Rumours and unsubstantiated truths

June 28, 1999

WSV signs new coach
* - Frantisek Straka is the new WSV coach, after Holger Fach deserted the club. Straka, a former Czech international who particapated in the World Cup in the 1980s, is a former WSV defender from 2.Liga days. he also played some 100 Bundesliga games with teams like Bochum and Rostock.

* - Summer training camp has started. Straka has been leading the sessions, which consist almost entirely of new players. Several Dutch based foreigners have been brought in, all young players.

June 20, 1999

Fach says WSV sucks and leaves!
Recently announced coach Holger Fach resigned after only 5 days on the job. Apparently he realized that WSV sucked so much, he decided not to waste his time. A bitter blow in the sense that training is supposed to start at the end of the month. But on the other hand, with only about 4 players under contract, about the only thing they could do is play cards anyway.

* - WSV's hope for a legal decision now rests with an appeals court. The club has hired some attorney, Schurkhardt or somebody, to present the club's case. The good news is that this guy has a decent track record, having "saved" Hertha BSC, VfL Wolfsburg and SpFr Siegen when they were in difficult circumstances.

Aside from pleading stupidity, WSV's case relies upoin the fact that there is no license review for the Regionalliga, so only on the field results should count. Furthermore, WSV intends to apply it's share of the TV money, which is roughly equivalent to the amount of the debt owed to the pension office.

The final, binding decision of the appeals court is expected by mid-July.

June 14, 1999

New coach for WSV
Holger Fach has just signed on new head coach for WSV, replacing Roman Geschlecht. The 35 year old ex-pro inked the deal today, which is in force whether the club plays in the Regionalliga or Oberliga next season. Fach played over 400 games in the Bundesliga, with teams like Uerdingen, M'Gladbach, Leverkusen, etc. He is a Wuppertal native and as such has expressed a desire to help the team. "Besides, I haven't been doing anyhting since I retired, and I'm bored."

* - WSV has retained an attorney to present legal arguments as to why WSV should not be forcibly relegated to the Oberliga. Initial presentation is set for Wednesday, June 16. Meanwhile, the Berufsgenossenschaft has added insult to injury, by demanding DM 525,000 in payment, an increase of DM 75,000 beyond the original DM 450,000 for which WSV was in default.

Arrangement with Dutch club?
WSV has apparently reached an agreement with Dutch 1st division club SC Heerenveen that could bring up to 6 players from the Dutch squad to Wuppertal on a loan basis. This would be nice, since only about 6 players remain from WSV's squad.

June 1, 1999

ARMAGEDDON!!! WSV FORCIBLY RELEGATED!!!

In a sad turn of events, WSV has been forcibly relegated to the Oberliga! The reasons are complex, with bitter recrimination back and forth. What essentially occured is that Wuppertal failed to pay some DM 450.000 to the pension fund by the due date, May 1st. There are lots of arguments flying about, but what is clear that WSV knew in October 1998 that the money had to be paid. Perhaps they figured they could wiggle around it. The club has hinted at "legal action", but they don't appear to have much of a legal leg to stand on.

Sorry ass display in Zoo
Round 34
Wuppertaler SV - FSV Salmrohr 5:1 (3:0)

In the final Regionalliga game, WSv had no trouble kicking Salmrohr's ass. The guests figured to need a win to stay up, but they obviously figured that Wuppertal would get the axe by the league, so why bother? Instead they insulted everybody with a lame display, and probably should have lost by about 10 goals. One of the highlights was Gerrit Meinke banging in four goals.

1:0 Meinke (9. Min.), 2:0 Meinke (13. Min.), 3:0 Wohlfarth (40. Min.), 3:1 Wagner (53. Min.), 4:1 Meinke (81. Min.), 5:1 Meinke (90. Min.).

Att: 600

* Search for new coach
It would appear that Roman Geschlecht is being booted out as WSV field boss. While he hasn't done a bad job since taking over midseason, he was unable to get WSV into the 2.Liga, so I guess his head had to role. Of course, in the light that WSV is going to the Oberliga instead, what's the point? No successor has been announced. One of the hot rumours is that ex-RW Essen coach Klaus Berge is a hot candidate. You would think that the club would have had enough of Essen castoffs from the Rudi Gores experience, but perhaps not.

* Dirk de Wit has apparently signed a contract with Eintracht Trier. Gerrit Meinke is also leaving WSV for SC Paderborn. The reason he gave is that his wife wants to live closer to her home in Osnabrueck.

