Second division comments from the weekend 15-18.10.2010, the 8th matchday

The comments recorded here were selected “at random”. They are recordings from the programme of the broadcaster Sky Deutschland.

The idea is to point out the deficiencies of the reporting, as this is based on alleged deficiencies of the football players, which, even if correctly recognised, would still have no place in the commentators’ mouths. The mistakes that the footballers are supposed to have made are constantly recognised, and at the same time the tone ranges from contemptuous to condescending to know-it-all, which is in no way suitable for the primary aim of an entertainment programme in the broader sense. So it takes some effort to even listen to these comments, let alone do so repeatedly, only to feel personally obliged to the primary goal of driving this cart out of the mud. In this way, Sky is not only being ruined in this country, but could even cause considerable damage to the English parent company, which is possibly dreaming of domestic conditions here and – not without good reason, by the way – sees a huge potential that simply needs to be served fairly and correctly, entertainingly and emotionally according to the English model.

The structure is such that – the reader may excuse it, but the lack of entertainment value and the unmistakable malice coupled with well-founded cluelessness does not come from one’s own pen – the German commentary has been completely recorded in phases. However, you don’t have to slog through this part, it only serves a certain completeness. Afterwards, the commentary is “picked apart” sentence by sentence, in the true sense of the word.

First of all, here are a few randomly recorded minutes from the Rot-Weiß Oberhausen – TSV 1860 München match from the afternoon of 17 October 2010. This is the option of the individual match. Start of recording occurred at 31:20 of play.

The Löwen are trying hard to make the game somehow, but incredibly difficult against this Oberhausen team, other teams have had to or have been allowed to experience that this season. At the moment only 10 Oberhausen players on the pitch because Schönfeld is injured. Rukavina …

Schönfeld is in again and Bell clears. Spieker. Ball was already out.

So they’re having fun and they’re warming up a bit, the Löwen fans. As I said, temperatures, yes, very autumnal.

Ignjovski, Ignjovski has space there, but then a misunderstanding with Rakic.

Once again such an unnecessarily sloppy pass by Miletic, he’s lucky that Kaya makes up for it. And next foul by Stefan Bell, who now has to be a bit careful, the third one he commits. On loan from Mainz 05, and he’s gaining a lot of match practice this season with the Lions.

Kaya, oh yes, like a string, no problem for Kiraly, but at least a ball on goal again.

(34:38)
Landers, by the way, is now playing on the right side of the defence, as already announced, first Petersch played there, now Landers, so this announced interchange is really being practised at RWO, because Pappas, who is a permanent fixture in this position, can’t be there due to injury. (35:13)

Clear foul by Kaya against Ignjovski.

Tomorrow, of course, there will also be second division football starting at 8 pm. Bielefeld against MSV Duisburg. The local rivals, here just a few kilometres away from Oberhausen, tomorrow from 8 pm.

Schmidtgal, Schönfeld, Kaya, Schönfeld again. Aigner.

So, lots of little fouls in midfield on both sides. Nothing dramatic, but of course the flow of the game is interrupted again and again and nevertheless you have the feeling that both teams are not that angry about it, because on both sides the spaces are not there, nobody really knows where to pass the ball, because colleagues who are really playable are rarely to be found. That doesn’t make it more attractive for the observer, the coaches can be quite satisfied tactically so far as far as the defensive work is concerned at least.

Ignjovski now times Bierofka and space for Lauth, Aigner, and then he does not bring the ball under control. Lauth had space in the middle but didn’t get the ball. They weren’t standing well, the Oberhausen players, in their own 16. Rukavina. Yes, and too hard by Alexander Ignjovski, who even gets a yellow card. Yes, he tries to get the ball, comes too late, leg stretched, absolutely justifiable decision against the 19-year-old Serb. His second of the season.

Schmidtgal, Schönfeld, yes, elegantly done, and now Kaya, yes, they didn’t quite agree on that, the lions in the back, was at least not so harmless in the approach. But Patrick Schönfeld’s pass from the ankle was well initiated. That is the strength that makes him so popular with Hans-Günter Bruns. That’s how he got a man like Mike Terranova, who was still a permanent fixture last season, off the bench for the time being. Terranova on the bench. And this despite the fact that Lamidi, the top goal scorer, is still absent from RWO due to injury.

Various injured players on both sides, a relatively large hospital.

Bierofka. Buck. Well, he almost tricked himself, wanted to play back to Lovin, but tried to assert himself on the left, not so bad, Lauth, after all, but danger, real danger has rarely existed for the two goals so far.

Then we have Schönfeld’s action again, he played it really well and then, yes, Koenig actually blocks the way for Kaya, but he can’t quite reach it. But Schönfeld and Schmidtgal played it really well.

You see, we are already satisfied with the smaller offensive actions, we didn’t have that many in the first 40 minutes. Only 5 minutes left in the first half. Shots on goal, really worth mentioning shots on goal can be counted on one hand, and that for both teams.

So there’s still a lot of room for improvement, I’m sure Micky Stevic thinks so too.

Petersch.

Kaya. Ignjovski, Buck, Rakic, Bierofka, Daniel Bierofka, a lot is happening on the left for the Löwen at the moment, in the beginning it was a bit the other way round. There’s always a lack of precision, accuracy and now Rakic has some space. Rakic, he can’t get past. Miletic. First he had the advantage, but then the ball was too far away from his foot, and by the time it was around the situation was cleared up. At least a corner. Second corner for the Lions.

Landers, well done, all field players now in the half of RWO and then such shots from what felt like 70 metres. Always when the space in front is so tight and Rainer Maurer knows that.

Schmidtgal, yes, moves into the middle, he also tries a long-range shot, but logically this is not really promising. Foul play. Jo, Lovin is taken off his feet, it’s clear. Klinger did that.

Rakic a bit disoriented, didn’t know where the ball was, another RWO attack, but typical for this first half so far.

One minute left and we are not angry when the referee whistles for half-time. A game that probably only the coaches are happy with, because the tactical approach, I would say, was well followed. Hardly any mistakes on either side in terms of defensive work. Safety first, not much going forward and that’s what we would like to see in the second half.

Again, staying at the top of the table beckons for a possible winner. Schmidtgal and again no dangerous action, the referee whistles very punctually for the break. An encounter in which there is still a lot of room for improvement. (We hope for more in the second half, something like that, recording ends here).

Now another recording from Friday evening, 15 October 2010, from the second division conference with the games Düsseldorf – Augsburg, Union Berlin – Erzgebirge Aue and SpVgg Fürth – VfL Osnabrück.

First stop Düsseldorf at the score of 1:0 for Dusseldorf after 74:10 playing time.

Meanwhile, Düsseldorf’s new signing is also in the game, namely Sascha Rösler, the ex-60er, no match practice for three months but has kept fit, and a good debut in the second half when he was substituted, in the 2:1 test match win against an almost complete Bayer Leverkusen a week ago. In that test match, Rösler had also scored a goal, today the first official game in the second division for his new club, Fortuna Düsseldorf.

That is the current status. Düsseldorf is trying to defend it somehow. Barely fifteen minutes left to play. Compliments at this point to Markus Wingenbach, who together with Detlef Scheppe and Markus Sinn has everything under control and gives the advantage here at the right moment, then whistles back the situations, and has seen everything so far, every little thing, big compliments to the 31-year-old.

So, as I thought. Kwakman out, the more offensive option is Daniel Brinkmann and then there would be another alternative up front, with Hain or even Raffael for Oehrl, who has slackened off a bit, that would be the next candidate for a change for me. Torsten Oehrl. Not so convincing today.

Bröker again. Simon Jentzsch, who also didn’t play ideally in the scene at 0:1, who was too late in front of Zoundi and couldn’t prevent the cross.

Jonas de Roeck, played at the wrong moment. Traore doesn’t get the ball.

After the six defeats in a row at the beginning of the season, in which Düsseldorf had not always played so badly, but also lacked a bit of luck, weakness in finishing, a very big problem anyway, although they take the most shots in the second division, 109 after all, almost 16 per game, that was the average before this game, also the third most accurate passes, there is something to be said for Düsseldorf, but they have scored too seldom, and today an important 1:0 to just be able to follow up after the international break. It’s exciting here, in Berlin also with Sven Schröter.

Sven Schröter from the game Union – Aue: 1:1, minute 75

Corner for Erzgebirge Aue, quarter of an hour left, one on one. Corners are a great danger for the Berlin back line, but not like this, of course. Counterattack for Union. Four against four. Benyamina, Mosquera in the middle and then he is too stubborn. He went into the game highly motivated, Karim Benyamina, had great chances, but overall he didn’t make enough of them. And this goal by Mosquera to make it one, which was incredibly important for him personally after such a long dry spell, didn’t really solve the problems in the offensive area, in the forward line. They still don’t use their chances as they should. Especially against a team like Aue.

And now there’ll be the next yellow card after this attack, I’m sure of it. That’s how it is. He’s already nibbling. Markus Schmidt. He has no choice after that attack by Christoph Menz. Hochscheidt has already passed and then he has no choice, otherwise he would have been through on that side, no matter how slight the touch, he acknowledged and confirmed it himself in his facial expression.

Free kick for the Saxons, who showed their discipline in the second half, now chance, and Glinker out, but that was a hair’s breadth. Tobias Kempe, who had been substituted for Sebastian Glasner in the meantime, yes, there he is already past, but of course the ball is just a bit too fast for the 21-year-old.

So everything is still possible here, everything is open in this East German derby. I’m very curious to see whether Union will still create chances and whether they’ll be able to make use of them. Next up is the league leader in Fürth. Stefan please…

Greuther Fürth vs. VfL Osnabrück, minute 78:16, score 3:0

And he’s arrived at the discipline of “show running” in view of this comfortable lead, no wonder everything is decided with just under 12 minutes to go. Fürth will spend the night on top and wait for Hertha to intervene tomorrow. And speaking of the fight for the top: The Spielvereinigung has prominent opponents in the coming weeks, because in just one week’s time it’s off to Berlin to Hertha BSC and that could be a real top match.

Schröck.
Fürth might even have had the chance to make it 4:0 here, because Müller against Berbig, for me a touch there, I tend to penalty, referee Knut Kircher probably took pity on VfL and decided not to blow the whistle. Of course he wanted to, because the ball was put too far forward, but that doesn’t change anything about the weather here in the Trolly Arena.

Speaking of the programme: Osnabrück also have to play next week, on Friday against Cottbus, and the pressure is slowly mounting in Lower Saxony. They recently lost two games in a row, against Düsseldorf and Oberhausen, and here and now – I’m not a prophet, I know that already – they’ll lose three in a row.

Another Bavarian representative is FC Augsburg, who we would have expected to be at the top of the table, but things are still not going so well for the Swabians?

Back to the game Düsseldorf vs. Augsburg, still 1:0, after 80:55.

Well, I mean, this is really a surprising crash for FCA, after it started so well this season with three wins in a row, in Ingolstadt 4:1, at home against Paderborn 1:0, in Bochum 2:0, then the 2:2 at home against Osnabrück, and from then on no more points for the Augsburgs. And that’s exactly what it looks like today, after the fourth defeat in a row, which is almost of Düsseldorf proportions, who started with six defeats until the victory in Osnabrück.
Small things for some, but for a whole team that finally has a sense of achievement, it can have such big consequences, this one victory in Osnabrück, even if it was hard-fought. And we’ve seen how Osnabrück play so far today in Fürth, although Osnabrück at home is almost a different team to Osnabrück away.

