Preetz: Team performances 'captivating'

We caught up with Michael Preetz on Sunday about Hertha’s form at home, this season’s goals and a potential new stadium.

Berlin- The joy over Hertha’s win over Dortmund was clear for everybody to see on Saturday. Michael Preetz also could not hide his glee at the final whistle. Hands together and with his feet off the ground, he was obviously delighted with the win. He spoke to us on Sunday about the emotion of the game, certain tweets and the feasibility analysis.

Michael Preetz on...

...The elation of Saturday’s win over Dortmund:

The jubilation didn’t just come from the stands. It was a highly charged afternoon and we were a part of that on the bench, sharing the thrill. As a result the team got us carried away with their performance. It was a day to savour- for those in the stadium and anyone wearing a blue and white strip.

...Hertha’s strength at home:

We have to make sure we maintain our superior season in the Olympiastadion. We have 31 points, more than Bayern, Dortmund and Leipzig. We should be pleased with that, it’s fantastic. It has a lot to do with confidence, which the boys have gathered with every victory. What happened a few weeks ago also helped, because we were close to three points against Bayern for the first time in eight years. We felt we should have won that game so were a little disappointed. But the game had a subtext to it as well because we realised that this season we are able to beat anyone in our own stadium. We were able to show that against Dortmund at the weekend.

...Marvin Plattenhardt, and the photo with AfD supporter Frank Scheermesser:

The party has received enough attention. There is no wish on our part to initiate contact. What Marvin did is what most socialites do, they fulfill the wishes of the fans, in particularly kids and people who have a serious interest. That’s how it should stay. Martin did everything right. He has distanced himself from it.

...Dreams and goals for the season:

Everyone is allowed to dream, fans, journalists, the whole city. We would have many more day like Saturday if we could sell out the ground more often. Our main goal is to stay realistic. We decided during the winter break when we had 30 points to make European qualification our aim. That’s reachable and yet still ambitious. Saturday’s win only helps to strengthen our position, but there are many hard and difficult weeks facing Hertha BSC. We will have to train and work hard to collect as many points as possible.

...What Hertha as a team stands for:

What we have shown in the last two years and what we stand for, it that we are a tight knit team. We are a team that has developed a system and has some guys grow up in that. We are a team who are already incredibly strong after two years and we will be ready to take advantage if the so-called bigger teams struggle. As a result we have a chance to reach Europe. We must continue to focus on improving our foundations so that we can compete with teams who seem unreachable at the moment.

...contract talks with Salomon Kalou:

Vedad Ibisevic and Salomon Kalou are players who put in a shift, score goals and who can make the difference for Hertha BSC. IT is not easy keeping a player like Kalou in Berlin. He is a player for the international stage, who has won the Champions League and the African Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast. Someone, who could play anywhere. But we succeeded in getting him to Berlin nearly three years ago and I am confident we have the possibility of keeping him. Put simply: If a player plays to his potential, and when he does that as exceptionally as someone like Kalou, then it is the duty of a club like Hertha to do everything in its power to keep him.

...feasibility survey:

We have received some early feedback, but not yet the final results, we won’t know those until the end of March or beginning of April. Then we will be able to let the public know. It’s all about the first step. An initial survey analyzing the potential site. Potential building costs and capacity will be the next steps.

...aim of the study:

We are tasked with job of considering who Hertha can and must be seen in the future. That includes thoughts about a new stadium. We’ve been at the Olympiastadion for years, it is our home and will continue to be until at least 2025. There is a special atmosphere for the players whenever they are on the field. For the fans it is all about trying to soak up this atmosphere. We believed the Olympic stadium nicest stadium whether is completely full or completely empty. Is that suitable for Bundelsliga football when 40-50,000 fans turn up. As a result we see the possibilities for Hertha to develop further.

Berlin- The joy over Hertha’s win over Dortmund was clear for everybody to see on Saturday. Michael Preetz also could not hide his glee at the final whistle. Hands together and with his feet off the ground, he was obviously delighted with the win. He spoke to us on Sunday about the emotion of the game, certain tweets and the feasibility analysis.

Michael Preetz on...

...The elation of Saturday’s win over Dortmund:

The jubilation didn’t just come from the stands. It was a highly charged afternoon and we were a part of that on the bench, sharing the thrill. The team are captivating us with their performances of late. It was a day to savour- for those in the stadium and anyone wearing a blue and white strip.

...Hertha’s strength at home: We have to make sure we maintain our superior season in the Olympiastadion. We have 31 points, more than Bayern, Dortmund and Leipzig. We should be pleased with that, it’s fantastic. It has a lot to do with confidence, which the boys have gathered with every victory. What happened a few weeks ago also helped, because we were close to three points against Bayern for the first time in eight years. We felt we should have won that game so were a little disappointed. But the game had a subtext to it as well because we realised that this season we are able to beat anyone in our own stadium. We were able to show that against Dortmund at the weekend.

...Marvin Plattenhardt, and the photo with AfD supporter Frank Scheermesser:

The party has received enough attention. There is no wish on our part to initiate contact. What Marvin did is what most socialites do, they fulfill the wishes of the fans, in particularly kids and people who have a serious interest. That’s how it should stay. Martin did everything right. He has distanced himself from it.

...Dreams and goals for the season:

Everyone is allowed to dream, fans, journalists, the whole city. We would have many more day like Saturday if we could sell out the ground more often. Our main goal is to stay realistic. We decided during the winter break when we had 30 points to make European qualification our aim. That’s reachable and yet still ambitious. Saturday’s win only helps to strengthen our position, but there are many hard and difficult weeks facing Hertha BSC. We will have to train and work hard to collect as many points as possible.

...What Hertha as a team stands for:

What we have shown in the last two years and what we stand for, it that we are a tight knit team. We are a team that has developed a system and has some guys grow up in that. We are a team who are already incredibly strong after two years and we will be ready to take advantage if the so-called bigger teams struggle. As a result we have a chance to reach Europe. We must continue to focus on improving our foundations so that we can compete with teams who seem unreachable at the moment.

...contract talks with Salomon Kalou: Vedad Ibisevic and Salomon Kalou are players who put in a shift, score goals and who can make the difference for Hertha BSC. IT is not easy keeping a player like Kalou in Berlin. He is a player for the international stage, who has won the Champions League and the African Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast. Someone, who could play anywhere. But we succeeded in getting him to Berlin nearly three years ago and I am confident we have the possibility of keeping him. Put simply: If a player plays to his potential, and when he does that as exceptionally as someone like Kalou, then it is the duty of a club like Hertha to do everything in its power to keep him.

...feasibility survey:

We have received some early feedback, but not yet the final results, we won’t know those until the end of March or beginning of April. Then we will be able to let the public know. It’s all about the first step. An initial survey analyzing the potential site. Potential building costs and capacity will be the next steps.

...aim of the study: We are tasked with job of considering who Hertha can and must be seen in the future. That includes thoughts about a new stadium. We’ve been at the Olympiastadion for years, it is our home and will continue to be until at least 2025. There is a special atmosphere for the players whenever they are on the field. For the fans it is all about trying to soak up this atmosphere. We believed the Olympic stadium nicest stadium whether is completely full or completely empty. Is that suitable for Bundelsliga football when 40-50,000 fans turn up. As a result we see the possibilities for Hertha to develop further.