Der Dino Lebt
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TheOtherSpecialOne
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View attachment 178697
September
FC Schalke 04 - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178695
Following our mediocre performances in August I was hoping that we could start September of in better fashion.
Unfortunately an early red card for Müller ruled out any chance of that. With a man short and not in the best form we simply didn't stand a chance against a very good Schalke 04 side. We did get some good chances when we hit them on the counter but in the end they were simply the better team and fully deserved to win.
Can't really draw any conclusions from this match, I feel that the red card for Müller was definately the key moment of the match and I can only wonder if we would have done better had it been 11 vs 11.
Sporting Club de Portugal - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178688
Our first Champions League game saw us travel to Portugal to fact Sporting Club de Portugal, could we get a good result here?
No we couldn't. This match was a very physical one and both teams picked up their fair share of yellow cards. As with any physical game the football itself wasn't exactly spectacular. Sporting were definately better then us though and did deserve to win this game.
Our poor form continues, we are looking really poor and changes are definately needed.
Hamburger SV - Bayer 04 Leverkusen
View attachment 178683
For this match I completely revamped my tactics as they didn't seem to be working at all. Instead of going with a more defensive approach I went for a more attacking style and it worked... sort of.
This match was really action packed from start to finish. Both teams looked to play fast attacking football and as a result we got a very open game with both teams creating plently of chances. It actually seemed that we would win this one but a late equaliser by Andre Hahn robbed us of the 3 points.
While I would have liked a win I am very pleased with how we looked today. We looked much more like the odd defying side that we were last season so lets hope that things will finally turn around for the better.
Hamburger SV - Eintracht Frankfurt
View attachment 178682
Coming into this game Frankfurt were still unbeaten in the Bundesliga and were performing very well, we on the other hand finally looked like the side that we were last season, it was going to be a thrilling game. Who could come out on top?
Like predicted this was a very good match between 2 sides that wanted nothing but a win. We got the lead in the first half and as a result we went into the break with a 1-0 lead. Frankfurt however started of the second half in brilliant fasion and managed to equalize immediately. Then we hit them back making it 2-1.
We continued to play well and managed to extend our lead, Frankfurt then managed to get one back in the 85th minute but it proved to be too late for them and so we got the 3 points in the end.
1. FSV Mainz 05 - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178677
Last season Mainz were one of the surprises of the season performing very well. This year however they are looking nothing like the side that they were, instead they are bottom of the table. Could we continue our good form?
Another match and again one that was filled with action and goals. It seems like my new tactic is definately paying of in attacking sense but our defending is... lacking. Still this was a very close game and a draw was probably a fair result given the match itself.
Not the win that I wanted but we did manage to extend our unbeaten run to 3. We are definately making progressions.
Hamburger SV - Ajax Amsterdam
View attachment 178676
Then came our second Champions League match, this time we faced Dutch champions Ajax.
This game went pretty much as I had anticipated, Ajax looked to dominate possession while we looked to hit them on the counter. Compared to our other games this month this one was rather boring. We got an early lead but Ajax managed to equalise rather quickly. For the rest of the match both teams looked to play relatively risk free and so it would stay 1-1.
Not the result that I wanted. After losing to Sporting Club de Portugal I wanted to get 3 points, certainly since we played at home. Unfortunately Ajax showed that they are a good team and so we were only able to get 1 point out of this one.
September Review
View attachment 178675
Not what I had in mind when the month began... We began the month in really poor form with losses against Schalke and Sporting CP. These results lead to me revamping my tactics and it appears that it worked somewhat.
We got a satisfying draw against Leverkusen and managed to beat an in-form Frankfurt side. Then we got 2 more draws against Mainz and Ajax in the Champions League.
Overal I am pleased with the improvements that we made over the course of the month. It might not appear to be the best on paper but in reality it could turn out to be a season defining month.
How does the table look?
View attachment 178674
As you can see we are now lying in 6th place with 8 points from 6 games. Not to bad but not the best either, still things are looking better then they did last month.
Unfortunately I forgot to take a screenshot of our Champions League group but we are currently in 3rd place behind Ajax and Sporting and ahead of Shakthar.
A Look Ahead: October
View attachment 178673
As you can see October is going to be another packed month as we play 4 Bundesliga games, 1 cup game and 1 Champions League game.
Here's hoping we can continue our improvements.
September
FC Schalke 04 - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178695
Following our mediocre performances in August I was hoping that we could start September of in better fashion.
Unfortunately an early red card for Müller ruled out any chance of that. With a man short and not in the best form we simply didn't stand a chance against a very good Schalke 04 side. We did get some good chances when we hit them on the counter but in the end they were simply the better team and fully deserved to win.
Can't really draw any conclusions from this match, I feel that the red card for Müller was definately the key moment of the match and I can only wonder if we would have done better had it been 11 vs 11.
Sporting Club de Portugal - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178688
Our first Champions League game saw us travel to Portugal to fact Sporting Club de Portugal, could we get a good result here?
No we couldn't. This match was a very physical one and both teams picked up their fair share of yellow cards. As with any physical game the football itself wasn't exactly spectacular. Sporting were definately better then us though and did deserve to win this game.
Our poor form continues, we are looking really poor and changes are definately needed.
Hamburger SV - Bayer 04 Leverkusen
View attachment 178683
For this match I completely revamped my tactics as they didn't seem to be working at all. Instead of going with a more defensive approach I went for a more attacking style and it worked... sort of.
This match was really action packed from start to finish. Both teams looked to play fast attacking football and as a result we got a very open game with both teams creating plently of chances. It actually seemed that we would win this one but a late equaliser by Andre Hahn robbed us of the 3 points.
While I would have liked a win I am very pleased with how we looked today. We looked much more like the odd defying side that we were last season so lets hope that things will finally turn around for the better.
Hamburger SV - Eintracht Frankfurt
View attachment 178682
Coming into this game Frankfurt were still unbeaten in the Bundesliga and were performing very well, we on the other hand finally looked like the side that we were last season, it was going to be a thrilling game. Who could come out on top?
Like predicted this was a very good match between 2 sides that wanted nothing but a win. We got the lead in the first half and as a result we went into the break with a 1-0 lead. Frankfurt however started of the second half in brilliant fasion and managed to equalize immediately. Then we hit them back making it 2-1.
We continued to play well and managed to extend our lead, Frankfurt then managed to get one back in the 85th minute but it proved to be too late for them and so we got the 3 points in the end.
1. FSV Mainz 05 - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178677
Last season Mainz were one of the surprises of the season performing very well. This year however they are looking nothing like the side that they were, instead they are bottom of the table. Could we continue our good form?
Another match and again one that was filled with action and goals. It seems like my new tactic is definately paying of in attacking sense but our defending is... lacking. Still this was a very close game and a draw was probably a fair result given the match itself.
Not the win that I wanted but we did manage to extend our unbeaten run to 3. We are definately making progressions.
Hamburger SV - Ajax Amsterdam
View attachment 178676
Then came our second Champions League match, this time we faced Dutch champions Ajax.
This game went pretty much as I had anticipated, Ajax looked to dominate possession while we looked to hit them on the counter. Compared to our other games this month this one was rather boring. We got an early lead but Ajax managed to equalise rather quickly. For the rest of the match both teams looked to play relatively risk free and so it would stay 1-1.
Not the result that I wanted. After losing to Sporting Club de Portugal I wanted to get 3 points, certainly since we played at home. Unfortunately Ajax showed that they are a good team and so we were only able to get 1 point out of this one.
September Review
View attachment 178675
Not what I had in mind when the month began... We began the month in really poor form with losses against Schalke and Sporting CP. These results lead to me revamping my tactics and it appears that it worked somewhat.
We got a satisfying draw against Leverkusen and managed to beat an in-form Frankfurt side. Then we got 2 more draws against Mainz and Ajax in the Champions League.
Overal I am pleased with the improvements that we made over the course of the month. It might not appear to be the best on paper but in reality it could turn out to be a season defining month.
How does the table look?
View attachment 178674
As you can see we are now lying in 6th place with 8 points from 6 games. Not to bad but not the best either, still things are looking better then they did last month.
Unfortunately I forgot to take a screenshot of our Champions League group but we are currently in 3rd place behind Ajax and Sporting and ahead of Shakthar.
A Look Ahead: October
View attachment 178673
As you can see October is going to be another packed month as we play 4 Bundesliga games, 1 cup game and 1 Champions League game.
Here's hoping we can continue our improvements.
TheOtherSpecialOne
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View attachment 178481
October
Hamburger SV - Hannover 96
View attachment 178478
Another our resurgence last month we looked to face Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga.
Like many of our games last month this one was also action packed. We got an early lead but Hannover responded very quickly making things level. Then in the second half they took the lead, we went all out and managed to equalise ourselves making it 2-2, this would also be the final score.
Not the result that I wanted but given our own performance I would probably say that a draw is a fair result. Atleast we continue our unbeaten run in the league.
FC Ingolstadt 04 - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178475
Then it was time to face a struggling Ingolstadt side.
