absolutely dominating. We can’t find the net for the remainder of the half, but our defense surely isn’t allowing Neumünster any chance to come back. At least, not until 73 minutes. A bit of miscommunication at the back between Breinburg and Oppitz gives Reibe all the time he needs to head the ball right to a completely unmarked Zoric, whose 20-yard piledriver couldn’t have been stopped by the world’s best. 2-1, and with the home crowd starting to try and get behind their team, Goran Markovic, on as a sub, puts a real cap on the proceedings, a simple bit of play down the wing allowing Däbritz to whip in a simple cross for Markovic to head back across the goalmouth and into the net, guaranteeing us three more points.

Final Score - VfR Neumünster 1:3 Dynamo Dresden
MoM – Tim Janssen

After the game, I give the team the congratulations they deserve for the win. We’re first in the Division now, a point ahead of Schalke 04’s Under-23 side. I know we’re only six games in, but this will do a lot for team morale. My goal is for us to take at least 60 points this year, and the more we accrue, the better. We’re partially there now.

September 26th, 2003

Six games into the Bundes Liga season and FC Bayern are atop already, unbeaten and with only one away draw to blemish their record. 2nd is Schalke 04, who is apparently having success throughout the organization, from the reserves to the first-team.

German Regional Division North – Game 7: Dynamo Dresden v. FC Schalke 04 Under-23s

Schalke 04’s reserves played just after our win over Neumünster, retaking their place atop the North Division, but only two points ahead of us. Sure, it’s early in the season, but there isn’t a person in our organization who wouldn’t like to make the No. 1 spot all ours. I’m trying to hold off on evaluating our season until after 10 games but we can’t help but feel like the environment at the stadium today is a little more charged than usual.

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Bittermann; Brenes, Frölich, Wagerfeld, Däbritz; Neubert, Janssen

Schalke 04 (4-4-2): Ünlü; Caspers, Adamu, Kläsener, Koch; Schiller, Büskens, Prang, Pinto; Delura, Haufe

There’s no way to start the game better than scoring. Neither team can lay claim to that particular boon, but we come closest, Oppitz immediately testing Ünlü merely two minutes into the game off a Däbritz, forcing the Turk into a good, low save. I would’ve assumed that, with both teams on four-game unbeaten streaks, momentum would’ve been 50/50 but we’re pressuring Schalke hard, continually stressing their backline, and it’s only a matter of time until the Dutch wonderkid, Tim Janssen gets into the mix, Däbritz’s flick-on allowing him into the box free and clear to thump the opener between Ünlü’s legs. With Schalke looking toothless at best, Däbritz and Janssen combine to create havoc once more, Däbritz’s corner into the area superbly headed by Janssen and equally well saved by Ünlü. Problem being, he doesn’t catch the ball, simply block it, and Neubert is there to stab it home from inches away, 2-0 to us!

Schalke finally find their first, best chance just before the interval, a cross into the box from Prang finding Haufe’s glancing header, but Kresic, apparently having finally found his legs again, is there to bat it clear of the net and keep us safe. From the restart, Schalke finally seem to be intent on getting a little more forward, but all it does take is a single mistake to law them low once more, this time Ünlü coming far too far out off his line to punch a ball clear, and giving the ball an unconvincing tap at that, allowing a grateful Langen to pick it up and drill home from 20 yards into a yawning net. On 64 minutes, we put the icing on this cake, Janssen credited with a goal that was, by all means, an own goal, his shot for the top right corner deflecting off Caspers and ending up right in the bottom left-hand corner of the net. He’ll take it though, and I’m not complaining.

Final Score – Dynamo Dresden 4:0 FC Schalke 04 Under-23s
MoM – Tim Janssen

After the match, I remind the team not to let this go to their heads. We’ve pulled off some good wins already in the year, yes, and our form has been strong at home, but we can’t start thinking about the future until March, at least. Until then, we have to focus on each game as it comes, and take it (*groan*) day by day.

There is a bit of bad news after all. It seems Maik Wagefeld, who came off in the 18th minute complaining of shoulder pain, has broken said part of his body,

September 30th, 2003

Theirry Henry puts on a real performance today, as the European Champions Cup continues. He scores four times, upping his tally for the season to 11 goals in 9 games as Arsenal somehow manage to have Martin Keown sent off in the 18th minute and still rattle off six goals to destroy FC Copenhagen 6-3.

October 1st, 2003

I think everyone’s a little surprised today when Reinhard Breinburg is awarded the Goal of the Month award today, quite the honor for a central defender. No day, the joke around the training pitch is that he’ll be the central focus of all of our offensive moves from this point on this year.

October 3rd, 2003

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Awgh, missed one and I hate re-writes. We draw with RW Essen 1-1. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

October 11th, 2003

Despite dominating in a 2-0 victory over Iceland today, Germany faces the unhappy prospect of the Playoffs, as Scotland’s 3-1 win over Lithuania propels them to the top of Group 5, four goals ahead on Goal Differential. Germany isn’t the only nation looking angrily upon its national team, as the Italian media can’t stop spewing invective at their players, after a lifeless 0-0 draw with Serbia & Montenegro gifts Group 9 to Wales and sends the Italians to the playoffs. It’s a coup for the UK and surrounding area, as Ireland and England also qualify through to Euro 2004.

The playoffs are set as such…

Norway v. Belgium
Poland v. Italy
Slovenia v. Holland
Switzerland v. Germany
Turkey v. Ukraine

retired_britty

October 17th, 2003

German Regional Division North – Game 9: RW Essen v. Dynamo Dresden

Another tough road game against tough opposition, RW Essen have had the bad luck to finish 3rd in the Regional Division North the last two years running, and have their sites set on turning two years of bad fortune around. We, the upstarts clashing with Schalke 04 for the top spot in the Division, would just like to put ourselves in a position of strength, so that, at the least, relegation isn’t a worry. Of course, if we’re reasonably in the championship race halfway through the year, our perspectives might change a bit…

RW Essen (4-4-2): Kirschstein; Weigelt, Bonan, Baumann, Sümnich; Tutas, Lintjen, Heerkens, Goldbæk; Köhler, Hauswald

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Bittermann; Brenes, Scholze, Wagerfeld, Däbritz; Neubert, Janssen

A real see-saw encounter begins merely five minutes from kickoff, as Neubert lines up out wide left of the Essen penalty area to deliver a free kick that dips slowly into place for Tim Janssen to nod netwards with his head. Bonan, who was challenging for the header, manages to get just enough of his body in the way to give the ball the perfect diversion, sending it just off Kirschstein’s hand and into the back of the net as we leap to an early lead.

