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Author Topic: The Wurst is yet to come : generally jaundiced jottings from German jaunts.  (Read 5475 times)

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JCFC

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Alighting at the Onkel Toms Hütte U-Bahn station, the search for Harriet Beecher's toe proved fruitless, VAR having ruled it offside. On finding, not without difficulty, the right entrance to the complex, it was a surprise to receive an iced biscuit with the club's name. Though not quite in the same league as Emley's mince pie and sherry, it was a nice gesture nonetheless.

Saturday 14th December 2019
Oberliga Nord-Ost Nord
FC Hertha 03 Zehlendorf   1   v   2   MSV Pampow
Johnny Schiefer (Annaberg-Buchholz); Max Bringmann, Ronny Walter.

This match saw fourth entertaining sixth, so an even contest was expected. Zehlendorf fired a great chance wide on 8 minutes, but despite some good approach play, there were few clear scoring opportunities.  Herr Schiefer was not proving typical of German referees at this level, by being willing to allow tackles and commendably deaf to yelps of agony. A challenge by the Zehlendorf number 9 to the back of an opponent's leg might well have merited a yellow card, but Herr Schiefer settled for just the free-kick. On 36 minutes a strong blast on the whistle preceded an instant red card for the Pampow number 23, for an offence after the ball had gone. Those of us under cover had followed the ball and missed the offence, so credit to Herr Schiefer for his trailing eye. The dismissed player had a long walk round to the opposite corner, allowing time for an intervention from the visiting bosses, with one talking his way into a yellow card. On 40 minutes there was nearly a looped own-goal from a Zehlendorf defender, but a colleague managed to scoop it away just in time. Pampow were not to be denied, though, and took the lead before the break. One would have expected the assistants to race to their colleague's side at the half-time whistle, but they were disappointingly leisurely in their reaction. Herr Walter did get there before the Pampow boss could start his extended protests, while Herr Bringmann eventually shooed away a Pampow player. The diatribe stopped as the officials left the field and there appeared to be a Pampow council meeting in the corner, with a track-suited individual (the dismissed player?) making a gesture that could have been interpreted as an elbow.


Zehlendorf applied plenty of pressure after the restart. An attacker went down in a coming together in the Pampow penalty area, but there were no protests when Herr Schiefer waved play on. For all their pressure Zehlendorf could not land the necessary blow and on 63 minutes a rapid Pampow break was halted by an unwise challenge by the Zehlendorf number 4  - yellow card, penalty and 0-2.There could have been a third, a poor clearance leaving a Pampow attacker free, but the keeper redeemed himself with a block. On 68 minutes Zehlendorf finally made their pressure tell, the goal being greeted with a burst of music from the tannoy, something that had not happened at the earlier scores. Within two minutes a pointless barge after the ball had gone gave Zehlendorf the chance to equalise from the spot, but the kick was blasted wide. A further great chance was then skied way over the bar. The Zehlendorf keeper made another crucial block with his feet,while the Pampow keeper made a couple of very comfortable takes. Zehlendorf picked up two yellows in quick succession in the 89th minute and even when their keeper came up for a corner, Zehlendorf could not find an equaliser.

The officials were well received at the end and deservedly so. It had been a slightly odd game, with many instances of handshakes and apologies between players. At 21, though his swarthy complexion and beard make him appear older, Herr Schiefer is considered a good prospect, at least in his home area (admittedly not a hotbed of German refereeing.)  Overall he put in an impressive, confident display and was not frightened to make strong decisions. What particularly impressed was his awareness of potential flashpoints and ability to step in to defuse matters in an unobtrusive way. In England his prospects would be very good: whether his admirable departure from the more usual German robotic style will hold him back remains to be seen. It is to be hoped not.

And the 13.00 kick-off time allowed the journey back to be made in daylight,  though the highlight was the super Heidelberger Platz underground station.

« Last Edit: Sat 14 Dec 2019 21:34 by JCFC »
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JCFC

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A dreich morning gave way at noon to bright sunshine, making for a pleasant short walk through the quiet Moabit neighbourhood and a park to arrive in good time for the 13.30 kick-off of

Sunday 15th December 2019
Regionalliga Nord-Ost
Berliner Athletik Klub 07   3   v   3   FSV  Union Fürstenwalde
Lars Albert (Leipzig); Johnny Schiefer, Ronny Walter..