Like last year we actually had a very difficult game against a motivated Ingolstadt side, unlike last year however we managed to still get the win in the end. Still our performance wasn't great and we'll have to be much better when we come up against tougher opposition.
In all honesty we didn't deserve to win this one, Ingolstadt played very well, the only thing that let them down was their finishing. Still 3 more points to add to the tally.
Hamburger SV - FC Shakhtar Donetsk
View attachment 178472
If we wanted to have atleast a slight chance at qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Champions League we had to win this one.
Unfortunately we didn't. What makes this result even more frustrating is the fact that we actually played really well and we truly did deserve to get something out of this one. But were as we got a little bit of luck in the Ingolstadt game we got none in this one.
Very dissapointed as our chances at qualifying for the knock-out stages are now very very low... I guess the Champions League is just above our level at the moment.
Hamburger SV - TSV 1899 Hoffenheim
View attachment 178470
Then it was back to Germany for another game in the Bundesliga, our opponents; Hoffenheim.
This match was very similar to last years match. We dominated the game creating many chances but our finishing let us down. Last year it ended up costing us 2 points this time round however we did manage to get the 3.
Very happy with this result, for a while it really looked like a repeat of last years match but thankfully this time we did manage to get the result that we deserved.
SpVgg Greuther Furth - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178465
We continued our action packed month with a DFB-Pokal game against 2. league side Greuther Furth.
This was a very frustrating game from our point of view. Furth managed to score an early goal giving them the lead. What followed was that we threw everything we had at them but we simply didn't manage to get the ball into the back of the net. As a result our players became very frustrated and picked up quite a lot of yellow cards.
In the second half Lasogga managed to equalise but that would be the final goal of the 90 minutes. In extra time both teams looked to play somewhat safer and as a result no goals were scored meaning that it was going to go down to penalties.
Last year we lost against Halle in a penatly shoot so I wasn't exactly confident, luckily however this time we won and so we progress, not as easily as I would have liked, into the 3rd round of the cup achieving the boards target.
Fortuna Dusseldorf - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178463
The final game of the month took place against Fortuna Dusseldorf. Dusseldorf have been struggling in the league and are currently at the bottom. Surely this should be an easy win?
It didn't turn out that way. Dusseldorf put in a very spirited performance and despite us dominating most of the game it actually took us the full 90 minutes to get the win that we deserved as Ekdal scored a beautiful goal with a long shot.
This one was more difficult than I would have liked but in the end we got what we wanted and deserved, another win and another 3 points.
October Review
View attachment 178462
Overal a very good month for us, in the league we are performing very well, we got into the next round of the cup the only thing that isn't looking bright is our Champions League run...
Here are the tables with October behind us;
View attachment 178460
View attachment 178459
Our chances of getting into the kockout stages are pretty much gone, the best we can hope for now is a 3rd place finish.
News
View attachment 178458
A Look Ahead November
View attachment 178457
As you can see November is going to be another packed month with some very important games. We will face teams like Dortmund and Gladbach in the league while our Champions League fate will also be decided. Stay tuned for more.
Hamburger SV - Hannover 96
View attachment 178478
Another our resurgence last month we looked to face Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga.
Like many of our games last month this one was also action packed. We got an early lead but Hannover responded very quickly making things level. Then in the second half they took the lead, we went all out and managed to equalise ourselves making it 2-2, this would also be the final score.
Not the result that I wanted but given our own performance I would probably say that a draw is a fair result. Atleast we continue our unbeaten run in the league.
FC Ingolstadt 04 - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178475
Then it was time to face a struggling Ingolstadt side.
Like last year we actually had a very difficult game against a motivated Ingolstadt side, unlike last year however we managed to still get the win in the end. Still our performance wasn't great and we'll have to be much better when we come up against tougher opposition.
In all honesty we didn't deserve to win this one, Ingolstadt played very well, the only thing that let them down was their finishing. Still 3 more points to add to the tally.
Hamburger SV - FC Shakhtar Donetsk
View attachment 178472
If we wanted to have atleast a slight chance at qualifying for the knock-out stages of the Champions League we had to win this one.
Unfortunately we didn't. What makes this result even more frustrating is the fact that we actually played really well and we truly did deserve to get something out of this one. But were as we got a little bit of luck in the Ingolstadt game we got none in this one.
Very dissapointed as our chances at qualifying for the knock-out stages are now very very low... I guess the Champions League is just above our level at the moment.
Hamburger SV - TSV 1899 Hoffenheim
View attachment 178470
Then it was back to Germany for another game in the Bundesliga, our opponents; Hoffenheim.
This match was very similar to last years match. We dominated the game creating many chances but our finishing let us down. Last year it ended up costing us 2 points this time round however we did manage to get the 3.
Very happy with this result, for a while it really looked like a repeat of last years match but thankfully this time we did manage to get the result that we deserved.
SpVgg Greuther Furth - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178465
We continued our action packed month with a DFB-Pokal game against 2. league side Greuther Furth.
This was a very frustrating game from our point of view. Furth managed to score an early goal giving them the lead. What followed was that we threw everything we had at them but we simply didn't manage to get the ball into the back of the net. As a result our players became very frustrated and picked up quite a lot of yellow cards.
In the second half Lasogga managed to equalise but that would be the final goal of the 90 minutes. In extra time both teams looked to play somewhat safer and as a result no goals were scored meaning that it was going to go down to penalties.
Last year we lost against Halle in a penatly shoot so I wasn't exactly confident, luckily however this time we won and so we progress, not as easily as I would have liked, into the 3rd round of the cup achieving the boards target.
Fortuna Dusseldorf - Hamburger SV
View attachment 178463
The final game of the month took place against Fortuna Dusseldorf. Dusseldorf have been struggling in the league and are currently at the bottom. Surely this should be an easy win?
It didn't turn out that way. Dusseldorf put in a very spirited performance and despite us dominating most of the game it actually took us the full 90 minutes to get the win that we deserved as Ekdal scored a beautiful goal with a long shot.
This one was more difficult than I would have liked but in the end we got what we wanted and deserved, another win and another 3 points.
October Review
View attachment 178462
Overal a very good month for us, in the league we are performing very well, we got into the next round of the cup the only thing that isn't looking bright is our Champions League run...
Here are the tables with October behind us;
View attachment 178460
View attachment 178459
Our chances of getting into the kockout stages are pretty much gone, the best we can hope for now is a 3rd place finish.
News
View attachment 178458
A Look Ahead November
View attachment 178457
As you can see November is going to be another packed month with some very important games. We will face teams like Dortmund and Gladbach in the league while our Champions League fate will also be decided. Stay tuned for more.
TheOtherSpecialOne
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View attachment 178000
November
FC Shakhtar Donetsk - Hamburger SV
View attachment 177998
November started of with a vital Champions League game. If we wanted to keep our chances at European football after the winter break alive then a good result was imperative.
We were really up for this one and it showed as we put in a very spirited performance. Shakhtar however weren't about to give in and as a result we got a very entertaining match. It was Shakhtar who finally took the lead in the 70th minute. Only a minute later they received a red card, with 20 minutes left we knew that we had to make it count. We threw everything we had at them but got nothing in return.
A tough loss as we definately deserved to get something out of this one...
Hamburger SV - Borussia Dortmund
View attachment 177996
Then came a tough Bundesliga game against Borussia Dortmund who are currently in 2nd place.
Last year we played brilliantly against Dortmund at home and got a terrific 6-1 victory against them. This time we played brilliantly again but got nothing to show for it as Dortmund compeletely against the run of game managed to steal the 3 points. Now don't get me wrong Dortmund didn't play bad, they are a very good side and it showed it was just that we were better in my biased opinion.
Sadly our finishing was very lacklustre and so we lost.
1. FC Koln - Hamburger SV
View attachment 177995
Koln have had a very difficult season so far so I was hoping that we could use that to our advantage.
This match was exactly like the Dortmund game except for 1 thing; this time it was us that "stole" the 3 points.
Koln played very well and dominated most of the game but in the end we managed to make the few chances that we created count and so we were left with 3 points.
Hamburger SV - Sporting Club de Portugal
View attachment 177993Our journey in Europe has been a poor one so far and I was expecting another tough game against group leaders Sporting Portugal.
A tough game is exactly what we got. Most of the match actually didn't see a single goal being scored, when the first one went in however the floodgates were opened and within 24 minutes both teams managed to score twice.
Another typical European game for us, we don't play badly but just come up short against teams that seem to want it that little bit more. Still we kept fighting till the end and managed to get a draw, sadly this means that there is no way that we can qualify for the knockout stages anymore. The best we can hope for is a 3rd place finish that would see us go into the Europa League but in order to achieve that we need to beat Ajax in Amsterdam with atleast a 2 goals difference...
Hamburger SV - Borussia Monchengladbach
View attachment 177991
Our defence has been very poor this season and we have conceded quite a lot of goals. What's to blame are probably my tactics since they emphasize quite heavily on the attacking portion of the game, as a result we are also one of the most scoring teams in the league, with that knowledge in mind you know exactly how this game went.
A very thrilling encounter saw us get another 3 points in the Bundesliga. Key to this was Sven Schipplock who put in a performance of the highest order and got a hattrick to show for it.
