Hertha Blog

Are we nearly safe yet?

4/22/2015

Well, I wasn’t in Berlin for the match day 29 game against 1. FC Koln which could, had things turned out differently, been the key to safety this year. As it turned out it wasn’t a bad match to have missed as both teams were pretty cautious and played out a 0:0 draw. They didn’t show the match at all on the ITV4 Bundesliga highlights program on Monday night on UK television and I guess that speaks volumes in itself.

Having said all that Hertha got a point when all those below them lost and, in some cases, lost badly. This leaves The Old Lady seven points clear of the playoff with fifteen points left to play for with some of the teams below on suicidal form. We may have to rely on the teams below us helping us to keep that gap as the remaining games are really not easy ones. The run starts with Bayern away followed by: M’gladbach, Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt and finally TSG Hoffenheim away.

I may be mad but I’m in Munich this weekend for the Hertha match and will post some of my photos for people to see. It’s going to be a really tough one after Bayern putting Porto to the sword on Tuesday and the crowd thinking they’ve won the Champions League already. If they win on Saturday they’ll clinch the Bundesliga title – something I’m not wild about seeing them celebrate but hey, I’m there to support Hertha and I’ll do that as best I can. More on the weekend – Ha Ho He

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Easter weekend and Paderborn

4/5/2015

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As Easter weekend approached we were excited to be waiting at the airport in London for our usual flight to Berlin for a very long weekend. Imagine our dismay when the departure board inexplicably came up with – further information at 23:50. Our first reaction was diving into Nando’s and ordering a bottle of El Cheapo red and a bowl of olives to share whilst a rising tide of panic started to overwhelm us at the thought of the flight (and the weekend) being cancelled. A couple of glasses and one or two whole garlic cloves later the gloom was dispelled with the departure board equally inexplicably changing once more, this time to say gate information at 19:55!

It was two, very relieved, Hertha fans that got onto that plane that night. Was this an omen? Was Lady Luck going to be on our side this weekend? Only her less fickle, if somewhat more relentless, partner in crime Father Time has the answer to that one. As always we would have to wait and see.

The match on Easter Sunday (match day 27) is the crucial game against Paderborn. Summer is on the horizon and the clocks have gone forward so it will be daylight to the end of the game. The first of the three key games talked about previously have gone our way with the win against HSV in match day 26. Victory in the matches against Paderborn and away at H96 would yield six points that may well lead to safety. As it stands there are only twenty four points left to play for but only four points between Hertha and the playoff spot and we really don’t want to end up there. Hertha have done that one before and it didn’t end well.

Hertha are without both Tolga Cigerci and Änis Ben-Hatira due to injury with the later picking up the injury on what was only a friendly. Having said this, having Änis on the pitch is not always a good thing anyway. He can win matches but often he just doesn’t turn up. The question is somewhat academic on the occasion and it gives an opportunity for someone else to step up to the mark.

The games on Saturday for the most part worked out in the favour of Hertha. Heavy losses for both Hamburger SV and VfB Stuttgart did the old lady no harm at all.

The 2:2 draw by H96 could be argued to be neutral as could be the 1:0 win of Freiburg against 1. FC Koln.

Thanks to the Hertha BSC iPad App

However, Koln dropping all three points does leave vulnerability in the table above that Hertha could exploit on Easter Sunday. The tricky bit is making sure of the three points at home against a team desperate for points themselves.

The morning of the game saw Berlin awake to clear blue skies and blazing spring sunshine – make what you will of who the heavens support on this day but naturally my mind is clear. Either way that kind of weather makes a great day to make use of the “free” travel within the city that comes with your Hertha ticket, after munching through a variety of chocolate rabbits and eggs!

The table after the Paderborn game

Well what a massive win for Hertha as they rise to eleventh place and just one point behind Dortmund!

I felt the team got off to a slow start and were a little nervous in their play. I guess both sides really didn’t want to loose and there was a lot of side and back passing. Nobody wanted to be really creative or run at the opposition. They livened up after the first twenty five minutes or so and it looked like we might get somewhere but it ended 0:0 at half time.

It looked like they had fallen asleep again during the break but they soon ran that off again and it paid off with two goals in the second half. There could, perhaps should have been more resulting from one-on-ones with the Paderborn keeper in my opinion but hey, two was enough! The first poached from a rebound by Valentin Stocker in the 68th minute and the second a great little volley from Nico Schulz in the 88th minute sealed all three points.

I know statistics don’t tell the whole story but they give a bit of a flavour nonetheless.

Shots 13 (8)
Shots on target 5 (2)
Corners 3 (2)
Possession 51% (49%)
One on ones won 51% (49%)

Here are just a few photos from the day . . .

I was lucky enough to be able to go to the players’ lounge as a “VIP guest” after the match on the occasion (thanks Maria). I struggle to think of someone who is less of a VIP than me but hey I certainly wasn’t going to refuse the chance! It was interesting to meet Jay Brooks and thank him for his efforts – I’m not sure what he thought this Englishman was doing there but I’m pretty sure he didn’t worry about it for too long!

Here are a few of the photos . . .

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Are we nearly safe yet?

Easter weekend and Paderborn

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