 A step up from the two previous matches, the admission was only €8, but the attendance a rather disappointing 162 - perhaps people are deterred by the awful club song "Run BAK,* - it can be found via Google, but is not recommended. It is unusual at this level to find a referee of such advanced years (Herr Albert is 41.) He is tall and rangy and moved around effectively with a long loping stride. The two assistants were of course familiar from the previous day.

With 11th hosting 7th an even match was anticipated, but ideas changed when Fürstenwalde tapped in from a corner in the first minute and came close again in the second. BAK  did get their act together, heading against the bar on 10 minutes and equalising after a weak clearance. The Fürstenwalde defence was all over the place three minutes later, with the keeper scrambling desperately as BAK hit the bar once again, but this time the danger passed. The next quarter of an hour was less eventful, until a rash challenge saw Herr Albert produce an instant red card for the BAK number 6. Herr Schiefer again did well to step in to forestall the imminent retaliation of visiting players. Herr Albert, meanwhile, was showing yellow to a member of the BAK staff who had stepped onto the pitch to protest. There was a yellow for the BAK number 3 for a foul and one for the visiting number 24 for tapping the ball away at a throw-in. It was again disappointing after a half with a controversial incident that the assistants did not sprint to the referee's side as two BAK players wanted a word with him. Herr Schiefer was busy receiving a handshake from the BAK boss.

BAK were slow to come out for the second half and even slower to get into their stride, as Fürstenwalde were immediately able to roll the ball under the keeper to go ahead once more. Just before the hour Herr Albert raced as if to award BAK a penalty, only to notice that Herr Albert's offside flag had been up for some time.  A good run saw a BAK attacker fire over the bar before the visiting number 16 received a yellow card for a foul firmly flagged by Herr Walter. Fürstenwalde were offering little and it seemed obvious that any further score would come from BAK. It was not to be as on 86 minutes the home keeper advanced to control a nothing ball with his body, but merely presented it to a.token attacker who gratefully rolled it into an unguarded net. On 89 minutes BAK  scored with a good shot into the top corner and equalised rather too easily in stoppage time.

Herr Albert's was an interesting technique with lots of finger-wagging on the hoof, but it proved effective on the whole, with no recriminations at the end. Both assistants switched hands naturally. It must be said, though, that Herr Schiefer impressed rather less on the line than he had in the middle: his offside flag needs to be firmer, while occasionally he seemed to lose position slightly through ball-watching. He must have something, though, as at the final whistle he received handshakes and cuddles from all the BAK technical staff - not since Ben Toner at Padiham has JCFC witnessed such a response to an official.

It was disappointing that all three matches took place within an athletics track, but good to see nine pairs of long sleeves - three yellow, three red and three black. Tomorrow JCFC says Goodbye to Berlin, these teams having already said Goodbye to Football - their rext match not being until February 2nd.

« Last Edit: Sun 15 Dec 2019 19:30 by JCFC »
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bmb

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Hajrá Lilák. Csak a Kispest. Hajrá Magyarok! Hajrá játékvezetői csapat! Soha ne add fel. Nincs sárga kérem!!! No Chris Kavanagh doesn't live in Ashton or even in the Greater Manchester area!!

JCFC

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I hope they have a better club song!
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I haven't seen the oddly-named Tasmania Berlin mentioned anywhere since they left the Bundesliga in 1966 after one spectacularly inglorious season.

JCFC

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On this occasion I had fortunately booked flights with Eurowings rather than flybe, so the trip to Germany is going ahead, starting with

Friday 6th March 2020
3. Liga
MSV Duisburg   1   v   0   FC Magdeburg
Florian Badstübner (Windsbach); Julius Martenstein, Christopher Schwarzmann.

When the appointment was published, there was a certain sense of disappointment that the referee was one seen, albeit somewhat distantly, earlier this season.

