retired_rainmaker

We had only a few days to rest before the televised game at Uerdingen. They have struggles quite a bit since being promoted and hopefully I can add to their misery. Graulund was back after injury and as I consider him slightly better than Beigang this pushed our new player out on the bench. He justified my decision by opening the scoring, but the game was completely destroyed by the referee who handed out cards left and right. As Uerdingen was unlucky enough to have a player sent off there was little they could do stop us from cruising to a 3-1 win moving us top of the table.

News came in then that Hamit Altintop would soon be out of contract at Denizlispor and as he is a player we have had our eye on for some time an offer was made to him. He claims he doesn’t want to leave Turkey, but who knows. We have made him a spectacular offer, but will also face competition from several other clubs.
However we are also receiving offers. The bidding for Arzu has now risen to €4,5m, but I’ll be looking for at least 8 million before selling him.

Though we are still not playing to the best of our abilities there is no reason to change a winning side, so we would field the same team against Schweinfurt as we did last week. Once again we dominated without being able to close the game as our early lead was reversed to our being behind at half time. That was the start of Graulunds one-man show though as he scored a hattrick to give us a 4-2 win that looks better on paper than it did on the pitch.

After the game we received a fax saying that Altintop had signed a new deal in Turkey, so no luck there.

We could take some time off from the league then as we travelled north to Hamburg for the cup encounter against HSV. To my astonishment we didn’t concede in the first half for the first time in months though HSV did have a goal ruled out. Statwise we had had more shots on goal than them, so perhaps we could pull off an upset. HSV lost Arveladze to injury early in the second and we also made a few substitutions. As the time went by there were still no goals, but that changed in the last ten minutes. First Gaston capitalised on a loose ball that Pieckenhagen couldn’t hold and then Graulund connected with a cross from Kotula a few minutes later. The best player on the field, Flavio Conceicao, did pull a consolation goal, but that didn’t change the fact that we had collected our biggest scalp so far. Final score: 2-1 Siegen. We are now the only team from the second Bundesliga, besides 1860, that is left in the competition. Hopefully we can get a big money home tie next.

The first fixture became Freiburg vs 1860. Then followed Kaiserslautern vs Dortmund. Excitement was rising. We could now draw Nürnburg, Schalke or Hertha. Nürnburg got Schalke which left Hertha Berlin for us… the only question remaining was where we would play. To my relief it became a home tie for us giving us a small chance of going through and giving the fans a chance to come out in force. It will be a real challenge as Hertha are currently second in the Bundesliga.

I could only hope that the players had gotten their arms down after our unexpected triumph in the north, as Braunschweig could cause us quite a few problems. For the second week in a row we managed to keep a clean sheet after the first half and this time we could even find comfort in having taken the lead just before the break. It is a new feeling starting the second half being in the lead. We couldn’t keep it though as with two goals in the second half we went down 1-2 after a thoroughly disappointing effort and lack of spirit from most of the players.

Raptor

Still trying to sort out Sporting Sieg Heil or whatever they're called? :p

retired_rainmaker

Yup. I have taken a smalll break now that Civ3 Conquests is out, but the game is still running and I will crush all opposition. Just wait for the further stages of this epic as I also seek to conquer Holland and some other insignificant countries

retired_rainmaker

Another bid came in for Arzu from Dortmund, but they were politely told to up their bid from €5,75m to €9m if they want to snatch him away from the Leimbachstadium. Unsurprisingly they decided that it was a bit much. Well, not my loss. That should teach them to stay away from my squad.

Well, after last weeks disappointing result it was time to bounce back as we drove to the capital for our encounter with Union Berlin. We got off to an auspicious start with Union the better side and we got a few yellow cards as the players continually were too slow with their tackles. Gradually things improved and at the stroke of halftime Kotula capitalised on a poor block by the Union keeper to tap the ball into the net.
In the last part of the game we were on top. Clearly the late goal had broken their spirits and it was well deserved when Borgesen made it 2-0. Döring swung in a corner and Gaston directed it over to an open Borgesen who volleyed it home. We had the chance to score a third, but Graulunds effort was ruled out.

