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"Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning" the captain started, startling me out of my sleep. "We're making our initial descent into Dusseldorf - we'll be on the ground in 30 minutes."
As the flight attendants began the usual routine about tray tables and seat backs, I began to gather my thoughts.
I peered out the window at the football-mad nation thousands of meters below me. In just a few minutes, I'd be landing in the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state. As football states go, North Rhine-Westphalia is second only to Bavaria in historical success.
In the 2012-2013 Bundesliga, the state boasted 5 Bundesliga sides: Bavaria's Bayern of course dominated the table, but Westphalia sides Dortmund, Leverkusen, and Schalke finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively. Elsewhere, Mönchengladbach finished mid-table, and Fortuna Dusseldorf's uninspiring campaign found them relegated to the 2. Bundesliga for 2013-2014. FC Koln fought valiantly to replace their rivals next season, but came up just short of their promotion goal.
I, of course, would be headed to neither of these places. Right about the time the captain made his announcement, I gathered, my driver would be leaving his regular post to meet me at Dusseldorf's International Arrivals terminal. After exchanging pleasantries, we'll be headed to Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena: home of MSV Duisburg - 3. Liga's newest member and my new employer.
Duisburg's 2012-2013 campaign in the 2.Bundesliga was a mixed bag. On the pitch, they managed an 11th place finish, safely clear of the relegation slots. Off the pitch, however, the team was plagued by rumors of financial troubles. The front office put on a brave face, but the rumors were confirmed as true near the end of the season as Duisburg was denied a license for 2013-2014, automatically relegating them (after an unsuccessful appeal) to the 3. Liga. Anger of course followed: perhaps the only fans in all of Germany of Duisburg's front office were Sandhausen supporters whose team was spared the relegation that they had earned on the pitch.
In the aftermath that followed, Duisburg's board concluded that unconventional times called for an unconventional manager, and after an unconventional search, they offered me the Manager post.
I had asked club President Udo Kirmse to send a team driver, rather than Assistant Manager Markus Reiter, to meet me at the airport. I can only assume that Markus took this as a sign that his days at Duisburg are over, and he'd be right. While Duisburg's troubles are the fault of the board, and not the coaching staff, the scandal brought with it a culture of failure and ineptitude to the club. Fair or not, I had already determined my first course of action upon arriving in Duisburg: mutually terminating the contracts of the entire coaching, physio, and scouting staffs, without exception. By the time the press would arrive for the noon press conference, the only Duisburg employees on the clock would be myself and the board, and of course our driver.
This would be a true new beginning.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning" the captain started, startling me out of my sleep. "We're making our initial descent into Dusseldorf - we'll be on the ground in 30 minutes."
As the flight attendants began the usual routine about tray tables and seat backs, I began to gather my thoughts.
I peered out the window at the football-mad nation thousands of meters below me. In just a few minutes, I'd be landing in the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state. As football states go, North Rhine-Westphalia is second only to Bavaria in historical success.
In the 2012-2013 Bundesliga, the state boasted 5 Bundesliga sides: Bavaria's Bayern of course dominated the table, but Westphalia sides Dortmund, Leverkusen, and Schalke finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively. Elsewhere, Mönchengladbach finished mid-table, and Fortuna Dusseldorf's uninspiring campaign found them relegated to the 2. Bundesliga for 2013-2014. FC Koln fought valiantly to replace their rivals next season, but came up just short of their promotion goal.
I, of course, would be headed to neither of these places. Right about the time the captain made his announcement, I gathered, my driver would be leaving his regular post to meet me at Dusseldorf's International Arrivals terminal. After exchanging pleasantries, we'll be headed to Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena: home of MSV Duisburg - 3. Liga's newest member and my new employer.
Duisburg's 2012-2013 campaign in the 2.Bundesliga was a mixed bag. On the pitch, they managed an 11th place finish, safely clear of the relegation slots. Off the pitch, however, the team was plagued by rumors of financial troubles. The front office put on a brave face, but the rumors were confirmed as true near the end of the season as Duisburg was denied a license for 2013-2014, automatically relegating them (after an unsuccessful appeal) to the 3. Liga. Anger of course followed: perhaps the only fans in all of Germany of Duisburg's front office were Sandhausen supporters whose team was spared the relegation that they had earned on the pitch.
In the aftermath that followed, Duisburg's board concluded that unconventional times called for an unconventional manager, and after an unconventional search, they offered me the Manager post.
I had asked club President Udo Kirmse to send a team driver, rather than Assistant Manager Markus Reiter, to meet me at the airport. I can only assume that Markus took this as a sign that his days at Duisburg are over, and he'd be right. While Duisburg's troubles are the fault of the board, and not the coaching staff, the scandal brought with it a culture of failure and ineptitude to the club. Fair or not, I had already determined my first course of action upon arriving in Duisburg: mutually terminating the contracts of the entire coaching, physio, and scouting staffs, without exception. By the time the press would arrive for the noon press conference, the only Duisburg employees on the clock would be myself and the board, and of course our driver.
This would be a true new beginning.
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