AFC Ajax - Hamburger SV
View attachment 177987
We went into this game knowing that we had to beat Ajax with atleast a two goal margin...
The players didn't seem to care however, it was as if they had already given up. Ajax dominated the game completely and we just couldn't resist them. No matter what I tried Ajax seemed to have an answer to it.
A very poor performance sees us out of the Champions League and European Football in its entirety for that matter. The Champions League just seems to be way above our level at the moment and all I can hope for is that the players will atleast have learned something from this experience so that if we manage to qualify next year we will perform a lot better.
November Review
View attachment 177985November was a very difficult month for us. Not only did we face some extremely tough opposition we were also left without some of our key players as both Ekdal and Gouaida got themselves injured (more on that below).
In the league we actually managed to win 2 out of our 3 games and lets be honest losing to Borussia Dortmund isn't something to be ashamed about. In the Champions League however we just came up short.
Lets take a look at both tables:
View attachment 177984
As you can see we are actually doing very well in the league sitting in 3rd place behind Bayern and Dortmund.
In the Champions League we were however knocked out without honor as we finished 4th with only 2 points.
View attachment 177983
News
The month began with some very positive news from the board;
View attachment 177981
Money! I'll certainly look to improve our squad in the winter break by bringing in 1 or 2 players. I won't be breaking the bank however as that is something that I simply dislike. We have to remember that our financial position still isn't as strong as we would have liked so we have to be smart.
Also like I mentioned above 2 of our players got injured at the beginning of the month whilst on international duty, as a result they missed most of this months games;
View attachment 177979
View attachment 177978
A Look Ahead: December
View attachment 177977
The final month of the year has arrived once more and we'll be playing a total of 5 games before the year is over.
We start of the month with the Nord Derby against Werder Bremen before facing Koln in the DFB Pokal. Next up we have a difficult game against Stuttgart before finishing the month of with games against Augsburg and RB Leipzig.
Here's hoping we can finish the year in style.
November
FC Shakhtar Donetsk - Hamburger SV
View attachment 177998
November started of with a vital Champions League game. If we wanted to keep our chances at European football after the winter break alive then a good result was imperative.
We were really up for this one and it showed as we put in a very spirited performance. Shakhtar however weren't about to give in and as a result we got a very entertaining match. It was Shakhtar who finally took the lead in the 70th minute. Only a minute later they received a red card, with 20 minutes left we knew that we had to make it count. We threw everything we had at them but got nothing in return.
A tough loss as we definately deserved to get something out of this one...
Hamburger SV - Borussia Dortmund
View attachment 177996
Then came a tough Bundesliga game against Borussia Dortmund who are currently in 2nd place.
Last year we played brilliantly against Dortmund at home and got a terrific 6-1 victory against them. This time we played brilliantly again but got nothing to show for it as Dortmund compeletely against the run of game managed to steal the 3 points. Now don't get me wrong Dortmund didn't play bad, they are a very good side and it showed it was just that we were better in my biased opinion.
Sadly our finishing was very lacklustre and so we lost.
1. FC Koln - Hamburger SV
View attachment 177995
Koln have had a very difficult season so far so I was hoping that we could use that to our advantage.
This match was exactly like the Dortmund game except for 1 thing; this time it was us that "stole" the 3 points.
Koln played very well and dominated most of the game but in the end we managed to make the few chances that we created count and so we were left with 3 points.
Hamburger SV - Sporting Club de Portugal
View attachment 177993Our journey in Europe has been a poor one so far and I was expecting another tough game against group leaders Sporting Portugal.
A tough game is exactly what we got. Most of the match actually didn't see a single goal being scored, when the first one went in however the floodgates were opened and within 24 minutes both teams managed to score twice.
Another typical European game for us, we don't play badly but just come up short against teams that seem to want it that little bit more. Still we kept fighting till the end and managed to get a draw, sadly this means that there is no way that we can qualify for the knockout stages anymore. The best we can hope for is a 3rd place finish that would see us go into the Europa League but in order to achieve that we need to beat Ajax in Amsterdam with atleast a 2 goals difference...
Hamburger SV - Borussia Monchengladbach
View attachment 177991
Our defence has been very poor this season and we have conceded quite a lot of goals. What's to blame are probably my tactics since they emphasize quite heavily on the attacking portion of the game, as a result we are also one of the most scoring teams in the league, with that knowledge in mind you know exactly how this game went.
A very thrilling encounter saw us get another 3 points in the Bundesliga. Key to this was Sven Schipplock who put in a performance of the highest order and got a hattrick to show for it.
AFC Ajax - Hamburger SV
View attachment 177987
We went into this game knowing that we had to beat Ajax with atleast a two goal margin...
The players didn't seem to care however, it was as if they had already given up. Ajax dominated the game completely and we just couldn't resist them. No matter what I tried Ajax seemed to have an answer to it.
A very poor performance sees us out of the Champions League and European Football in its entirety for that matter. The Champions League just seems to be way above our level at the moment and all I can hope for is that the players will atleast have learned something from this experience so that if we manage to qualify next year we will perform a lot better.
November Review
View attachment 177985November was a very difficult month for us. Not only did we face some extremely tough opposition we were also left without some of our key players as both Ekdal and Gouaida got themselves injured (more on that below).
In the league we actually managed to win 2 out of our 3 games and lets be honest losing to Borussia Dortmund isn't something to be ashamed about. In the Champions League however we just came up short.
Lets take a look at both tables:
View attachment 177984
As you can see we are actually doing very well in the league sitting in 3rd place behind Bayern and Dortmund.
In the Champions League we were however knocked out without honor as we finished 4th with only 2 points.
View attachment 177983
News
The month began with some very positive news from the board;
View attachment 177981
Money! I'll certainly look to improve our squad in the winter break by bringing in 1 or 2 players. I won't be breaking the bank however as that is something that I simply dislike. We have to remember that our financial position still isn't as strong as we would have liked so we have to be smart.
Also like I mentioned above 2 of our players got injured at the beginning of the month whilst on international duty, as a result they missed most of this months games;
View attachment 177979
View attachment 177978
A Look Ahead: December
View attachment 177977
The final month of the year has arrived once more and we'll be playing a total of 5 games before the year is over.
We start of the month with the Nord Derby against Werder Bremen before facing Koln in the DFB Pokal. Next up we have a difficult game against Stuttgart before finishing the month of with games against Augsburg and RB Leipzig.
Here's hoping we can finish the year in style.
TheOtherSpecialOne
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You're right at this point I was being way too pessimistic, but I might have been influenced slightly by the fact that I had already played some games of November
Also glad that you like the layout, I spent some time thinking about how to make the story look good without needing to put to much work into the graphics (so that I can play more) so it is very pleasing to hear that it worked
TheOtherSpecialOne
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Yes things in the Bundesliga are indeed looking a lot better. Unfortunately Dortmund also seem to be doing much better then last year so another second place finish will be tough but with a bit of luck...
TheOtherSpecialOne
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View attachment 177413
December
SV Werder Bremen - Hamburger SV
View attachment 177411
December began with a very important fixture, the Nord Derby against fierce rivals Werder Bremen. The fans demanded a good result, could we deliver?
Well, I did not see this coming. I did field a slightly rotated side as we have a mid week cup game coming up against Koln but I still feel that we had the quality to do better then we ultimately did.
As expected the fans were also very unhappy with the result and I can't blame them. Another major blow that we suffered during this match was an injury that Lasogga picked up after a hard tackle was made on him
View attachment 177409Unfortunately this means that he will miss the rest of this months fixtures.
Hamburger SV - 1.FC Koln
View attachment 177410
Koln have been struggling in the Bundesliga but as we all know this doesn't mean anything in a cup game.
In this game we looked much better then we did in the match against Werder Bremen. We played our usual high pressure attacking football and as a result we created quite a lot of opportunities and more importantly goals. Koln however also made the small number of chances that they had count and so the end result was closer then I would have liked.
Still a very good win sees us go to the quarter finals of the Pokal were a tough opponent will be waiting for us...
Hamburger SV - VFB Stuttgart
View attachment 177408
Last year Stuttgart were very impressive, they finished 4th in the Bundesliga and managed to win the DFB Pokal. This year they have continued in the same way. One thing was certain, this wasn't going to be an easy game.
And it wasn't this match was a very close fought affair with 2 teams that wanted nothing but a win. At home we are very impressive and in this game it definately showed. Just like in the Koln game we focused on attacking football, Stuttgart had the same thing in mind but in the end we just wanted it more then them and got a deserved win.
FC Augsburg - Hamburger SV
View attachment 177403
Next up was a match against a struggling Augsburg side. Surely this was going to be an easy win?
Really not sure how we didn't win this one, we were the much better side and created a legion of chances, unfortunately there was one man in our way Augsburg goalkeeper Marwin Hitz. He put in a man of the match performance and got a 9.1 rating, that tells you all you need to know really.
Very sad to not have been able to pick up 3 points here, we should really beat teams like Augsburg and we deserved to win as well if only not for Hitz...