May 24, 1999

CHAMPS TOO STRONG
Round 33
Alemannia Aachen - Wuppertaler SV 3:1 (0:0)

A packed Tivoli stadium was on hand to celebrate Aachen's promotion into the 2.Liga. Meanwhile, Wuppertal was handicapped by the suspension of the Wiesner-de Wit-Dengel trio, but also the absence of Broos and Menzel. As a result, WSV showed up with a rump squad, and although they fought hard, they were no match for Alemmania.

The first half saw Aachen control the ball, but the WSV defense held firm. After about an hour, the dam broke. Although Frank Klemmer got WSV back into the game with a nice 1-2 with Gerrit Meinke, WSV couldn't do much, despite needing to win.

Aachen: Lenz - Zimmermann, Bashi, F.Schmidt - Lasser, Meulenberg, Vanderbroek, Laemmermann (76. Ibrahim), Rauw (60. Bluhm) - Heeren, Klein (50. Krohm)

Wuppertal : Gramse - Jasarevic, Klemmer, Wuester (79. Prestipino), Mademann, Soares, Walbroehl (35. Cobbina), Backhaus, Meinke - Lenhart, Panait

1:0 Heeren (61.), 2:0 Meulenberg (65.), 2:1 Klemmer (73.), 3:1 Krohm (88.)

Att: 18.000

* - WSV to be forcibly relegated?
This question seems to be increasingly asked. The latest crisis is another financial probe. Apparently the club owes some DM 450.000 that was supposed to be paid to the Labor Office by May 1st. According to the rules, WSV is in default of this obligation, and therefore can be forcibly relegated to the Oberliga. Negotiations are underway to escape this disaster. FC Homburg is believed to be in the same situation.

There is a potential backdoor, although it's not clear. The regional soccer federation has decided that there may be a promotion playoff round from among the various Oberliga clubs, along with Salmrohr. WSV and Homburg could be participants.

* - Ingo Menzel and Sascha Waldbroehl will leave Wuppertal and transfer to Alemannia Aachen. They are only the latest in what is a total sell off of the squad. Dirk de Wit, Christoph Dengel and Wolfgang Wiesner have already had their contracts dissolved. Roland Wohlfahrt is leaving for Bocholt, Sven Backhaus is off to Hilden-Nord, Sven Steup is transferring to Bayer Leverkusen amateurs. Christian Broos is leaving for Hordel, and Aurel Panait returns to Mainz from loan.

May 17, 1999

DISGRACEFUL DERBY PERFORMANCE - but WSV wins
Wuppertaler SV - FC Remscheid 5:3 (1:2)

The headline pretty much sums up this crap performance by WSV. With Wiesner, de Wit and Dengel booted out, 3 starters were missing right off the bat, and WSV played crap most of the day. A pitiful "crowd" of under 1,000 witnessed a hapless Remscheid team hustle and out muscle WSV for about an hour, before the superior WSv team finally woke up and kicked their ass.

Things actually started out fairly promising for WSV. "Tostao" Soares, who was pretty unstoppable most of the day, was hacked down in the penalty box after 10 minutes, and Sven Backhaus calmly converted to put WSV up. The rout was on...not. Instead, WSV's defense played lazy-ass style, and before you knew it, Remscheid's Danny Hass popped up and equalized. While WSV was clumsily dicking around, Remscheid was gaining confidence, and stunned Wuppertal by grabbing the lead at half. A chorus of Bronx Cheers accompanied our heroes int the locker room at half.

While the players were running around aimlessly, the ref was handing out tickets like candy. Aurel Panait got his ass kicked out after 44. minutes for his second yellow card. Remscheid's Kladsiuz Gawol accomplished the same crap in the 54. minute after hacking down Lehnhart, and Danny Hass got his ass red carded in the 85th minute.

Sascha Lenhart was again the best WSV player, as his speedy dribbling down the flank caused consternation. Not only was his getting hacked down the cause of the Remscheid population reduction, but he beautifully set up Soares with the equalizer. However smart-ass Remscheid grabbed the lead again through Ohemeng, who totally outplayed Klemmer and "Speedy Turtle" Jasarevic. However, with Backhaus and Wuester off, WSV was totally commited to attack, and for once, it paid off. Wohlfahrt scored a rare goal for Wuppertal, and Mademann scored twice, the last time on a beatiful diving header.