After that confidence boosting win it was time to kill off one of the teams hunting our rightful position as fifth placed Mainz came to town. We had complete control of the opening minutes so it was a shock when they capitalised on a poor pass to make it 0-1. That score held firm for some time until the action exploded just before half time. First Arzu made it all square with a doomsday shot, then they made it 1-2 and just before the break Beigang made it two all.
Borgersen and Beigang again scored in the second half to put us two up before they got a consolation goal to make it {B]4-3{/B]. It was costly though with injuries to both Woods and Kirichenko. Lukckily the Russian would just be missing for a week, but Woods would be out for a month. To our good fortune there were only two games left before the break, but one is the vital clash with Hertha Berlin.

I was forced to make a few changes as Trier was up in our list of fixtures. Beigang replaced Kirichenko and Atalan moved in for Woods. It turned out to be one of those days where almost everything worked as we created chance upon chance. The fans got an idea of what would happen after just two minutes when Atalan had a goal ruled out. He did get one just before the break though setting us up for the win. At this point we should have had about three goals if Melka hadn’t played one of his best games ever in the Trier goal. Typically though Trier then scored on their only chance in the match, but a Beigang strike three minutes before full time clinched the 2-1 to leave us top of the table as the league is suspended due to winter.

Only one more thing remained before our hard-earned break: The German Cup clash with mighty Hertha Berlin. Hertha is riding high in the Bundesliga with a four point lead in first place. After the nice play last week I kept faith with the same eleven players and instructed them to go out and enjoy it, but not forget that this is a competition.
The start wasn’t the best as we lost Döring to an injury after just nine minutes and a little later Peter Madsen scored for the visitors. The crowd was also a big disappointment as less than 9,000 fans had come to watch us. The few fans did get something to cheer early in the second half though as Nico Beigang put us level. Atalan had an effort ruled out just after and instead Hertha made it 1-2. Once again Beigang scored to make the crowd forget about the snow and we looked set for extra time when Oude Kamphuis decided the game just before full time. Though we lost it 2-3 we did well and this bodes well for the future.

retired_rainmaker

The winter break saw some more transfer activity. It was decided not to renegotiate with van Buskirk who signed for Union Berlin instead. Sven Eckhardt would also be leaving us in order to join Chemnitz.
It wasn’t all out though as we made a €3m deal with Benfica which would bring the Brazilian Zé Roberto to Germany. He should do well in our midfield and will be available just after New Years Day.

At the end of January it was finally time to play again and we had to start away to Greuther Fürth. Zé Roberto got his debut in this game and apart from the suspended Borgersen we were at full strength. We got off to a cracking start with two goals from Graulund in the first quarter and after Beigang netted our third it was in the bag. Things got a bit tense in the end when they suddenly started scoring, but we managed to hold on to a 3-2 win.

The next six weeks could prove decisive as we’re about to face some of our toughest competitors for the promotion spot starting with Gladbach. However, everybody is fit and that is good news as it should give us a slight edge. We got off to a terrible start as they scored twice in the first twenty minutes and were in firm control. We did get a chance as Arzu scored just before the break, but it would be an uphill struggle. Gladbach continued their domination in the second half but all of that changed in the 70th minutes when Stefan Schnoor was sent off and Döring converted the penalty. Now we had the momentum and we took full advantage of it with two more goals to complete our comeback and win it 4-2. Even better were the news that Hannover had lost and we had increased our lead to 5 points. It couldn’t have come at a better time as they are our next opponents.

Hannover ‘96 is never an easy team to beat on the road though our optimistic scout means that they are merely competent. Managed by Louis van Gaal they will doubtless have a few surprises for me. Oddly enough there are no Dutchmen in the team, but they do have Milan Baros and Thomas Christiansen up front.
The first forty-five minutes were rather eventless as both teams were afraid to make any mistakes and fall behind. Two goals in the second half settled things, though, annoyingly, neither of them were scored by us and we had to record a 0-2 loss.