Hamburger SV - RB Leipzig
View attachment 177396
Then we faced another struggling side, RB Leipzig, normally I would expect this to be an easy win but given the Augsburg game I wasn't 100% confident.
It turned out that I was right, we didn't put in a performance of the highest order while RB Leipzig focused primarily on defending. As a result we had a lot of trouble breaking them down. We did have the lead for most of the match however but a rather late equaliser by Davie Selke looked to spoil our day. Fortunately Hunt managed to score in the 86th minute giving us the 3 points in the end.
Another game that was tougher then I would have liked, still another game that we deserved to win so I am happy that we did.
December Review
View attachment 177395
While December had a very disappointing start, as we lost heavily to rivals Werder Bremen, it was a rather good month for us.
We won our DFB cup game against Koln, won an important Bundesliga game against Stuttgart and managed to beat RB Leipzig. The draw against Augsburg wasn't ideal but since we definately deserved more it is not a game that has me particularly worried.
Lets take a look at the Bundesliga table as we head into the winter break
View attachment 177394
We finish the year of lying in 3rd place. Only 6 points behind league leaders Dortmund while lying 2 points ahead of 4th placed Leverkusen.
News
In beating Koln we managed to secure a place in the quarter final of the DFB Pokal, the draw hasn't been kind to us though...
View attachment 177393
It's going to be tough, certainly since we play away from home but you never know...
One of our talented players has also extended his contract meanwhile
View attachment 177392
In the next update I will be talking about the winter break. Now that I have been given a rather decent transfer budget I will be looking to bring in a few new players to strengthen the team. I will also be looking at the friendly fixtures that we played so stay tuned for more.
December
SV Werder Bremen - Hamburger SV
View attachment 177411
December began with a very important fixture, the Nord Derby against fierce rivals Werder Bremen. The fans demanded a good result, could we deliver?
Well, I did not see this coming. I did field a slightly rotated side as we have a mid week cup game coming up against Koln but I still feel that we had the quality to do better then we ultimately did.
As expected the fans were also very unhappy with the result and I can't blame them. Another major blow that we suffered during this match was an injury that Lasogga picked up after a hard tackle was made on him
View attachment 177409Unfortunately this means that he will miss the rest of this months fixtures.
Hamburger SV - 1.FC Koln
View attachment 177410
Koln have been struggling in the Bundesliga but as we all know this doesn't mean anything in a cup game.
In this game we looked much better then we did in the match against Werder Bremen. We played our usual high pressure attacking football and as a result we created quite a lot of opportunities and more importantly goals. Koln however also made the small number of chances that they had count and so the end result was closer then I would have liked.
Still a very good win sees us go to the quarter finals of the Pokal were a tough opponent will be waiting for us...
Hamburger SV - VFB Stuttgart
View attachment 177408
Last year Stuttgart were very impressive, they finished 4th in the Bundesliga and managed to win the DFB Pokal. This year they have continued in the same way. One thing was certain, this wasn't going to be an easy game.
And it wasn't this match was a very close fought affair with 2 teams that wanted nothing but a win. At home we are very impressive and in this game it definately showed. Just like in the Koln game we focused on attacking football, Stuttgart had the same thing in mind but in the end we just wanted it more then them and got a deserved win.
FC Augsburg - Hamburger SV
View attachment 177403
Next up was a match against a struggling Augsburg side. Surely this was going to be an easy win?
Really not sure how we didn't win this one, we were the much better side and created a legion of chances, unfortunately there was one man in our way Augsburg goalkeeper Marwin Hitz. He put in a man of the match performance and got a 9.1 rating, that tells you all you need to know really.
Very sad to not have been able to pick up 3 points here, we should really beat teams like Augsburg and we deserved to win as well if only not for Hitz...
Hamburger SV - RB Leipzig
View attachment 177396
Then we faced another struggling side, RB Leipzig, normally I would expect this to be an easy win but given the Augsburg game I wasn't 100% confident.
It turned out that I was right, we didn't put in a performance of the highest order while RB Leipzig focused primarily on defending. As a result we had a lot of trouble breaking them down. We did have the lead for most of the match however but a rather late equaliser by Davie Selke looked to spoil our day. Fortunately Hunt managed to score in the 86th minute giving us the 3 points in the end.
Another game that was tougher then I would have liked, still another game that we deserved to win so I am happy that we did.
December Review
View attachment 177395
While December had a very disappointing start, as we lost heavily to rivals Werder Bremen, it was a rather good month for us.
We won our DFB cup game against Koln, won an important Bundesliga game against Stuttgart and managed to beat RB Leipzig. The draw against Augsburg wasn't ideal but since we definately deserved more it is not a game that has me particularly worried.
Lets take a look at the Bundesliga table as we head into the winter break
View attachment 177394
We finish the year of lying in 3rd place. Only 6 points behind league leaders Dortmund while lying 2 points ahead of 4th placed Leverkusen.
News
In beating Koln we managed to secure a place in the quarter final of the DFB Pokal, the draw hasn't been kind to us though...
View attachment 177393
It's going to be tough, certainly since we play away from home but you never know...
One of our talented players has also extended his contract meanwhile
View attachment 177392
In the next update I will be talking about the winter break. Now that I have been given a rather decent transfer budget I will be looking to bring in a few new players to strengthen the team. I will also be looking at the friendly fixtures that we played so stay tuned for more.
TheOtherSpecialOne
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View attachment 177213
Winter Break Recap
We headed into the winter break lying 3rd in the Bundesliga while we also managed to get into the quarter finals of the DFB Pokal, not bad overal.
There has been one major flaw for us this year however and that is the fact that we are conceding way too many goals, just take a look here:
View attachment 177211
As you can see we are one of the worst Bundesliga teams in defensive regard. In attacking sense things are looking much better as we are one of the best teams in that area. We needed to strike a balance between the two and so I set out to try a few new things tactically.
I managed to test these new tactics during the friendlies that we played;
View attachment 177208
As you can see results were mixed. During the draw against Caragena the players simply weren't motivated at all, the loss against Midtjylland was an extremely unlucky one as we were much better then them.
The win against Unterhaching was however very pleasing, still anything but a win would be acceptable against a team of their stature.
Overal there is still much work ahead in the tactics department but I did see some progression, now we'll just have to wait and see how they'll get on when there is really something at stake.
Transfers
Like I reported last month the board has given me a rather good transfer budget and so I had around 16 million to spend.
Still me being me and not preferring to break the bank I didn't. Instead I only brought in 2 new players for a combined fee of around 9 million.
Our first signing was Valon Berisha
View attachment 177206
Berisha was a player that I had my eye on for a very long time. Unfortunately Schalke 04 picked him up last year and so my chances were gone, atleast that was what I thought. It turns out that he wasn't playing much at all for them and as a result he found himself transfer listed, once I was given my budget I immediately made an offer for him and so I managed to pick him up for a reasonable fee of 3 million euros.
My other signing was Stefan Ilsanker from RB Leipzig.
View attachment 177203
While we have a lot of good central midfielders in our squad almost all of them are attack oriented. Our only defensive oriented players are Jung and Khedira (who was brought in on loan from RB Leipzig). Khedira however has been rather underwhelming for me and so I looked to bring in someone else that could fill his role, enter Ilsanker.
Overal he is a very good ball winning midfielder and he will be an excellent backup for Jung. He was a little bit more expensive then Berisha however as he ended up costing 5,25 million.
We also sold one player during the winter window, Marcelo Diaz. Like I said with players like Holtby, Hunt, Demirbay and Ekdal we have a lot of good playmakers in the middle of the park. With Diaz's contract running out at the end of the season and him being unhappy about his current playtime selling him was probably the best move for all parties involved.
In the end we managed to receive 1 million for him, not bad for a player that only has 6 months left on his contract.
View attachment 177199
After all the transfers were left and done I slightly adjusted my budget and now I still have around 10 million to spend. I have one target in mind but unfortunately the club that he currently plays for wants more for him then I am currently willing to offer so he probably won't be joining this window.
I will definately move for him in the summer though as he is exactly what I want.
A Look Ahead: January
View attachment 177197
With the winter break now behind us we can look ahead to the restart of the season. Things will immediately be very difficult for us as we face Bayern Munich and VFL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.
Bayern haven't been at their best recently so with a bit of luck we might be able to get something out of that match.
Winter Break Recap
We headed into the winter break lying 3rd in the Bundesliga while we also managed to get into the quarter finals of the DFB Pokal, not bad overal.
There has been one major flaw for us this year however and that is the fact that we are conceding way too many goals, just take a look here:
View attachment 177211
As you can see we are one of the worst Bundesliga teams in defensive regard. In attacking sense things are looking much better as we are one of the best teams in that area. We needed to strike a balance between the two and so I set out to try a few new things tactically.
I managed to test these new tactics during the friendlies that we played;
View attachment 177208
As you can see results were mixed. During the draw against Caragena the players simply weren't motivated at all, the loss against Midtjylland was an extremely unlucky one as we were much better then them.
The win against Unterhaching was however very pleasing, still anything but a win would be acceptable against a team of their stature.