Overall, you would have to say that WSV was the superior team, but Remscheid managed to hang in tough for about 70 minutes. In the end, they showed why they're going down, although WSV has to wonder how they can even think about an eventual return to 2.Liga. In fact, they won't even last in the new 3.Liga with performances like this.

Wuppertal: Gramse - Jasarevic, Klemmer, Wuester (46. Wohlfahrt) - Mademann, Soares (83. Prestipino), Waldbroehl, Meinke, Backhaus (70. Raduta) - Lenhart, Panait.

Remscheid: Melka - Jakubauskas, Gawol, Heinzmann - Nolden (68. Kampl), Loewen, Hass, Ohemeng,Slupek - Niedzkowski ,Kundrotas

1:0 Backhaus (10., pen), 1:1 Hass (14.), 1:2 Slupek (40.), 2:2 Soares (59.), 2:3 Ohemeng (62.), 3:3 Wohlfarth (67.), 4:3 Mademann (74., pen), 5:3 Mademann (78.)

Att: 930

May 13, 1999

* - WSV advances to DFB-Cup 1st round!
Next season WSV will finally participate in the main round of the DFB Cup. By winning 3-2 yesterday at SV Dinslaken, Wuppertal qualifies for the 1st round of the Cup, to be played late 1999. Who knows, maybe the first opponent in the Zoo could be Bayern Muenchen?

The match itself was decently attended, with some 400 Wuppertal fans in attendance. Despite falling behind after 5 minutes, WSV came back with goals by Soares and Meinke, to go ahead at half. Dinslaken, a totally crap team at the bottom of the Oberliga, came out strong in the 2nd half, and squared the game, forcing overtime. Gerrit Meinke scored the winner for WSV in the extra period. The highlight for the WSV fans, aside from winning, was getting clubbed by the Dinslaken police.

* - It sounds like Wolfgang Wiesner, Dirk de Wit and Christoph Dengel, the trio signed from Fortuna Köln last year, have had their contracts dissolved. There has been bad blood between the players and management due to non-payment of wages, which isn't too surprising. Unfortunately, Wiesner and de Wit have consistently been among the best players for WSV this season, although Dengel has been rather ho-hum.

* - Werner Helleckes, owner of a local sporting company, has apparently thrown his hat into the ring to succeed outgoing boss Friedhelm Runge. Helleckes is rumoured to have a plan to turn WSV into another "multi-kulti truppe", i.e. sign a bunch of cheap foreigners. This strategy has been tried (and failed miserably) at places like FC Homburg. In fact, this was done at WSV a couple of years ago with the "Romanian mafia", where about a half dozen bargain rate Romanians were brought in, with marginal success.

May 10, 1999

WSV escapes with ass intact!
SpFr Siegen - Wuppertaler SV 0:0

In a somewhat lucky result, WSV travelled to Siegen and escaped with a hard fought 0-0 draw. The hosts dominated the game from the start, although Wuppertal had some good counterattacks. Considering the same team had crushed Wuppertal 6-0 at the Zoo, it seemed like another hiding was in order. Especially since a win would put Siegen in 2nd place. But led by a sharp GK Jochen Gramse and a stout defense, WSV fought off the Siegen attacks and managed to bring home a point.

Siegen: Kellermann - Hein (77. Kraemer) - Kuci, Schoenberger - Scherzer (46. Hyza), Scholtysik, Germann, Jonjic, Cirba - Saric, Tonello (71. Klein)

Wuppertal: Gramse - Jasarevic, Klemmer, Wuester - Mademann, Soares, Waldbroehl (80. Raduta), Dengel, Meinke - Backhaus, Panait.

Att: 6.000

May 3, 1999

WSV STUNS CONTENDER!
Wuppertaler SV - SC Paderborn 07 4:0 (0:0)

What's up, WSV? After a totally disgraceful defeat last week, Wuppertal turns things around and goes out and stomps on one of the premier title contenders in impressive fashion. And this was done with a "weakened" team, as several players were benched after the Kaiserslautern fiasco.

Wuppertal: Gramse - Jasarevic, Klemmer, Wuester - Backhaus, Soares, Waldbroehl, Trummel - Meinke, Lenhart (83. Min. Raduta), Panait.

1:0 Soares (54.), 2:0 Meinke (68.), 3:0 Meinke (69.), 4:0 Trummel (81.)

Att: 1.050

* - Wolfgang Wiesner, Dirk de Wit and Christoph Dengel have been suspended by president Friedhelm Runge. Apparently the reason is that they have contacted an attorney regarding non-payment of salaries. Runge announced that these players will be sold. So along with Broos, Jasarevic, Panait (back to Mainz), Wohlfahrt (Bocholt), etc., more players are leaving.