But Essen come firing back, pushing hard up the field in attack. To me, it only seems like a matter of time until, on 14 minutes, Heerkens lines up for a 25-yard freekick that he bends, gloriously into the top-right corner of Kresic’s net to equalize the scores.

We come close to retaking the lead twice, Tim Janssen cracking a shot just wide of net before Neubert manages to fluff an easy chance, skying the ball over the net. Essen, meanwhile, are patiently waiting, catching out defenders out of place, using fine passing to befuddle our back line until a midfielder can finally come charging home and scramble the ball away. It’s real end-to-end stuff for a good half-hour after Heerkens’ goal, but, as the half comes to an end, Bittermann allows himself to be completely caught out by a smart pass from Heerkens, chaing in vain after Goldbæk who takes the time to set himself on the wing before delivering a cross right to Köhler which the striker dispatches on net. It’s not particularly convincing in speed, but it’s placed, and Kresic’s reaction is woeful, as the ball floats into the back of the net and Essen take the lead at the half.

At the half, I take off Neubert, who’s been fluffing chances left and right, and replace him with Goran Markovic, hoping to see some improvement in our attack. Happily, his influence is immediate, and we’re pushing Essen to mistakes with our pressing attack. On 54 minutes, Tutas’s woefully ill-thought header pops straight up in the air, leaving Lintjens and Scholze to fight for the ball. As the pair clash, the ball is pushed repeatedly towards the Essen end, until finally, in a quick tap and a burst of speed, Scholze wins the ball on the edge of Essen’s area. With the Essen defense either asleep or otherwise occupied, Scholze unleashed a 20-yard lawnmower shot that zips across the turf, clips off the right post and into the net for the equalizer.

Seven minutes later, José Brenes, already one of the best decisions I’ve made all year helps put us ahead, delivering a pinpoint cross from the wing for Goran Markovic to redirect past Kirschstein and into the net. 3-2, and we’re pulled ahead. Markovic does it again on 72 minutes, this time acting as the setup man, perfectly heading a chip into the box down for a completely unmarked Janssen, who has the time to control the ball, dribble, and then rip our fourth home.

Essen manage one more before time, and Markovic himself tacks on another, to ensure the three points.

Final Score – RW Essen 3:5 Dynamo Dresden
MoM – Tim Janssen

After the game, I give the team the praise they deserve. Fighting back from a 2-1 defeceit in the First Half, scoring four times in the second on the way to three well-deserved points… this is the kind of play I’m hoping these boys can give me all year. The only real news after the game is that I’ll be dropping Thomas Neubert in favor of Goran Markovic for our next fixture.

October 21st, 2003

More Champions Cup action today, as VfB Stuttgart surge to the top of their group after a 3-0 defeat of Maccabi Tel-Aviv. The real news today is in Group G, as Chelsea win their third straight and are now six points clear of any opposition, with Real Madrid in a shocker today, losing to AEK Athens 2-1 in Greece. It’s shaping up to be a great year for England, as Arsenal are also three games unbeaten after dominating Panathinaikos today, a 3-1 destruction that lies entirely at the feet of the peerless Theirry Henry, who made mincemeat of the Greek defenders on his way to his 12th, 13th, and 14th goals in 11 competitive matches this year.

October 22nd, 2003

With the group stages now halfway done, the real shock so far is the ability being shown by PSV Eindhoven, who are unbeaten in their first three matches today after beating Manchester United at the Phillips Stadion 2-1. United just couldn’t find the script, Johann Vogel and Mateja Kezman doing the damage, and putting PSV in pole position for qualification to the Knock-out stages. The only other news is more local, as FC Bayern defeat Lazio 2-0 and take 1st in Group B with a perfect record. So strong has Bayern’s performance been, that they haven’t surrendered a goal so far in the Group Stages of the competition.

October 23rd, 2003

Torsten Bittermann goes down for a week with a twisted knee. Considering the consistency of his performances this year, I’m partially sad to lose our captain, and happy to give someone, anyone else a shot at taking his job.

October 24th, 2003

German Regional Division North – Game 10: Dynamo Dresden v. Borussia Dortmund (A)

Our second time taking on this particular organization, although now, it’s not Jan Koller and Tomas Rosicky we face, but the men who hope to some day play alongside them (or even take their jobs!). The upside? I’d like to think that we’re at least as good as Dortmund’s 3rd-stringers. Moreover, they’re only three points behind us, in 3rd-place, and a win would create some valuable separation space.

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Hoffmann; Brenes, Heidrich, Wagefeld, Scholze; Markovic, Janssen

Dortmund (3-4-1-2): Rose; Schuchart, Risser, Berg; Wagner, Sasy, More, Metzelder; Westphal; Wanke, Martin

“I’d like to think that we’re at least as good as Dortmund’s 3rd-stringers.”

Change “think”, to “know”.

Final Score – Dynamo Dresden 6:0 Borussia Dortmund (A)
MoM – José Brenes

After the game, we’re splattered all over the local evening news. Eleven goals in two games, the team is seemingly clicking on all cylinders, and, with Schalke’s draw with Wattenscheid, we’ve moved into sole possession of 1st place, two points ahead of Schalke 04 and five ahead of 3rd-placed St. Pauli. Still, I’m cautious to my players. Yes, we’re clicking, and yes, that’s wonderful. But we don’t want to peak early and lose our stuff at the end of the year. Nevertheless, this is a great start, and they deserve all the accolades Chairman Rudi throws at them after today’s win.