Overal there is still much work ahead in the tactics department but I did see some progression, now we'll just have to wait and see how they'll get on when there is really something at stake.
Transfers
Like I reported last month the board has given me a rather good transfer budget and so I had around 16 million to spend.
Still me being me and not preferring to break the bank I didn't. Instead I only brought in 2 new players for a combined fee of around 9 million.
Our first signing was Valon Berisha
View attachment 177206
Berisha was a player that I had my eye on for a very long time. Unfortunately Schalke 04 picked him up last year and so my chances were gone, atleast that was what I thought. It turns out that he wasn't playing much at all for them and as a result he found himself transfer listed, once I was given my budget I immediately made an offer for him and so I managed to pick him up for a reasonable fee of 3 million euros.
My other signing was Stefan Ilsanker from RB Leipzig.
View attachment 177203
While we have a lot of good central midfielders in our squad almost all of them are attack oriented. Our only defensive oriented players are Jung and Khedira (who was brought in on loan from RB Leipzig). Khedira however has been rather underwhelming for me and so I looked to bring in someone else that could fill his role, enter Ilsanker.
Overal he is a very good ball winning midfielder and he will be an excellent backup for Jung. He was a little bit more expensive then Berisha however as he ended up costing 5,25 million.
We also sold one player during the winter window, Marcelo Diaz. Like I said with players like Holtby, Hunt, Demirbay and Ekdal we have a lot of good playmakers in the middle of the park. With Diaz's contract running out at the end of the season and him being unhappy about his current playtime selling him was probably the best move for all parties involved.
In the end we managed to receive 1 million for him, not bad for a player that only has 6 months left on his contract.
View attachment 177199
After all the transfers were left and done I slightly adjusted my budget and now I still have around 10 million to spend. I have one target in mind but unfortunately the club that he currently plays for wants more for him then I am currently willing to offer so he probably won't be joining this window.
I will definately move for him in the summer though as he is exactly what I want.
A Look Ahead: January
View attachment 177197
With the winter break now behind us we can look ahead to the restart of the season. Things will immediately be very difficult for us as we face Bayern Munich and VFL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.
Bayern haven't been at their best recently so with a bit of luck we might be able to get something out of that match.
TheOtherSpecialOne
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View attachment 176971
January
Hamburger SV - FC Bayern Munich
View attachment 176969
Our first competetive match of 2017 was immediately a very tough one as we faced Bayern Munich at home. Bayern haven't been at their best lately so could we profit?
The last 3 matches that we played against Bayern all ended in defeat for us, this time however we were more then equal to them. In fact we actually edged them in possession which really highlights that they didn't have their usual control in this game. In the 77th minute Vidal was sent off as he received his second yellow card of the game but unfortunately we didn't manage to profit from this and so the game ended 0-0.
Overal I have mixed feelings about this one, on one hand getting a draw against a team like Bayern is never a bad thing. On the other hand however I feel that this was the chance to beat them and so I am somewhat disappointed that we didn't.
VFL Wolfsburg - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176964
Like last year Wolfsburg have been really struggling, their current manager Frank de Boer is also under heavy pressure, could we add to that pressure?
Unfortunately the answer was no and that was only down to one area, our attackers were all very poor. The rest of the team played really well and received great ratings it was just our finishing that led us down. Wolfsburg on the other hand did convert 2 of their chances and so we lost 2-0.
This was a rather tough result to take certainly given the fact that we weren't bad at all. It looks like my focus on keeping goals out has had a negative effect on our attack which is something that I will have to take a look at.
January Review
View attachment 176962
Overal a pretty poor month, getting a draw against Bayern is okay but the loss against Wolfsburg is a bitter pill to swallow.
So where do we find ourselves on the table following our mediocre restart to the season?
View attachment 176961
As you can see we dropped 1 spot and are now 4th, still there are a lot of games to be played so I'm not particularly worried.
A Look Ahead: February
View attachment 176960
In february we'll be getting back in the full swing of things as we play a total of 5 games, one of them a difficult cup tie against Bayern. Can we upset the odds and continue our cup run?
And more importantly can we get back to our winning ways in the Liga, guess we'll find out soon.
January
Hamburger SV - FC Bayern Munich
View attachment 176969
Our first competetive match of 2017 was immediately a very tough one as we faced Bayern Munich at home. Bayern haven't been at their best lately so could we profit?
The last 3 matches that we played against Bayern all ended in defeat for us, this time however we were more then equal to them. In fact we actually edged them in possession which really highlights that they didn't have their usual control in this game. In the 77th minute Vidal was sent off as he received his second yellow card of the game but unfortunately we didn't manage to profit from this and so the game ended 0-0.
Overal I have mixed feelings about this one, on one hand getting a draw against a team like Bayern is never a bad thing. On the other hand however I feel that this was the chance to beat them and so I am somewhat disappointed that we didn't.
VFL Wolfsburg - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176964
Like last year Wolfsburg have been really struggling, their current manager Frank de Boer is also under heavy pressure, could we add to that pressure?
Unfortunately the answer was no and that was only down to one area, our attackers were all very poor. The rest of the team played really well and received great ratings it was just our finishing that led us down. Wolfsburg on the other hand did convert 2 of their chances and so we lost 2-0.
This was a rather tough result to take certainly given the fact that we weren't bad at all. It looks like my focus on keeping goals out has had a negative effect on our attack which is something that I will have to take a look at.
January Review
View attachment 176962
Overal a pretty poor month, getting a draw against Bayern is okay but the loss against Wolfsburg is a bitter pill to swallow.
So where do we find ourselves on the table following our mediocre restart to the season?
View attachment 176961
As you can see we dropped 1 spot and are now 4th, still there are a lot of games to be played so I'm not particularly worried.
A Look Ahead: February
View attachment 176960
In february we'll be getting back in the full swing of things as we play a total of 5 games, one of them a difficult cup tie against Bayern. Can we upset the odds and continue our cup run?
And more importantly can we get back to our winning ways in the Liga, guess we'll find out soon.
TheOtherSpecialOne
Member
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View attachment 176959
February
FC Bayern Munich - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176958
Going into this one I knew that it was going to be a tough ask beating Bayern at the Allianz Arena. Still our previous performance against them roughly 2 weeks ago did give me some hope.
That hope turned out to be misplaced as Bayern absolutely dominated the game. They got an early lead through David Alaba right before half time and so we went into the break 1 goal down. In the second half Bayern continued to dictate the game. It was us however that managed to score the equaliser in the 80th minute causing the game to go to extra time.
In extra time we held on really well until the final few minutes of the game. Newly signed Aubameyang scored twice in the space of 2 minutes and as a result we lost and got knocked out of the cup.
Hamburger SV - FC Schalke 04
View attachment 176953
Following our defeat against Bayern we faced another tough opponent, Schalke 04. Schalke have been mixed this season so you never know what way a match against them is going to go.
Fortunately it went pretty well for us, we were pretty dominant during the entire game creating plenty of opportunities unfortunately our strikers let us down once more and so we didn't get anything to show for our efforts.
Unhappy that we didn't win this one as we definately deserved to, another match in which our strikers simple didn't do enough. On the plus side the defence seems to be more stable as we got our second clean sheet of the 4 games that we played.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176945
This game was very important, with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern being pretty dominant this year it looks like it will be a battle between us and Leverkusen for the 3rd place that will give a right to direct qualification into the Champions League group stage.
The players seemed to be aware of this as we started of really well grabbing the lead only 2 minutes in. The rest of the game was very evenly matched with both teams really giving it their best. Thankfully our defensive work paid off once more as we managed to keep another clean sheet, getting a very important win as a result.
Eintracht Frankfurt - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176944
Next up was another away game, this time against Eintracht Frankfurt.
This match was a really tight one. Both teams were very evenly matched across the board and so a draw is a very fair result.
Another match during which our attack didn't seem to work but also another clean sheet. Looks like my efforts to create a more stable defence are working, perhaps even too well given that it is costing us in the attack department. Perhaps a few modifications will do the trick...
Hamburger SV - 1. FSV Mainz 05
View attachment 176940
Like I said for this match I tried something different in the hopes of having a more lethal attack without losing our defensive security and boy did it work!
We absolutely dominated the match in every aspect. All Mainz could do was watch as we put in our best performance of the season. Funnily enough 2 of our center backs actually managed to score during this game, both getting their 1st goal for the club in the progress.
Very pleased with this win, it's too early to say that my tactical tweaks have revitalised our attacking prowess but as they say a good start is half the battle won.
February Review
View attachment 176938
February started of poorly for us as we were completely outclassed by Bayern and got knocked out of the cup as a result. The rest of the month was pretty decent getting a draw against Schalke and beating Bayer Leverkusen while also getting a point against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The month finished of on a really high note though as we put in our best performance of the season against Mainz beating them very convincingly 4-0.
We also managed to keep a clean sheet in all of our Bundesliga games that we played this month so that is very pleasing indeed.
Here is the table with 3 months left to go:
View attachment 176934
As you can see we are still 4th, only 2 points behind 3rd placed Leverkusen and 4 points ahead of VFB Stuttgart.