DISGRACEFUL WSV PERFORMANCE!
1.FC Kaiserslautern Amateurs - Wuppertaler SV 4:0 (3:0)

In yet another disgrace, WSV went down 0-4 in K-town against FCK amateurs. WSV was totally outplayed, and if GK Wolfgang Wiesner hadn't been sharp, they probably could have lost about 0-8.

Apr 19, 1999

WSV STUNS LEADERS!
Wuppertaler SV - 1.FC Saarbruecken 3:1

In one of their better performances of the season, WSV upended the leaders from Saarbruecken 3-1. This keeps alive the slim hope of achieving a promotion spot, but more importantly, perhaps signals an upward trend in performance. The last few seasons have seen WSV limp to the finish line, and it would be nice to end strong, even though it's probably too late to have any impact.

The "man-of-the-match" was undoubtedly offensive midfielder Dirk de Wit, who scored all three goals. After a curving free kick in the 5th minute, he scored his 2nd on a contraversial penalty, as Sascha Walbroehl was brought down, perhaps outside the box. Saarbruecken pulled back on a penalty of their own, and then proceeded to press WSV fairly hard in the 2nd half. However, the outstanding de Wit wrapped up the game as he broke through on the right side and blasted a 16 meter rocket into the net.

Overall, WSV deserved the match, as they fought hard for the whole game. Saarbruecken tried to control the game with skillful play, but were not physical enough to match the hustling Wuppertalers. The referee made several questionable decisions, which led to frustration on both sides. Saarbruecken's Taifour Diane made an ass of himself when he "applauded" one of those calls. That resulted in a red card in the 76th minute, ending whatever hope Saarbruecken had.

Wuppertal: Wiesner - Waldbroehl, Klemmer, Backhaus - Mademann, Steup, de Wit, Dengel - Meinke, Lenhart (87. Panait), Soares (41. Wuester)

Saarbruecken: Ebertz - Wruck - Voigt (30. Zibert), Tieku - Musa, Caillas (80. Gerlach), Susuc, Sechet, Gabriel (66. Stanic) - Diane, Choji.

1:0 de Wit (5.), 2:0 de Wit (25., pen), 2:1 serchet (36., pen), 3:1 de Wit (80.)
Att: 2.500

Apr 15, 1999

WSV into main round of DFB Cup?

WSV was out of Regionalliga action the past weekend, but it was a rather busy game schedule, as the club played in the preliminary round of the DFB Cup for next season. On Sunday, WSV was guest at MSV Duisburg Amateurs, and came away with a 3-1 victory. Some 300 fans showed up, and were treated to a surprisingly good match. The Duisburg amateurs pressed WSV early, and even took the lead. Then a couple of goals by Dirk de Wit turned the tide, and WSV was able to coast home.

* - After defeating MSV, Wuppertal then travelled closeby to face FC Remscheid on Wednesday. FCR fought hard, but were clearly inferior, as WSV calmly won 3-0, behind goals from de Wit, Meinke and Raduta. Dissapointing was that only some 450 fans showed up in the Roentgenstadion, despite the local derby flavor. Remscheid is basically closing up shop to play in the Oberliga next year. WSV's next opponent is Dinslaken, whhich apparently is on the verge of relegation from the Oberliga. If WSV wins this, perhaps the next opponent in the first round of the 1999/2000 DFB Cup could be Bayern Muenchen...

* - Christian Trummel has apparently lengthened his contract with WSV

* - There is a lot of speculation that WSV will have a new coach in the upcoming season. Current boss Roman Geschlecht is apparently on shaky gound, although most of the rumoured candidates (Fach, Stepanovic, etc.) seem unrealistic.

Apr 6, 1999

EASTER BUNNY LEAVES WUPPERTAL
Lame performances by WSV against Homburg and Elversberg

The easter weekend saw two crap performances by WSV, as they played makeup games against Saarland opponents Homburg and Elversberg. First they travelled south to Homburg, where they put on a disgraceful performance in a 1-2 loss, before returning home Easter Monday for a ho-hum 3-0 over Elversberg.