All in all, looking over the Division after 10 games, I am absolutely sure that away form will be the deciding factor in the title. We own the best away record in the division at 2-2-1, the next best team 2-1-2. With each team’s home stadium proving a fortress to those who enter it, whoever can make the most out of their 17 road trips this year will probably be battling hardest for promotion.

retired_britty

November 1st, 2003

With the first two full months of the season come and gone, the German Divisions are starting to settle into the upper and lower halves. The Bundesliga itself holds at least a few changes, with Schalke 04 leading the way with 24 points from 10 games, and a record unblemished by any losses so far. FC Bayern creeps behind, two points back, with Leverkusen in 3rd with 21. With Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart and Werder Bremen all in the top 10, it doesn’t look like there will be much change in the top half of the table this year. Meanwhile, Hamburger SV, Hannover 96 and Rostock are all looking down, wondering about the next ten games, with the teams stuck in 16th, 17th and 18th place, respectively.

In the Second Division, Nürnberg sits atop with 28 points from 13 games, Burghausen and Duisberg hot on their heels, neither further away than 4 points. With six of the eighteen teams sporting unblemished home records, it’s not too hard to figure out what it will take for a team to win the Second Division this year. Like for us, away form will surely be the key there.

And here, in the Regional Division North, we’re still top, much to the pleasure of the board and fans, although I can’t find the board at fault for not being flush with success yet. If we’re here after 17 games, then we’ve got something. That said, Schalke 04 (A) is a point behind in 2nd, with St. Pauli a full four points behind Schalke in 3rd.

German Regional Division North – Game 11: Dynamo Dresden vs. Weder Bremen (A)

Yet another game against teams that seem filled with other club’s has-beens and never-was’s. Honestly, if I could have my way, these “Amateur” wouldn’t play here but last I checked I wasn’t a member of the German FA. A man can hope though…

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Hoffmann; Brenes, Heidrich, Wagefeld, Scholze; Janssen, Markovic

Bremen (4-1-2-1-2): Jurgen; Wolf, Engels, Seeger, Stallbaum; Unger; Maier, Frank; Muzzicato; Weber. Massen

What began in the year as a healthy respect for these “Amateur” sides has degenerated, as our players begin to understand that just because a big club’s name is associated with a side, if it’s not that actual club, it doesn’t mean a thing. The crowd is rather sparse for today’s game, but the players still give it its due determination, with Heidrich forcing a nice save out of Jurgen only 10 minutes into the proceedings. Markovic gets his own chance to hold his head in his hands on 17 minutes, a smart header down from the continually-skilled Brenes allowing him into the box to flash a shot from the left towards the near post that has Jurgen completely beaten, but clacks off the left post and rolls agonizingly across the mouth of the net. That wouldn’t be the end of Markovic’s troubles, as he’s held by the post again on 41 minutes, a skilled spin and shot from 20 yards once again rebounding off the same left post before rebounding back into play for Jurgen to smother.

We should be 2-0 up going into the second half, but instead, we’re stuck a nil-nil with Bremen trying desperately to hold us to a point each, and perhaps sneak one at our end. With Dona N’Kunku on for Janssen, who’d taken a knock, we begin to press upfield again, all but setting up shop in the Bremen end. And it’s another near-chance on 52 minutes, Brenes expertly taking down a chip from N’Kunku inside of the area before flicking a gentle chip past a stunned Jurgen that somehow hits the crossbar and bounces away from the net.

On 58 minutes, our hard work is rewarded. A freekick from out left by Heidrich zips into the box at speed to allow Oppitz the chance to bring it down and begin to turn. To his credit, Wolf is right there with a scything tackle to knock the ball away, but, rather than being cleared, it falls right to Wagefeld, who drills it first-time just past Jurgen’s outstretched hands and into the net. Three minutes later, N’Kunku makes his contribution in style, easily beating Engels to a Markovic cross, tapping the ball well past his marker before coolly slotting home from six yards. Kresic is left without work for the remainder of the day as we play for time.

Final Score – Dynamo Dresden 2:0 Werder Bremen (A)
MoM – Maik Wagefeld

After the game, a draw from Schalke 04 has staked us to our best lead so far this year, a solid three points ahead. It’s fun to look at the official message boards on the club website after the game. Our fans are absolutely thrilled with our start to the year, and believe that a finish in the upper third of the table is a real possibility if we can stay consistent.

November 4th, 2003

More Champions League action today, as a 1-1 draw with Lazio pushed FC Bayern a point closer to qualification for the knock-out stages in Group B. A fine 3-1 win over Celtic in Glasgow propels FC Porto into 1st place in Group A with eight points, two ahead of defending champions AC Milan, who defeated Newcastle 3-0 at San Siro for, surprisingly, their first win in the group stage of the tournament.

Dinamo Kiev looks primed and ready to continue their European adventure as they’re top of Group C after a 5-1 dismantling of Real Sociedad. Olympiakos and Sociedad, both stuck on seven points will battle it out for the remaining qualification place. And in Group D, Manchester United avenges its previous loss to PSV Eindhoven, beating the Dutch side 1-0 at Old Trafford. With both teams at nine points, PSV leads only on goal difference, and, with a 3-1 win over Lokomotiv Moscow, Deportivo is still in the running with six points.

November 5th, 2003

London’s the place to be in the CL this year, as Chelsea and Arsenal are the first teams to qualify for the next round of the tournament, both doing so in style, Chelsea with a 2-0 victory over Monaco and Arsenal riding a Theirry Henry hat-trick to a 3-0 win over Panathinaikos. A 3-1 win over Ajax puts Juventus at the top of Group E with seven points, with Beskitas, Ajax and Partizan Belgrade no more than three points behind and still in the competition.

With Arsenal and Chelsea having already taken qualification spots in groups F and G, the race for the remaining place has begun in earnest, with FC Copenhagen leading the way in Group F and Real Madrid ahead in Group G, finding their legs again with a 2-0 win over AEK Athens at the Santiago Bernabeu. Lastly, in Group H, VfB Stuttgart and Inter Milan are both tied for the lead with nine points, Benfica behind them with six.

November 8th, 2003

Reinhard Breinburg strains his knee in practice before today’s game, so he’s out of the line up. I opt to do a little switch-up of the first 11 while I’m at it.