Everybody felt a bit low after that defeat as it showed we still have a long way to go. When we’re good we can definitely make it in the Bundesliga, but when we don’t play our best, then we’re still only mediocre. A boost to morale was needed and a win over Münster was the key. While we only one it 1-0 we had chances to score five or more goals. The one we got was a real beauty, so we would just have to live with it. We had a series of corners in a row and one of them found the head of Zé Roberto who directed the ball into the top corner without chance for the flying keeper.

retired_rainmaker

It was time to face Karlsruhe again and according to the scouts it was a good time to play them as they had Lassissi out through injury. I suppose he should have stayed with us, but that is his loss. We showed some skills in the first half, but were unable to get the opening goal. It did come in the second half, but it was also the spark that got Karlsruhe started. The last half hour was under complete control by them and in the end we were lucky to get away with a single point thanks to a 1-1 draw. It looks like we’re headed for a minor crisis and I don’t like it.

While we prepared to face Aue we did manage to offload some more deadwood. Cem Islamoglu would move to Sekerspor at the end of the season for a fee of €450K. Not bad for a player I don’t rate.
We would be without Albrechtsen though as he picked up an injury in training. A blow I could do without, but there was nothing to do about it.
Once again we dominated the first half, scored early in the second and then relinquished control of the action. Fortunately the goal from Zé Roberto proved enough as we hung on to a narrow 1-0 win. It will still count though, so I can’t be too unhappy.

A real six-pointer was up next away to 1860 München. A defeat in that match could jeopardise out promotion chances while a win would more or less assure us of going up. The way we have been playing lately it was no surprise that we fell behind early and failed to make any presence felt in the first half. A double substitution at half time helped immensely. First Atalan had a goal ruled out, but then Beigang ended his goaldraught and just ten minutes before time Atalan found Graulund with a low cross and the Danish striker easily slotted it home for a 2-1. I dare say it now. We’re going up!

The last of our immediate pursuers are St. Pauli and due to some fluke at fixture generation they would be our next opponents. We lost Lucic early on in the match, but a strike from Kirichenko soon made the crowd forget their anguish at the loss. With two more goals in the second half we secured a firm 3-0 win and took top spot with six games to go.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ************************************************** * German Second Division - Monday 22nd March 2004********************************************** ************************************************** ================================================== ============================================== 2003/4 Table============================================= ================================================== =Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st SF SIEGEN 28 12 1 1 39 20 7 4 3 31 22 62 2nd Hannover 96 28 11 1 2 33 16 7 4 3 31 21 59 3rd 1860 München 28 9 2 3 26 13 6 4 4 23 24 51 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4th M'gladbach 28 9 2 3 35 20 6 3 5 24 23 50 5th St. Pauli 28 10 1 2 29 16 5 2 8 23 32 48 6th Aue 28 10 4 0 35 18 3 3 8 13 21 46 </pre>

retired_rainmaker

With our good fortunes the spirits were high amongst the players and nobody doubted that promotion was within our grasp anymore. Duisburg would still be a tough opponent, but there was high confidence that we could beat them. More than any this was really a match of two very different halves. We scored five in the first including a fabulous hattrick from Ben Woods, but in the second they scored three goals keeping our win down to 5-3. A good result, but not satisfactory considering we were five goals up.

The way things turned out we were now only four points from being certain of going up. Once we have those I’m going to recall Gombert and test him in goal. With a win against Ahlen it would be all but in the bag as I doubt our pursuers would be able to win the rest of their games. We did our duty with a 5-3 win courtesy to goals from Kirichenko and Woods amongst others. After the game we looked up the vital result between 1860 and Gladbach. Gladbach had won meaning that we were now 14 points ahead of 1860… which also means that… WE ARE PROMOTED!