Despite a poor run recently, Duisburg were still top of the table, and some of their slick football showed why, though JCFC was still staring at a virgin page when they took the lead on 25 minutes. On 33 minutes they had a chance - the ball was slipped under the advancing keeper, but with not enough pace to cross the line before a defender could get back to clear. Two minutes later the Magdeburg number 2 went down when tackled, Herr Badstübner immediately signalling no foul. The ball went out of play as number 2 regained his feet and the unfortunate Herr Schwarzmann  took the full force of his complaints - until Herr Badstübner ran across to sort it out. Magdeburg threatened a couple of times just before the break, but to no effect.

They had an even better chance on the restart, but pulled the shot wide.Things were proving more even, but the visiting keeper had a decent save to make on 54 minutes. A barge in the back of a breaking player brought the game's first yellow for the home number 10. On the hour the Magdeburg number 2 went down in a challenge by the home number 9 on the far touchline. Herr Badstübner, as ever, was where he needed to be and the red card was instantly produced. He looked to be indicating the use of the knee, but as number 2 had to depart on a stretcher, there was probably more to it than that - and there were few complaints from Duisburg. From that point Magdeburg were on top, though they did pick up a deserved yellow when Duisburg's rare attack was crudely stopped.The closing stages  saw the home keeper make a couple of showy saves, while the Magdeburg number 8 received a yellow card in added time for a foul.

At Illertissen, Herr Badstübner had been competent without impressing unduly: in this game it was clear that he was communicating with players - and effectively judging by the responses - and he did have a smile on occasions, and showed why he is on the 2. Liga list. The final seconds, though could have been dealt with more sensibly, perhaps: at a goal kick there were briefly two balls on the pitch, the keeper tossing back the replacement, just as the Magdeburg number 11 raced to hoof the other one into the stand. The final whistle was then blown - it would have been more judicious to wait for the restart (against all JCFC's usual rants) as number 11 was unimpressed to say the least. That said, Herr Badstübner had been good at dealing with time-wasting and had also made a generous allowance of added time. Overall a very good display, though the last second possibly cost him marks.
« Last Edit: Fri 06 Mar 2020 21:36 by JCFC »
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JCFC

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The planned match for Saturday had been SV Lippstadt against Sportfreunde Lotte, but though both teams resolutely showed the match as going ahead, the DFB was so convinced that it would not, that it did not bother to appoint officials -and they were proved correct. Plan B therefore came into operation, an early breakfast meaning a timely arrival at

Saturday7th March 2020
A-Junioren Bundesliga West
Fortuna Düsseldorf   0   v   5   Bayer Leverkusen
Felix Weller (Neunkirchen); David Wagener, Fabian Spitzer.

Again a familiar referee was in charge, but this time through JCFC's deliberate choice. Herr Weller did not disappoint: fluid movement, with a nice reverse gear, sound triage with good use of advantage and well-modulated whistle made for a very good showing in what was admittedly not a difficult match. Unfortunately the distance was too great to establish whether he has yet learned to use his smile.

The two teams were level on points, Leverkusen inching into fourth place by virtue of a one better goal difference. On 3 minutes a Leverkusen lattacker worked a great opening for a left foot shot, but seemed to have missed the boat when he cut back inside - that is until his right foot shot hit the back of the net. A good Fortuna cross was headed wide on 12 minutes,  but on 29 minutes they gave the ball away in midfield and the visitors took advantage to double their lead. The home side did create chances, but their finishing was tame. When the Leverkusen keeper flapped at a corner and missed, a defender was there to clear off the line. Their best chance of all came on 35 minutes, SRA1 flagging confidently for a penalty for a clear foul, ,but the shot hit the post and the rebound was cleared. The taker's misery grew when he was correctly cautioned  for a badly mistimed challenge.