German Regional Division North – Game 12: FC Saschen Leipzig v. Dynamo Dresden

Promoted last year, Saschen Leipzig’s having a pretty good amount of trouble getting it done here, with only nine points from their first 11 games. Meanwhile, I’m hoping we can improve our away record.

Leipzig (5-3-2): Rechner; Marso, Freidrich, Bergner, Bach, Bleau; Ferl, Kemble, Bruns; Bongard, Meissner

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Richter, Oppitz, Bittermann; Jovanovic, Heidrich, Wagefeld, Däbritz; Neubert, Hartung

A dumb penalty, a number of horrible plays, and I’m left to feel very, very disappointed with my team today. We can’t stop Leipzig’s attack, even with much of the attacks starting deep in their end, and Kresic has reverted to the flapping form that has driven me nuts games and games before already. Richter tops things off nicely with a Red Card for a stupid shove on Meissner, which leads to yet another Leipzig goal. We need to forget this one.

Final Score – FC Saschen Leipzig 5:1 Dynamo Dresden
MoM – Stefan Bongard

On the whole I’m very, very disappointed with the team’s performance. Our midfield wasn’t good, but our back line was absolutely atrocious in their attempts to stifle the Leipzig attack. Oppitz gave up the unneeded penalty, and Richter himself is the recipient of a warning for his completely stupid red card. Richter knows that he may not play much this year, but that I expect a whole lot more of him when he does, and accepts the warning. After the game, we find out he’s been banned for a match, which I won’t be appealing.

November 15th, 2003

Make that two games, as the German FA takes another look at Richter’s actions in the Leipzig game and extends his ban by a game, for a total of two games. He already understands how I feel about his play, so no words are necessary.

Meanwhile, in more important news, the Euro 2004 Qualification Playoffs begin today with a bang, with Belgium heading north to Scandinavia and beating Norway 3-1. Italy, despite two goals from Alessandro Del Piero cannot hold Poland back, and has to settle for an unbecoming 2-2 draw. A hat-trick from Roy Makaay just about ensures Holland passage into the tournament, as they demolish Slovenia 4-1 in Ljubljana. Turkey capitalizes on a bad performance from the Ukraine to win their match, 1-0.

Here, the pundits are predicting doom already, as Germany limped to a 1-0 defeat to Switzerland in Basel today, a 44th-minute strike from Alex Geijo puts the Swiss up, and their defense’s dogged determination keeps the Germans at bay. Although not out of it yet, and happily returning home for the second leg, this Qualification campaign has been a disappointment so far for a nation that was runners-up in the World Cup only last year.

November 19th, 2003

Indeed, it’s home field advantage to the rescue for Germany as a 2-0 victory at the Olympiastadion propels them to Euro 2004 in Portugal with a 2-1aggregate win.. An early goal from Daniel Bierofka and a 25-yard stunner of a freekick from Sebastien Deisler were all it took, as the Swiss barely got a sniff of the German goal all game, as the Germans peppered the Swiss net with 12 shots. Some redemption, but still, many feel that it should have never come to this.

It’s favorites all the way in the rest of the playoff fixtures. Italy returns home confidently and defeats Poland 2-0 to win their fixture 4-2 on aggregate and will head for the continent’s biggest international competition. Turkey held off a valiant comeback attempt from the Ukraine to go through 2-2 on aggregate, via the away goals rule. Holland didn’t need to score a single time, and held Slovenia to a bore of a 0-0 draw, to send themselves through, 4-1 on aggregate. And three goals from Belgium is again more than enough to do away with Norway, a 3-2 win on the return and a 6-3 victory on aggregate sealing the final team for Euro 2004.

retired_lydiadiebolt

Great story, Pred. I'm really enjoying this one! KUTGW!

retired_britty

Thanks Nygaard! I'm afraid i'm not entirely all that familiar with Dynamo Dresden's history myself, the club's website is all in German and Babelfish just doesn't do grammar well. But yes, that would be the ultimate goal, I hope so too.

Dixie, thanks a lot for the praise. I'm sure you've noticed, but I patterned my story heavily on yours, mainly because yours was/is the best i've ever seen, so think of this as a kind homage. I hope to keep this one going for a while, unless FM 2005 proves too, too tempting to pass up.

September 22nd, 2003

German Regional Division North – Game 13: Dynamo Dresden v. Chemnitzer FC

With Chemnitz looking to improve on their 13th-place standing and us looking to improve on last week’s howler, this one’s pretty much up for grabs.

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Hoffmann; Brenes, Heidrich, Wagefeld, Scholze; Janssen, Neubert

Chemnitz (5-3-2): Hiemann; Griller, Karl, Gröhler, Teichmann, Bustamante; Mehlhorn, Zivic,Schindler; Biermann, Artz

With many of our first-choicers back in the team, we’ve got a more positive start right from the beginning, and should take the lead on 24 minutes, when Wagefeld pops up once more to drill a loose ball towards the net that Hiemann does magnificently to not only save but collect as well. Little did we know that that would be a repeating theme throughout today’s game, with Hiemann continually making save after save to keep Chemnitz in the game. With Chemnitz’s attack absolutely without teeth or ability, we’re peppering Hiemann with shots, and continually the German proves his ability to be there to make the necessary save. Even when Janssen powers a point-blank header at the net from barely three yards away, Hiemann is there to paw it away in style.

So it’s a real joy to see Thomas Neubert finally break the shutout on 61 minutes, expertly rifling in a half-volley from 6 yards on a Josè Brenes cross that screams right into the top-right side of the net, leaving Hiemann without a chance. Our defense has all the cards in their favor, and Kresic has nothing to contend with as we cruise.

Final Score – Dynamo Dresden 1:0 Chemnizter FC
MoM – Holger Hiemann

November 25th, 2003

More action from the penultimate days of that particularly large European Cup competition today, as Juventus becomes the first team to qualify from Group E today after a 4-0 thrashing of Partizan Belgrade at the Della Alpi. With Ajax in 2nd with 7 points and Beskitas in 3rd with 6, the result of Ajax’s 2-1 defeat of Beskitas today, the ending possibilities for the Group are still in the air, although Ajax taking on Partizan while Beskitas takes on Juventus makes Ajax the pundit’s favorites to make it through.