After the wild celebrations it was time to finish the few remaining games. Unfortunately we were not allowed to recall Gombert, but some other fringeplayers would be given a chance to shine. Both Beinschneider and Wurm did well as we beat Erfurt thanks to a sole goal from Beigang. It went slightly less well though when Braunschweig out-played us at Leimbachstadium and went home with a win. Even more disappointing was the defeat against relegated Schweinfurt. Perhaps I’m experimenting a bit too much. That said we were unlucky though as we were in firm control of the match. We just couldn’t hit a barndoor from 5 yards.

For our last game of the season at home to Uerdingen we would be fielding out best XI though to round it all off with a win and give our fans a good memory to maintain them through the summer. The players were also eager to finish in style and within a minute Ben Woods had already scored the first. Döring, Beigang, Kirichenko and Zé Roberto also scored as we romped up a 5-0 win and ended the season. Graulund also received the applause he deserved before leaving us. While he was only with us for a short time he has been instrumental for us and we wish him the best of luck.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ************************************************** * German Second Division - Sunday 9th May 2004********************************************** ************************************************** ================================================== ============================================== 2003/4 Table============================================= ================================================== =Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag Won Drn Lst For Ag Pts--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1st C SF SIEGEN 34 14 1 2 49 24 9 4 4 38 27 74 2nd P M'gladbach 34 12 2 3 45 23 9 3 5 31 26 68 3rd P Hannover 96 34 14 1 2 44 21 7 4 6 33 33 68 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4th 1860 München 34 12 2 3 35 16 6 4 7 24 30 60 5th Braunschweig 34 13 3 1 39 17 4 4 9 22 30 58 6th Trier 34 12 3 2 31 15 5 4 8 15 25 58 7th St. Pauli 34 12 1 4 35 22 5 4 8 24 33 56 8th Münster 34 10 2 5 27 14 6 4 7 20 25 54 9th Aue 34 10 5 2 38 24 4 4 9 18 27 51 10th Mainz 34 9 4 4 22 14 4 3 10 17 26 46 11th Duisburg 34 8 2 7 36 35 4 5 8 35 43 43 12th Ahlen 34 6 5 6 29 30 5 2 10 26 33 40 13th Union Berlin 34 4 8 5 18 20 6 1 10 23 33 39 14th Karlsruhe 34 7 4 6 33 27 1 4 12 17 44 32 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------15th R Erfurt 34 6 4 7 23 22 1 4 12 14 32 29 16th R Greuther Fürth 34 4 6 7 19 25 3 2 12 18 36 29 17th R Uerdingen 34 2 8 7 21 26 3 4 10 16 31 27 18th R Schweinfurt 34 4 3 10 28 33 1 4 12 17 38 22 </pre>

retired_rainmaker

SEASON ROUND-UP

Europe
European Champions:
Champions League: AC Milan (Italy)
UEFA Cup: Athletic Bilbao (Spain)

Germany
Champions: Dortmund
German Cup: Hertha Berlin

England
Champions: Newcastle
FA Cup: Chelsea
League Cup: Arsenal

Denmark
Champions: Brøndby
Danish Cup: OB

Italy
Champions: Roma
Copa Italia: Bologna

Spain
Champions: Valladolid
Copa del Rey: Barcelona

France:
Champions: Lens
French Cup: Metz
League Cup: Montpellier

Holland
Champions: Ajax
Dutch Cup: PSV Eindhoven


2. BUNDESLIGA SEASON ROUND-UP

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">============================================= ================================================== = 2003/4 Average Rating============================================ ================================================== ==Pos Player Club Apps Av R-------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Su Maozhen Braunschweig 30 8.20 2nd Ivo Ulich M'gladbach 32 8.13 3rd Peter Graulund SF Siegen 20 (1) 8.05 4th Daniel Florea Hannover 96 30 7.97 5th Arzu SF Siegen 31 7.77 </pre>