But this is not a good away game for Augsburg here, certainly not in the first half, and even now it’s not played smartly enough in this second half, where time is also running away so slowly. He had the best chance in the first, Michael Thurk, and also the best in the second half, both times with a header, the one in the second, he really has to convert the ball. That was in the 67th minute, since then nothing tangible, nothing to show.

Instead, Bröker comes on for Fortuna Düsseldorf, so he gets through, now he has to see if he can find the taker, Sascha Rösler runs into the penalty area and at least there is a corner. That’s all we can get out of the situation and Beister, he’s really good, he’s a great young player, the 20-year-old from the U20s, who came on for the injured Christ in the first half, then switched to the left, Lambertz came in for him in the centre, and Beister had some very good scenes. He’s on loan from HSV for a season, two seasons even. Fink. Augsburg have to move out, Baier helps, throw-in Fortuna Düsseldorf. There we have Fink again, also with a strong game as the clearer in front of the defence. And there’s Sascha Rösler.

Jo, a chance action, a chance product, almost made more of it. And Simon Jentzsch. There’s no big build-up, it hasn’t worked so well so far anyway, so a corner should come out of that long drive. A little bit careless by Lukimya.

Seven goals conceded after standards, there is only one team that is worse, and that plays in Fürth, Osnabrück, has already nine after today’s free kick goal.

Now the chance!

That looked good for once, that was a good corner, Verhaegh to Baier, who has become stronger in the second half, but not much happens like that, Brinkmann, no offside, but they were a bit at odds, Thurk or Möhrle, none of them, but Melka, who invited the team this season to celebrate the birth of his daughter. And we’re going to Berlin….

Union – Aue, 82:38 Game time, 1:1

Still one up. 7 minutes and 15 seconds left to play in regulation. Corner kick for Union Berlin. Aue still focused, Aue unexcited, and the Berliners struggling. Männel, for me the strongest in the compact game of Aue. He made an unbelievable save.

Mattuschka. It’s still the same. Nothing in the air for the hosts. They’ll probably have to try and manage it differently.

Emotions are high, the game is intense in the second half, there are not as many chances to score, but everything is within limits. Five yellow cards in total, but referee Markus Schmidt had the match under control at all times.

Little relief for Aue. But they can cope with that as well. Free kick. Foul by Peitz. They let the clock run a bit now, the Saxons. Union will make the next change. Of course they want the win here, and they would have deserved it. They invested more, they had the better chances, the Berliners, especially at the end of the first half, didn’t use them again. And Aue would have nevertheless earned and deserved this point in the end.

So, let’s see what’s still going on in the final phase here, one one the score, we’re going to Düsseldorf again, Oliver please…

Dusseldorf vs Augsburg, minute 86:22, score 1:0

Yes, it’s still exciting for you and for me, Stefan Hempel hasn’t given the game away yet, but everything is clear there, Fürth is leading 3:0, quite clear, so something has to happen here for Augsburg, they’re down zero one, and we see the scorer, so there’s the pass from Zoundi, Jentzsch is too late, and then Bröker (repetition of the scene for the 1. 0, when Torsten is replaced) is on target: 0 when the goal scorer Bröker is substituted), and Bröker, he inspires here in Düsseldorf, it has to be said, the buddy of Lukas Podolski, with whom he celebrated promotion with 1. FC Köln, still lives in Cologne with his wife Sandra and daughter Melina, which is a forbidden city for Düsseldorf, but he is not a forbidden player with his first goal for his new club.

We have Rösler against Jonas de Roeck, so also long injured, long-term injured, who had to return, have to serve today, de Reock for Sankoh, who you also noticed his problems in the first half.

We are still waiting for the brilliant moment of Michael Thurk. He scored both goals last season, the 1:1 here in Düsseldorf and the 2:0 at home in Augsburg against Fortuna Düsseldorf.

Somehow they’re trying to muddle through, Ndjeng. If you had to rate him or should rate him, then unfortunately you have to say, in the second half less than in the first, and in the first it was already not so much. In the second half, Ndjeng was certainly not the decisive factor for Augsburg.

Traoré could be, maybe he came a bit too late. And Oehrl, I’m still surprised that Torsten Oehrl can continue to play, is allowed to continue to play, it’s not like he was bad, Torsten Oehrl, he always creates movement up front, pulls one or two defenders on him to make room for Thurk, maybe – we’ve seen that, Elbow is out, seen quite correctly, actually yellow (replay of a foul scene against Augsburg, where the Augsburg players are upset about the whistle against them) — but Oehrl is also getting tired, I would simply suggest substituting Hain or Rafael again, both are on the bench. Rafael also scored a goal last season in Augsburg’s two-nil home win over Düsseldorf. But perhaps an omen, or a contrived omen, however you like, is not enough for coach Jos Luhukay.

One minute ten to go. There’s not much reason to replay. Maybe two minutes. So let’s go back to Fürth and have a look, everything’s still the same, isn’t it, Stefan?

Fürth – Osnabrück, 3-0, 88:24 on the clock.

Normally they say that there’s nothing new in the West, but here in Franconia that’s also true today. It’s time to run out, it’s the new league leaders, they’re leading 3:0, we’re talking about Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth, who rightly beat VfL Osnabrück by this much today, and that’s all there is to say, dear colleagues, that’s why, Sven Schröter in Berlin, the exciting games have to start…

Union – Aue, 1:1, 87:52.

It is, it remains exciting, the Berliners try again, chance, Mosquera, Mosquera and again it’s Martin Männel. Mosquera alone could have beaten Erzgebirge Aue here. Great pass from Peitz and Mosquera’s attempt, yes, he has to keep it, he keeps it. But he also stands there like an oak and he unsettles Mosquera, who already had a similar situation in the first half, when the chance was even greater.

Mattuschka, Mosquera again, the last 90 seconds of normal time, Brunnemann now in for Ede, and Union try everything. They want to keep the three points at the Alte Försterei, put Aue under pressure, but they don’t take their chances. Mosquera. After a good 1600 unsuccessful minutes, he scored today. Freed himself from this curse, but the crowning glory, the second goal, the winning goal, he hasn’t given himself that so far. Benyamina also had the chance repeatedly to score that second goal. So here we have a bit longer, in Düsseldorf it will soon be over, Oliver Fassnacht….

Düsseldorf – Augsburg, 1:0, 91:03

Augsburg don’t get a penalty here, although we think there should have been one. Even if, of course, we’ll be able to show that again in a moment, Michael Thurk forces it, but that’s the job of a footballer, and for me this is the first wrong decision of a so far sovereign referee. So, I hope we can see this action again in a moment.

(The replay is coming) Here, Langeneke clearly hits Michael Thurk. It’s clear that he can’t get past, he can’t play the ball, but that’s not the point here, it’s a clear penalty and nothing else. For that, Uwe Möhrle was given a yellow card for complaining, who, by the way, is the captain and as such has the right to ask questions. Too bad, Markus Wingenbach, Detlef Scheppe and Markus Sinn, the three of them I had praised, and rightly so, now we also have to rightly say that this is a grossly wrong decision, and every Fortuna Düsseldorf fan will see it that way, and that shows all the more clearly the mistake Wingenbach made.

But the game is not over yet, Baier, maybe a “now more than ever”, oh, Zoundi with a candle, could be another lead, what’s that, no, I don’t like Ndjeng, he still needs time, he’s not quite clear in the head yet either, it seems, this second half is not good, then Langeneke again, It’s getting a bit hectic here, and Norbert Meier will certainly not be upset about the referee, because he wouldn’t have any reason to be, but maybe about Zoundi’s shot, about this brief lapse in concentration, which could have led to an equaliser. Of course, Norbert Meier wants this three-pointer now, and he’ll gladly take it with this bad decision by Wingenbach, because no one in Düsseldorf will discuss it afterwards.

There’s the win! 1:0 but Augsburg will rightly discuss the penalty. But you also have to discuss Augsburg’s form. And off to Berlin, there’s still a game to be played there.

Union – Aue, 1:1, 91:37

And the Berliners with the last efforts. Two minutes of injury time were displayed. So 15 seconds left, if it stays that way. The Berliners with Thomik and that is safe prey for Männel, who has held on to the victory, the psychological victory, by this draw here. A point is like a victory for Aue here in Berlin today, because Union had so many chances to keep the three points here at the Alte Försterei. In the end, they must be disappointed, the Berliners, a 1-1 draw, Uwe Neuhaus, you can see it in his gestures, in his facial expressions, is not satisfied, we saw a strong first half, Benyamina had chances, Mosquera had great chances, the second half was then not so good, nevertheless, the chances were there, in a contested and never boring East derby. Rico Schmitt can be satisfied, we didn’t lose again, we got a point away from home, that’s it from the conference, let’s continue with all the games/all the goals, have fun.

First of all, here’s my own view of the games, how they went and a few assessments:

1) Rot-Weiß Oberhausen – 1860 München 0:0, summary

The match between Oberhausen and 1860 München was really not an outstanding game. Only, of course, the person who says it at every game anyway – i.e. a commentator – is per se untrustworthy. Nevertheless, it was “normal” second division football, even normal top football. As long as a game is drawn, everyone has something in their hands and wouldn’t attack for better or worse, break up the defensive alliance, throw off the tactical shackles. Of course, there are also different constellations of pairings where a clear favourite, a team that considers itself better, approaches a home match and does so from the outset with a more offensive orientation. However, even then one would not throw all discipline overboard, at least not early on.
In this match, of all matches, one can assume that the Lions feel like the slightly better team – which they could also show to some extent on the pitch – but that this minimal superiority is “compensated” by Oberhausen’s home advantage. So the betting market is also talking about an “even match”, which is reflected in the equally high odds for both teams.

The fact that Oberhausen have nevertheless gained a lot of respect with quite modest financial means but nevertheless more than decent results contributes to the fact that the Lions should also keep a closer eye on the defence. Oberhausen’s excellent start to the season, which enabled them to “stay close to the top ranks”, has by no means dimmed their vision: the season’s goal remains to stay in the league. In this sense, after an above-average points haul so far, which exceeded their own expectations, individual points are very welcome in accordance with the squirrel tactic, even if they are won in home games.

On the other hand, the Munich Lions have also had a good start to the season, which has given them the same promise of “keeping up”, and they also have a higher expectation in terms of potential as an absolutely traditional club that won the German championship at one time and reached the European Cup final, but after plenty of hullabaloo in the last few years they have lowered their expectations for the time being and have definitely not declared promotion as their goal for this season. A season in the safe midfield would be fine for them to consolidate their position and then reach for higher things again. An attitude that is supported by the numerous fans.

Nevertheless, both teams attempted to carry out their attacks within the normal framework, but, as the saying goes, without the final risk, which was simply not necessary for either team in any form. The Lions had minimal advantages, but by no means in such a way that the final 0:0 could come close to being undeserved.

