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2013

12/25/2013

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What an amazing year 2013 has been for Hertha and their fans! Firstly promotion from the Zweiteliga in fine style and the this seasons Hinrunde . . well what can I say? It's been better than any of my wildest dreams from back in the summer! 👏 👏

Back then ( and still now tbh) staying up was the key goal - anywhere above the relegation zone would be just fine thank you very much. But to find ourselves in sixth place over the winter break? Wow, a finer Christmas present it's hard to imagine 🎄🎅😀

Luck, for the moment, is running our way. Even down to, when Thomas Kraft is injured we have a new 18 year old keeper who plays a blinder against Dortmund if all people! For now at least the footballing gods are smiling on us and long may it continue - Ha Ho He!

To Hertha fans wherever you are - Happy Christmas / Frohe Weihnachten and let's hope 2014 will be as great as 2013 🙏

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BVB away

12/22/2013

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Here we are, on the last match day of the Hinrunde - I can't believe it, the season nearly half gone already!

For all the home games I have been to I have never gone to an away fame - not one. I really must do something about that one day and going to Dortmund another year would be a great place to start. Seeing and hearing the "yellow wall" is meant to be quite an experience. The wrong colours of course and singing all of the wrong chants and songs but . . . Impressive ;)

For the moment I will have to content myself with the small screen and the inane dribbling on from the commentators rather than the roar of a real crowd. After today the winter break starts for Hertha fans and no football until January 28th and I won't see a game until February 2nd against Nürnberg - a lifetime away!

Over the winter break I might catch one of the Alba Berlin basketball matches at the O2. It's not quite the same as going to the Olympiastadion but it may stop the shakes a little over the New Year!

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The teams thanks to Eurosport Live Score.
Wow, what an end to the Hinrunde! Both sides where depleted by injury but both came out fighting. Dortmund took the lead in the 6th minute when a long pass to Marco Reus left the whole defence in limbo. It also left Reus 1 on 1 with our new 18 year old keeper Marius Gersbeck. Some have said Gersbeck could have done better but being left alone, 6 minutes into your first match, with Marco Reus running at you in front of 80,000 people . . I find it hard to blame him. Besides after conceding that goal he played a blinder with a string of crucial saves. A great talent and Hertha find themselves with not just one but two class keepers.

The game took on a much brighter outlook for a Hertha fan in the 23rd minute as Sami Allagui nicked the ball and ran down the right flank and then put an inch perfect pass over to Adrian Ramos who slotted it past the helpless Wiedenfelder. This goal was no fluke it was a well krafted piece of play and clinically executed. It made Adrian the joint top goal scorer alongside Robert Lewandowski with 11 goals so far this season. Superb!

Just before half time Sami struck again, this time in a solo performance. Again he won the ball and this time he weaved his way through the Dortmund defence to score what ended up being the winner!

Going into the winter break in sixth place in the table is just amazing. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Hertha would be in this position. Just maybe I can start to think beyond avoiding relegation and think of doing more . . but it's a long way to go before we meet Dortmund again at the end of the season. We'll see but it's been a hell of a start and an enormous thank you to Jos Luhukay and the lads - Ha Ho He!

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My visit to the handball and the Füchse Berlin

12/17/2013

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This was my first visit to Handball Bundesliga match in Berlin and I'm so glad I went. We went to see Füchse Berlin play MT Mesungen in a league match. The atmosphere at the Max Schmeling-Halle was very family friendly and there were loads of "stalls" selling food and drink of all descriptions - quite cheaply as well.

The match was very much end to end stuff - like all the handball matches I have ever seen. But to be fair, that's not very many! They gave away bright orange card clappers that were torn up by the people above us and thrown into the air when the Füchse scored - orange rain! Luckily that happened quite a bit as the Füchse went on to win 24:22 - Heimsieg!!

The game if handball is a great one to watch, exciting and you can easily follow the ball. It is very fast though and reasons for a some of decisions were difficult to spot for a handball newbie but we went with a local expert who could explain things - thanks Maria!

Unfortunately the Füchse Berlin matches are mostly on when we are not around or clash with Hertha games but we'll go to see them again when we can. I'd heartily recommend handball as a sport to check out if you get a chance.

For me, I'll be back at the Olympiastadion in February to see Hertha play Nürnberg - Ha Ho He!

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Home Victory Against Werder Bremen!

12/15/2013

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We arrived at the Olympiastadion on this dank, misty night in mid-December for the penultimate game of the Hinrunde eager to see how the lads will do against the struggling north German team.   The almost Dickensian mist swirled around the stadium adding to the enclosed atmosphere of the evening.