Any thoughts of a Düsseldorf second-half comeback lasted just a minute, before Leverkusen scored their third, adding a fourth on 54 minutes. At substitutions the home players were very disciplined in leaving the pitch by the shortest route.. There was a caution for a home defender after an advantage and a fifth goal for Leverkusen as the pass and run timings were just enough to beat the offside. SRA1 made an excellent lofted kick of the replacement ball from ground to far corner and earned a round of applause from the surprisingly large crowd of 212.. The Live Ticker did not record a six-goal Fortuna turnaround, nor any further disciplinary sanctions, JCFC having left five minutes early to avoid being ten minutes late at ...
« Last Edit: Tue 10 Mar 2020 21:11 by JCFC »

JCFC

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Saturday 7th March 2020
Regionalliga West
Wuppertaler SV   2   v   0   TuS Haltern am See
Martin Tietze (Bonn); Mario Heller, Peter Bonczek.

Play got under way promptly and was equally promptly halted. The Wuppertal Ultras had unfurled three long banners with unsuitable slogans. Herr Tietze sought out the home captain who in turn sought out the announcer, who said that the banners should be removed to allow the match to proceed. Play restarted, the banners were removed, replaced briefly by one stating what the DFB could do to itself. Wuppertal had a powerful shot, but over the bar; Haltern beat the keeper with a shot on the turn, but hit the post and blasted the rebound straight at the keeper.The home number 27 was warned for a strong clatter from behind; Haltern netted in the subsequent play, but were rightly denied by the offside flag.A good cross beyond the far post, a header back and a firm nod home gave Wuppertal the lead on 28 minutes. Two home players received yellow cards, one for a push, one for a trip. A Haltern shot skimmed the bar and then it was Wuppertal's turn to have an effort ruled out for offside.

A rugby tackle by a defender just outside the Haltern penalty area drew a free-kick, but not the yellow card that it demanded. The yel!ow  did appear shortly afterwards for a trip by the home number 24. On 55 minutes the Haltern defenders were drawn horribly out of position and Wuppertal added their second. There were some decent saves by the Haltern goalie - one a double effort - another yellow for a Wuppertal defender, but no further scores.

When Herr Heller had been seen refereeing two years ago, he looked 40, though only 28. This time the view was more distant and the now 30 year old could well have passed for 55. He had been a competent referee in the game at Ahlen and proved a competent assistant here, with 9/10 for hand switching. Not so Herr Bonczek, whose 1/10 was earned solely because he did not actually drop his flag. He seemed amiable in his chats with ball boys and occasionally with nearby players and flagged willingly for offences in his vicinity. Facially he did not appear old, but he lacked the urgency to put himself in the best position to judge offside - or maybe his running was restricted by a painful case of nappy rash.  Referee Tietze seemed accurate in his assessment of fouls, and played some good advantages, but seemed rather hit or miss with his use of cards. From a distance he looked to have a certain jolliness potential, though it may have been a trick of the light. He whistled overlong in German style - not something apparent in the two preceding games. At 29, his prospects of further upward moves are not great and JCFC was ultimately slightly underwhelmed, particularly as he was the only one of the nine officials to date to lower the tone by wearing short sleeves.
« Last Edit: Sun 08 Mar 2020 08:47 by JCFC »

JCFC

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The weekend finished with a sortie close to the Dutch border (another area known to Quo Cob, perhaps, given his Gladbach allegiance) and despite an hour's delay when a connection was cancelled, I arrived at Breyell in plenty of time  for

Sunday 8th March 2020
Oberliga Niederrhein
SV Union Nettetal   0   v    0   1.FC Kleve
Daniel Hachtkemper (Bocholt); Dr Thomas Dickmann,  Michael Burian.

It is hard for an old codger like JCFC to take seriously an official with a man bun and sure enough the idea of switching his flag proved totally beyond SRA2, who admittedly was otherwise competent. As was to be expected of someone with a doctorate, this was no problem to SRA1. At first sight it seemed that he might match the first syllable of his surname (in the German rather than the English sense) but that was perhaps a shade harsh. His poor attempt at a beard, however, did him no favours. Herr Hachtkemper was fair-haired, and had he had the good sense to wear long sleeves for added gravitas, he might have cut quite a dash.