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">============================================= ================================================== = 2003/4 Goals============================================= ================================================== =Pos Player Club Apps Gls-------------------------------------------------------------------------1st Jacob Thomas Duisburg (A) 21 (7) 20 2nd Ilia Grujev Duisburg 29 (2) 18 3rd MatÃ*as Esteban Cenci St. Pauli 27 (3) 18 4th Angelo Vier 1860 München 28 17 5th Chen Yang St. Pauli 33 16 11th Ben Woods SF Siegen 32 14 </pre>

SF SIEGEN STATS

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">********************************************* ************************************************** * Sportfreunde Siegen - Saturday 5th June 2004********************************************** ************************************************** ================================================== ============================================== 2003/4 Senior Club Stats============================================= ================================================== =No Name Apps Gls Con Pens Asts Yel Red MoM Av R--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16 Akoto, Erik 10 (3) 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 7.08 2 Albrechtsen, Martin 34 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 7.03 1 Almer, Franz 37 0 55 0 0 1 0 1 7.24 6 Arzu 35 7 0 0 14 4 0 5 7.77 11 Atalan, Servet 3 (4) 4 0 0 3 0 0 0 7.14 15 Bäcker, Sascha 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7.50 27 Beigang, Nico 17 (2) 11 0 0 5 0 0 3 8.11 17 Benschneider, Roland 3 (5) 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 7.00 - Berg, Dennis - - - - - - - - ---- 5 Borgersen, Bård 33 2 0 0 4 7 0 1 7.33 24 Dione, Ousseynou 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---- 3 Döring, Nils 34 7 0 6 (6) 7 1 0 0 6.94 - Eckhardt, Sven 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---- 7 Gastón Curbelo 35 9 0 1 (0) 16 1 0 0 7.54 12 Gombert, Marcel 29 0 42 0 0 1 0 0 6.83 9 Graulund, Peter 23 (1) 16 0 0 2 0 0 7 8.13 - Islamoglu, Cem 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---- 19 Jailliti, Mounir 6 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.57 26 Kirichenko, Dmitry 21 (2) 6 0 0 6 2 0 3 7.30 - Klein, Martin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---- 25 Koch, Andreas 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---- 20 Kotula, Jozef 15 2 0 0 4 1 0 0 7.13 - Lemke, Sven - - - - - - - - ---- - Loos, Lars - - - - - - - - ---- 4 Lucic, Teddy 27 (1) 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 7.36 22 Schöler, Tobias 7 (1) 10 0 0 3 0 0 3 8.63 14 Straub, Matthias 4 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 6.75 8 Truckenbrod, Jens 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.67 23 Wohlfarth, Christian 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7.00 18 Woods, Ben 35 16 0 0 6 0 0 2 7.34 13 Wurm, Tobias 6 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.71 28 Zé Roberto 14 4 0 0 1 2 0 0 7.36 21 Zott, Tobias 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ---- 10 van Buskirk, John 8 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 7.63 </pre>

retired_rainmaker

Cheers guys. It won't be easy though...

--------

We were given an almost huge sum for the TV-rights for the coming season and they would be sorely needed if we were to stay up. On the good side Schöler is showing massive improvements and he might turn out to be a rather good player with a little more time.

A major offer came in for Jailitti. We signed him on a free transfer just three years ago and he has been with us for our entire rise in fortune, but now Paris SG is willing to pay us €2m for him. Considering he hardly played last year it’s an offer we can’t refuse. He happily agreed terms and was delighted to be returning to France. He was a vital player at first but eventually slipped out of the squad.

I also decided that instead of regular pre-season friendlies a new tradition would be started. The Siegen Cup. I was delighted when both Ajax Amsterdam, Leeds United and Fiorentina agreed to come and play in the tournament. It should be a good test of our mettle against some good opposition. The draw saw it fit to pair us with Leeds in one semi-final while La Viola and Ajax would meet in the other.