Wuppertaler SV - SV Elversberg 3:0

WSV controlled the game, but didn't seem to interested against the crappy Elversbergers. Their highlight was probably when the PA announcer introduced Brent Goulet, a popular former WSV player. Anyway, WSV bummed around lamely, and it wasn't until a half hour that they finally scored - and that was a gift from the Easter Bunny: Elversberg GK Zwirnlein laid an egg, as he dropped the ball and "Tostao" Soares pounced on it. Then WSV went into a defensive shell, to the outrage and disbelief of the miniscule "crowd" of 1,200. Outrage turned to boos as Sven Backhaus kept on playing back passes from midfield.

Things started to pick up a bit in the 2nd half, when worthless Roland Wohlfahrt was subbed out. He was a fine player, but now belongs in oldtimers games. But only after some Elversberg idiot (Gary Blissett) got his ass red carded for a nasty fould on Gerrit Meinke did WSV wake up. Meinke himself bagged the 2nd, and youngster Christian Trummel sparkled as he hammered a volley on a nice pass from Waldbroehl and a cross from Lehnhart.

Among the few bright spots for WSV were Sascha Lenhart, again the best player, Gerrit Meinke's 10th goal, hustling Christian Trummel, and a decent game from Sascha Waldbroehl, in his first start in ages.

Wuppertal:
Wiesner - Waldbroehl, Klemmer (57. Wuester), Backhaus - Mademann (64. Menzel), Steup, de Wit, Wohlfarth (46. Trummel), Lenhart, Soares, Meinke.

Elversberg: Zwirnlein - Nickeleit ,Loos, Papava (76. Melunovic) - Valtschev, Drljaca, Eiden (76. Fick), Weidner (62. D`Ippolito), Delic - Blissett, Goulet

1:0 Soares (28.), 2:0 Meinke (76.), 3:0 Trummel (80.)
Att: 1.250

FC Homburg - Wuppertaler SV 2:1
0:1 Klemmer (7.), 1:1 Klose (27.), 2:1 Nuhic (87.)
Att: 400
12 Wuppi-fans made the trip, and wished they had stayed in a pub instead. After an early lead, WSV dicked around and let Homburg square the game on a blast by Klose, who stole the ball from Sven Backhaus. Frank Klemmer had a golden opportunity to give the lead back to WSV after an hour, but managed to put the ball over the goal from only 5 yards out. Despite having more of the play, WSV did nothing. And in the end, they paid the price, as Nuhic raced untouched from midfield and shot past Wiesner from just outside the box.

Mar 28, 1999

IMPORTANT WIN!
Wuppertaler SV - Eintracht Trier 2:1

WSV started out strong, but then let Trier take over. Sven Backhaus was the man of the match, in more than one way. His catastrophic lazy pass was pounced upon by veteran Rudi Thoemmes, who hammered Trier into the lead. Up until this point, WSV had been dominant, with Ischdonat making a great save on Backhaus' free kick (17th minute), and Christoph Trummel missing an open net a couple of minutes later. Trier made a clever move by yanking Thomas Richter for Reinhold Breu, who shut down Soares and the guests began to assert themselves. Frank Klemmer lost the ball just before half, but luckily Vlado Papic only hit the cross bar.

In the 2nd half, Gerrit Meinke came on, and had an immediate presence, his cross serving up Backhaus for the equalizer. The game went back and forth, with Wiesner being called upon to make a couple of good saves. In the end, veteran Roland Wohlfahrt caught a pass from the hustling Meinke, and was brought down in the box. Sven Backhaus converted the penalty, and WSV had a critical win.

Wuppertal:
Wiesner - Jasarevic, Klemmer, Backhaus - Mademann, Steup, de Wit (75. Raduta), Trummel (53. Walbroehl), Lenhart - Wohlfahrt, Soares (64. Meinke)

Eintracht Trier:
Ischdonat - Prus, Klinge, Teichmann - Milosevic, Heinzen, Richter (20. Breu), Fengler, Papic - Thoeömme, Meluovic

0:1 Thoemmes (32.), 1:1 Backhaus (70.), 2:1 Backhaus (82., pen)

Mar 22, 1999

DECENT ROAD PERFORMANCE AT LAST
LR Ahlen - Wuppertaler SV 1:1 (0:0)

A decent performance by WSV on the road at the Ahlener Glueckaufkampfbahn. Given WSV's recent road debacle's, you could have expected another severe ass-kicking. But WSV came out with confidence, although a couple of changes needed to be made. Christian Trummel was promoted from the WSV-II squad, and had a decent game. Gerrit Meinke played in midfield, somewhat unsuccessfully. Wuppertal had some early chances, but Ahlen gradually gained the upper hand, forcing some decent saves from Wiesner. But by and large, the Ahlen forwards suffered from the "Wuppertal disease", which means not being able to find the net.

