For match info, refer to the "Current Season" section
September 5, 2001
September 7, 2001
Just received a copy of the new WSV book Wuppertaler SV by
Otto Krschak and Peter Keller. Full of nice photgraphs and text relating
the history of WSV and the predecessors. The book is available through the
German version of Amazon.com,
www.amazon.de . The cost is DM 33,00, or about $16 in real money. For
the US, you need to add an additional outrage for shipping, but of course
it pails in comparison to the joy of having your very own copy. Delivery
time wasn't too bad, about 3 weeks. Klick here
to see the cover.
September 10, 2001
Anybody can play! Everybody on the field!
September 17, 2001
* - The derby against Borussia Wuppertal is on tap for this weekend. Who
knows, maybe a massive crowd of 1,000 will show up :)
* - WSV will appeal the decision regarding the Velbert game.
October 1, 2001
* - The 17th round match against Borussia Mönchengladbach's Amatuer
squad has been rescheduled. Originally set for December 3rd, it will now
take place this Wednesday night, October 3.
* - WSV has apparently hired some big shot lawyer to try and get the
points against Velbert. Pretty sleazy, give it up. Even though Velbert are
cheaters, it had no effect on the game. We lost because we played crap.
October 14, 2001
* - WSV's "win" over SSVg Velbert in the ARAG-Niederrhein-Pokal means that
the Lions have a date with SV Straelen in the semis on November 24. The
winner will face Fortuna Duesseldorf/RotWeiss Essen, which is a fairly
attractive match. Of course, the ARAG winner advances automatically to the
1st round of the DFB Cup, which usually means a big payday. (The last two
times, against Offenbach and Stuttgart, WSV has drawn over 10,000 fans
into the Zoo).
* - WSV's appeal over the Velbert league match (0-2) will apparently be
finally decided this week. As you might recall, Velbert used an ineligible
sub, which probably didn't effect the game. WSV was slapped in the face by
the federation on a lame technicality, as Velbert got off scot free. WSV
still hopes to get the points, but that seems unlikely. Perhaps something
like a DM 50.000 fine to Velbert would be a fair result.
October 22, 2001
* - WSV is mulling legal action in the courts to try and get the Velbert
ruling overturned. Fergitaboudit.
* - The league did rule in favor of WSV in the Nils Heese matter.
Basically, they said that the ref was indeed crap, and that Heese's silly
red carding at the end of the 4-0 rout over Rheydt was too harsh. As a
result, Heese was available to start the Bonn game.
November 9, 2001
* - In a stunning announcement, WSV announced that coach Frantisek
Straka was relieved of his duties. Sport director Johnny Hey will be
interim coach until a replacement is found. No reason was given, but
rumour has it that after a practice session, the players gave Straka a
no-confidence vote. Management uncharacteristically acted and booted him
out. Straka had been under criticism from club President Friedhelm Runge,
which had subsided with WSV's recent acceptable form. However, they may
have just been looking for an excuse.
Straka took over for the 1998-99 season, and despite having to completely
rebuild the squad, won the Oberliga title. Unfortunately, WSV failed in
the promotion playoffs. Last season, WSV was runner-up, but was quite
unconvincing mid season, which eventually ended up costing the title. This
season saw a poor start, but a recent return to form.
November 19, 2001
Outrageous fan behavior
November 25, 2001
WSV sucks, loses in Cup
December 1, 2001
* - Today's match against Fortuna Düsseldorf II has been postponed
due to crap field conditions. The makeup has been set for Tuesday, Dec.
4th at 19:00. The match will not be played in the Zoo, but rather at the
Oberbergischer Straße.
December 9, 2001
* - WSV has announced a friendly against Bundesligist FC Schalke 04
for January 5th, 2002. Tickets have just gone on sale, at regular
prices. (DM 15-30). If the fans aren't freezing their asses off at the
Zoo, this could be one of the club's larger pay-days, which is an
indication of the crap state of affairs.