Confidence is growing in Berlin but Bremen were on the bounce from a massive 7:0 thrashing by Bayern last week.  There was a strong contingent of away fans attending in the  48,721 crown but there was a Christmassy feel to the event with nativity scene stalls and plenty of Glüh-punch on sale!
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The match itself was a great one to watch but as a Hertha fan I was both excited and nervous right up to the final whistle! When we went a goal down after just 15 minutes my heart sank but then just two minutes later Adrian Ramos equalized from the spot after Per Skjelbred was felled in the box!  Adrian struck again in the 26th with a cracking shot past the keeper from the right. Then Petersen for Bremen equalized again in the 32nd after a simple one two cut through the back line like soft butter. Four goals within the first 32 minutes - what a roller coaster!  Just three minutes into the second half Ronny scored  what ended up being the winner.  Most of the work had been done by Peter Pekarik's header that Wolf managed to push out but only into the path of Ronny who was following up to give him a simple tap in to score.

Things were a little nervous in the final minutes and five added minutes made it more so. Hearts were in mouths as Kobi had to make a dramatic sliding goal line clearance off the post just before the final whistle.  Party time!!

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Away in Braunschweig . .

12/8/2013

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This weekend sees the old lady going down the A2 to Braunschweig for a key match as the Hinrunde draws to a close.  We really need three points from this one to try and bolster our position in mid table.
Braunschweig have picked up just eight points in the 14 games played so far this season and have a goal difference of -18. They have lost five of their home games but did draw against fellow strugglers 1.FC Nürnberg and actually beat Leverkusen! Clearly they have weaknesses but, can Hertha capitalise on them?
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Following the last home match it appears Sebastian Langkamp has had an MRI scan which confirmed a hamstring injury that will put him out until the new year. On the positive note Jay Brooks May be back and he'll be most welcome. Better to be on the pitch rather than just signing autographs outside the stadium like he was on Saturday. Other possible options might be Peter Niemeyer (as happened on Saturday), Maik Franz or Christoph Janker.  There is even talk in some of the less trashy press about moving Hajime Hosogai to the back four. I can't help feeling that would be a massive mistake and can't believe Jos Luhukay would do that but we'll see.

This glosses over the small problem we appear to have scoring goals at the moment.  The last time I said something like that we won 6:1 - I hope that trend continues!

After the match

Victory is ours! A superb 2:0 win away in Braunschweig thanks to two goals from Ronny and, in the 80th minute Tolga Cigerci.

Both goals were made by Ronny who was outstanding in this match. The first goal from Adrian Ramos was a great diving header from a corner from Ronny to clear the defenders and take the ball low past the keeper. The second, late in the game came from a break as Ronny ran down the length of the pitch passing to Tolga running down the right flank who finished it off without needing the support from Ronny who was following through down the middle.

These three vital points take Hertha back into 7th place in the table and with 22 points with two matches to go before the winter break. Not bad for a newly promoted team, not bad at all.

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Augsburg

12/2/2013

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After the closely fought home loss against the Champions League team Leverkusen Hertha will be facing FC Augsburg on Saturday this week.
This time I and able to attend with my "other half".  The weather is a little damp tonight in Berlin as I type this after returning from our local Kneipe where I had the most enormous eisbein I have ever seen in my life.  I am hoping the rain that escorted us home tonight leaves town before the match tomorrow!

I keep on meaning to download the Hertha Heroes App but I still haven't got around to it yet.  I think I may need to use an Apple account based here in Germany rather than my UK based account.  Perhaps tomorrow . . . 

We're hoping to go on to the Spandau Christmas markets after the match tomorrow and find something unhealthy to eat.  We'll see how the weather holds out as it's not so much fun in the rain.
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Hertha BSC v FC Augsburg
The "press" is reporting about our Lusti recovering from the flu and being back in training on Thursday. There is also some wild speculation about who is going to be playing where, especially in defence. As always I'll take anything I see in the gutter press about Hertha with a bag full of salt! We'll see on tha day . . . Ha Ho He

The match

The match ended in a 0:0 draw. Again Hertha controlled much of the game, holding much of the posesion (58.32%) and wining more that their share on 1 on 1 encounters (54.5%). Augsburg were forced into 22 fouls in the match with Hertha's total only reaching 16. IMO this difference could gave been greater still with some Augsburg transgressions going unnoticed and unpunished.  Having said all of this, we also had nine shots to Ausburg's two but, when it came to finishing, sadly we didn't have the teeth for it.

The apparent inability to convert chances and capitalise on the domination of possession is becoming a little worrying.  I am hoping Jos Luhukay can come up with a solution.

As Sebastian Langkamp tore a muscle in his thigh the manager has defensive worries as well, until the new year at least. It sounds like Sebastian will be out for the remaining three matches of the Hinrunde.

A few of the stills taken with my trusty old iPhone 4S before the match!

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