2) Union Berlin – Erzgebirge Aue 1:1, Summary

This was just a great, passionate game all round. The Berliners continue to have a mediocre start to the season, so they wanted to force a win at all costs. They’re playing at home, they’re short on points, they still have the fan base united behind them, and Aue is not only a competitor in the fight – which they might be prepared for in the longer term – against relegation but also an “eastern rival”.

The whole game was played with great passion and commitment, also from the stands. It was the second division football you want to see. A great crowd, two committed teams passionately fighting for every inch of ground.

The balance of power was quite clear in the game. No matter how well Aue fought back and with acknowledged commitment, the final result of 1:1 did not do justice to these proportions of the game. Union had a wealth of excellent opportunities and until the final whistle, spectators (not including the sleeping pill at the microphone) had the feeling that something was about to happen. The Auer were really close to a physical knockout at the end. This is a result of having to chase the ball and the opponent most of the time. Anyone who has played once knows that, knows that. You long for the final whistle because you just feel that the ball is about to hit the ground. You have just managed to get over the finishing line with your last ounce of strength, which happens quite often. Nevertheless, one thing remains clear: a great game by the Berliners, who deserved to win and were only very unlucky not to win.

As my own cheeky prediction: At the end of the season, despite the current considerable points deficit, Union will be ahead of Aue in the table, which in no way diminishes the passionate performance of the Auer. They did what they could. Sometimes this is also rewarded.

3) Fortuna Düsseldorf – FC Augsburg 1:0, Summary

Another quite fantastic match, where every (except one) spectator could feel the enthusiasm of the crowd, the passion of the players, the high tempo, the quality of the actions, the tingling atmosphere during all the fade-ins that took place. This is the second division football you can only wish for. That’s the high level of play, that’s what attracts spectators to the stadiums.

Incidentally, anyone who watched Düsseldorf’s last game in front of the home fans (certainly not the “announcer” this time either, although “fall asleep storyteller” would fit much better) is not surprised that there were even more fans in this game. After the extremely unfortunate home defeat against Cottbus, the fans accompanied their defeated team into the dressing room with standing ovations and tears in their eyes. The fact that they followed up this great performance, which brought them their sixth defeat in a row and thus a zero score for the entire season so far, with a passionately fought victory in Osnabrück can only come as a surprise to the unsuspecting (very specifically addressed, the “reporters”). The quality is there, which earned them a “sniff at the promotion places” last season, and the squad has, if anything, been strengthened. Düsseldorf were right behind Augsburg in the table and belonged there. This season, too, the performance differences between the two are not great….

The meagre haul of only this one win, the one in Osnabrück, and thus only three points, is not representative of the performance capability. In short, they approach such a match as favourites, which Augsburg do not only feel on the pitch, but already acknowledge in advance. Nevertheless, Augsburg also have exclusively their own worries, which are reflected in a “want to score points at all costs” attitude after three defeats in a row. It is clear to players and coaches that the task will be extremely difficult. The opponents, strengthened by the away win, are threatening to follow up their negative streak with a positive one in order to move towards mid-table.

Under these circumstances, it was the great game we had hoped for. The atmosphere alone was enough to give a true football fan goosebumps. The more the game progressed, the more emotional it became. The anxious fans, who were nevertheless full of anticipation, grudged their team the victory so much, and even if a neutral spectator might feel close to the Augsburgs’ impending fate of their fourth defeat in a row, the joy and appreciation for the Düsseldorfers, whose fans, who were faded in again and again, gave their team so many clammy thumbs down, outweighed them. This is football to go along with, heroes are born here — or a few tears are shed at the end. There is no question that those who were there will be back.

That the outcome of the match ultimately depends on numerous fortunate circumstances, random little factors, is far more than normal. The Düsseldorfers may have been the slightly better team over the entire match, but the final phase in particular shows what we can expect from Augsburg in the near future: they have a great team, which is not unjustly labelled a “top team”. The second division is very tight, there’s no question about that. All the coaches are aware of that and keep saying “anyone can beat anyone here”, which, by the way, as a careful observer you can see week after week not only in the results table but also in the table. It is usually close, a short series is enough to get to the top, an equally short one to tangle with the relegation places. Nevertheless, this Augsburg team has a high quality, but this is only a general judgement.

In terms of the game, there are only one or two scenes that decide 1-X.2. If you take a close look at the Düsseldorf goal – which was scored with a lot of commitment, determination and also quality of play, no, virtually forced – you will also see in this scene which minimal coincidence is partly responsible. Simon Jentzsch rushes out – by no means a mistake, but rather typical behaviour in such situations, as it shortens the angle – to meet the Düsseldorf player Zoundi, who was set up with an excellent pass. You often can’t avoid – and even the perfect estimation that you wouldn’t make it didn’t change anything — that the attacker gets to the ball first. The angle to the goal is covered, so with great effort and art, surely aware of the hurrying Bröker in the corner of his eye, he spikes it past the keeper, into the middle. However — goalkeeper and reflexes – Jentzsch gets his hand in between and deflects the ball. Actually an art, but this deflection of all things ensures that the ball gets the right speed and the perfect direction so that Bröker can manoeuvre it over the line. Without this touch? Probably not a goal, as two Augsburg defenders had already entered the danger zone.

On the other side, Thurk cannot make use of the excellent header. That’s how close the games are, that’s how close they are, but that doesn’t harm football at all, on the contrary, that’s what makes it, what creates the emotions, certainly with different signs depending on the supporters in the individual scenes, but the stadiums are and remain full because people love this fever and the sudden explosion, the outbreak of emotions, so much. It’s just that this would have to be recognised by certain eardrums (of course, “exchange” and replacing them with the intelligent would also be a remedy).

In the second half, Augsburg quite logically had more of the game. You know beforehand that you can’t create many chances. It’s a question of making the most of the few that you do have. The big chance was there, Thurk again, again with a header, again no goal. Well, even if it was, it was all well done, it can happen. However, the announcer also seemed to realise that he “had to make that one”, which, translated, meant that it was pretty big.

That’s just the way football is. Düsseldorf tried to counterattack, not even badly, and Augsburg tried to dominate. The fact that they were only able to exude this for short periods had nothing to do with their own weakness, but much more with an opponent who threw everything into the scales in terms of fighting power, playing ability and passion (and that is quite a lot), carried by the crowd. A “normal great game”.

Nevertheless, the final scene remains of course the decisive one, the remarkable one, and confirms pretty much everything that is said elsewhere about the rules and their application: There can never be any question of overlooking clear foul play. It was a foul and the referee knows it. Why doesn’t he give it?
Well, there is the overriding concern that such a sudden decision in injury time might give the game a turn that it perhaps didn’t really deserve, and it is certain that the referee felt “safe” at that very moment from the thousands of people feverishly surrounding him, didn’t want to spoil their much longed-for sense of achievement, felt exactly as one felt at that moment: “Oh no, that can’t be, that would be extremely bitter.” No, you don’t want it to happen. He let himself be guided by this feeling and the momentary protection of the masses, against the knowledge of the referee observers and the cameras placed at every corner.

The injustice remains. And it leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

It was a penalty kick. And at this point, for once, one can generously overlook the announcer’s “sucking up”, which was completely out of place at so many other points. There were no two opinions there.

4) SpVgg Greuther Fürth – VfL Osnabrück 3:0, summary

Since only the final phase was played here, in which the decision had already been made, there is nothing left but to agree with the commentary of the reporter: A deserved victory, also in the amount.

So, now we can take a look at how the drooling spoilsports, the apparently unnoticed moles of the football haters who are supposed to be remote-controlled by their wives to ensure that Sky finally and definitively goes bankrupt, have made out of these games.

Unfortunately, for this purpose it is not possible to do without the text, which is printed above in its entirety and “without comment” for the sake of completeness and in the sense of a neutral, independent, uninfluenced formation of one’s own opinion for the reader.

5) Rot-Weiß Oberhausen – TSV 1860 München 0:0, commentary analysis

The Löwen are trying hard to make the game somehow, but incredibly difficult against this Oberhausen team, other teams have had to or have been allowed to experience that this season. At the moment only 10 Oberhausen players on the pitch because Schönfeld is injured. Rukavina …

it starts directly with a kind of “conclusion”, a judgement about the game. There is only game action with the name “Rukavina”, but there can be no talk of “action”? And of course there is no suspense. What is supposed to be exciting about it when it is explained to you that one team is trying to make the game and is having a hard time? It falls under the category of “blah blah”.

There’s Schoenfeld in again and Bell clears first. Spieker. Ball was already out.
The very brief illusion of a hint that something exciting could happen. No, you can’t do anything with it.
The “ball was already out” is a lesson of the unpleasant kind. It must have been close, otherwise it deserved no mention. If it was close, then there is the possibility of leaving it open in the sense of “the assistant passes the ball out” or waiting for the slow motion to make sure, alternatively, of course, “I saw the ball out too”, which is nowhere near the remark made. The listener felt accompanied, taken by the hand, not patronised. What if he was not seen outside? What if he wasn’t at all?
Pretty much everything is superfluous at this point. According to the famous motto, “Talk is silver…”

So, they’re having fun and they’re warming up a bit, the Lions fans. As I said, temperatures, yes, very autumnal.

With a certain snideness, the fans are smiled at, if you like. Because the ample number of people who travelled with us (a surprisingly large number for a trip to Oberhausen) are simply singing, dancing, celebrating and enjoying themselves. They really do still enjoy football. The score is 0:0, their team has a slight advantage, one can hope for more. The fact that they are “warming up, a bit” suggests that they would have just as little joy to feel about football as he does.

Ignjovski, Ignjovski has space there, but then misunderstanding with Rakic.

The important thing everywhere is that the game is only briefly touched upon, because the tired kickers simply have nothing to offer. That it ends in a “misunderstanding” is pure fantasy coupled with intentional defeatism. Apart from that, he doesn’t have “space there” but has cleverly obtained it. A good attack can also be a good attack if it doesn’t result in a goal. Apart from that, if it did succeed, it would of course be the fault of the non-existent opposition….

Another such unnecessarily sloppy clearance from Miletic, he’s lucky to have Kaya to make up for it.
When a supposed mistake is recognised, it has to be addressed immediately and without mercy. It also seems important to add a “once again”, regardless of the truth, to make the viewer understand that he can do anything entertaining except sit here in front of the TV. His own dissatisfaction with the sad job he has to do makes you feel sorry for him. “Sloppy”. That melts on the tongue. And next foul by Stefan Bell, who now has to be a bit careful, the third one he’s afforded. On loan from Mainz 05, and he’s gaining a lot of match practice this season with the Löwen. Since nothing happens on the pitch that meets his standards, and as he would otherwise never tire of pointing out, a little bit of learned expertise is just spread around.