* - WSV legend Günter Pröpper celebrated his 60th
birthday. After joining WSV from Rot-Weiss Essen in 1969, he went on to
great things with the Lions. His 1971-72 2nd division record of an amazing
52 goals in only 28 games stands to this day. He also scored 39 goals with
WSV in the Bundesliga. His son Carsten also played in the Bundesliga,
captaining FC St.Pauli.
December 16, 2002
So WSV is in 2nd place as the league goes into hibernation until February.
Overall, given the relatively crap play, not a bad position for the
Bergisch Lions. Obviously Velbert has been sensational, but Wuppertal is
in good striking distance. WSV has a minor edge in that the return match
against Velbert is at the Zoo, although that's not much of an advantage.
Here the standings in the Oberliga Nordrhein:
In a rather lame protest, WSV is hoping to grab the three points that they
couldn't get (seeing how our asses were getting kicked) in Velbert.
Apparently Velbert brought in an ineligible player with about 20 minutes
left. Most likely WSV will be awarded the points and a 2:0 victory by the
regional soccer federation. OK, I can see Velbert getting a boot in the
rear, but it's not clear to me that WSV should benefit. In fact, since our
performance was so crap, maybe we should get a point deducted as well!
BTW, Velbert has in fact admitted that they screwed up and fully expect
the match to be overturned.
At least that's the ruling of the Westdeutsche Fussball Verband today.
Velbert
will not be penalized for cheating and using an illegible player. WSV can
supposedly appeal, but why bother? It would be fair to penalize Velbert,
and maybe not award WSV the points.
* - In an outrageous display of hooliganism, apparently irate WSV
"fans"
attacked and beat up forward Noel Kipre after the loss in
Köln. Club President Friedhelm Runge vowed to track down the
perpetrators and stick them with a life-time ban, not to mention press
criminal charges. Of course this type of ridiculous behavior merely serves
to besmirch the already poor reputation that the travelling WSV fans have,
so hopefully these idiots will get what's coming to them, since a few bad
apples will ruin the barrel.
* - WSV blew a 3-1 lead and lost 3-4 in overtime to SV Straelen in the
semi-finals of the ARAG-Niederrhein Pokal. A win would have meant an
attractive match against
3rd division traditional rival Rot-Weiss Essen and a nice payday. And of
course a win there would have meant an automatic seed in the first round
of the 2002/03 edition of the DFB Cup. To add insult to injury, Richard
Mademann got his ass tossed, so undoubtedly some type of ban will be
upcoming. An outraged club president Friedhelm Runge estimated that this
defeat will cost WSV some DM 300.000 in revenue.
1. SSVg Velbert 02 18 14 2 2 35- 12 23 44 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 2. WUPPERTALER SV 18 13 2 3 40- 19 21 41 3. 1.FC Köln [Am.U23] 18 12 3 3 38- 14 24 39 4. SV Borussia Wuppertal (N) 18 12 1 5 32- 13 19 37 5. 1.FC Bocholt 18 8 5 5 30- 21 9 29 6. Bor. Mönchengladbach [Am.] 18 9 2 7 28- 19 9 29 7. SC Brück Preussen Köln 17 8 0 9 25- 34 -9 24 8. SC Borussia Freialdenhoven 17 6 5 6 32- 29 3 23 9. Bonner SC (N) 18 6 5 7 27- 30 -3 23 10. Alemannia Aachen [Am.] (N) 18 6 4 8 33- 35 -2 22 11. ETB Schwarz-Weiß Essen 18 6 4 8 20- 25 -5 22 12. MSV Duisburg [Am.] 18 6 4 8 34- 40 -6 22 13. Rheydter SV 1905 18 5 6 7 18- 22 -4 21 14. Ratinger SpVgg Germania 18 5 4 9 18- 30 -12 19 ---------------------------------------------------------------- 15. FC Wegberg-Beeck 18 4 5 9 20- 33 -13 17 16. SV Adler Osterfeld 18 4 4 10 24- 28 -4 16 17. Fortuna Düsseldorf II 18 3 3 12 18- 41 -23 12 18. Spfr Hamborn 07 (N) 18 3 3 12 18- 45 -27 12
December 17, 2002
OK, how do we rate WSV's performance in the first half? Granted we're not
in first place, and have not achieved what Arnold in "Conan The Barbarian"
described: "What is the greatest thing in life? To crush and destroy your
enemies, and drive their wailing women and children before you." True,
that was our goal, and we haven't achieved that. But is
the glass half-empty or half-full? Aren't there a lot of positives in 12
wins and only 3 losses? OK, enough of the politically correct touchy-feely
crap. WSV sucked! Except for the three straight 4-0 wins in October, WSV's
performance has been lack-luster, to say the least. Almost every game has
been a struggle. The attendance at the Zoo speaks for itself: not even
1,200 fans on average bother to show up. In fact, WSV has been a better
road draw. The management seems running around like a chicken with it's
earned that right yet. Perhaps things will get better in the 2nd half...
