German Football 2022/23

[Bon Esprit]

Max MF Kruse to SC Paderborn is official.

"Gibt nur drei Dinge zu sagen": Paderborn holt Kruse

Der SC Paderborn hat seine Offensive mit Max Kruse verstärkt. Der 35-Jährige war seit November vereinslos - und will jetzt "gar nicht so viel reden".

www.kicker.de

 

[Bon Esprit]

Union Berlin signed Fofana (loan).

Union schnappt sich Chelsea-Stürmer Fofana

Union Berlin rüstet sich weiter für seine erste Champions-League-Saison und hat sich dabei mit David Datro Fofana verstärkt, der sich durch den Wechsel auch beim FC Chelsea ins Gespräch bringen will.

www.kicker.de

Pretty good strategy IMO. They'll be playing CL football next year and if they fail (what will happen probably) they can get rid of him easily.

 

[cgf]

Union Berlin signed Fofana (loan).

Union schnappt sich Chelsea-Stürmer Fofana

Union Berlin rüstet sich weiter für seine erste Champions-League-Saison und hat sich dabei mit David Datro Fofana verstärkt, der sich durch den Wechsel auch beim FC Chelsea ins Gespräch bringen will.

www.kicker.de

Pretty good strategy IMO. They'll be playing CL football next year and if they fail (what will happen probably) they can get rid of him easily.

Not sure it's a strategy as much as just not being able to afford to buy these guys outright. Like Leite & Awoniyi, we can only bring the likes of Aaronson, Fofana, and Gosens in by loaning them and then trying to make it permanent if they work out.

Fofana/Behrens/Kaufmann/Jordan - Becker/Leweling/Hollerbech
Laïdouni/Aaronson/Schäfer - Haberer/Kral/Thorsby
Khedira
Gosens/Roussillon - Leite - Szalai/Knoche/Jaeckel - Doekhi - Juranovic/Trimmel
Rönnow/Grill​

 

[luiginb]

Grill left afaik

 

[cgf]

Grill left afaik

Oh right. Thank god for that. One of the few additions Ruhnert has made that was an absolute failure.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

Really happy about David Fofana going to Union.

 

[cgf]

Really happy about David Fofana going to Union.

I'm very curious to see how our attackers do. Becker & Behrens are the only ones I'm really confident about knowing what to expected from...and Becker may yet leave for the big bucks. Jordan started last season well before fizzling hard. Leweling looked lively in his cameos but not yet ready for more than that. While Fofana, Kaufmann, and Hollerbech are all new to the league.

I'm very happy with the other 9 spots even if we can't finance the Gosens move and have to opt for a cheaper LWB, but that forward duo has a lot of question marks outside of Behrens...part of why I'd love to have Gosens helping out on set-pieces

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

This Nmecha scandal is so stupid, but boy is this dude underwater with the fans already. Better hit the ground running to help make it palatable. Problem is the signing is universally hated too for his play on the field.

 

[John Price]

 

[cgf]

This Nmecha scandal is so stupid, but boy is this dude underwater with the fans already. Better hit the ground running to help make it palatable. Problem is the signing is universally hated too for his play on the field.

The kid has already made transphobic posts, so concerns about his faith are perfectly reasonable even if he'd be considered one of the less religious players in the NFL.

But his play on the pitch is a silly reason to hate on him. He had a very good season last year and produced at the same rate as Bellingham; while also having every tool in his tool box.

I wouldn't worry to much about people being against him, a lot of BVB fans hated Malen passionately during his first season, but since he's settled in y'all have calmed down.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

The kid has already made transphobic posts, so concerns about his faith are perfectly reasonable even if he'd be considered one of the less religious players in the NFL.

But his play on the pitch is a silly reason to hate on him. He had a very good season last year and produced at the same rate as Bellingham; while also having every tool in his tool box.

I wouldn't worry to much about people being against him, a lot of BVB fans hated Malen passionately during his first season, but since he's settled in y'all have calmed down.

Putting his trans-views issue aside, I've been wrong before. Kobel wasn't my preferred GK choice a few years ago and Ryerson wasn't on my radar as a signing either, so I hope this is another of those scenarios. What I struggled with is that I saw virtually nobody liking the signing among our fans from a sporting perspective. That's what worries me a lot. I know a lot of people hate it for the trans-views perspective. I don't want a zoo off the pitch for a player who can't produce on it. That can't work. You can tolerate a zoo off it, if the player produces.

Truly wasn't on my radar as a signing to replace Bellingham. I thought he was more of an attacking midfielder. Looks like he played a little deeper sometimes last year. What we don't need is another 10, so I'm hoping he's fully adapted to an 8. Seems like a lot of money though for a player that's unproven, at best from a sporting perspective. I don't know, I really hope he starts well because if he doesn't, it's going to turn into more of a zoo than it already is. All kinds of advocacy groups are already very mad and the club have released all kinds of special statements already vouching for his character that normally they wouldn't do for players. There's reportedly an "instagram clause" in his contract where if he gives out another opinion on trans-issues, he gets fined. Rooting for this to work, but this looks like a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[bluesfan94]

This Nmecha scandal is so stupid, but boy is this dude underwater with the fans already. Better hit the ground running to help make it palatable. Problem is the signing is universally hated too for his play on the field.

Why is it stupid that fans don't like someone who compared pride to satanic worship and who is a clear transphobe?

 

[Savant]

Why is it stupid that fans don't like someone who compared pride to satanic worship and who is a clear transphobe?

Careful - the HF mods don’t like these types of questions

 

[luiginb]

Why is it stupid that fans don't like someone who compared pride to satanic worship and who is a clear transphobe?

Because three quarters of pro football players believe that, especially the religious ones, unfortunately. They're just smart enough not to make their belief public.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Why is it stupid that fans don't like someone who compared pride to satanic worship and who is a clear transphobe?