Group F sees Arsenal continue their world-beating form, defeating Sparta Prague 2-1 at Highbury to keep their group stage record perfect. With Panathinaikos and FC Copenhagen both tied for 2nd with seven points with one game remaining, the good money’s on Panathinaikos to go through, as FC Copenhagen will have to play host to the juggernaut Arsenal.

Group G has Chelsea matching Arsenal’s feat, staying perfect after a 2-1 win over AEK Athens at Stamford Bridge . Group G already has all the qualification spots taken, as Real Madrid don’t do it in style, but they do do it, a 1-0 win in Monaco dropping the principality’s team and sending the Spaniards to the knockout stages.

Inter Milan is first to the finish line in Group H, demolishing VfB Stuttgart 4-0 at San Siro today. The last place in Group H will come down to a clash in two weeks time as VfB Stuttgart, in 2nd with nine points, takes on Benfica, who is 3rd with seven points.

November 26th, 2003

While Groups E, F, G and H are mostly decided, Groups A, B, C, and D are almost entirely up in the air. Despite a 3-0 win over Celtic, Milan still hasn’t taken Group A, and the same goes for Newcastle, despite their 4-2 win over FC Porto today. Milan leads with nine points, with Newcastle and Porto both on eight points, setting up what should be a great final day of action.

Group B sees FC Bayern as the only team to qualify today, after a lackluster draw with CSKA Sofia at 0-0. Beneath them, a 3-0 win by Lazio over Lyon puts them in 2nd place with seven points, ahead of Lyon. Both teams still have an honest shot at the final place, although with Lyon taking on FC Bayern, it may be a longshot.

Group C is led by Olympiakos today, after a 2-1 win over Dinamo Kiev that puts them atop with 10 points. Kiev is only a point behind them though, and after a 1-1 draw with Austria Vienna, Real Sociedad is only two points off the pace.

A 3-0 win over Lokomotiv Moscow still isn’t enough to send Manchester United through, although they’re nearly a lock, with 12 points so far in the competition. However, after Deportivo’s 1-0 win over PSV today at the Riazor, the Dutch and Spanish sides sit at nine points, both with serious chances to make it through to the knockout stages.

November 29th, 2003

Another day, another godforsaken away game. Why can’t we just spend all 34 games at home?

German Regional Division North – Game 14: 1.FC Köln Under-23s v. Dynamo Dresden

A point away from the relegation places at 14th place, I’m sure Köln would like three points today as much as we would. Although, I’m hoping for such a bounty on the basis that St. Pauli and Schalke 04 are only three points behind us and I’d like to be right in the thick of it come the winter break.

Köln (4-4-2): Leese; Sambou, Schlösser, Ndjeng, Tosun; Kiskanc, Ndjeng, Zeh, Ciolek; Podolski, Chitsulo

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Hoffmann; Brenes, Heidrich, Wagefeld, Scholze; Markovic, Neubert

To say this game gets chippy would be an understatement on the level of saying that World War II was a minor international incident. Kicks, shoves, high tackles and other less than friendly moves are the name of the game today apparently, as three yellow cards in the first 30 minutes will certainly attest to. Much to my dismay, it seems that we’re taking the brunt of the offenses today, and I can see the boys beginning to try and lay back a little to prevent any further offenses. This, of course, bites us right in the behind on 38 minutes, when Zeh lines up a shot from 25 yards that screams in on net, only for Kresic to bat it away. Sadly, Podolski is there, ahead of three men in Dresden kits to poke home the rebound for 1-0.

We can’t get anything going offensively, a problem I place squarely at the feet of Thomas Neubert, who turns in another wildly inconsistent appearance today and ends up coming off at the half for Tim Janssen. The move doesn’t seem to help quite enough however, and Köln are simply holing up in their end, playing for time. It’s not until 74 minutes that something changes, and that’s for the worse, as Brenes, during a particularly vicious encounter with Zeh chooses to give his opposite number a heart shove, leading to a straight red and a trip to the showers, my eyes burning a hole in his back the whole way.

Köln take immediate advantage, and play the next ten minutes with the ball entirely in our end. We’re finding ourselves lucky time and time again as shot after shot flies just wide or above the net as Köln look to put this one away for good. But, all it takes is one, and, on 87 minutes Tim Janssen provides it, he and Markovic catching the Köln defense out of sorts, a smart through ball from Markovic allowing Janssen to go racing in on net and fire an equalizer past Leese to make sure we’ll leave here today with a point.

Final Score – 1.FC Köln Under-23s 1:1 Dynamo Dresden
MoM – Reinhard Breinburg

While I’m not happy with our performance on the whole, I am happy to say that we managed to pull a point out of a game that had seemed lost with only minutes left, and those are the kind of things we need to be doing to win this year. That said, we need to improve more, our road record of 2-3-2 just won’t cut it.

Novembe 30th, 2003

Seven straight wins for St. Pauli ties them with us for 1st place this year, quite a feat indeed. They’ve surrendered a amazing 5 goals this year, and in all competitions, have only been scored on more than once by two teams. Us, and FC Bayern in the German Cup.

December 7th, 2003

German Regional Division North – Game 15: KSV Holstein Kiel v. Dynamo Dresden

A game against the worst team in the division, with only four points from 14 games to their name. This should be a cakewalk, right?

Kiel (5-3-2): Kronenberger; Pukaß, Hardt, Dowe, Bock, Spazzkov; Jensen, Rose, Scheirsand; Trejgis, Breitenreiter

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Hoffmann; Jovanovic, Heidrich, Wagefeld, Däbritz; Markovic, Neubert

Rose does his part within six minutes of the start, flashing one just over Kresic and the net, but I’m quite pleased to say that the slightly less attack-minded approach I’ve unveiled for today’s game seems to be working just as I hoped it would, as we’re taking control of the midfield area and Kiel are quickly beginning to turn the ball over in worse and worse positions. Without explicitly looking for the counter-attack, we get one going anyway on 21 minutes, Langen passing to Jovanovic whose 40-yard ball for Markovic is as well-placed as it is well-thought, as Markovic easily controls the ball before delivering an inch-perfect cross for Janssen, which the youngster, showing wisdom beyond his years, does not hurry with, but gently takes down before rifling past Kroneneberger for the opener.