Kaya, oh, yes, like pulled on a string, no problem for Kiraly, but at least a ball on goal again. To call this an outburst of passion would be far exaggerated. However, for a tiny moment he seems surprised himself that there is a dangerous shot on goal. The “no problem for…”, however, immediately draws the viewer back into the armchair fortunately neither visited nor ever left. The “after all” is far more unpleasant than an apparent show of respect. It is and remains derogatory. They do make some kind of effort to entertain him well (what the viewer wants doesn’t matter, but he’s already decided beforehand and hasn’t even tuned in), they will never succeed, that’s already certain, and he will be the last to abandon this attitude of entitlement. “After all…”

(34:38)
So, Landers, by the way, is now playing in the right defence, as already announced, first Petersch played there, now Landers, so this announced interplay is really being practised at RWO, because Pappas, who is a permanent fixture in this position, can’t be there due to injury. (35:13)
A complete triviality, which could of course imply a lot of expertise. However, one senses more than clearly that it is learned and that he himself is indifferent. A circumstance that is noticeable in practically every commentary is that there is no game action, not for him. At this point, however, it is particularly noteworthy that he takes a total of 35 seconds for this sentence, which a child of ten years or older who is normally capable of speech would have finished in about 17 seconds. Yes, the only thing missing is a suitable comparison to “soling one’s shoes while walking”. “Stapling the tongue to the roof of the mouth while speaking?” Even if it’s unpleasant, ugly and inappropriate, one would like to do it somehow…

Clear foul by Kaya against Ignjovski. Are spectators allowed to have their own opinion? No. That’s already clear. The only way to “contradict” is to turn off the sound, change the channel or cancel your subscription. Apart from that: if that’s the only thing that “ties” him to the game?

Tomorrow, of course, there’s second-division football from 8 p.m. on. Bielefeld against MSV Duisburg. The local rivals, here just a few kilometres away from Oberhausen, tomorrow from 8pm. We’re as curious as a horse’s ass. What, another party as lavish as today’s? Well, I’m not planning anything for tomorrow, that’s for sure. And how he brings it across! Emotional, passionate, enthusiastic, yes, tomorrow I’ll be there! Exactly! I’m cancelling my subscription too! Early in the morning! Why wait until evening?

Schmidtgal, Schönfeld, Kaya, Schönfeld again. Aigner. A play scene, look, a play scene, in the middle of a funeral! This one to that one, that one to that one, and that one to that one. Wow! What he gets out of that scene, well, no, he urgently needs to be promoted. The tone of voice is already enough for the word of the Sunday, he’s got that.

So, lots of little fouls in midfield on both sides. Nothing dramatic, but of course the flow of the game is interrupted again and again, and yet you get the feeling that both teams are not that angry about it, because on both sides the spaces are not there, no one really knows where to pass the ball, because colleagues who can be played on are seldom to be found. That doesn’t make it any more attractive for the observer,
Sooner or later, it’s got to come out. Well, he didn’t do much damage, because if three of three running units are switched off, then for pessimists it’s 100%, but for optimists it’s just three, and they don’t count at all.
He feels that “they are not angry about the fact that there is always foul play,” because we are here with the completely unattractive cotton wool blowing, where there is not even a winner at the end. No one knows where to put the ball, they just foul to their heart’s content and since both sides agree that they are incapable of initiating a meaningful action, they foul, but only a little bit at a time. The main thing is to keep the ball stationary. Is everyone happy? Yes, everyone is happy. Me and my mike.
“No spaces, nobody knows where to put the ball.” That’s what the scoreboard says. 0-0? Comment: All bad.

The coaches can be quite satisfied with the tactics so far, at least as far as the defensive work is concerned. There you go, who says it? Praise, so to speak. Don’t exaggerate, get a grip on yourself.

Ignjovski now Bierofka and space for Lauth, Aigner, and then he doesn’t bring the ball under control. Here, there were already signs of a kind of game scene, as you have to assume. It’s important that you’re always told what they can’t do. Here: “can’t control the ball. Failure? Yes, a mistake. Lauth had space in the middle but couldn’t get to the ball. The scene is being analysed again. If there was ever an intention to create tension, then it has already seeped away in this moment of “sober analysis”. They weren’t standing well, the Oberhausen players, in their own 16. Now we at least know what other blunder we have to thank for this goal scene. “They’re not standing well.” If only they were all standing properly, then we wouldn’t see any more goal chances! Playing out a good situation? There’s no such thing. Not for a “true expert”. As an ordinary mortal, you might have thought: Well played out. Maybe it’s about to ring!
Rukavina. Yes, and too hard by Alexander Ignjovski, who even gets a yellow card. Yes, he tries to get the ball, comes too late, leg stretched, absolutely justifiable decision against the 19-year-old Serb. His second of the season. Commenting on fouls, oh yes. This is fun.

Schmidtgal, Schönfeld, yes, elegantly done, and now Kaya, yes, this is the best scene of Oberhausen, actually of the entire recording period: beautiful interplay between Schmidtgal and Schönfeld, in which finally a highly elegant, precise and perfectly timed outside instep pass lets Schmidtgal enter the penalty area from the outside left. The returned ball becomes dangerous, two Oberhausen players near the ball, one of them pretends to go for the ball, but realises that the one behind is in a better position and blocks the defender. The second defender throws himself in between the two. The lions in the back didn’t quite see eye to eye on that, but at least it wasn’t that safe. At this point, any hint of tension is already gone, and not by chance, as one is gradually certain. He comments on the game, the game is bad, very weak, successful scenes are out of place, are erased because they only disturb the swan song. “They disagreed” sounds as if there was actually no danger at all, but it only came about through disagreement.
Two principles are violated: The assessment of the scene is wrong. The tone is bored, arrogant, know-it-all. He should know something about football, whoever is speaking. Even if he had no idea, the task would remain to entertain well. The compliment “was at least not that dangerous in approach” is more of an insult. How would dangerous be? When would he be satisfied?
But a great pass from Patrick Schönfeld from the ankle. That’s the strength that makes him so popular with Hans-Günter Bruns, and that’s how he got a man like Mike Terranova, who was still a permanent fixture last season, off the bench for the time being. Terranova on the bench. And this despite the fact that Lamidi, the top goal scorer, is still absent from RWO due to injury. The tension has fizzled out, passed him by. Now knowledge is being read out again. Schönfeld probably only has his youth to thank for the fact that it is positive for once. Otherwise it would be guaranteed at the end: “He can do better than that” or “we have seen far too little of him today…”

Various injured on both sides, relatively large hospital. You felt brilliantly entertained – as long as you were sitting in a rat hole beforehand.

Bierofka. Buck. Well, he almost tricked himself, wanted to play back to Lovin, but tried to impose himself on the left, not so bad, Lauth, at least, but danger, real danger has rarely existed for the two goals so far. Yes, you talk around it, babble and drivel rubbish and in doing so you miss the really beautiful, exciting things. You can’t see a goal or a meaning. At the most, he wishes that the danger of scoring goals would end as soon as possible. “Almost tricks himself” is derogatory and malicious. And wrong, too. Buck was in a good position on the outside left to cross, already entered the penalty area, tried a feint that didn’t succeed but was stopped in time. If anything it was cleverly done, just surprising. The “trick yourself” is immediately blown in between because the speaker is not up to the situation and remains in the jargon “everything is lousy anyway”. The ball was held and the most favourable situation for a cross was passed, as attackers had also moved up into the penalty area. The cross then came quite precisely to Lauth, who did not quite catch the ball fully, it slipped over his forehead. Immediately one is taught again that one had no right to be anxious because “danger, such real danger, there has rarely been so far”, as, by the way, a true expert … easily recognises by a skilful look at the scoreboard. Let’s say something different…

We have Schönfeld’s action again, he played it really well and then, yes, Koenig actually blocks the way for Kaya, but he can’t quite reach it. But introduced by Schönfeld and Schmidtgal it was really good. He approaches the truth of the great action before in a most awkward way. But this does nothing to change the senselessness of the “replay” in the sense of creating suspense. At least, it’s fair to say, he recognised the quality of the out-of-bounds play – even if he didn’t say it like that. “Class”.

You see, we are already satisfied with the smaller actions as far as the offensive is concerned, we didn’t have that many in these first 40 minutes. Only 5 minutes left in the first half. Shots on goal, really worth mentioning shots on goal countable on one hand, and that for both teams. After this previous outburst of enthusiasm, you just feel ashamed, that’s quite normal. Now it must be quickly added that it was a “minor scene” and that there were very few of them and that there were actually no shots on goal at all, which now really makes your mouth water for the second half – and that really applies to every mole.

So there’s still a lot of room for improvement, and Micky Stevic certainly sees it that way. (Micky Stevic, the Löw coach, briefly inserted)
The pun is brilliant. “There’s room for improvement.” So if you haven’t laughed yet, you’ll be snorting by now at the latest. One imagines the kick spontaneously in a dark cellar building. As of tomorrow, there will be lighting there. Is Stevic possibly driven by completely different considerations than the “air upwards”?

Petersch. A comment like a book. “A player has the ball.”

Kaya. Ignjovski, Buck, Rakic, Bierofka, Daniel Bierofka, you can already feel while reading that somehow the signs for goal situations, for a goal, are becoming stronger. Here a successful combination, quick interplay, and indeed … again on the left, like a minute before, that gives reason to bring in his expertise, and a… A lot is happening on the left for the Lions at the moment, at the beginning it was a bit the other way round. Well, if you hadn’t been watching, you’d have to assume the situation was already over, however, apart from the fact that such a “generalisation” kills the suspense, is ridiculous as built on two scenes, and consequently “wrong”, the scene on the pitch continued. So to interrupt an ongoing action with such gobbledygook has long since ceased to be absurd. What is absurd is only the granting of permission to speak. Precision is always lacking, accuracy is always lacking, the action in progress is quickly “chopped up” with a “this and that and the other”, while the danger of scoring is constantly increasing… and now Rakic has some space. Rakic, the vocal pitch takes on unimagined proportions when Rakic is in the penalty area in a one on one, probably tomorrow he will blame this outburst of emotion for his hoarseness, but he can calm down in a moment… he can’t get past that. Lucky too, how to sympathise. “Don’t come over.” Because that’s the only way to save the “lack of precision” I just mentioned. If there’d been a goal, the defenders would have been taken to task. Miletic. (the defender who cleared the situation, who couldn’t be played around; by the way, for those truly interested: with a successful tackle, with an excellent defender performance.)First he had the advantage, but then the ball was too far away from his foot, and by the time it was around, the situation had been cleared up. At least a corner. Second corner for the Lions. The replay of the scene is running. Obviously there was no tension in the announcer’s booth, because the analysis has already been done. “Ball too far away from the foot.” Well, if you could increase nonsense…. But the main thing is that you said something, and the main thing is that you made someone look bad with it. “Too far away.” You have to put up with a lot of incompetence as a reporter. On the listener’s side, it’s the eardrums that have to take a beating…
Somehow, if not for the recording, one would have spontaneously covered one’s ears far more than once. You can’t stand that. It’s for masochists.