News
February saw the first managerial casualty of the season as RB Leipzig sacked Di Matteo who joined them at the beginning of this season.
View attachment 176931
His replacement will be Slomka who was brought over from Hertha BSC who will now be looking for a new manager.
View attachment 176930
We also had our annual youth intake with Nills Doring being the most promising player of the bunch.
View attachment 176925
View attachment 176924
Here's hoping no big club is going to show up and steal him away from us...
A Look Ahead: March
View attachment 176923
March will be a slower month for us as we only play 3 fixtures. All 3 of them are winnable so here's hoping that we continue in the same way as we left of against Mainz.
February
FC Bayern Munich - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176958
Going into this one I knew that it was going to be a tough ask beating Bayern at the Allianz Arena. Still our previous performance against them roughly 2 weeks ago did give me some hope.
That hope turned out to be misplaced as Bayern absolutely dominated the game. They got an early lead through David Alaba right before half time and so we went into the break 1 goal down. In the second half Bayern continued to dictate the game. It was us however that managed to score the equaliser in the 80th minute causing the game to go to extra time.
In extra time we held on really well until the final few minutes of the game. Newly signed Aubameyang scored twice in the space of 2 minutes and as a result we lost and got knocked out of the cup.
Hamburger SV - FC Schalke 04
View attachment 176953
Following our defeat against Bayern we faced another tough opponent, Schalke 04. Schalke have been mixed this season so you never know what way a match against them is going to go.
Fortunately it went pretty well for us, we were pretty dominant during the entire game creating plenty of opportunities unfortunately our strikers let us down once more and so we didn't get anything to show for our efforts.
Unhappy that we didn't win this one as we definately deserved to, another match in which our strikers simple didn't do enough. On the plus side the defence seems to be more stable as we got our second clean sheet of the 4 games that we played.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176945
This game was very important, with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern being pretty dominant this year it looks like it will be a battle between us and Leverkusen for the 3rd place that will give a right to direct qualification into the Champions League group stage.
The players seemed to be aware of this as we started of really well grabbing the lead only 2 minutes in. The rest of the game was very evenly matched with both teams really giving it their best. Thankfully our defensive work paid off once more as we managed to keep another clean sheet, getting a very important win as a result.
Eintracht Frankfurt - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176944
Next up was another away game, this time against Eintracht Frankfurt.
This match was a really tight one. Both teams were very evenly matched across the board and so a draw is a very fair result.
Another match during which our attack didn't seem to work but also another clean sheet. Looks like my efforts to create a more stable defence are working, perhaps even too well given that it is costing us in the attack department. Perhaps a few modifications will do the trick...
Hamburger SV - 1. FSV Mainz 05
Like I said for this match I tried something different in the hopes of having a more lethal attack without losing our defensive security and boy did it work!
We absolutely dominated the match in every aspect. All Mainz could do was watch as we put in our best performance of the season. Funnily enough 2 of our center backs actually managed to score during this game, both getting their 1st goal for the club in the progress.
Very pleased with this win, it's too early to say that my tactical tweaks have revitalised our attacking prowess but as they say a good start is half the battle won.
February Review
View attachment 176938
February started of poorly for us as we were completely outclassed by Bayern and got knocked out of the cup as a result. The rest of the month was pretty decent getting a draw against Schalke and beating Bayer Leverkusen while also getting a point against Eintracht Frankfurt.
The month finished of on a really high note though as we put in our best performance of the season against Mainz beating them very convincingly 4-0.
We also managed to keep a clean sheet in all of our Bundesliga games that we played this month so that is very pleasing indeed.
Here is the table with 3 months left to go:
View attachment 176934
As you can see we are still 4th, only 2 points behind 3rd placed Leverkusen and 4 points ahead of VFB Stuttgart.
News
February saw the first managerial casualty of the season as RB Leipzig sacked Di Matteo who joined them at the beginning of this season.
View attachment 176931
His replacement will be Slomka who was brought over from Hertha BSC who will now be looking for a new manager.
View attachment 176930
We also had our annual youth intake with Nills Doring being the most promising player of the bunch.
View attachment 176925
View attachment 176924
Here's hoping no big club is going to show up and steal him away from us...
A Look Ahead: March
View attachment 176923
March will be a slower month for us as we only play 3 fixtures. All 3 of them are winnable so here's hoping that we continue in the same way as we left of against Mainz.
TheOtherSpecialOne
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View attachment 176096
March
Hannover 96 - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176095
We went into this game with our confident 4-0 over Mainz still fresh in our minds, could we continue were we left of?
Yes, we could as we put in another brilliant performance. Unfortunately Hannover were also very good and despite us edging the match statistics wise we didn't manage to do so in terms of goals scored.
Overal a somewhat disapointing result but not a disapointing performance. The only slightly concerning thing is that our defence today didn't look good at all were as they have been excellent for the past month.
Hamburger SV - FC Ingolstadt 04
View attachment 176093
Next up was a game against Ingolstadt. Before the match I expected this to be a rather easy win for us given our excellent home form and recent performances.
It didn't exactly turn out that way. Ingolstadt have become somewhat of an angstgegner for me as they always seem to do really well against me. This match was no different. Sure, we were the better team and should have taken the lead much earlier then we did but like I said Ingolstadt gave it their all.
For a long while I actually thought that we were headed for another disapointing draw so I am very pleased that we managed to get the 3 points in the end.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176090
Next up was Hoffenheim, another opponent that I always seem to struggle against.
Hoffenheim started the game much better then us and it was them who took the lead. Since we weren't getting anywere in the possession department I decided to go with a long ball strategy and it seemed to work as we managed to create more chances and even managed to equalise. In the second half Hoffenheim continued to be the better side but it was us who managed to score once more in the final minutes of the game and so we stole the 3 points.
March Review
View attachment 176089
Overal a pretty good month, the only minor disapointment is the draw against Hannover but our play during that match was encouraging so I'm not particularly worried.
This months achievements also means that we are now on a 7 game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga
View attachment 176088
Lets take a look at the table:
View attachment 176087
As you can see we are still 4th but things are very, very close at the top so anything can still happen. Meanwhile we also have a 5 point lead over 5th placed Stuttgart so that is nice aswell.
News
Were as March was a pretty slow month in terms of football being played it was a very tumultuous month at the club, the reaseon for this was one player: Lewis Holtby.
A while ago Holtby came to me asking for more first team football which I believe I gave him. Unfortunately he didn't see it the same way and as a result he told me that he wanted to leave.
Napoli came in with a bid in the region of 4.3 million which I rejected as I believe that it was simply too little for him. As a result the entire squad became angry at me for treating Holtby unfairly but a team meeting seemed to resolve most of the issues.
Then I offered Holtby to several clubs for 6 million (slightly more then his value) and in the end Gladbach made a move for him and he will now be joining them after this season is over.
View attachment 176085
As a result of all of this I have moved Holtby down to the 2nd team and I will certainly not be giving him any more playing time for the remainder of the season.
With the money from the Holtby transfer coming in (only got 75% due to the clubs financial situation) I had a meaty budget of 14,5 million. As a result I made a move for the player that I wanted to add during the winter break but whom I deemed to expensive at the time;
View attachment 176084
View attachment 176083
Very happy with this signing since I felt that our team really lacked a player like him, he's also been very good in the 2.Bundesliga this season so I am hoping that he can carry on in the same way for us.
Meanwhile Wolfsburg have sacked Frank de Boer
View attachment 176079
A Look Ahead: April
View attachment 176080
With the season entering its final stages lets take a look at our matches in April.
We start of with what should be an easy win for us against Dusseldorf whom are all but relegated. Then we have a tough game against Borussia Dortmund before facing Koln, Gladbach and fierce rivals Werder Bremen in the Nord Derby.
Here's hoping we can continue our unbeaten run for a little while longer...
March
Hannover 96 - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176095
We went into this game with our confident 4-0 over Mainz still fresh in our minds, could we continue were we left of?
Yes, we could as we put in another brilliant performance. Unfortunately Hannover were also very good and despite us edging the match statistics wise we didn't manage to do so in terms of goals scored.
Overal a somewhat disapointing result but not a disapointing performance. The only slightly concerning thing is that our defence today didn't look good at all were as they have been excellent for the past month.
Hamburger SV - FC Ingolstadt 04
View attachment 176093
Next up was a game against Ingolstadt. Before the match I expected this to be a rather easy win for us given our excellent home form and recent performances.
It didn't exactly turn out that way. Ingolstadt have become somewhat of an angstgegner for me as they always seem to do really well against me. This match was no different. Sure, we were the better team and should have taken the lead much earlier then we did but like I said Ingolstadt gave it their all.
For a long while I actually thought that we were headed for another disapointing draw so I am very pleased that we managed to get the 3 points in the end.
TSG 1899 Hoffenheim - Hamburger SV
View attachment 176090
Next up was Hoffenheim, another opponent that I always seem to struggle against.