January 1, 2002
* - Happy New Year!
January 4, 2002
* - Jonny Hey new coach. Same as the old coach. Jonny Hey was
announced as permanent team manager; he had been filling as interim
manager after Frantisek Straka was canned. This should not come as a
surprise, because no other candidates seem to have been seriously
considered. Thomas Richter and the manager's son Antoine Hey will continue
as Assistant coaches. Is this a good choice? The next half of the season
will decide. Frankly, WSV needs to win the Oberliga Nordrhein and get
promoted. If Hey pulls that off, then it was a brilliant choice. If he
fails, he might as well get his ass canned like all the other recent
failures.
* Schalke match moved! The Zoo Stadion was in crap condition due to
snow and ice. So the much anticipated match against Bundesligist Schalke
was called off. Well, actually, the match will be played - at Schalke's
old Parkstadion in Gelsenkirchen. The cost is 8 Euros. Schalke has also
promised to reschedule the match in Wuppertal, and ticket holders will
simply use their tickets at that time. It's probably a good deal for the
fans, since it reduces the prospect of having to freeze their asses off in
arctic conditions.
January 5, 2002
* - WSV gets ass whipped by Schalke. Ouch. WSV's friendly match
against Bundesligist Schalke 04 showed the gap in quality between
Wuppertal and the higher divisions. The Schalkers rolled over hapless
WSV 7-1. Although this was supposed to take place in the old
Parkstadion, as it turned out, it was relegated to a nearby field with
artificial turf, which was easier to clear off the snow. Approximately
2,000 fans forked over 8 euros apiece (purchased from a minivan that
served as the ticket office) to watch WSV get slaughtered. Nevertheless,
because of the small field, everybody was right on top of the action, and
had a good time, despite the freezing weather. Schalke had most of their
first string, with the exception of Andreas Möller and Gerald
Asamoah. WSV started their strongest lineup, but obviously it wasn't much.
Schalke led 6-1 at halftime, the lone WSV goal coming from Alex Kohout.
Both teams substituted liberally for the 2nd half.
January 19, 2002
* - Credible showing against Duisburg
March 19, 2002
Do or die week?
The upcoming week may indeed decide the future of WSV. It is imperative
that the team put on a superior display. On Saturday, WSV plays host to
Preußen Köln, a team that has troubled WSV in the past
couple of campaigns. WSV must win this match to maintain 1st place. Then
next Tuesday is the match of the year, when WSV plays a makeup against
Velbert, also at the Zoo. This is the most important match of the
season. WSV MUST win to take revenge against the Velberters, and also to
defend 1st place. Unfortunately, it will probably only attract a lame
crowd, given the midweek scheduling. Then on the following weekend, WSV
travels to Rheydt. This should be a win, since we've kicked their
ass easily enough the last few times.