Landers, well done, all field players now in RWO’s half and then such shots arise from what felt like 70 metres. Always when the spaces in front are so tight and Rainer Maurer knows that. In his own estimation, this is suitable as an application for the debility academy. Landers is a defender. He did it well. Nice. But the attack is on. All field players in the half. Yes, you can even feel through the lines that there is a pressure phase of the Munich team. They’re trying to get a shot off. The shot was actually possibly even from over thirty metres, but it was well placed. It sank a little too late, i.e. only behind the goal.
“And then shots like that happen.” Maligning is important, but it’s not enough. It’s gloating, condescending, derogatory, disappointed. Whereas “disappointed” would still almost be a human emotion and one would have understanding if one didn’t know exactly that he always is and that he had no intention at all of entertaining the spectator. Why the increase to “felt 70 metres”? That increases the “lousy”. A few pointless images are worth it. “A feeling of 70 metres.” That’s a nice picture, isn’t it? You just can’t see it right now. How do you feel it?
Well, only one person is bad here, the man at the microphone. Then afterwards: “Whenever the spaces in front are so tight…” Where did he learn that? The shots from what feels like 70 metres come when the spaces are tight at the front? You are in front, far in front, there are many ways. But a long-range shot is always a means.
Sure he would, and not today either, but in the next game you could very well come across a different knowledge being put in front of you. Namely, that you should “also try it from a distance” and that this “would also be a means of bringing a compact defence to its knees”.
Well, there’s hardly any more nonsense than that. Since Rainer Maurer is being shown, he is quickly imputed with this “knowledge”. But he is actually quite content.

Schmidtgal, yes, moves into the middle, he also tries a long-distance shot, but logically this is not really promising. Well, you can just feel that the game is really getting going. He doesn’t want to know anything about it. The hoping and fearing on his side refers to the fact that the actions do not succeed. Because that would call into question the profound game analysis that it is extremely boring. It does not promise much success. Yes, hope has been rewarded. Nothing came of it, and the probability was also low. Only: what would he have advised to increase the chance of a goal? Not shoot at all? Foul play. Jo, Lovin taken off his feet, clear cut. Klinger had done that.

Rakic a bit disoriented, didn’t know where the ball was anymore, you have to hack and look for mistakes. You have to. “Disoriented”. Again, this only applies to the “advisor”…. Attack RWO again, but indicative of this first half so far. Again, the hope of failure was rewarded. “Indicative”. So that one finally believes it. Nothing is happening. It wasn’t and it won’t.

One more minute and we are not angry when the referee then whistles briskly for half-time. Well done. “We’re not angry.” Well, whoever can, will avoid this fraternisation. “We”, who is “we”? You certainly can’t be yourself. “We all wouldn’t be evil if you’d just stop spouting nonsense and spoiling our fun.” That’s right. A game that probably only the coaches are happy with, because the tactical approach was, in my opinion, well followed. Hardly any mistakes on either side in terms of defensive work. Safety first, not much going forward and that’s what we’d like to see in the second half. Well, we were most curious about these “assessments”. Nothing, but absolutely nothing of it is true. And that is audible and recognisable for everyone. The coaches will have all kinds of things to talk about, but not what he thinks he has recognised. The only protection for him: no one is listening anyway. To express the hope now that “finally something will happen” is ridiculous. Because: I AM NOT HAPPY; HOW IT WILL GO ON. You’ve done that. The game maybe, but please, please not the commentary!

Again, staying at the top of the table beckons for a possible winner. Well, if that’s the case? Then we can be a bit more angry at the tired kick, or how is it meant? “They’d better put some effort into it!” Schmidtgal … and again no dangerous action, there you go, “saved” into the break. Again nothing. The referee blows his whistle very punctually for the break. An encounter in which there is still a lot of room for improvement. (We hope for more in the second half, something like that, record here at the end).

It succeeded. A half in which nothing was good. That’s supposed to have been a coincidence?

6) Friday night’s second division conference, from minute 74 onwards. Commentary analysis

Düsseldorf – Augsburg, score 1:0, Mintue 74:10

In the meantime, Düsseldorf’s new signing is also in the game, namely Sascha Rösler, the ex-60er, no match practice for three months but has kept fit, and a good debut in the second half when he was substituted, in the 2-1 test match win against an almost complete Bayer Leverkusen a week ago. In that test match, Rösler had also scored a goal, today the first official match in the second division for his new club, Fortuna Düsseldorf. What about the match? Tying shoes everywhere? Otherwise, not bad as information.

That’s the current status. Düsseldorf is trying to defend it somehow. Barely fifteen minutes left to play. Compliments at this point to Markus Wingenbach, who together with Detlef Scheppe and Markus Sinn has everything under control and gives the advantage here at the right moment, then whistles back the situations, and has seen everything so far, every little thing, big compliments to the 31-year-old. Babbling is nice, just nice. It’s a kind of conclusion that you should save for after the game. On the other hand, a compliment is always nice to hear and may also be given during a match. The fact that it concerns the refereeing team, of all people, seems to be a recent default, because players are practically never affected, while the officials actually very often get off lightly.
But there was once a saying in this context: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch…

So, as I thought. Kwakman out, the more offensive option is Daniel Brinkmann and then there would be an alternative up front, with Hain or even Rafael for Oehrl, who has slackened off a bit, that would be the next candidate for a change for me. Torsten Oehrl. Not so convincing today. Pure expertise. Knows all the attackers on the bench, plus the “more offensive variant”, plus he can distinguish the weak from the very weak. My compliments!

Bröker again. Simon Jentzsch, who also didn’t play ideally in the scene at 0:1, who was too late, in front of Zoundi and couldn’t prevent the cross. Yes, in a team that is 1-0 down, somehow everyone is bad. That’s just the “neutral” reporter’s view. The goal may or may not have been preventable, a game of percentages and probabilities, but the goalkeeper’s energetic intervention caused the ball to deflect, turning what might otherwise have been considered an “inaccurate” or “rash” pass into a “perfect” one.

Jonas de Roeck, played at the wrong moment. Traore doesn’t get the ball. Ok, no, you have to correct. There is play after all. One has the ball, passes it to the other, at the wrong moment and it doesn’t arrive. Thrilling. Wasn’t there a single other scene, yeah?

After the six defeats in a row at the beginning of the season, in which Düsseldorf hadn’t always played so badly, but also lacked a bit of luck, poor finishing, a big problem anyway, although they take the most shots in the second division, 109 after all, almost 16 per game, that was the average before this game, even the third-most accurate passes, there’s something to be said for Düsseldorf, but they’ve scored too seldom, and today an important 1:0 to be able to follow up after the international break. It’s exciting here, in Berlin also with Sven Schröter. Let’s get out of here! Nothing happens here. Still, an interesting statistic, which of course automatically leads to an “error analysis” or “apportioning of blame”. “You scored too rarely”. Yes, exactly, you can also translate it as “bad luck”. It’s exciting, but you still want to leave. The feeling you would have as a viewer without this unpleasant part of the background sound would be this: Something is about to happen here. As a reporter, you should actually develop a feeling for something like that, preferably already have one. And above all, you should want to convey this to the viewer: It’s exciting here, I want to stay tuned.

Sven Schröter from the game Union – Aue:

Corner for Erzgebirge Aue, fifteen minutes left, one one. Corners are a great danger for the Berlin backline, but not like that, of course. “But not like that, of course.” Something bad, negative has to be said as quickly as possible. Counterattack opportunity for Union. Four against four. Benyamina, Mosquera in the middle and then he’s too stubborn. The scene was great. An exciting action. Should every one of them lead to a goal so that you then have to listen to the hacking at the defensive lines? No, this one was well played. Four against four is not automatically a goal. Benyamina even penetrates the penalty area, in the middle a player was possibly playable for a moment, he decides to dribble, but gets caught. Again a very attentive, excellent defender, who gets in between with a perfectly timed tackle and clears for a corner.
Incidentally, a careful observer would surely not have failed to notice that Benyamina, although disappointed, received the encouraging pat of appreciation from all his passing teammates, each of whom recognisably questioned the reporter’s judgement. He wasn’t too opinionated. He did well, it was worth the try. You can’t always succeed, and you can’t succeed at everything. If he had risked the kick-off, then if he had failed he would have been told that he “had better look for the one on one”. No, there were no mistakes and no stubbornness, you get a corner, everything is ok. It was a beautiful, exciting scene in a football match, and the atmosphere in the stadium alone was enough to show that things were going to get dramatic here. You want to stay here and keep watching.
Goals are the salt. Union wants to score one. As a spectator, even as a neutral, you don’t begrudge them that. They’re working on it, standing close to it. Nobody was unhappy with the game, with the scene or with Benyamina. Except one… He went into the game highly motivated, Karim Benyamina, had great chances, but overall he didn’t make enough of them. How easy is it to pick out failures? “Overall too little” is always it, surely, as long as he doesn’t succeed? Or how does his counting go? Could you have lots of chances, not score and “made enough of it”? No, it’s defeatism. Not even if it were true that it was too little would anyone want to hear it. Where does only the opposite conviction come from? No, there is only one judgement and one worst man tonight. Let the microphone be taken away from him. Immediately, a pleasant stadium atmosphere returned. And this goal by Mosquera to make it one, which was incredibly important for him personally after such a long dry spell, didn’t really cancel out the problems in the offensive area, in the forward line. They still don’t use their chances as they should. Especially against a team like Aue. On the pitch, as always, nothing happens, suggests that. The sentence is really stretched out. So that you can really understand the deficiencies. Come on, boy, take a look! They’re sweating and working hard, both of them, but one of them is really close. Shut up!

And now there’ll be another yellow card after this attack, I’m sure of it. That’s how it is. He’s already nibbling. Markus Schmidt. He has no choice after that attack by Christoph Menz. Anyway, after a while you realise that the real highlights are the bad fouls. Hochscheidt is already over and then he has no choice, otherwise he would have been through on that side, no matter how slight the touch, he acknowledged and confirmed it himself in his facial expression. A great analysis. However, on the one hand, the “he has no other choice” is nonsense, since the foul action took place on the sidelines in the Auer half, and there was no danger of scoring a goal. On the other hand, it would be an indictment of football (as shown elsewhere, for example in the chapter “What is a penalty?”) if it really happened in such a way that one had no other choice but to prevent a goal and that, as the statement expresses, this behaviour was also worthwhile, i.e. crowned with success. “Well, I had to knock him down, otherwise we would have lost the game in the end.” Ouch!
But isn’t that how it is?

Free kick, then, for the Saxons, who showed their discipline in the second half, now chance, and Glinker out, but that was a hair’s breadth. Tobias Kempe, who had been substituted for Sebastian Glasner in the meantime, yes, there he is already past, but of course the ball is then just a tad too fast for the 21-year-old. For a moment, his voice rises in such scenes, only to switch back to “soberly-objectively-analytically searching for mistakes” immediately afterwards, for the protection of the heart patients in front of the television set. “What, was I tense? No, dear but mildly smiled at viewer, you just thought that. ” Chance, and Glinker out, but that was a hair’s breadth.” The “close call” is still a giveaway.
“Dear good night’s sleep helper. You almost wrenched me out of my dreams of a pure, ideal football world without mistakes and without scoring chances.” But only almost…

So here everything is still in it, everything is open in this East derby. I’m very curious, yes, you can really feel that, you joker, whether Union will still create chances and whether they will perhaps use them. To his credit, at least it sounds halfway negative again. The unlikely event that they “might even take advantage of one…”. Now it’s on to the league leaders in Fürth. Stefan please… Remember: Whenever it’s exciting, you pass on. Because you lack any sense of suspense?