Hoffenheim started the game much better then us and it was them who took the lead. Since we weren't getting anywere in the possession department I decided to go with a long ball strategy and it seemed to work as we managed to create more chances and even managed to equalise. In the second half Hoffenheim continued to be the better side but it was us who managed to score once more in the final minutes of the game and so we stole the 3 points.
March Review
View attachment 176089
Overal a pretty good month, the only minor disapointment is the draw against Hannover but our play during that match was encouraging so I'm not particularly worried.
This months achievements also means that we are now on a 7 game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga
View attachment 176088
Lets take a look at the table:
View attachment 176087
As you can see we are still 4th but things are very, very close at the top so anything can still happen. Meanwhile we also have a 5 point lead over 5th placed Stuttgart so that is nice aswell.
News
Were as March was a pretty slow month in terms of football being played it was a very tumultuous month at the club, the reaseon for this was one player: Lewis Holtby.
A while ago Holtby came to me asking for more first team football which I believe I gave him. Unfortunately he didn't see it the same way and as a result he told me that he wanted to leave.
Napoli came in with a bid in the region of 4.3 million which I rejected as I believe that it was simply too little for him. As a result the entire squad became angry at me for treating Holtby unfairly but a team meeting seemed to resolve most of the issues.
Then I offered Holtby to several clubs for 6 million (slightly more then his value) and in the end Gladbach made a move for him and he will now be joining them after this season is over.
View attachment 176085
As a result of all of this I have moved Holtby down to the 2nd team and I will certainly not be giving him any more playing time for the remainder of the season.
With the money from the Holtby transfer coming in (only got 75% due to the clubs financial situation) I had a meaty budget of 14,5 million. As a result I made a move for the player that I wanted to add during the winter break but whom I deemed to expensive at the time;
View attachment 176084
View attachment 176083
Very happy with this signing since I felt that our team really lacked a player like him, he's also been very good in the 2.Bundesliga this season so I am hoping that he can carry on in the same way for us.
Meanwhile Wolfsburg have sacked Frank de Boer
View attachment 176079
A Look Ahead: April
View attachment 176080
With the season entering its final stages lets take a look at our matches in April.
We start of with what should be an easy win for us against Dusseldorf whom are all but relegated. Then we have a tough game against Borussia Dortmund before facing Koln, Gladbach and fierce rivals Werder Bremen in the Nord Derby.
Here's hoping we can continue our unbeaten run for a little while longer...
TheOtherSpecialOne
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- Oct 26, 2014
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- 289
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View attachment 175994
April
Hamburger SV - Fortuna Dusseldorf
View attachment 175993
Dusseldorf were nr 1 relegation candidates at the beginning of the season and their season has gone pretty much as expected. Currently they are all but relegated, surely we should be able to take them easily?
We started the game of well enough as Valon Berisha scored his first goal for the club and gave us the lead 15 minutes in. Then Dusseldorf were awarded a completely unfair penalty but thankfully Adler managed to save it.
Still 10 minutes after the missed penalty they did manage to equalise making the score 1-1 as we headed into the break. In the second half we continued to be the dominant side but we simply didn't play as well as we should and so it took us quite a while to grab the goal that we were looking for. From that point on we just had to see the game out and we did exactly that.
Then came the game against Dortmund, before the game this was the table;
View attachment 175990
As you can see a win would do us the world of good
Borussia Dortmund - Hamburger SV
View attachment 175989
As you can see we actually managed to do it! We beat league leaders Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park.
Did we deserve to win? Maybe, fact is while Dortmund created more chances then us they simply weren't clinical enough and this match actually looked like it would end in a boring 0-0. Then, in the 87th minute we got a corner and David Abraham managed to score with a beautiful header giving us the 3 points!
This is a huge result for us especially with how close things are at the top, very happy!
There was however also some bad news as Lasogga got injured during the game
View attachment 175985
Hamburger SV - 1.FC Koln
View attachment 175987
Following our win against Dortmund we were on a 9 match unbeaten run. Could we continue our good form against Koln?
Like my previous matches against Koln this one was a pretty close one. The difference between the two teams basically came down to the following thing; the strikers. Our strikers (Schipplock and Gregoritsch) were in inspired form and shared the goals and assists between the two of them.
Another win and so our good form continues.
Borussia Monchengladbach - Hamburger SV
View attachment 175984
Gladbach are a good team so I was expecting a difficult game against them.
In reality however they turned out to be no match for us. We started the game of brilliantly as Berisha scored once more to give us an early lead. From that point on we were pretty much in control of the entire game and in the end I feel that we could have won this one with a much bigger margin then we ultimately did.
Still a very good win against a Gladbach team that aren't doing bad themselves is always nice, not to mention the fact that our unbeaten run continues on!
Hamburger SV - SV Werder Bremen
View attachment 175982
Then came the Nord Derby against fierce rivals Werder Bremen. We lost the previous match against them surely we could take them at home given our recent form?
Lets just say that I did not see this one coming. We were the much better team and totally deserved to get something out of this one. Bremen however managed to steal the 3 points from us ending our unbeaten run.
This is a very tough result to take for a couple of reasons; it marks the end of our impressive unbeaten run that lasted 11 matches, and this match means a lot to the fans so I am disapointed that we now lost both the Nord Derby's this season.
April Review
View attachment 175979
April looked like it was going to be the best month since I have joined HSV unfortunately a loss against rivals Werder Bremen meant that the month ended on a pretty sad note.
Still not a bad month overal especially given our impressive win over Dortmund.
With only 3 games left to go this is the table;
View attachment 175977
As you can see we are in 3rd place but things are incredibly close at the top so who knows were we'll end up...
News
In a very surprising turn of events Bayern have sacked Guardiola
View attachment 175975
His replacment is Rudi Garcia
View attachment 175974
This wasn't the only sacking this month however as Frank de Boer was also sacked at Wolfsburg and Weinzierl was announced as his replacement
View attachment 175973
As a result this left Augsburg managerless and so they hired...
View attachment 175972
Yup, they basically swapped managers because... why not?
Then we also got some very very bad news;
View attachment 175970
Demirbay is a key player for us and so this is quite a blow...
A Look Ahead: May
View attachment 175969
The final month of the season sees us play 3 matches.
First we face an impressive Stuttgart in what is undoubtedly going to be a tough game. Finally we end of the season against 2 sides that are struggling, Augsburg and RB Leipzig.
Can we finish of the season in style?
April
Hamburger SV - Fortuna Dusseldorf
View attachment 175993
Dusseldorf were nr 1 relegation candidates at the beginning of the season and their season has gone pretty much as expected. Currently they are all but relegated, surely we should be able to take them easily?
We started the game of well enough as Valon Berisha scored his first goal for the club and gave us the lead 15 minutes in. Then Dusseldorf were awarded a completely unfair penalty but thankfully Adler managed to save it.
Still 10 minutes after the missed penalty they did manage to equalise making the score 1-1 as we headed into the break. In the second half we continued to be the dominant side but we simply didn't play as well as we should and so it took us quite a while to grab the goal that we were looking for. From that point on we just had to see the game out and we did exactly that.
Then came the game against Dortmund, before the game this was the table;
View attachment 175990
As you can see a win would do us the world of good
Borussia Dortmund - Hamburger SV
View attachment 175989
As you can see we actually managed to do it! We beat league leaders Dortmund at the Signal Iduna Park.
Did we deserve to win? Maybe, fact is while Dortmund created more chances then us they simply weren't clinical enough and this match actually looked like it would end in a boring 0-0. Then, in the 87th minute we got a corner and David Abraham managed to score with a beautiful header giving us the 3 points!
This is a huge result for us especially with how close things are at the top, very happy!
There was however also some bad news as Lasogga got injured during the game
View attachment 175985
Hamburger SV - 1.FC Koln
View attachment 175987
Following our win against Dortmund we were on a 9 match unbeaten run. Could we continue our good form against Koln?
Like my previous matches against Koln this one was a pretty close one. The difference between the two teams basically came down to the following thing; the strikers. Our strikers (Schipplock and Gregoritsch) were in inspired form and shared the goals and assists between the two of them.
Another win and so our good form continues.
Borussia Monchengladbach - Hamburger SV
View attachment 175984
Gladbach are a good team so I was expecting a difficult game against them.
In reality however they turned out to be no match for us. We started the game of brilliantly as Berisha scored once more to give us an early lead. From that point on we were pretty much in control of the entire game and in the end I feel that we could have won this one with a much bigger margin then we ultimately did.
Still a very good win against a Gladbach team that aren't doing bad themselves is always nice, not to mention the fact that our unbeaten run continues on!
Hamburger SV - SV Werder Bremen
View attachment 175982
Then came the Nord Derby against fierce rivals Werder Bremen. We lost the previous match against them surely we could take them at home given our recent form?
Lets just say that I did not see this one coming. We were the much better team and totally deserved to get something out of this one. Bremen however managed to steal the 3 points from us ending our unbeaten run.
This is a very tough result to take for a couple of reasons; it marks the end of our impressive unbeaten run that lasted 11 matches, and this match means a lot to the fans so I am disapointed that we now lost both the Nord Derby's this season.