Frank Klemmer was the WSV man of the match, which means that it was his turn to get his ass red carded. he carried out this mission in the 80th minute. Oddly enough, WSV played even better with a man short. Gabi Raduta's free kick was customarily kicked straight into the wall, but he uncustomarily followed up and hammered the rebound into the net. Overall, a decent job by WSV, which with some luck, might have stolen a win. Nevertheless, we should be happy with a point.

LR Ahlen:
Eisenmenger - Daschner, Zimmermann, Peters, Schloesser, Hecker (36. Stoehr), Karp, Bonan (73. Verguichik), Donato, van Buskirk (72. Gerov), Bamba

Wuppertaler SV:
Wiesner, Jasarevic, Klemmer, Backhaus, Mademann, Steup (81. Raduta), de Wit, Trummel (66. Wohlfahrt), Meinke, Soares (66. Waldbroehl), Lenhart.

1:0 Karp (63.), 1:1 Raduta (81.)
Att: 1.570

* - Ingo Menzel and Christian Broos have been thrown off the team. The official reason is apparently an argument over "promotion bonus". This seems silly, since no way WSV is getting promoted.

* - Roland Wohlfahrt, who has seen little action for WSV due to injury, suffered another one in Ahlen. However, he should be OK for the match against Trier. He's also rumoured to be thinking of leaving WSV for 1.FC Bocholt next season.

* - The WSV-Kurier reports that almost all the player contracts expire at the end of the season. This may mean the dismantling of WSV completely, depending on what re-signing strategy is used.

Mar 18, 1999

WIESNER SAVES POINT
Borussia Dortmund Amat. - Wuppertaler SV 1:1

In a game moved up to accodomate makeup games, WSV escaped from Dortmund with a 1-1 draw. A small crowd of some 600 witnessed the match in Dortmund's famed "Rote Erde", which used to be the home of Borussia before they moved to the Westfalenstadion.

WSV badly needed a win to maintain credibility, but since both Sven Backhaus and Christoph Dengel got their asses red carded, this actually turns out to be a good result. WSV came out strong in the first half, but was unable to convert any chances. In the 2nd half, Dortmund took control of the game, and GK Wolfgang Wiesner displayed superb skill in keeping the clean sheet. Then, in one of few WSV counterattacks, veteran Roland Wohlfahrt scored his first goal for WSV.

BVB Dortmund Amat:
Kleinstieber Mehnert; Knoche, Sauerland; Elbracht (66. Messner), Kalayci, Narewsky (57. Schaeper), Rothholz, Pinske; Arlet, Timm.

Wuppertaler SV:
Wiesner, Jasarevic, Klemmer, Backhaus, Mademann, Steup, de Wit, Dengel, Wohlfahrt (78. Wuester), Soares (59. Meinke), Lenhart.

0:1 Wohlfahrt (64.), 1:1 Schaeäpr (70.)
Att: 600

Mar 9, 1999

WSV SHAKY, BUT WINS
Wuppertaler SV - SpVgg Erkenschwick 3:1

A rather lame performance by WSV in front of a tiny crowd (estimated at 950). The opponent was bottom feeder SpVgg Erkenschwick, which has traditionally been a tough opponent for Wuppertal.

In the early stage, it was hard to tell who was who. WSV was totally crap, and Erkenschwick was all over the lame WSV defense. A couple of passes, and they were in the penalty box, ready to shoot. Luckily for Wuppertal, GK Wolfgang Wiesner was in good form, and secured the back.

The first chances for WSV came via Sascha Lehnhart, who again used his speed and dribbling to his advantage. After 20 minutes, he laid off a perfect pass to Christoph Dengel, but he wasted the chance by blasting off a defender instead of into the net. A quarter of an hour later, WSV took the lead. Wohlfahrt took a volley off a corner, the goalkeeper couldn't hold it, and Dengel tapped in the rebound. Wuppertaler SV: Wiesner, Jasarevic, Klemmer, Backhaus, Mademann, Steup, Soares, Dengel, Wohlfarth (72. Min. Trummel), Raduta (60. Min. Meinke), Lenhart.
1:0 Dengel (37.), 2:0 Backhaus (49., pen), 3:0 Meinke (60.), 3:1 Kaeämpe (77.)
Att: 950

Feb 28, 1999

DISASTER IN MUENSTER!
Preussen Münster - Wuppertaler SV 3:0

A horrible performance for WSV was met with a deserved drubbing, which could have reached the proportions of the Siegen/Verl catastrophes. Some 250 Wuppertal fans who made the trip probably wished they had drowned themsleves in Alster-Wasser instead.