We managed to beat Leeds 1-0 thanks to a goal from Nico Beigang and then faced Ajax who had won their match. This would be a great test. Ajax have a world class team with players like van der Vaart, Sonck and Ibrahimovic. Once again we won, this time by two goals to one, but I must admit that I’m disappointed that less than 4000 fans showed up. Obviously Ajax is not really rated in these parts.

Two new players did arrive to make up for the exodus of deadwood. Mariano Cappa joined us for €325K from Argentinian club Racing and the Hungarian striker Imre Szabic joined in a deal worth €4,5m from Stuttgart. A lot of that money is dependent on international appearances though, but Stuttgart agreed as it would also allow them to save quite a bit on wages.


FIRST TEAM SQUAD
Player number, name, age, nationality, position (games for Siegen, goals for Siegen, average rating for Siegen, caps/goals).

12. Franz Almer, 33 years, Austrian, Goalkeeper (68; 107 con; 6,82; 0/0)
Franz wore the number one jersey last season, but he is getting on in years now and is frankly not good enough for the Bundesliga. His age also means that a new and younger goalkeeper is very high on the list of future transfers. He is a decent keeper, but nothing special.

1. Marcel Gombert, 19 years, German, Goalkeeper (5; 8 con; 6,6; 0/0)
Young and inexperienced, but a major talent and now he is getting his chance to shine as first choice keeper. He spent last season on loan at Dresdner and it should be a good experience for him. He also did well against Leeds and Ajax so he will be given a good chance. Ideally I would like someone a little older and more experienced. If it does work out though, then we have our keeper for the next decade.

25. Andreas Koch, 33 years, German, Goalkeeper (93; 39 con (in 28 games); 7,07; 0/0)
Andreas has not been a regular since the days in the regional league and he is only third choice now. His skills are nowhere near good enough for this level and as soon as I have the new keeper I want, he will be on his way out.

2. Martin Albrechtsen, 26 years, Danish, Defender (55; 1; 7,11; 3/0)
A versatile and very reliable defender Martin is without a doubt a key element in our defence. Quick and strong he is a wall that opposing wingers hurt themselves against. He should prove good enough for this division.

15. Sascha Bäcker, 25 years, German, Defender (50; 0; 6,82; 0/0)
Sascha is a decent backup, but I really hope I won’t have to use him as he is simply not good enough. He struggled in the second division and it can only get worse. A replacement for him would be good to find.

4. Teddy Lucic, 33 years, Swedish, Defender (28;0 ; 7,36; 38/0)
Teddy is a great defender. He has all the important skills and is a solid rock in our defence. The only problem is that he is getting on in years and the time for a younger replacement is almost upon us as I expect that this will be his last season. A great professional and one whom the team can always rely on.

13. Tobias Wurm, 22, German, Defender (10; 0; 6,70; 0/0)
Tobias is an odd case. He is clearly talented and has done well when called upon, but never in such a degree as to break through to the first team. He has been with us for three years and unless things change for the better in the coming season, I will have to offload him.

3. Nils Döring, 24 years, German, Defender (57; 8; 7,03; 0/0)
A good and reliable defender though he had a few problems last season. I’m curious as to how he will manage the step up to the Bundesliga, but I hope he will prove up to it. He is not a great player, but he always fight for the entire match and combined with his skill at taking penalties he is an important player.

14. Matthias Straub, 24 years, German, Defender (48; 1; 6,73; 0/0)
Another reserveplayer and to be fair another piece of deadwood. He is my only cover at left defence though, so for now he is staying at Siegen. It is yet another position where a new player is needed.

16. Eric Akoto, 26 years, Togolese, Defender (46; 1; 7,09; 8/1)
Eric didn’t play much last year due to the partnership between Lucic and Borgersen, but I fully expect this to be his year. He is just as good as the Norwegian, but he is young enough to be one for the future. This season he will be partnering Lucic.