April Review
View attachment 175979
April looked like it was going to be the best month since I have joined HSV unfortunately a loss against rivals Werder Bremen meant that the month ended on a pretty sad note.
Still not a bad month overal especially given our impressive win over Dortmund.
With only 3 games left to go this is the table;
View attachment 175977
As you can see we are in 3rd place but things are incredibly close at the top so who knows were we'll end up...
News
In a very surprising turn of events Bayern have sacked Guardiola
View attachment 175975
His replacment is Rudi Garcia
View attachment 175974
This wasn't the only sacking this month however as Frank de Boer was also sacked at Wolfsburg and Weinzierl was announced as his replacement
View attachment 175973
As a result this left Augsburg managerless and so they hired...
View attachment 175972
Yup, they basically swapped managers because... why not?
Then we also got some very very bad news;
View attachment 175970
Demirbay is a key player for us and so this is quite a blow...
A Look Ahead: May
View attachment 175969
The final month of the season sees us play 3 matches.
First we face an impressive Stuttgart in what is undoubtedly going to be a tough game. Finally we end of the season against 2 sides that are struggling, Augsburg and RB Leipzig.
Can we finish of the season in style?
TheOtherSpecialOne
Member
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- 289
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View attachment 175793
May
VFB Stuttgart - Hamburger SV
View attachment 175792
We headed into this game with the knowledge that a win here would see us qualify for the preliminary stages for next year's Champions League.
Stuttgart have proven that they are an excellent side, last year they finished in 5th place and won the DFB Pokal, this year they are again in 5th place and are still contending for a spot among the top 4. This was therefor always going to be a difficult match.
Still I feel that this win was completely underserved. We were the dominant side for the entire match, it was Stuttgart however that took the lead. We kept pounding them but couldn't force anything before half time.
In the second half they received a red card, as a result I felt that getting atleast one goal back was very doable, unfortunately we did not. As a result the team grew very frustrated, as did I to be honest.
With 15 minutes left I then decided to go all in in order to atleast salvage a point this however backfired as Stuttgart hit us on the counter and doubled their lead.
Very unhappy at this result since we deserved much more. Also with this loss Stuttgart are now getting closer and closer to us so there could even be a chance that we'll end up paying dearly for this one...
Hamburger SV - FC Augsburg
View attachment 175789
Augsburg have been very poor this season and are amongst the top contenders to be relegated alongside Dusseldorf. Following our bad results against Bremen and Stuttgart this was surely going to be the match that would see us return to our winning ways?
Atleast that's what you would have thought before the match, I certainly did. Things however did not go as planned as Augsburg played very well and were pretty much equal to us. Still with mere minutes to go we were in the lead 2-1 I felt confident that we could see it through... we did not. Augsburg managed to equalise from a corner kick and as a result we lost 2 very valuable points.
Now this match just made me angry, we had a solid 2 goal lead and then we just gave it away. To make things even worse Ekdal was actually disinterested during the game... maybe the pressure is getting to the players?
RB Leipzig - Hamburger SV
View attachment 175782
Then came RB Leipzig... another team that we should easily beat, another team that we did not.
Don't really know what to tell you anymore, these last few games haven't been our best ones but we certainly didn't play badly either. Ever since the injury of Demirbay happened however we seem to be lacking that one extra bit that could push us past our opponents...
Very disapointing end to the season...
May Review
View attachment 175779
No need to waste a lot of words here, it was simply pathetic...
The final table looks like this;
View attachment 175778
One bad month ended up costing us our entire season... we finish in 5th place after being in the top 4 for most of the season... no Champions League next year, instead we qualify directly for the group stages of the Europa League.
Who knows since we were so outclassed in the Champions League this year round maybe getting into the Europa League will prove to be a blessing in disguise? One thing is for certain however next year I want nothing but Champions League qualification...
News
Looking at the table the following things are clear;
Leverkusen have won the Bundesliga, that was not the only thing they won however as they also managed to beat Bayern in the final of the DFB Pokal and so they did the double
View attachment 175777
Despite the disapointing end to our season there was however also some very pleasing news for us
View attachment 175776
As a result I have been given quite a big transfer budget
View attachment 175775
This does not mean however that I'm just going to be throwing the money around however. The club is now finally in a healthy state and I plan to keep it that way. I will look for decent bargains first and foremost.
View attachment 175773 So that was the 2016/17 season. Overal a pretty mixed season.
Our Champions League performance was pretty bad as we were completely outclassed.
In the DFB-Pokal meanwhile we did pretty decently getting into the quarter final before getting knocked out by Bayern.
In the league meanwhile we didn't do that badly either, sure a 5th place is very disapointing certainly given the fact that we were in the top 4 for most of the season but we did improve upon last years point tally by 1...
Next year however we need to be better, I will settle for nothing less then Champions League qualification.
I hope you'll join me in my journey.
May
VFB Stuttgart - Hamburger SV
View attachment 175792
We headed into this game with the knowledge that a win here would see us qualify for the preliminary stages for next year's Champions League.
Stuttgart have proven that they are an excellent side, last year they finished in 5th place and won the DFB Pokal, this year they are again in 5th place and are still contending for a spot among the top 4. This was therefor always going to be a difficult match.
Still I feel that this win was completely underserved. We were the dominant side for the entire match, it was Stuttgart however that took the lead. We kept pounding them but couldn't force anything before half time.
In the second half they received a red card, as a result I felt that getting atleast one goal back was very doable, unfortunately we did not. As a result the team grew very frustrated, as did I to be honest.
With 15 minutes left I then decided to go all in in order to atleast salvage a point this however backfired as Stuttgart hit us on the counter and doubled their lead.
Very unhappy at this result since we deserved much more. Also with this loss Stuttgart are now getting closer and closer to us so there could even be a chance that we'll end up paying dearly for this one...
Hamburger SV - FC Augsburg
View attachment 175789
Augsburg have been very poor this season and are amongst the top contenders to be relegated alongside Dusseldorf. Following our bad results against Bremen and Stuttgart this was surely going to be the match that would see us return to our winning ways?
Atleast that's what you would have thought before the match, I certainly did. Things however did not go as planned as Augsburg played very well and were pretty much equal to us. Still with mere minutes to go we were in the lead 2-1 I felt confident that we could see it through... we did not. Augsburg managed to equalise from a corner kick and as a result we lost 2 very valuable points.
Now this match just made me angry, we had a solid 2 goal lead and then we just gave it away. To make things even worse Ekdal was actually disinterested during the game... maybe the pressure is getting to the players?
RB Leipzig - Hamburger SV
View attachment 175782
Then came RB Leipzig... another team that we should easily beat, another team that we did not.
Don't really know what to tell you anymore, these last few games haven't been our best ones but we certainly didn't play badly either. Ever since the injury of Demirbay happened however we seem to be lacking that one extra bit that could push us past our opponents...
Very disapointing end to the season...
May Review
View attachment 175779
No need to waste a lot of words here, it was simply pathetic...
The final table looks like this;
View attachment 175778
One bad month ended up costing us our entire season... we finish in 5th place after being in the top 4 for most of the season... no Champions League next year, instead we qualify directly for the group stages of the Europa League.
Who knows since we were so outclassed in the Champions League this year round maybe getting into the Europa League will prove to be a blessing in disguise? One thing is for certain however next year I want nothing but Champions League qualification...
News
Looking at the table the following things are clear;
Leverkusen have won the Bundesliga, that was not the only thing they won however as they also managed to beat Bayern in the final of the DFB Pokal and so they did the double
View attachment 175777
Despite the disapointing end to our season there was however also some very pleasing news for us
View attachment 175776
As a result I have been given quite a big transfer budget
View attachment 175775
This does not mean however that I'm just going to be throwing the money around however. The club is now finally in a healthy state and I plan to keep it that way. I will look for decent bargains first and foremost.
View attachment 175773 So that was the 2016/17 season. Overal a pretty mixed season.
Our Champions League performance was pretty bad as we were completely outclassed.
In the DFB-Pokal meanwhile we did pretty decently getting into the quarter final before getting knocked out by Bayern.
In the league meanwhile we didn't do that badly either, sure a 5th place is very disapointing certainly given the fact that we were in the top 4 for most of the season but we did improve upon last years point tally by 1...
Next year however we need to be better, I will settle for nothing less then Champions League qualification.
I hope you'll join me in my journey.
Unfortunate ending to the season, but never the less it should be seen as another good season by yourself.
Nice healthy transfer budget which should allow to strengthen with some hidden (relatively cheap) gems who can hopefully propel you back in to challenging for the title.
Fantastic layout of your story by the way, keep up the good work.
Nice healthy transfer budget which should allow to strengthen with some hidden (relatively cheap) gems who can hopefully propel you back in to challenging for the title.
Fantastic layout of your story by the way, keep up the good work.
andy_14clark
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Cracking story and look forward to see who you bring in with the money you have now been given to spend.
TheOtherSpecialOne
Member
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Yup I hope that next year we'll be able to do better, challenging for the title is going to be a tough ask but since we've already come pretty close this year I don't see a reason why we should not atleast try to. Thanks for your support
Thanks, I've already got my eye on some players so expect some news on that front soon