For some inexplicable reason, WSV came out totally defensive. What coach Geschlecht was thinking, nobody knows. What everybody does know is that WSV almost never has a real solid defense, and the recipe was there for disaster. As president Friedhelm Runge summed it up "If we had come out attacking, at least we might have had a chance."

As a result, Muenster totally dominated the game, which was played exclusively in Wuppertal's half. WSV forwards Dengel and Meinke were MIA, and the "offside trap" was beaten left and right. To top things off, Jasarevic got his ass red carded again. President Runge's comment was that he hoped Geschlecht would kick Jasarevic's ass off the squad. (In comments a couple of days later, Geschlecht stated that he didn't think in special steps needed to be taken against Jasarevic.)

Wuppertaler SV: Wiesner, Jasarevic, Klemmer, Menzel, Mademann, Steup (88. Min. Wohlfarth), Backhaus (81. Min. Raduta), Dengel, Meinke, Broos (46. Min. Soares), Lenhart.

Scoring: 1:0 Geise (27.), 2:0 Mueller (40.), 3:0 Serr (89.)
Att: 3,200

* - After the crap performance in Muenster, rumours are already flying that Geschlecht's days are numbered. In comments to the press, club boss Friedhelm Runge was visibly upset. Probably the only thing to save his job would be a convincing win over Erkenschwick. On paper, this seeems reasonable, but Erkenschwick has always proved to be a tough opponent for WSV.

Feb 23, 1999

* - The restart of the Regionalliga 2nd half at FC Homburg was postponed, as was the home game against SV Elversberg.

* - WSV has a new prospect in camp. 20 year old Nigerian James Igwilo has been training with the club. Apparently he has played with the Nigerian U17 and U20 squads. However, he cannot be signed to a contract until summer, so it's unclear what his future with the club might be.

* - Some good news in the courts. Romanian Constantin Rontea lost his case at the Labor Court, so WSV doesn't have to pay him off. Uwe Scherr, who was fired after the Verl debacle, has a pending case as well. What is it with WSV always getting their ass sued?

Feb 14, 1999

Shaky restart for WSV
FSV Salmrohr - WSV 0:1

* - WSV started off the real Roman Geschlecht era with a shaky 1-0 away win against FSV Salmrohr. This was a make up game from the 17th round. Wuppertal was never really threatened in the Salmtal stadium, but had trouble really organizing an impressive attack.

After Sven Steup had a couple of early chances, some defensive lapses by libero Sven Backhaus gave Salmrohr some hope. However, after the shaky start, Backhaus secured WSV's backline, and the hosts rarely threatened. Dirk de Wit had a nice run, but his shot just missed. Just before halftime, Christoph Dengel was free in the box and brought down by Salmrohr's keeper Tietges. De Wit converted the penalty, and WSV was up 1-0.

In the 2nd half, things got shaky again. After Steup missed a golden opportunity to put the game away after an hour, Murat Jasarevic got his ass tossed for a stupid foul. Salmrohr seized their last opportunity to press WSV, and it took a great save by GK Wolfgang Wiesner off a hard shot by Eberhardt to save the win. In the end, the tiny Wuppertal contingent in the 400 fans had something to cheer on the way home...

Feb 10th, 1999

* - WSV's last two prep matches were a mized bag. After losing 1-3 to 2.Liga Fortuna Duesseldorf, they had a crunching 6-2 rout of Landesligist Union Solingen. Overall, the winterbreak training under new coach Roman Geschlecht has to be considered very positive, with good results in the friendlies.

Jan 28, 1999

* - WSV's positive winter training has continued as they defeated 2.Liga KFC Uerdingen 3-1 in a test match at the Sportplatz Am Gelben Sprung. Goals for WSV by Dengel, Mademann and Steup. Murat Jasarevic had a successful return to the lineup after his injury. The defense looked solid, but the attack was still somewhat lame.

* - WSV has played a couple of friendly matches from the training camp in Bad Zwischenhahn. Kickers Emden was defeated 3-1. In an earlier match, BV Cloppenburg was also defeated.

* - Overall morale among the players has apparently improved since Gores ouster. New coach Roman Geschlecht is working hard on building a positive attitude for the 2nd half of the season.