Greuther Fürth vs. VfL Osnabrück, minute 78:16, score 3:0

And he’s arrived at the discipline of “showboating” in view of this comfortable lead, no wonder, just under 12 minutes to go, everything decided. Fürth will spend the night on top and wait for Hertha, who will then intervene tomorrow. And speaking of the fight for the top: The Spielvereinigung has prominent opponents in the coming weeks, because already in one week it’s off to Berlin to Hertha BSC and that could then become a real top match. To put it nicely: It could become one. Either 1 against 2 or 1 against 3, depending on Hertha’s result. But ” it could then become a real top match.” How is a top game defined? There is no tension or game action here either. Maybe even right. But then why is the game in the conference? Fade in the result, fade in the final result. If not, one would still have to suggest suspense. Or at least the joy of football.

Schröck. Similar dramaturgy. One man on the ball. Nothing more happens.
Fürth might even have had the chance to make it 4:0 here, because Müller against Berbig, for me there was a touch, I tend to think it was a penalty, referee Knut Kircher probably took pity on VfL and decided not to blow the whistle. Of course, the same applies here as with the other penalty that wasn’t given. You simply never give one. If it’s decided, there’s a reason, pity, if it’s decisive, you don’t give it because you don’t want to decide the game with something like that. Of course he wanted it, because the ball was put too far forward, but that doesn’t change anything about the situation here in the Trolly Arena. Another one of those thigh-slappers. The “general weather situation”. It makes you want to throw yourself away.

Speaking of the programme: Osnabrück also have to play next week, on Friday against Cottbus, and the pressure is slowly mounting in Lower Saxony. They recently lost two games in a row, against Düsseldorf and Oberhausen, and here and now – I’m not a prophet, I know that already – they’ll lose three in a row. Well, he knows it, the spectator knows it. Everything is right. Is that why no more football is played? Perhaps it would be particularly entertaining to watch the players without them being subjected to any particular pressure to perform? Here and now there has only been one game, and it’s even still going on. The pressure is mounting. Well, if he says so? Osnabrück go into today’s game as underdogs, clear underdogs. They will, not completely unexpectedly for them, probably not get anything. They will concentrate on the next tasks, train normally next week and, if possible, go into the next game optimally prepared and see what they can get out of it. If you lose it, you look further ahead. The season is still long. Pressure? You automatically have it. Or not. That’s football.

Another Bavarian representative, FC Augsburg, who we would have expected to be right up there, is not yet going so well with the Swabians? The important thing is always the same: Pick out the negative share. Here it’s elegantly deduced. We are in Bavaria, no, Franconia, and the “other Bavarian representative”, who was expected further up, is thought to be on the losing side. If one had wanted to, one could have somehow led over to the leading team, couldn’t one?

Back to the game Düsseldorf vs. Augsburg, still 1:0, after 80:55.

Well, I mean, this is really a surprising crash for FCA, after it started so well this season with three wins in a row, in Ingolstadt 4:1, at home against Paderborn 1:0, in Bochum 2:0, then the 2:2 at home against Osnabrück, and from then on no more point for the Augsburgs. And that’s exactly what it looks like today, after the fourth defeat in a row, which is almost of Düsseldorf proportions, who started with six defeats until the victory in Osnabrück. A wonderful treatise in the sense of a swan song. “Crash” and “no more points”. But more importantly: “even today it looks like it.” Why only, just now, when they are fighting with all their might down there against this impending defeat? What’s the point of prophecy here? Of course, it is not too likely that they will succeed, but they are struggling according to the available forces, which are not even that small. Düsseldorf is fighting back, a game at the highest level, but on an equal footing, in which three points are up for grabs, but everyone could or would have to make do with one if the game ended in a draw. That’s football, in all leagues and classes. It’s beautiful and exciting. Show us at least a hint of this realisation or this passion and enthusiasm! Once again the question. Please, good man (maybe this will help?), WHAT IS HAPPENING DOWN THERE ON THE Pitch? Does a single one of these sprawling sentences about the inadequacies do justice to what is happening, the commitment, the willingness to fight and the recognisable ability of these kickers on the pitch there? Yes, four defeats, they don’t want them either, they fight and give everything they can. Only one of them is emotionless. And unfortunately, you can NOT forgive him for his shortcomings, especially this shortcoming, under any circumstances.
It’s such a small thing for some, but for a whole team that finally has a sense of achievement, it can have such big consequences, this one victory, even if it was hard-fought, in Osnabrück. They have played well before. Now they are playing well again. Nix confidence or consequences, individually or collectively. Please, please, no more generalisations. GAMES! And how Osnabrück plays, that’s what we’ve seen so far today in Fürth, whereas Osnabrück at home is almost a different team than Osnabrück away. What is the man trying to tell us with this? How little the win there meant to such a weak team as Osnabrück, even though at home they again… ? No, please. Pack up, go home.

But this is not a good away game for Augsburg here, certainly not in the first half, and even now it’s not played smartly enough in this second half, where time is also running out so slowly. It remains the same. NOTHING is happening on the pitch. Not good here, not good there, even weaker this and that. The effort of the players is there to create a real scoring chance. But the opponent is allowed to defend? Maybe even defend well or skilfully? He had the best chance in the first half, Michael Thurk, and also the best in the second half, both times by header, the one in the second, he really has to convert the ball. That was in the 67th minute, since then nothing tangible, nothing to show. Yes, yes, always the same. “Just don’t switch on here. Nothing happens here.” Sometimes, by the way, a single good chance with a little bit of luck is enough to decide a game? Nothing to show. Well, whoever’s lost their way here will be gone in a minute. The target of a mole. And “must do”? What do you think after that? “He has to do it, otherwise he’ll get it”? What is being said is so far off the mark….

Bröker comes on for Fortuna Düsseldorf, so he gets through, now he has to see if he can find a taker, Sascha Rösler runs into the penalty area and at least there’s a corner. That’s all we can get out of the situation and Beister, he’s really good, he’s a great young player, the 20-year-old from the U20s, who came on for the injured Christ in the first half, then switched to the left, Lambertz came in for him in the centre, and Beister had some very good scenes. He’s on loan from HSV for a season, two seasons even. Well, praise, yes. The team he plays for is also leading. And he’s only 20, so you can… Apart from that, it’s noticeable that for a moment he hints at wanting to describe a move. The “Rösler is already running into the penalty area” is so casual again that it’s no fun. A corner, after all. Yes. At least. If they don’t manage anything else? But then the transition directly to the “tactical banter”. Even if it is “professional”. Who wants to know?

Fink. Augsburg have to move out, Baier helps, throw-in Fortuna Düsseldorf. Here we have Fink again, also with a strong game as the clearer in front of the defence. And there’s Sascha Rösler. Now the game is being described, yes, yes. But how? “Have to move out” is some kind of coach’s instruction, or what? Do they or don’t they? Instruction – an imposition. There’s Fink and there’s Sascha Rösler. Yes, they have the ball. But what they do with it doesn’t deserve a mention? If you can’t see anything in it, no differentiation, then you’ve simply missed the job. In between, a quick verdict, even if positive. “With a strong game.” How can you believe that when at best he knows when who has the ball and who plays on which side? What is “strong”, then? How will he know? Well, he probably took a quick look at the score and made sure he was leading. “Yes, he must have been good. He plays for a team that has one more goal than the opponent.”

Jo, a chance action, a chance product, it almost turned out to be more. The “yo” reveals true enthusiasm that immediately carries the spectator away. Combined with the term “chance action”, it becomes a real feast for the eyes. The further paraphrase to “random product” “takes a bit of speaking time off the clock” and shows wordiness, class, we noticed. One automatically looks forward to the next “coincidence”.
And Simon Jentzsch. There is no big build-up of the game any more, it hasn’t worked so well so far anyway and so a corner should jump out through this long drive. A little bit careless maybe from Lukimya. Even if the build-up now falls flat. The Augsburgs are advancing. All of them. The goalkeeper hits the ball far forward. Quite a tactical tool. It’s good, very good even. An Augsburg player would run into the ball. A defender notices this, panics slightly and hits the ball not quite perfectly, but at least at all, so that a corner comes out of it. In this action, he immediately added a “didn’t work all the time” and a “careless”. Is it possible to find more bad things? Probably yes. Surely he is merciful and endeavouring, our dear God.

Seven goals conceded after standards, there’s only one team worse, and that’s playing in Fürth, namely Osnabrück, already has nine after this free kick goal today. As you can see. Bad and even worse. But the facts have to be on the table. What if it’s true? Far and wide, no game action or anything that could warm a single spectator’s heart. And yet today in particular there are two really exciting, rousing games.

Now the chance! He actually raised his voice, albeit inadvertently. Queen Mum is visiting Berlin and just then the limousine drives around the corner in which she must be! You just jump out of your chair with so much passion!

That used to look good, that used to be a good corner, yet again the action is picked apart while it’s still going on. If you as a viewer hear it like that, along the lines of “Oh, I wanted to change the channel but I forgot and flipped through the newspaper first”, well, it could just be a case of “hearing it by mistake”, but if it does happen, then the commentary would certainly not be suitable for viewers to put down the newspaper or turn up the sound or abandon their intention to change the channel. “That used to look good” and “that used to be a good corner”. You have to think: As opposed to otherwise, where it’s not good. And you’re supposed to think it, too. The man doesn’t enjoy it. That is what is being conveyed. And in this sense most successfully.
Yes, should one then continue to watch out of the hope that it might “once again” happen? No, thank you. How rotten are the eggs that the market mumbler is trying to sell me? Verhaegh on Baier, the action continues the stronger he became in the second half, the judgement too, which you’re only capable of when you’re not interested in what’s happening. Otherwise, tension would be the order of the day, but nothing much is happening, the action is still going on. The speaker wants it to end. That nothing exciting happens and he still has to change the key. The ball was played forward, where plenty of Augsburg attackers were standing, in the penalty area, it’s the initiation of a goal chance, how, pray tell, should you do it? They are 0:1 behind, there are only a few minutes left to play, so: attacker forward, ball behind, but as accurate as possible if you can. Yes, it’s done. The pass comes, but that it will be a goal remains unlikely, only without trying it wouldn’t work in the first place. Brinkmann, no offside, but they disagreed a bit, Thurk or Möhrle, none of them, but Melka, at least he breathes audibly here. The scene was like this: The corner kick came in dangerously. Of course, there were plenty of Augsburg players in the penalty area, including strong centre-backs. But the ball whizzed through between friend and foe, nevertheless it looked dangerous (as also noted by the commentator, albeit condescendingly, emotionlessly, judging). On the other side, however, another Augsburg player gets the ball, Verhaegh, who passes to Baier, who passes back to Brinkmann, who tries to immediately cross the ball from half field into the still crowded penalty area. The Düsseldorf defenders, however, had collectively moved out of the penalty area in accordance with the goalkeeper’s instruction “Out, out” given on all football pitches in the world – a weapon that works well here and depends on the collective. For example, three Augsburg attackers are offside when the ball enters the penalty area. However, another Augsburg player approaches over there, Möhrle, who was definitely not offside. He could now legally pick up the ball, but the Düsseldorf goalkeeper Melka is alert enough to get to the ball before he does. The disagreement observed and noted by the announcer with the huge bubble in his head is both negative – and thus unpleasant, inappropriate — and non-existent. Of course, the three Augsburg players who were standing even more favourably to the ball would gladly take it, especially since they noticed that the flag remained down. However, the built-in reflex “No, then I’m offside” ensures that they don’t. In this respect, there may be a twitch in the direction of the ball by Thurk, but he immediately lets go again, hoping that the player Möhrle, who is moving up, is on it in time. “Disagree” is again so bad that it spoils the fun if this hadn’t happened long ago. Practically nothing that is “worked out” is right anyway.

who invited the team to celebrate the birth of his daughter this season, And we’re going to Berlin…. Having survived the situation without any sweat on the brow (which could only come from the possible exposure of the constant misjudgements on his part and not from any perceived tension), one can finally say marginal things again, but at least reliably correct things. “Get out of here fast” remains a main principle. You don’t need much football sense or special sensitivity to sense that something exciting is going on here, that something can still happen. Anyone who wants to switch off should urgently change their profession. Picking flowers, perhaps? Watching butterflies?