So if WSV pulls it off and gets maximum points, then they will send a
message that they're in control. The Regionalliga beckons and perhaps a
start of greater things. If on the other hand, they flop, the dire
consequences are too horrible to contemplate.
March 11, 2002
WSV domination at an end!
WSV's almost 50 year domination of soccer in the 'Tal came to an end on
Saturday, as WSV lost to upstart Borussia Wuppertal 2-3 in the derby at
the Zoo. It is now clear that Borussia has launched a successful challenge
to WSV as the leading city club, which is pretty disgraceful, if you think
about it. Come on, did these guys even exist 20 years ago? What WSV needed
was a thumping victory to reassert local hegemony, but instead the Lions
only manage to hold on to the top as Velbert has a game in hand.
Meanwhile, there is a distinct possibility that WSV could get caught by
Borussia, which would be neverending shame, sort of like the Frenchies
wailed about at Agincourt in Shakespeare's Henry V.
Where do we go from here? Club President Friedhelm Runge has made all
sorts of threats about cleaning house if promotion isn't achieved.
"Everybody with an expiring contract won't be renewed. Everybody over two
years at the club will have to leave." OK, whatever. Didn't we just go
through a whole new lineup a year ago? And certainly we fire our coach on
a regular basis. One can certainly sympathize with Herr Runge. Why should
he continue to throw his money down the drain? On the other hand, WSV's
track record of rebuilding is hardly encouraging. Reducing costs and going
with semi-amateurs might svae the club financially, but then there's no
guarantee of ever making it back.
The only solution appears to be to actually win the Oberliga now and get
to the Regionalliga. Anything else spells disaster.
April 3, 2002
Merger with Borussia?
The logic behind the merger is that neither club can do it alone, and that
Wuppertal needs a more powerful club to attract fans and have success on
the field. In doing so, the hope is that Wuppertal will follow the path of
SpVgg Greuther Fürth instead of Eintracht Duisburg...
Of course, this whole situation beggars the main issue: undoubtedly the
fans and members of both clubs oppose the deal. There would undoubtedly be
riots in the streets (well, Ok, in the Bierstube) if this sacriligeous act
were to be foisted on the Wuppis.
However, WSV Pacific
Edition has come up with the ideal plan to accomodate this
possibility:
The two clubs would merge under the name of FC FUSION
WUPPERTAL!!!!
Not only would this give the club a hip Ossi style edge (tres chic,
n'est-ce que pas? Besides we Hatzfelders are tired of being treated as
the country bumpkins by the haughty Elberfelders that dominate WSV), but
it would easily allow future mergers to be absorbed without a name change!
Think of the possibilities! This could set the stage of the expansion for
the Reich by the integration of all ethnic Wuppis (the so called
Volkswuppis) into Greater Wuppertal. After a period of
integration that we could call Gleichschaltung, where all Wuppertal
clubs are integrated into FC Fusion (open of course to all Wuppis who can
prove einwandfrei bloodlines to original Wuppertal hamlets such as
Elberfeld, Barmen, Vohwinkel, Hatzfeld, Ronsdorf etc.), we would be ready
to unleash the fury. We could subjugate inferior cities such as Essen
and Düsseldorf, relegating them to the role of supplying janitors
for the Zoo Stadion. This would
inevitably lead to German soccer supremacy and the Champions League! Our
dynasty would last for 1,000 years!!
OK, maybe not. If this doesn't sound familiar to you, then you should have
paid attention in history class.
April 15, 2002
New coach for WSV!
Jonny Hey is throwing in the towel soon. WSV has announced that Georg
Kress will take over as head coach at WSV, effective may 1st.
Kreß had been boss of FC Gütersloh 2000. Hey will apparently go
back to his role as Sportsdirector.
May 6, 2002
* - Wuppertal seems to have pinned it's hopes on promotion to 1.FC
Köln
U23 voluntarily giving up it's spot. What a joke. If you're too crap on
the field, rely on somebody else to let you in the backdoor?