5. BÃ¥rd Borgersen, 32 years, Norwegian, Defender (33; 2; 7,33; 8/3)
Signed on in an emergency last year when we lost Lassissi he proved to be more than adequate as he enjoyed a great season. His age is starting to affect him though and this year he will have to accept a place on the bench. He is still more than capable though.

retired_rainmaker

6.Arzu, 25 years, Spanish, Midfielder (64; 8; 7,63; 0/0)
Captain of the team and our most consistent player by far. He is also the most wanted and the one I’m most keen to hang on to. He is managing the vital role of holding the midfield together excellently and I don’t doubt that one day he will move on to one of the really big teams. Until then he will remain our captain though.

20. Jozef Kotula, 27 years, Slovakian, Midfielder (134; 11; 7,04; 0/0)
He doesn’t play much anymore, but whenever he is called upon he is always one of our best and that makes him indispensable as a bench player. He is not completely happy about his situation and that is understandable, but there is not much I can or will do about it.

17. Roland Benschneider, 23 years, German, Midfielder (8; 0; 7,00; 0/0)
A product of our youth academy and a potential star in the future. He got a few chances last season, but didn’t really make the most of it and that makes me wonder if it is already too late for him. He will be given one more year to prove himself.

23. Christian Wohlfarth, 18 years, German, Midfielder (3; 0 ; 7,00; 0/0)
A major talent who got some games last year and did well in them. This season I’m hoping to get him out on loan as I think it will benefit him. He is a player who could become an international in time.

22. Mariano Cappa, 20 years, Argentinian, Midfielder (New signing)
Mariano is a major prospect for the future and while he is new to German football and very young I expect him to start in. He might be young, but he has the talent to make it at this level. At least I hope so.

7. Gastön Curbelo, 28 years, Uruguayan/French, Midfielder (69; 16; 7,31; 0/0)
Gastón has been vital for us the last two years and it is rather amazing as he is frankly not a very good player. I expect him to be replaced by Cappa this year, but he has every chance to win his place back.

28. Zé Roberto, 26 years, Brazilian, Midfielder (14; 4; 7,36; 0/0)
A major coup when we got him cheap last year. He has flair and is very creative starting attack after attack for our team. One of the most important players in the squad.

18. Ben Woods, 23 years, English, Forward (35; 16; 7,34; 0/0)
Ben was a major revelation last season. He was bought as a backup, got a chance and seized it. While he fell out of some games, he was a major danger in most and managed to score an impressive 16 goals. Not bad for a player coming straight from the Conference in England. He will start again this season.

11. Servet Atalan, 27 years, Turkish/German, Forward (29; 12; 6,83; 0/0)
Originally my first choice to play in the hole he lost his place to Woods due to poor discipline and due to the impact made by Woods. The two are close to each other and he should get his fair amount of action this year.

19. Tobias Schöler, 22 years, German, Striker (34; 28; 8,09; 0/0)
28 goals in 34 games is an amazing strikerate no matter how you look at it. The best thing is that he is continually improving and I don’t doubt that he might become the new Klinsmann once he gets more experience and manage to hone his skills. He might go out on loan this season, but he is featuring heavily in my plans for the future.

9. Nico Beigang, 21 years, German, Striker (19; 11; 8,11; 0/0)
He cost quite a lot, but the U21 star has proven his worth and gone from strength to strength. Some day in the future he and Schöler will be a force to strike fear in the hearts of even FC Bayern. I expect at least ten goals from him in the Bundesliga this year.

10: Dmitri Kirichenko, 27 years, Russian, Striker (23; 6; 7,30; 0/0)
He has a decent first season with us and did well, but he will really have to improve on his goal ratio as it is just not satisfactory for a player of his skills. He should be adapted to German football now though and I have high hopes for him.

21. Imre Azabics, 25 years, Hungarian, Striker (New signing. Ten caps, one goal)
Imre will keep Kirichenko on his toes as he is a deadly striker who did well for Stuttgart. He is mainly bought as a reserve, but I anticipate him to play at least 15 games. Time will tell.