My opinion is that as long as he's not infringing on anyone's right to act as they like, he should be allowed to his opinion that he doesn't agree with or respect their lifestyle choices. Just reality that we aren't going to all agree on lifestyle choices. Some people like to use recreational drugs and consume a lot of alcohol. Others find it repulsive. Some people love sports and others hate it. Can come up with a million different examples. We all have different views and interests in life. As far as I'm aware, Nmecha hasn't done anything other than express some opinions on social media. Hasn't directed anything specifically at any person or taken any actions on his beliefs. I don't personally agree with the opinion that having a controversial opinion is dangerous or inciting hate or agree with the idea of hate speech laws. My own personal opinion.

I'm a lot more worried about if this guy is good or bad on the field, and can adequately fill the 8 position where we desperately lack right now. At the same time, I recognize a lot of footballing fans, especially in Germany and of this club, are very-progressive on cultural views, and this discussion is not going away unless he does great on the field. May not even go away if he does great. This is why this seems like such an unneeded circus.

 

[bluesfan94]

Because three quarters of pro football players believe that, especially the religious ones, unfortunately. They're just smart enough not to make their belief public.

Maybe. But being the one to vocalize it means you're going to be the one who gets the outrage.

My opinion is that as long as he's not infringing on anyone's right to act as they like, he should be allowed to his opinion that he doesn't agree with or respect their lifestyle choices. Just reality that we aren't going to all agree on lifestyle choices. Some people like to use recreational drugs and consume a lot of alcohol. Others find it repulsive. Some people love sports and others hate it. Can come up with a million different examples. We all have different views and interests in life. As far as I'm aware, Nmecha hasn't done anything other than express some opinions on social media. Hasn't directed anything specifically at any person or taken any actions on his beliefs. I don't personally agree with the opinion that having a controversial opinion is dangerous or inciting hate or agree with the idea of hate speech laws. My own personal opinion.

So you're saying that people expressing their opinions on social media re: Nmecha is stupid because you shouldn't call other people's opinions stupid? Do you see the hypocrisy? Not that this stance is at all tenable. Let's say that, instead of going after today's marginalized communities, he went after those of the past. If he did this with Judaism instead of queerness, would you have the same stance? German law probably wouldn't.

Now, were it not for the draconian rules of this board, we could get into the laughable assertion that queerness is a "lifestyle choice" equivalent to doing drugs, but alas.

I'm a lot more worried about if this guy is good or bad on the field, and can adequately fill the 8 position where we desperately lack right now. At the same time, I recognize a lot of footballing fans, especially in Germany and of this club, are very-progressive on cultural views, and this discussion is not going away unless he does great on the field. May not even go away if he does great. This is why this seems like such an unneeded circus.

Of course. Who cares about bigotry when there's soccer to be played? This attitude is exactly why sportswashing works.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Since I'm already subbed for MLS, sure, why not. Though if they make it as an add-on purchase instead of part of the base subscription I'll be pissed. Also better not try to do anything clever with the announcing--stick with the world feed broadcasters (and keep f***ing Taylor Twellman off my Bundesliga coverage--this past season without ever having to listen to that tool for BL was even better than usual).

 

[cgf]

Because three quarters of pro football players believe that, especially the religious ones, unfortunately. They're just smart enough not to make their belief public.

You're exaggerating, at least for the BuLi. No doubt that footballers are less progressive than the population in general, but German fans are more responsive to how their clubs represent them off the pitch. So BuLi clubs have to weigh those things more than Serie A or EPL clubs do, when assessing transfer targets.

Of course there are still plenty of bigots, abusers, and general scumbags making their living kicking in Germany...nevermind the guys who are just dicks/hard to work with...but Nmecha doesn't represent 75% of Bundesliga footballers.

 

[Eye of Ra]

So the lovely Bundesliga 2 starts soon, 28 july. Who is the favorites to go up?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Hamburg, like every year. Like every year, we’ll probably be saying it again next year.

I have to think Schalke is going to go back up again. They had little trouble the last time, and I think they are better off now than they were then. They would’ve survived, if they didn’t leave it so late.

Hertha could go right back up. They are also the type of club like Hamburg where they might hover around the top 1/4 of the table for years and still not make it up because they get in their own way.

I’ll predict that Schalke goes up easily and then one of Hertha/Hamburg.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Hard to imagine it won't be some combo of Schalke, Hertha, and Hamburg, with I suppose St. Pauli and Dusseldorf as alternatives. Teams outside of that group would probably be a bit of a surprise.

 

[cgf]

BuLi2 is never that predictable. Because the talent level is lower, motivation, cohesion, and self-belief are more important. And the giants often struggle with those when in BuLi2.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

BuLi2 is never that predictable. Because the talent level is lower, motivation, cohesion, and self-belief are more important. And the giants often struggle with those when in BuLi2.

The likes of a random team having a great season, like Fürth a few years back, or a big club struggling, always seems fairly high, but if just having to try to predict based on the "on paper" rosters I can't see a lot of others I'd have a ton of confidence in.

I'd be rooting for Magdeburg, but since their board stupidly decided to sack me after a slow start following promotion and two seasons way beyond expectations, I'm no longer so sympathetic toward them.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

BuLi2 is never that predictable. Because the talent level is lower, motivation, cohesion, and self-belief are more important. And the giants often struggle with those when in BuLi2.

You’re right, but with 3 of the 10 biggest clubs in Germany down there, it might be different for this year.

If a Bielefeld or a Paderborn is relegated, that stands true what you’re saying. I think the bigger clubs that get relegated still have that advantage when it comes to resources, even if they’ve fallen from their best years.

 

[Power Man]

Ramy and Nico already BFF ?