Markovic tallies himself on 30 minutes, with Kiel’s defense caught out on the wings once more, as Hoffmann easily sets Däbritz free with a long pass down the right, allowing Däbritz to serve a cross into the box that Kronenberger flaps at, only to see Markovic easily tap it home at the far post. Janssen adds a third and his second on 41 minutes, heading home a Jovanovic corner to ensure that the day is ours.

Final Score - KSV Holstein Kiel 0:3 Dynamo Dresden
MoM – Tim Janssen

The win back atop the league with 33 points, just two ahead of St. Pauli. It’s not safe, but we’re almost ensured a position in the top two once the winter break starts after our next fixture. With the rest, and a new half of the season to go on, I hope we can really make a run at best spot possible. I’m loathe to use the “P” word that is the goal of every team at this level, but it is becoming a possibility.

retired_britty

December 9th, 2003

The final day of competition in the Champions Cup is wrought with a lot less spectacular upsets than many wanted and a lot more favorites rolling, as Newcastle, Milan, PSV, Manchester United, Lazio, Dinamo Kiev and Olympiakos all qualify for the knockout stages today in cruising style, with none of the aforementioned teams taking less than a point from their matches. All in all, it’s a bore really, except for PSV Eindhoven’s 5-0 smashing of Lokomotiv Moscow which really was more sad to watch than interesting.

December 10th, 2003

No surprises today either, as Inter Milan, FC Copenhagen and Ajax fill out the remained of the open slots for the knock-out stages of the competition. The only real news of merit is the continuing blistering form of Theirry Henry, who has scored an amazing 13 goals thus far in the competition, all in the group stage, five goals ahead of Henrik Larsson, his nearest competition.

Debemcer 13th, 2003

German Regional Division North – Game 16: Dynamo Dresden v. SG Wattenschied 09

The last game before winter break. A nice result would be worthwhile here, wouldn’t it?

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Hoffmann; Jovanovic, Heidrich, Wagefeld, Däbritz; Markovic, Janssen

Wattenscheid (4-4-2): Jacob; Klimek, Jost, Maurer, Ratkowski; Schlabach, Witeczech, Jerat, Thönes; Löbe, Kolm

Perhaps it’s the oncoming vacation, but after a very promising opening 10 minutes, this game settles into the most blasé match I’ve seen in a long time. Noone seems very determined to make inroads into the oppositions defense, and our best chance comes on 41 minutes when Markovic flashes a 25-yard shot just wide of the left post. Other than that, this one’s a yawner.

Final Score – Dynamo Dresden 0:0 SG Wattenscheid 09
MoM – Adam Maurer

The draw finally spoils our 100% home record, as we’re now 7-1-0 at home. Nothing to be embarrassed about, especially for the first half of the season, and most importantly, we pulled a point, which keeps us two points ahead of St. Pauli.

Now, with the break upon us (40 glorious days of rest and relaxation before we restart on the 24th of January) I can sit back and begin to evaluate our season thus far, which, by anyone’s standards, has been one of gross overachievement. This team was, at best, supposed to finish in the upper half of the table, perhaps somewhere in the 5-9 places, and now we’re two points clear at the top. Admittedly, there’s still another 18 games to be played, so the big question is “if”. We can make a real title push, “if” our form holds. “If” our players keep up to their current level of play. “If” Uche Okereke and Ishola Shuiabu turn out to be difference-makers. “If” for so many things. I don’t think a single one of our players or fans doesn’t understand that we’re not FC Bayern, that we’re not nearly a sure thing. There is a metric ton of things that could go wrong, and I’m in no hurry to find out what.

December 27th, 2003

After taking a little time away from the game myself to celebrate Christmas with family and friends, it’s back to the grind now, with the transfer market ready to swing back into action. It’s all about Robinho currently, the 19-year old starlet from Brazilian First Division champions Santos FC. The striker who was a driving force behind said championship campaign, scoring 24 times in 44 league games is apparently being chased both by Juventus and AC Milan, both of whom would surely love to add to their glut of talent.

Some teams have been wheeling and dealing already, with Arsenal selling midfielder Gilberto to Celta de Vigo for a stunningly high $17.5M. West Ham scored a absolute coup in pulling in $15.25M for Jermaine Defoe, who leaves for Real Betis, and Hidetoshi Nakata leaves Parma today for Galicia and Deportivo la Coruña in a move worth $15M to the struggling Italian side. All of this completely overshadows Vincenzo Montella’s jump from AS Roma to Valencia for a cheap $6M.

January 1st, 2003

Happy new year! What say we take a trip around the world of Football?

Here in Germany, after a short period of being behind, FC Bayern has retaken their usual place, atop the First Division with 36 points from 17 games. The difference this year is that they’re only ahead on Goal Differential, as Bayer Leverkusen is making another big push again, also with 36 points from their first 17. Third is Kaiserslautern, who has been riding the back of Miroslav Klose and his 11 league goals to what they certainly hope will be a European berth this year. Fourth is Schalke 04, who, after an early push into 1st place have done a good bit of downward sliding, courtesy of a five game winless streak. Hertha BSC rounds out the top five, which leads us to the surprise and wholly underwhelming play of Borussia Dortmund, who is 8th in the Bundes Liga and almost out of the title race already, surprising when people were expecting them to make a real push for the title this year.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the spectrum, Frankfurt, Hansa Rostock and Hannover 96 are all staring down at relegation with none of the three teams having pulled more than 13 points from their first 17 games.

England’s top five read like a “who would’ve you expected” list. Arsenal may run away with the competition, unbeaten at Highbury and sitting atop with 52 points from 19 games, six points ahead of second placed Liverpool, and eleven points ahead of old rivals Manchester United. With Chelsea fourth and Newcastle fifth, it seems that most of the European places may have been wrapped up already, with only Newcastle in any danger of being caught up to, as Chelsea, with 40 points from 19, is already eleven points ahead of sixth-placed Middlesbrough.