The morning had been sunny, but by the time the ground was reached, drizzle had arrived, making the afternoon grey and dismal - and to be honest the game rather fell into the same category. Herr Hachtkemper was energetic in his movement, but had relatively little to do in the first half. It took him a little too long to spot, or be informed, that two players were down in the goal area on 26 minutes. A Nettetal player was dispossessed on 38 minutes with a challenge that was part jump and part slide, the weighting in favour of the latter. Herr Hachtkemper saw nothing wrong: not so the Nettetal bench, who were briefly up in arms.

On 49 minutes a substantial clatter in the back of a Union player did not receive the caution it probably deserved. The free-kick, though, was excellent and was kept out only by a combination of keeper, crossbar and defender. Otherwise Kleve were on top, but could not take their chances. The final quarter brought one caution for each side, but the final whistle was a relief. Herr Hachtkemper had been competent, without really hitting the heights. Good, but not special.

An earlier second team match meant that this game had been scheduled for 15.15, meaning that there would be a wait of 50 minutes on a bare station platform. Overall the best feature of the afternoon had been the coffee and cake in the clubhouse before kick-off.

Next weekend Caledonia calls again!
« Last Edit: Tue 17 Mar 2020 09:09 by JCFC »
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Microscopist

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Next weekend Caledonia calls again!
Taking any excuse to move off topic ... I attended a farmer friend's funeral on Friday.  Our minister excels at funerals and this was a very uplifting funeral as he told stories my friend's long and interesting life.  He was a long suffering Ayr United supporter and generous too, the minister believed that he had "put his hand in his pocket when Ayr needed new floodlights".  However, I think that it was probably apocryphal that he offered to rebuild Somerset Park ... "with the seats facing outwards rather than inwards".
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JCFC

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Straying equally far off topic: with Germany now "repelling boarders" it seems certain that the trip I had booked for May,starting in Hamburg and finishing in Wroclaw but based largely in Saxony, will not be able to take place. This is a shame, as I had particularly been looking forward to an Oberliga fixture on May 10th, which offered the unusual chance to take a short river crossing by ferry en route to the ground.

Anybody already bored out of their wits might relish the challenge of identifying the venue in question, but I imagine most folks are too sensible to care.
« Last Edit: Mon 23 Mar 2020 17:21 by JCFC »
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Microscopist

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Sad, perhaps even sadder, but not bored.  It means I can get some physical exercise refurbishing my bathroom and with the closure of our Church building some mental exercise helping workout how to put services online.  Our first effort can be seen here -
Meantime, I note that there are a few ferries shown as crossing the Elba in Hamburg and that Union Tornesch were to play on May 10th.
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Ref Watcher

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Straying equally far off topic: with Germany now "repelling boarders" it seems certain that the trip I had booked for May,starting in Hamburg and finishing in Wroclaw but based largely in Saxony, will not be able to take place. This is a shame, as I had particularly been looking forward to an Oberliga fixture on May 10th, which offered the unusual chance to take a short river crossing by ferry en route to the ground.

Anybody already bored out of their wits might relish the challenge of identifying the venue in question, but I imagine most folks are too sensible to care.
I am not (yet) bored enough to wade through all the Oberliga fixtures to come up with an educated case but one possibility that came to mind was Bremen.  I recall the Weserstadion being accessible by ferry.  That's not so far from Hamburg, although a considerable distance from Saxony.  Do Werder have a junior team playing at Oberliga level?

Sorry that you're missing out on Wrocław; it's stunning.  If you have not been before I would thoroughly recommend rearranging this trip when possible just for that.
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JCFC

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Nice ideas folks, but...

Hamburg was only a one-night stopover, arranged when flybe folded and I could no longer fly to Hannover, so neither suggestion is valid. On the day in question I would have been staying in Leipzig, though the game in question would have been in a neighbouring Land, though still accessible using a Sachsenticket on the trains.

I have been to Wroclaw once before and share Ref Watcher's enthusiasm for it (though again this was to have been a one-night pre-flight stopover.) Gdansk, however, is the favourite of the Polish cities I have visited, but curiously I did enjoy Lodz as well, though I'm not sure why!
« Last Edit: Tue 24 Mar 2020 13:14 by JCFC »
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JCFC

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A marvellous window, Microscopist, but I missed the louse, which was originally seen in church, was it not?