OL 10/11 Game 3: TeBe vs Ludwigsfelder

[Doughnut Boy Andy]

Tonight 7.00pm, our second home game of the season sees us still hoping for our first points. Ludwigsfelder will be expecting to win with our TeBe still really in the planning stages, but the good news is that they are yet to win this season as well, in fact they are yet to score. The bad news is that have not let in any either and are said to be a very solid defensive team.

Weather is wet, cool almost chilly and grey.

Come on TeBe!

[Norbert]

I hope Condé is on the pitch again - otherwise I fear that we won´t get any good chances to score. But we desperately have to score - at least one more time than Ludwigsfelde! So as the Doughnut Boy cheered: come on TeBe! My dream is a 1:0 home win for us!

[Norbert]

Weather is wet, cool almost chilly and grey.

Come on TeBe!

In other words: almost the best weather for a decent football match! 8)

[Norbert]

It´s a draw!

Yes!

1:1. We got the first point! What a wonderful feeling!

[Doughnut Boy Andy]

Match 3: Friday 27.08.2010 7pm Mommsenstadion

Tennis Borussia Berlin vs. Ludwigsfelder FC
1:1 (0:1)

TeBe team: Filatow - Scheimann (81. Kapli), J. Bah, Touré, Kirstein - Demirel, Conde (88. Türkoglu), Demir, Saro (65. Cubukcu) - Tokgöz, Ademi

LFC team: Wendt - Bengs, Krüger, Cocaj, Thomas (80. Lindenberg), Schwager, Adler, Ost (80. Dauti), Schmidt (46. Eichstädt), Hass, Ruprich

Referee: Marek Nixdorf (Dresden)

Goals: 0:1 (2.) Krüger, 1:1 (87.) Kirstein

Att: 287

Bookings: Demirel, Kirstein - Krüger, Ruprich, Adler, Eichstädt
Red Card: J. Bah (12., Last man)

Match report to follow.

[Doughnut Boy Andy]

It was one of those shitty grey Berlin days where anybody leaving their warm dry home to go to watch an Oberliga game could classify as perhaps an "ultra", certainly as slightly barmy. The first half stayed miraculously dry, meaning Block E was chosen over the stands and as the drizzle started in the second half most (not myself) decided to stay and stick out the last 15 minutes despite the worsening conditions.

In the first game we let that stupid goal in at the start of the second half, a typical mistake of an inexperienced squad and I hoped the lads would learn from this, but by the time I had ordered my beer, chat a little to the beaver in his log cabin and turned round to walk to my usual spot TeBe were already 0-1 down. According to the TeBe website it was a header from a corner and as rumour has it not a bad one either. Bollocks.

So half-drunk, 0-1 down after 90 seconds and standing in the cold with rain looking unavoidable the whole thing seemed so stupidly pointless. At least the beer and the sausage tasted good but the stadium looked so desolote that Bungle could have played the Specials at half-time. The less than 300 figure would have not perhaps bothered a few years back but last night it all seemed eerily empty, even if Block E could certainly not be accused of only singing when they are winning.

Looking at the young team made up of fresh eager but inexperienced players from lower leagues, youth squads and second team and seeing the task that they were facing in the Oberliga reminded me of yet another Specials song - Too much, too young. And then came the next silly mistake in the 12th minute. Sloppy defence lead to a Ludwigsfelder through on goal and Bah as the last man had to do something. The timing (just outside the area) and the idea were good but he was too far behind, the Ludwigsfelder clearly through with just the goalie to beat and the referee ultimately left with no other option than to show red. Luckily nothing came of the free kick and although at the time we should have surely prefered to let in goals than lose important players, Bah's "rash tackle" may have saved the day.

The trouble that arises for the fans in our unique situation is becoming annoyingly obvious. A young squad is all we have, we have no money for better more experienced players and we are thankful that they are playing at all in most cases. But young players make mistakes, let in goals, make silly fouls and fuck things up now and again. The team is improving at an incredible rate, the training team are little miracle workers but even the more optimistic of fans reckon that we need another 3 games to hold our in the Oberliga because of our late start and young team. So how do you deal with the frustration when players get sent off and mistakes are made? Demand new management? - No we just got rid of them and our current team are fighting to hold it together. Moan at the players? - Well no because they are doing us the favour by even playing at all. Blaming the referee? Well I would say no because I expect mistakes but sadly not everyone shares my view.

But things were not quite as bad on the pitch with ten men as I would have expected. Despite being a player down, TeBe adjusted well to their new tactics and not only held their own but also managed to create a few chances for themselves. Sure we could have been a few down at half-time but we were not and as long as the game stayed 0-1 the torture continued with hope refusing to die despite the desperate situation. But if the team had lacked fitness in the last thirty minutes whilst even at full strength, in the second half I had expected the collapse to come at some point...

... but it didn't. As the second half continued our opponents certainly started to look much more dangerous, some desperate defending from TeBe blocking shots and importantly keeping us in the game. Sitting in the dry on the stand the dilemna we were facing became clear to me - I would prefer to lose 0-6 than 0-1 today, because if this team cannot deal with us with a player less then they are also going to be fighting at the bottom of the table. If we were trounced by a team vying for promotion then fair enough, no points lost, but if Ludwigsfelder are bad too then this game is an important six pointer.

And then TeBe won a corner and pushed players forward. A good ball in, a shot, blocked, back out, scramble, shot, goal, madness! 1-1 and what an important goal in the 87th minute. Tasting blood, the team then had the cheek to go for the full three points and nearly suffered on the counter attack. The final whistle came and TeBe had secured their first points of the season and more importantly the young squad must feel for the first time that they deserve to be in this league and that they might just pull this off after all.

Despite my eternal pessimism, that was an important point for the table and psychologically. As Micha put it so brilliantly in the German language thread... "We are alive!"

Fucking right on.

[ping-pong-alex]

thx for the match report

[bronski]

thx for the match report

yepp, it was and is always a joy to read your reports.

[Ralf]

YES WE CAN! 8)