There’s some good competition going in France, with Olympique Marseille sitting atop of Ligue 1 with 41 points, the move in the pre-season for Monaco’s Jêróme Rothen proving wise already, as the left winger has played sublimely, and helped supply strikers Mido and Drogba with 11 of their 24 combined league goals. Montpellier sits second, three points behind, with Strasbourg 3rd, Lens and Monaco 4th and 5th, respectively. There will certainly be a changing of the guard this year, with last year’s champions Lyon and usually skilled Paris-SG 8th and 9th in the competition.

As always, it’s Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord going 1-2-3 in Holland. Did you expect anything different?

The addition of Zinedine Zidane has done wonders for Inter Milan in Italy, and for the first time in a long while they’re actually looking at a real chance of taking the Scudetto title, currently three points ahead of surprise package Lazio. Juventus and Milan sit third and fourth, four and five points back of the leaders, while Sampdoria has stunned everyone by surging into fifth place. The fortunes of Roma haven’t been quite as good however, currently 7th, they’ll need to show a real change in late-season form to get to where they surely want to be.

And finally, in Spain it’s turning into a real battle for the top place in the Primera Liga, with none of the top three teams beaten at home yet. Valencia leads the pack with 39 points, tied with second place Deportivo, ahead only on virtue of head-to-head battles. Real Madrid is only a point behind, and by the time the dust settles, there will probably be some very, very unhappy fans in Spain this year. Real Sociedad, who spent $28M this offseason on new blood have put it to good use, and are now 4th, with Celta de Vigo 5th.

Meanwhile, here in Dresden I’m giving a heart hello to Uche Okereke and Ishola Shuiabu, and showing them around the ground and our facilities. I’d like to hope that the pair of them will prove to be that little extra push we need.

[p]Players In:
Uche Okereke (28 y/o, NIG 1 cap, S C)
Ishola Shuiabu (23 y/o, NIG 6 caps 3 goals, D/AM R)[/i]

January 10th, 2003

Two shocks today, the first being a question of what, exactly, is going on in Madrid?

We only ask this because today, club talisman Luis Figo walks out the doors of the Santiago Bernabeu, headed for, of all places, Germany and Dortmund for a paltry $7.75M today, surely a sign that there’s a real changing of the guard going on at Real Madrid. With Zidane and Figo out, two of the midfield lynchpins of the club are gone, leaving only Ronaldo and Raúl as the major remaining stars of the Pre-Beckham era. Considering how close the race for the top spot in the Spanish First Division is, the press is already trying to figure out exactly who Madrid has on their list as their next galactico.

The other shock today is the news that, rather than going with his supposed upcoming move to Valencia and a chance to play in Spain, Celtic’s Henrik Larsson has shocked all observers by announcing that he will be retiring from the game at the end of this current season, claiming that he wants to finish his career while he’s at his best. Given that Larsson arguably still has another 1-2 years of good form left in his, everyone in the game is scratching their head over the 32-year old’s decision.

retired_britty

January 16th, 2004

I feel as if I’ve missed something, that something being the draw for the knockout stages of the Champions Cup. Here’s how they’ll match up.

PSV Eindhoven v. AC Milan
Olympiakos v. Lazio
Manchester United v. Newcastle
FC Bayern v. Dinamo Kiev
Juventus v. VfB Stuttgart
FC Copenhagen v. Chelsea
Arsenal v. Real Madrid
Inter Milan v. Ajax

Obviously, the biggest pairing is Arsenal v. Real Madrid, as it’s already being hailed by the pundits as the real test of Carlos Queiroz and his new-look Madrid team, while it’ll be a great chance for Arsenal to finally prove themselves worthy of European competitions, by knocking off the biggest dogs on the block. On a more domestic level, the Man U v. Newcastle encounter should prove most entertaining, and the Netherland’s two biggest teams should give the representatives from Milan a good run for their money.

Perhaps partially in preparation for their run-in with Madrid, Arsenal beef up their midfield attack today, shelling out $6.5M for Brazilian side Internacional’s Daniel Carvalho. The 20-year old Brazilian midfielder was quite skilled for Internacional in the 2003 Brazilian First Division campaign, and his addition to the squad can only spell bad news for Arsenal’s enemies, as this team, which already was good enough at attacking can only profit from adding a young, forward-thinking midfielder to its ranks.

January 19th, 2003

Newcastle won’t have to worry about what will happen once Alan Shearer retires now, as they give themselves quite the insurance plan, signing Portsmouth’s Yakubu for a $12.25M fee from the 18th-placed Premiership club. Yakubu, who has already notched 11 league goals this campaign should give Newcastle extra bite in attack, as a strike-pairing of him and Craig Bellamy could arguably be the fastest in the Premiership.

January 24th, 2003

Arsenal really aren’t sitting on their heels in the transfer market, shelling out $8.5M to bring another young starlet to Highbury in the form of Shakhtar’s Julius Agahahowa. The pacey forward who had tallied six goals with Shakhtar this season will obviously give the team a huge extra option up front to stretch opposing defenses with, a real foil to Theirry Henry. The only problem being that the African Cup of Nations begins today, and Aghahowa won’t be theirs to use until that’s done and dusted with.

German Regional Division North – Game 17: KFC Uerdingen 05 vs. Dynamo Dresden

And back into the grind. This game will mark the halfway point of the season, and a good result here, combined with the fact that it’s a game on the road would make a result here much appreciated.

Uerdingen (4-4-2): Selke; Tauer, Spanier, Scherbe, Eraaslan; Müller, Nouri, Omodiagbe, Wersching; Feldhoff, Reichenberger

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Shuaibu; Brenes, Frölich, Wagefeld, Scholze; Okereke, Janssen

Oh what a difference a player makes. Uche Okereke nabs a hat-trick as we make a streaking to the season, and Ronny Scholze equals his accomplishment, putting in an absolutely stunning performance on the right flank and keeping his cool to convert both of the penalties Uerdingen gifts us. A laugher, no doubt.