Union – Aue, 82:38 playing time, 1:1

Still one one. 7 minutes and 15 seconds left to play. Corner kick for Union Berlin. Aue still concentrated, Aue unexcited, and the Berliners are struggling. The “concentrated” is taken from the score. Because think about it: If the score was 2:1 and the action had been identical, would the same observation and comment have been made? Never ever. The “unexcited” is at the same time meant to suggest that they don’t even have much trouble, which is absolutely not true. But the man works with both a net and a double bottom, for that both are highly transparent. For every judgement is borrowed from the score. Männel, for me the strongest in the compact game of the Auer. He made an unbelievably strong save. As nice as praise is, what stands out for those looking for a “glass half full” is that Union had a large number of chances. The goalkeeper can only appear really good when he gets a lot to do. At the same time, it is once again “day before evening praise”. There’s no point in anticipating that. Only when you can’t think of anything clever to say about the current game – and that is indeed a permanent state of affairs. But here and now we have a particularly good chance. Because here is action, excitement, entertainment. For anyone interested in football.

Mattuschka. That’s the way it is. Nothing in the air for the hosts. They’ll probably have to try and manage it differently. The action continues. The hope seems to prevail that nothing will happen. Because: what would then become of the verdict “concentrated” and “held incredibly strong”? It was pronounced, so confirmation is needed. Mattuschka’s cross into the penalty area is reached by a defender and headed out. A certain kind of “standard”, because most crosses don’t turn into goals. Is that why you shouldn’t hit them any more? According to his advice, yes. “Try differently” and “regulate differently”. Well, he should urgently go and see coach Neuhaus. And get a kick up the backside. “Presumably” because of impudence and incompetence. By the way: How many goal chances would Union have had if they had used his (superior but not betrayed) concept? 35 instead of “only” 16?
A swansong it certainly is. “Nothing to get.” That’s when football (switch off) is really fun!

Emotions are there, they are high, intense play in the second half, not quite as many goal-scoring opportunities, but everything is within bounds. “Not quite as many”. Funny, to a layman it looks as if something could happen at any moment. Well, it was probably a mistake. The choice of channel button….
“Everything moves within the framework”. Such a general statement is as superfluous as a speech bubble behind the microphone. Boredom is spread. Once again, a foul had occurred during the banter, so the sentence is somehow “bent around”. Five yellow cards in total, but referee Markus Schmidt had the match under control at all times. Praise the ref is in the rulebook.

Little relief for Aue. But they can cope with that as well. You can really feel the growing pressure — and the boring tone of voice. The situation was once again clarified by Aue, so that they could “turn” again. “Little relief” means you can actually feel something somewhere, “They can handle it” means: “a) Action averted and b) I know the intermediate result”. Free kick. Foul by Peitz. They let the clock run a bit now, the Saxons. How nice. Why are they allowed to do that? Nothing to do with the commentator…
There will be the next change for Union. Of course they want to win here, and they would have deserved it. They invested more, they had the better chances, the Berliners, especially at the end of the first half, didn’t use them again. And Aue would have nevertheless earned and deserved this point in the end. From conclusion to conclusion towards the final whistle. The statement means: “No matter how the game ends, the final result would be deserved.” Because there’s one thing he’s learned, even at 16: in football, goals count. Only, during the explanation, there is an action, an attack, a football match going on. To want to rub someone’s nose in it again here that it went one way or the other and would be deserved if it … is so inappropriate that one is beginning to run out of words.

So, let’s see what’s still going on in the final phase here, one one the score, we’re going to Düsseldorf again, Oliver please…. Let’s get out of here!

Dusseldorf vs Augsburg, minute 86:22, score 1:0

Yes, it’s still exciting for you and me, isn’t it? The sensible viewer can feel it. He, the speaker, can probably only tell from the difference. 1 is equal to 1 and 1 is only 1 greater than 0. Stefan Hempel hasn’t given the game away yet, but everything is clear there, Fürth is leading 3:0, quite clearly. In fact, he could just as well report from Fürth. And he would certainly have the same fun with it, namely none at all. Does he think they’ve forgotten the score there? Apart from that, does he think it’s interesting to find out that somewhere else it’s guaranteed not to be exciting anymore? Replace the man! Replace him! Only then you’d have the pleasure of the next blabbermouth. So here something has to happen for Augsburg, they’re down zero one, and we see the goal scorer, so there’s the pass from Zoundi, Jentzsch is too late, and then Bröker (replay of the scene for 1:0 when the goal scorer Bröker was substituted),
It has to be said that he presented the replay of the goal when goal scorer Bröker was substituted with real passion and dedication. Here’s an alternative account, in the “genuinely bored” version.

“Zoundi, Zoundi is through, set up with a clever pass, Jentzsch rushes towards him, Zoundi gets to the ball before the goalkeeper, spikes it past, Jentzsch deflects the ball, a gossamer touch with his hand, Bröker in the middle, Two Augsburg players try to shield him, the ball comes in perfectly for Bröker, and even when it bounces just in front of him, he sinks it with perfect technique between the four defender legs of the onrushing Augsburg players. A great goal, but probably only made possible by the slight deflection of the ball by goalkeeper Simon Jentzsch.”

Well, luckily we have reporters who are much better at this… And Bröker, he’s enthusiastic here in Düsseldorf, it has to be said, the buddy of Lukas Podolski, with whom he was able to celebrate promotion with 1.FC Köln, still lives in Cologne with his wife Sandra and little daughter Melina, that’s a forbidden city for Düsseldorf, but he’s not a forbidden player with his first goal for the new club. Nicely told. Also laudatory. Positive. Sure, the celebrated goal scorer leaves the pitch to a standing ovation. That’s when it happens. But all this is “fringe events”, which one has probably read up on and which must be applied at some point, no matter what happens on the pitch? That’s where it remains.
“I’ll name my next daughter Melina, too.” It’s as emotional as it once was with Waldemar…

We’ve got Rösler against Jonas de Roeck, so we’ve also got people who have been injured for a long time, who have had to return, de Reock for Sankoh, who also showed his problems in the first half. Every now and then he remembers that he is commentating a football match. However, after an attempt is made to capture the action of the game for a moment (“Da ham wir Rösler”) he immediately realises that this action will certainly not lead to a goal either and switches to judgements and proof of knowledge. “Problems” here have one in particular…. Apparently without having to fear any consequences. Because: Even the programme director doesn’t listen to this drivel. You don’t have to fear for your own position… He has found a “niche”, so to speak.

We are still waiting for Michael Thurk’s brilliant moment. He scored both goals last season, the 1:1 here in Düsseldorf and the 2:0 at home in Augsburg against Fortuna Düsseldorf. Yes, keep it up, keep it up, keep it up. And keep waiting. Yes, you wait alone. I’ll watch the “Sendung mit der Maus”. At least something happens there and I don’t have to put up with a smart-ass who just wants to spoil my fun. Like this. Ass card, is that what they call it?

Somehow they’re trying to muddle through, Ndjeng. Again, the very brief attempt to convey something of the game. How neat in this context is the little word “muddling through”? It certainly applies exactly. Because remember: If you’re behind, you’re muddling through. If one had to or should rate it, then unfortunately one would have to say that it was less in the second round than in the first, and in the first it was not so much. Would you like a little roundabout? The action seems to be over for him. So take out the tension, make it bad, try to improve badly. Why did he put on the shirt of the team that is trailing 0:1? Beautifully stupid! In the second half, Ndjeng was certainly not the decisive factor for Augsburg. “I’ve counted goals and I still know what the score is. I also like to do the oracle sometimes. And if Ndjeng scores the 1-1 afterwards, then I just babble some other nonsense. And since no one listens to me, no one will notice my nonsense.

Traoré could become a player, maybe he came a little too late. A little tip for coach Jos Luhukay: go to coach school with that blabbermouth! And Oehrl, I’m still surprised that Torsten Oehrl can continue to play, is allowed to continue to play, Yes, because earlier he had already given an insight into his profound expertise and suggested Oehrl as a transfer candidate. But now he finally has to go out, Oehrl. It’s not as if he’s been bad, Torsten Oehrl, he’s always been a mover up front, pulling one or two defenders on himself to make room for Thurk, maybe? Turn tail? Wasn’t that bad? Didn’t I tell the coach right away? Just in case he plays through… –We’ve seen, elbow is out, seen completely correctly, actually yellow (replay of a foul scene against Augsburg, in which the Augsburgers are upset about the whistle against them) The foul play is heavily discussed by the Augsburgers, because it was anything but clear. It was a header duel in the Düsseldorf penalty area, in which the Augsburg player gets to the ball. They both pushed a bit, but the Düsseldorf player dropped at the right moment, which generally resulted in a striker’s foul (see also chapter “Striker’s foul”). Here, the spectator was given an observation, an assessment made in passing (because he was yakking about something else and there are serious doubts as to whether he was at all interested in what was happening, whether he knew how to interpret the reaction of the Augsburg players and so on…) and the referee’s decision was classified as “too lenient”. Ridiculous. Stupid. Wrong. — But Oehrl is also getting tired, I would simply suggest substituting Hain or Rafael, both are on the bench. Rafael also scored a goal last season in Augsburg’s two-nil home win over Düsseldorf. But perhaps an omen, or a constructed omen, however you like, is not enough for coach Jos Luhukay. Great explanation. On the pitch, as usual, nothing happens. He suggests “just playing” Rafael, because last season he already… Babble, babble, babble, snore.

Another minute ten. There’s not much reason to replay. Not even a hint of tension. Yeah, you mole, good job. Maybe two minutes. So let’s go back to Fürth and have a look, everything’s still the same, right, Stefan? And take the chance to call another sleeping pill from a really boring game behind the mike. Yeah, that’s how you do it. Destroy a station.

Fürth – Osnabrück, 3-0, 88:24 on the clock.

Normally they say nothing new in the West, but here in Franconia that’s also true today. It’s time to run out, it’s the new league leaders, they’re leading 3:0, Spielvereinigung Greuther Fürth is meant, VfL Osnabrück rightly defeated by this amount today, and that’s all there is to say, dear colleagues, that’s why, Sven Schröter in Berlin, the exciting games have to start… Fortunately, we were told all that. And he has a sense of humour, the dear man. Nothing new in the West. Haha. And he’s in the South! No humour is when you still don’t switch off.

