Teams | August 30, 2014 at 01:14 PM
KICK OFF
KICK OFF
Hertha legend "Zecke" discusses Hertha's Bundesliga games! This week: Bayer Leverkusen.
Berlin - Every football club has its legend. Without doubt Hertha BSC's is Andreas "Zecke" Neuendorf. He has blue and white blood coursing through his veins. He has been at Hertha for 15 years, making 278 appearances, scoring 28 goals in the process. Everyone knows he has his heart in the right place and is a true "Berliner" if ever there was one. This season "Zecke has become a "football pensioner" working within the club since hanging up his boots last term. He is still very opinionated and will tell us all how he sees his beloved Hertha's games going before each matchday in the 2014/15 season. No doubt he will play with his cards on the table. He will be honest, open and probably sometimes a little tongue in cheek - typical "Zecke"! So what does that mean for opponents? Watch out! ""Zecke" will pull no punches and take no prisoners as he tells it as it is... Read here his feelings ahead of matchday 2.
"Leverkusen? Why does the name ring a bell with me... Oh yeah, that is where I began my football career. It was an exciting time for me. Bayer Leverkusen were labelled as the 'Aspirin-Club' because of their sponsor and have needed time to shake off the image. But they managed to do so thanks to players like Bernd Schuster, Rudi Völler, Ulf Kirsten, Andreas Thom, Ze Roberto, Michael Ballack, Bernd Schneider and of course, a certain 'Zecke'! They have not won many titles yet but have come close on several occasions. I think that they are usually there or thereabouts pretty much every season.
Leverkusen launched their Bundesliga campaign this season with a top team and a new man at the helm: They have so far impressed under new coach Roger Schmidt. They have been successful too. After winning in Dortmund, they cruised into the group stages of the Champions League so well done to them. But we as “Herthaner” won't let such things worry us. We have done well there on the odd occasion in the past, and because we haven't won there for quite a long time, it's about time we did again! Their small stadium cannot of course be compared to our own "castle" in Berlin but is still fun to win there.
Even if they easily qualified for the Champions League in midweek, that game will have cost them strength. Leverkusen tend to try to overrun opponents early on in games as they did in Dortmund. By the way congratulations to Karim Bellarabi for scoring the fastest goal in Bundesliga history last week in Dortmund (9 seconds!) and another strike against Copenhagen. Our team must be wide awake from the off on Saturday. Our coach will as always prepare the lads perfectly, and we will create some chances which have to be taken. As far as I can remember we were always good for a goal. I'm sure we can keep that up with the current Bundesliga co- top scorer Julian Schieber in our line-up!
Of course it will be anything but easy against Bayer. Especially when we think of what happened last Tuesday night and the injuries. It is especially bitter for "Baumi" - I wish him a lot of strength during his comeback, which alo goes for Basti Langkamp and our man on the terraces Marius Gersbeck. If we have to do without Genki Haraguchi and Ronny, Jos Luhukay is not to be envied. But if anyone will put a top team together to face Leverkusen than our coach. And between you and I, Micha Preetz and Jos Luhukay strengthened the squad during summer for exactly such occasions. Players who have missed out so far, are burning to show that they belong in the first team! Which is why I have a good feeling about Saturday.
When I think about last season, the games in Bayern and Dortmund were tough. But then again what is easy in the Bundesliga - the league of the World Cup winners? I hope our lads can play the way they did in our first two games. If they can, I can imagine Bayer Leverkusen and their fans might just need an Asprin afterwards...
"Leverkusen? Why does the name ring a bell with me... Oh yeah, that is where I began my football career. It was an exciting time for me. Bayer Leverkusen were labelled as the 'Aspirin-Club' because of their sponsor and have needed time to shake off the image. But they managed to do so thanks to players like Bernd Schuster, Rudi Völler, Ulf Kirsten, Andreas Thom, Ze Roberto, Michael Ballack, Bernd Schneider and of course, a certain 'Zecke'! They have not won many titles yet but have come close on several occasions. I think that they are usually there or thereabouts pretty much every season.
Leverkusen launched their Bundesliga campaign this season with a top team and a new man at the helm: They have so far impressed under new coach Roger Schmidt. They have been successful too. After winning in Dortmund, they cruised into the group stages of the Champions League so well done to them. But we as “Herthaner” won't let such things worry us. We have done well there on the odd occasion in the past, and because we haven't won there for quite a long time, it's about time we did again! Their small stadium cannot of course be compared to our own "castle" in Berlin but is still fun to win there.
Even if they easily qualified for the Champions League in midweek, that game will have cost them strength. Leverkusen tend to try to overrun opponents early on in games as they did in Dortmund. By the way congratulations to Karim Bellarabi for scoring the fastest goal in Bundesliga history last week in Dortmund (9 seconds!) and another strike against Copenhagen. Our team must be wide awake from the off on Saturday. Our coach will as always prepare the lads perfectly, and we will create some chances which have to be taken. As far as I can remember we were always good for a goal. I'm sure we can keep that up with the current Bundesliga co- top scorer Julian Schieber in our line-up!
Of course it will be anything but easy against Bayer. Especially when we think of what happened last Tuesday night and the injuries. It is especially bitter for "Baumi" - I wish him a lot of strength during his comeback, which alo goes for Basti Langkamp and our man on the terraces Marius Gersbeck. If we have to do without Genki Haraguchi and Ronny, Jos Luhukay is not to be envied. But if anyone will put a top team together to face Leverkusen than our coach. And between you and I, Micha Preetz and Jos Luhukay strengthened the squad during summer for exactly such occasions. Players who have missed out so far, are burning to show that they belong in the first team! Which is why I have a good feeling about Saturday.
When I think about last season, the games in Bayern and Dortmund were tough. But then again what is easy in the Bundesliga - the league of the World Cup winners? I hope our lads can play the way they did in our first two games. If they can, I can imagine Bayer Leverkusen and their fans might just need an Asprin afterwards...