* - Player movement. WSV has apparently signed a couple of new
players for the upcoming season. One is Abdul Caliskan. The other
is Nico Reckert, who comes from Bayer Leverkusen's Amateurs.
Reckert felt his chances to break in the Bayer's Regionalliga squad had
been reduced since the pros have taken all the spots. He was a member of
Bayer's champion youth team, so he could be a positive addition. The rumor
mill also has WSV in contact with a couple of Belgian 1st division players
from Molenbeek. Why they would want to transfer to WSV is a mystery;
perhaps Molenbeek is going bankrupt. Maybe David Beckham wants to join WSV
too, and I hear that Luis Figo is going to be dumped by Real Madrid.
On the other hand, apparently backup keeper Daniel Limberg is
leaving the club because he got a job. He had a few unimpressive starts
when Nils Heese was apparently in coach Hey's doghouse, but was perfectly
acceptable as the No.2. Maybe Oliver Kahn will want to move to the Wupper.
May 10, 2002
It's OVER!
May 13, 2002
* - It's now official. 1.FC Köln U23 has won the Oberliga Nordrhein.
The decision on whether the club will accept promotion is supposedly going
to come later this week. With the relegation of Köln's pros from the
Bundesliga, the budget is tighter, and the club has waffled on whether
they were willing to afford a 3rd division adventure. This has been even
more of a question given the collapse of the Kirchmedia Group, the main
source of TV income in German soccer. Nevertheless, club management has
stated that "the chances are good."
May 20, 2002
* - WSV will play in the Oberliga next season. 1.FC Köln has
announced that they have the funds to allow their U23 squad to accept
promotion and play in the Regionalliga. Not much of a surprise, but now
the last lame hope of WSV is trashed.
* - In a candid interview, ex-coach Frantisek Straka blamed WSV's
current situation on crap management and stated "if I were in
charge, we would have been promoted." He also predicted that Borussia
Wuppertal and perhaps Velbert will overtake WSV as the no.1 squad because
"they have their act together and don't have a meddling president". Now
part of that is undoubtedly sour grapes, because he got his ass fired, but
his successors hardly covered themselves with glory.
* - WSV has apparently signed midfielder David Rimbold from RWD
Molenbeek of Belgium for the upcoming season.
WSV at least put together a
decent effort in this friendly, against 2-Liga club MSV Duisburg. Although
WSV lost 1-3, they gave a decent acconut of themselves. In this match
played at MSV's training facility, Sascha Walbröhl put WSV in the
lead early, but eventually the Zebras were a bit too strong, leading 2-1
at half. For WSV, aside from the decent effort, the other positive was the
play of tryout player Joannis Tsakapidis. The 24 year old Greek defender
is a contract amateur with 2.Liga SSV Reutlingen, and is on trial with
WSV. Next up for WSV is Rot-Weiss Essen.
In recent days, there has been a lot of speculation in the press about a
possible merger between WSV and Borussia Wuppertal, and the two clubs
apparently have had initial "exploratory" discussions. Borussia has
already decided that they do not have the financial resources
to advance to higher levels, so even in the event that they win the
Oberliga (an unlikely, but not unreasonable possibility), they would stay
in the 4th division. WSV, of course, has delusions of grandeur and has
basically pronounced a "Regionalliga or bust" program. OK, that's been the
program for the past 3 seasons, but who's counting?
Another season down the toilet! WSV was crushed 0-3 by 1.FC Köln's
Elementary Schoolboys team at the Zoo last night, ending any hope of
winning the division. Well over 3,000 Wuppis paid good money to see WSV
get bitch-slapped in an embarassing end to promotion hopes. To add insult
to injury, WSV played in new uniforms, looked like Werder Bremen. Perhaps
that's positive, because now we can claim imposters actually played.
Questions or Comments? Send e-mail to: John Dwyer (jtdwyer@sonic.net)