Union – Aue, 1:1, 87:52.

It is, it remains exciting the Berliners try it again, Chance, Mosquera, Mosquera and again it is Martin Männel. How do I get through 90 exciting, great minutes of football without getting passionate once? Mosquera alone could have beaten Erzgebirge Aue here. Yes, those are always such explanations. What does he mean? One against eleven? He had the chances, he’s an attacker. That’s his job. He scored one goal, maybe he’ll score another, maybe someone else will. Nonsense to the power of three. But it’s still demeaning. Because it suggests he’s done something wrong. He could have so beautifully… but didn’t… Great pass by Peitz and Mosquera’s attempt, yes, he has to keep it. Is the central point of the action whether the goalkeeper has to keep the ball or not? No, that can’t be it. The situation from a layman’s point of view:

Union is pushing very energetically, you want to force it. With a cool head, but still dedication and passion, commitment, willingness to fight and run — and fine passes. That always remains an art, then to switch the body to “concentrated” and not to overpower. Dominik Peitz showed himself to be a master of this art when he selected Mosquera from the numerous options for play that the Union players, who were advancing in droves, created for him, played the perfectly timed pass to the attacker, who cleverly created space for himself and started into the penalty area, thus putting him in a shooting position. Mosquera is easily pushed to the outside by a rushing defender and for a moment might have the option to pass the ball to Benyamina, but decides to finish himself, tries to get the ball into the far corner as he is supposed to do, but Männel senses this intention in time, changes his own direction of movement and can thus hold the ball, even keep it. An all-round successful action, which would have caused the neutral observer to firstly click his tongue and secondly to say “I want more of this. Show me this game!” which he also holds. But he also stands there like an oak and unsettles Mosquera, who already had a comparable situation in the first half, when the chance was even greater. Comparing, generalising, tension and emotion, which in his case of course goes a similar way to hops and malt, but which the spectator could feel, is thus tipped down the drain. This “oak comparison” is so nonsensical. The insecurity is pinned on. It was a chance, nobody did anything wrong. One of the situations why football excites so many people Out comes an observed and described emotionless uniform mush that you wouldn’t even put in front of a dog.

Mattuschka, Mosquera again, another attempt to get into the game… the last 90 seconds of normal time, failed again. Brunnemann now in for Ede, and Union are trying everything…. They want to keep the three points here at the Alte Försterei at all costs, put Aue under pressure, Yes, right. the first successful statement, which really can’t be faulted. Unfortunately, only up to here… but they don’t make the most of their opportunities. Yeah, smartass. They have them, they try everything, it’s not over yet, you even wish as a neutral, maybe it still succeeds? You don’t use? You use. You’re not using anything. Mosquera. After a good 1600 unsuccessful minutes, he scored today. Freed himself from that curse, but the crowning glory, the second goal, the winning goal, he hasn’t given himself that yet. Benyamina also had the chance repeatedly to score that second goal. So here we have a bit longer, in Düsseldorf it will soon be over, Oliver Fassnacht…. Somehow you always wonder, “When will it finally start, the report of a football match?” So far it’s been all talk. “Here we have a little longer.” That’s why we’re leaving.

Düsseldorf – Augsburg, 1:0, 91:03

Augsburg don’t get a penalty here, although we think there should have been one. Even if, of course, we’ll be able to show that in a moment, Michael Thurk forces it, but that’s the job of a footballer, and for me this is the first wrong decision of a so far sovereign referee. So, I hope we can see this action again in a moment.

(The replay is coming) Here, Langeneke clearly hits Michael Thurk. It’s clear that he can’t get past, he can’t play the ball either, but that’s not the point here, it’s a very clear penalty and nothing more than that.

Here, too, a quite proper description of the scene. What is really decisive is that Michael Thurk, albeit close to the touchline, still reaches the ball before the defender and gets it past. As a result, the straddle goes completely into the legs (and 0% on the ball, which is sometimes also split 50/50 or somehow different, but then, if “also” ball, there is at least a basis for Duskussion), Thurk is caught really badly, although not necessarily injured. Thurk’s goal was to pass the ball. He managed to do that. The timing of his touch on the ball was a secondary issue. He would probably have been too far forward to get behind. However, it is irrelevant because the foul is so clear. For this, Uwe Möhrle, who is captain by the way and as such has the right to ask questions, now got a yellow card for whining. What a pity, Markus Wingenbach, Detlef Scheppe and Markus Sinn, I had praised the three of them, and rightly so, now we also have to rightly say that this is a grossly wrong decision, and every Fortuna Düsseldorf fan will see it that way, and that shows all the more clearly the mistake Wingenbach made. Well, a gross and therefore match-decisive error of judgement. What good is it to see a challenge on the halfway line or a throw-in correctly? The Englishman says: “Get the big decisions right”. It’s about the big decisions. There was one here. And it was “wrong”. That it is, as usual, against the goal and against the attackers is discussed in detail in other sections. (Example: the chapter “Penalty”.).

By the way: That the Düsseldorf fans see it similarly and that he wants to use that as evidence for the correctness of his assessment? It won’t be easy to deny his relationship to a Schildbürger…

But the game is not over yet, Baier, maybe a “Now more than ever”, oh, Zoundi with a candle, could be a template again, what’s that then, no, I don’t like Ndjeng, The “What’s that then” alone should prompt an attentive programme director to fill the position anew. So much gloating, so much perfidy in one fell swoop, accompanied by the standard effects like “kill suspense”, “don’t wait for action”, “misjudge action”, “no judgements in ongoing action” and so on is really bottom of the barrel. “What’s that?” means “That tripping king makes your eyes hurt when you look at it?” Well, the ZuHÖRER’s eyes hurt far more than his eardrums….

The action was this: Düsseldorf is being put under pressure. They long for the final whistle. Of course, the one win in Osnabrück was great, but it has not yet been able to completely forget the pain of the first six games, no wonder. The opponent is ready for anything, just goes for it, throws everything forward. A boxer like that is called “battered” and according to legend, such boxers are supposed to be dangerous. For a sports reporter, this should be a feast, because something else is happening here, something is brewing.
The injustice they have just experienced spurs Augsburg on even more. They want to get into the penalty area. Zoundi gets in between, tries a free kick, and it fails, he doesn’t hit it full (the candle). The ball, as is usual with such failed actions, gets an extreme spin, as it has slipped over the instep during the shot and sails backwards. It actually becomes an assist for Ndjeng, who penetrates back into the Düsseldorf penalty area, but anything but a well-timed one. The ball is not received before it touches the ground, so Ndjeng lets it bounce. The spin – which Ndjeng either expects but nevertheless misjudges, or it comes completely unexpectedly – shows itself, the ball bounces away a bit, so that he cannot directly control it even after tapping it on. But he doesn’t even “miss” it completely – without touching it, he sees roughly where he would tap, only perhaps not optimally — because he still gets it almost optimally into the barrel with the second touch. Of course, his surprise is still there, as it was not a planned action. But he crosses the ball anyway, also gets it past the first opponent, but the defender behind heads it out. A completely normal action, which simply stands for tension and drama in this game. Nobody did anything wrong. The Düsseldorfers were just able to clear the situation. Where did one now recognise a “what was that about”? That’s bad faith. Unambiguous. Confirming a negative judgement. “Ndjeng is the target of my criticism.” The others too, of course… all losers, really.
he still needs time, he’s not quite clear in the head yet either, it seems, this second half is not good, The game continues. The hacking around too. then Langeneke again, now it’s getting a bit hectic here, oh man, “hectic” is his translation for “exciting”? “Oh man” is “Just not that”? “Then again Langeneke” means: “When will it finally end so that I can continue with the swan song”? This is only about the “once more” Langeneke. Once more Langeneke … and then it’s finally over. But it was another exciting situation in the Düsseldorf penalty area. Everything that could be fun is missed anyway. And the “Oh man” is the crowning glory. “Cheeky here, suspense, man, my conclusion was drawn long ago.” At least, that’s what it sounds like… and Norbert Meier will certainly not be upset about the referee, because he would have no reason to be, possibly about this candle from Zoundi, You can see Düsseldorf’s coach Meier on the sidelines getting upset. Well, in this emotional game there are many reasons for that. The fade-in is totally ok because it gives you even more of the tension. The commentary is stupid. about this brief lapse in concentration, which might even have led to an equaliser. Just imagine! “Maybe even lead to an equaliser” Yet all the spectators had already been put to sleep so successfully? By the way, has he forgotten that he himself had just realised that there should have been a penalty kick? Wouldn’t there also have been a penalty…? Isn’t the emerging hectic, even if it were, only logical after a team has been denied a clear penalty kick? How is Augsburg supposed to “calmly finish the game”? Should they put their heads under the guillotine after the whistle? Would that be right? Of course, Norbert Meier wants this three-pointer now, and he’ll gladly take it with this bad decision by Wingenbach, because no one in Düsseldorf will discuss it afterwards. Strangely enough, according to ear-witness reports, on that celebrated night in Düsseldorf’s old town, almost only the one topic was discussed. Besides, are you a Düsseldorf fan, Mr. Nonsense Spreader? What about the Augsburg fans, please? What about justice, balance?

There’s the victory! 1:0 but Augsburg will rightly discuss the penalty. But you also have to discuss Augsburg’s form. And off to Berlin, they’re still playing there. The injustice is already forgotten. You have to discuss the form. Four defeats in a row. Surely a few heads must roll at last? What does a penalty matter? Results matter. Performance? “I don’t know anything about that. What for?”

Union – Aue, 1:1, 91:37

And the Berliners with the last efforts. Two minutes of injury time were displayed. So 15 seconds left, if it stays that way. The Berliners with Thomik and that’s safe prey for Männel, who has the victory, He feels it’s a victory, which already speaks volumes. the psychological victory, Quickly still take the corner and act as if it was formulation intention. Just don’t make any mistakes! He has just fallen victim to the “psychological victory”, so to speak. by holding on to this draw here. A point is like a victory for Aue here in Berlin today, Emphasise it a few more times, then you’ll believe it for sure. But now you have to! because Union had so many chances to keep the three-pointer here at the Alte Försterei. In the end they must be disappointed, the Berliners, a 1-1 draw, Uwe Neuhaus, you can see it in his gestures, in his facial expressions, is not satisfied, no, he is not satisfied. But that has nothing to do with the team’s performance. Differentiations! Well, you’d need expertise for that. But where do you get it so quickly? We saw a strong first half, Benyamina had chances, Mosquera had great chances, then the second half wasn’t so good. If that’s true, you could reach for the broom and eat it. They pushed and pushed until the end. It was exciting, dramatic, right up to the last second. The winning goal was just around the corner. That it didn’t succeed was nothing but bad luck.

There is also an urgent need for a “not good” here. Imagine if he had suddenly said “good” or “great”. And as a mole… Nevertheless, the chances were there, in a contested and never boring East derby. Rico Schmitt can be satisfied, not lost again, scored a point away from home, that’s it from the conference, let’s continue with all the games/all the goals, have fun with it. That’s called “sarcasm”, “have fun with it”? “Even more torment right away for all the masochists who stayed on…” that should surely be called…