Final Score – KFC Uerdingen 05 2:6 Dynamo Dresden
MoM – Ronny Scholze

January 31st, 2004

German Regional Division North – Game 18: Hamburger SV (A) v. Dynamo Dresden

An eventless week on the lead-up to today’s match, so we can focus entirely on continuing to gel as a team and preparing for the hurdles still infront of us. Still, only two points separate us from St. Pauli, who aren’t looking like they’ll be giving us even a half-moment of respite. Yes, okay, I’ll admit it now. After picking up Shaibu and Okereke, yes, we are making a title push.

HSV (A) (3-4-1-2): Bauer; Manthey, Grote, Preuß; Reichel, Wolf, Hanke, Kraus; Groth; Baich, Mamoum

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Shuaibu; Brenes, Frölich, Wagefeld, Scholze; Okereke, Janssen

I’m not sure whether we’re doing that well or is HSV is just awful, but we’re traipsing through another away game here, barely breaking a sweat as Janssen punts home two within the first 20 minutes, including a glorious 20-yard strike on a breakaway, driving the ball low and past Bauer to ensure three points for the night and the exact kind of road trip I would’ve wanted this team to put together today.

Final Score – Hamburger SV (A) 0:4 Dynamo Dresden
MoM – Tim Janssen

The win, combined with St. Pauli’s 1-1 draw with Saschen Leipzig puts us ahead by four points, with a crunch meeting away at St. Pauli coming up in two weeks time. Ostensibly, if Schalke 04 Under-23s don’t make a big, late run at us, that game will have a lot of say in who finishes where this year.

February 4th, 2004

The German Cup has finally set up for its May 22nd Final today, as FC Bayern, last year’s champions will be taking on Hamburger SV after a reasonably disappointing Semi-Final that saw both Division One sides beat sides from Division Two (Nürnberg and Ahlen, respectively) in comfortable 2-0 victories. Needless to say, just about everyone’s backing Bayern to make it a repeat in the Cup and there’s the chance they may just make it back-to-back doubles.

February 7th, 2004

German Regional Division North – Game 19: Dynamo Dresden v. TSV Eintracht Braunschweig

We are 7-1-0 at home this year, and I think the players understand exactly how important making the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion a real hell for our opposition is. Braunschweig, meanwhile, 7th with 25 points really don’t have much hope of making a title push at this point, short of putting together one of the best second halves in football history, so they probably won’t be all that disappointed with mid-table mediocrity.

Dresden (4-4-2): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Shuaibu; Brenes, Frölich, Wagefeld, Scholze; Okereke, Markovic

Braunschweig (4-4-2): Stuckmann; Zimmermann, Küpper, Grimm, Lieberknecht; Fuchs, Mazingu, Adrian, Grof; Thomas, Rische

There’s not much in this one from the kickoff, with Braunschweig playing as negatively as possible, which I can understand given that we’ve scored 10 goals in our last two games. Still, it’s quite frustrating a system to take on, given that it’s the kind of thing that you can’t make a mistake, unless your opposition converts it and renders your offensive scheme null and void. I’m up off the bench on 12 minutes, screaming at my defense to close down harder and faster when a Braunschweig corner is hacked around in the box for a second before Fuchs latches onto it and fires a half volley just inches wide of Kresic’s post.

There isn’t much between us throughout the first 30 minutes or so, until Braunschweig manage the first mental mistake of the game, as Dexter Langen’s diagonal run into the box causes absolute havoc among the Braunschweig defense, until Adrian himself finally makes a play, sweeping it out of the area. The problem being that his challenge to get the ball away was, at best, reckless and ill-timed. Adrian receives a yellow while the referee points at the spot. Up steps Shuaibu, the new boy, who happily converts to put us ahead.

There just isn’t much else more to the game from that point, especially after I remove Okereke for Scholze as the former limps off with an injury. It takes a little bit of a not-normal formation to finish out the rest of the match, but there’s no creativity in Braunschweig’s midfield, just longballs and hope, and we walk our way to the final whistle.

Final Score – Dynamo Dresden 1:0 TSV Eintract Braunschweig
MoM – Ishola Shuaibu

A win’s a win, three points are three points, and these are three points that give us 43 points from 19 games, and place us six points ahead of St. Pauli ahead of our matchup with them next week that could leave us nine points clear of the next closest team. Wouldn’t that be something special?

Meanwhile, José Brenes and Uche Okereke both are diagnosed with twisted knees, but both should be fit for the game against St. Pauli. I think I may give Okereke a rest, just in case.

February 14th, 2004

German Regional Division North – Game 20: FC St. Pauli v. Dynamo Dresden

The last time we took on St. Pauli it was game one, and we battled out a 2-1 victory at home to start off our campaign. Now, nineteen games later we’re six points ahead with over half the season gone. St. Pauli, of course, are going to want a win to put them back in the running and to keep the pressure on us. I won’t be completely unappy with a draw, especially given that are sporting a most impressive 7-2-1 home record, having scored 21 times to the opposition’s four. Sure, a win is always the goal, but I’m no loon.

St. Pauli (4-4-2): Hollerieth; Gibbs, Gunesch, Stanislawski, Nascimento; Moheit, Nickenig, di Biccari, Hupkes; Franciel, Haas

Dresden (4-4-2): ): Kresic; Langen, Breinburg, Oppitz, Shuaibu; Brenes, Frölich, Wagefeld, Däbritz; Markovic, Janssen

When Andre Moheit flicks an absolute crap goal right past Kresic in the first minute, I know we’re in a bad way. When Däbritz punches the best chance we have at equalizing into Hollerieth’s hands, I know we’re not going to have a good day. The team doesn’t play all that badly as a whole, but Kresic is utter, utter crap today, letting in four soft, soft, soft, soft goals that sink us.

Final Score – FC St. Pauli 4:1 Dynamo Dresden
MoM – Andre Moheit

After the game, I make sure to express my disappointment with Kresic after the game. If he had really played like the game it was, we wouldn’t be a mere three points ahead now, we would’ve at least been right back where we started, at six points up. But his attempts at saves, those he attempted were god-awful, and I’d like to make sure everyone knows it. If you’re going to fold like that in big matches, I have no place for you in my squad. If he plays this way in our upcoming game against Schalke 04 Under-23s, I’ll consider dropping him for a game or two. That said, I honestly can’t expect but so much out of a 37-year old man.