* - Daniel Niedzkowski and Dirk Heinzmann have been loaned out to FC Remscheid. Both played in Remscheid's 4-2 victory over ASV Wuppertal.

* - WSV has apparently floated the idea of a new multipurpose arena to be built alongside the Zoo-Stadion. Given WSV's precarious financial state, this seems rather ludicrous, but it is the topic of much discussion. Obviously most fans would rather see the money invested in a winning team.

Jan 21, 1999

Geschlecht new WSV coach

* - After a search for a new head coach proved to be fruitless, Club President Friedhelm Runge announced that interim coach Roman Geschlecht has been appointed as new head coach, effective immediately. Rumours had been floating that Holger Fach or Klaus Berge would be appointed, and apparently negotiations over compensation with high profile Peter Neururer (ex-Koeln) collapsed at the last minute. The 37 year old Geschlecht played at Leverkusen, Hannover and Homburg, and was asisstant coach to the fired Rudi Gores. He faces the difficult task of salvaging the season for WSV.

* - The club still remains in financial difficulty, as last season's last minute salvation was apparently only temporary. Some 4 million DM in debts remain on the books, although no immediate danger is evident.

Jan 13, 1999

GORES FIRED!

* - The latest news out of Wuppertal is that coach Rudi Gores has been fired by club president Friedhelm Runge. Gores has been under criticism for overly defensive play, along with the crap results that ended the first half of the season. Apparently WSV did total crap in the city indoor tournament, and this was the last straw. Gores had been feuding with his players, and since you can't fire all the players, Gores ass was grass. Gores was a contraversial pick to replace Karlheinz "Ali" Hoefer about a year ago, since he came from arch enemy Rot-Weiss Essen.

Assistant coach Roman Geschlecht will take over in the interim. No plans have yet been announced for a permanent replacement. Meanwhile, WSV management is still under the delusion that promotion into the 2.Liga is still a possibility, and plans have been made to apply for a 2.Liga permit. After the severe ass-kicking suffered against Siegen and Verl, you would think it's a sorry joke, but hope springs eternal. Still, if the squad lives up to it's potential, perhaps a top 5 finish is not out of the question.

Jan 5, 1999

* - Uwe Scherr's contract with WSV has been terminated. Apparently he refused to accept reassignment to the Verbandsliga WSV-II squad, and did not show up for either games or practice.

* - WSV is desperately looking for a new goalkeeper. Nr.1 Wolfgang Wiesner suffered a fracture in practice after a collision with Richard Mademann. Aside from getting his ass tossed against Verl (and hence mostl likely to get a league suspension), backup Jochen Gramse is also ailing.

Dec 20, 1998

WSV SUCKS! BIG-TIME!
SC Verl - Wupertaler SV 5:0
WSV ended the first half of the season with a disgraceful 0-5 ass whipping at Verl. The ref was obviously insane, but when you get your rear thumped like this, there's something seriously wrong, not just a disgraceful ref.

Things started out bad even before the match. GK Wolfgang Wiesner got injured in practice, so Jochen Gramse got the start, with WSV-II keeper Michael Blume on the bench as his backup. But then Gramse did something stupid and got his ass tossed after 38. minutes. Perhaps it was a debatable foul, but Gramse should have known better. So Christoph Dengel went out, and Blume took Gramse's place. WSV managed to escape at half, but then the dam broke. At the end, Sven Backhaus completed WSV's disgraceful day by viciously hacking down his opponent, and deservedly getting his ass tossed.

WSV's only lame excuse was to blame the ref for the debacle. Oh well...

Verl: Ortkemper - Warbende, Osterkamp, Mrugalla - Neuschaefer, Kornmaier (57. Milde), Plasshenrich, Schmidt, Baziuk - Vogt (65. Nenne), Raschke (77. Owusu)

Wuppertal: Gramse - Backhaus, Menzel, Wuester - Steup (78. Soares), de Wit, Mademann, Dengel (38. Blume), Klemmer - Meinke, Wohlfahrt (46. Lehnhart)
1:0 Neuschaerfer (48.), 2:0 Raschke (60.), 3:0 Milde (63.), 4:0 schmidt (84.), 5:0 Schmidt (90.)
Att: 1,100

* - Mercifully, this crap first half has ended, and WSV heads into the winterbreak with some serious soul searching needed. Will coach Rudi Gores survive? It seems like there is a groundswell of "Rudi 'raus!" calls, so his ass might be tossed. Obviously it's hard to just blame the coach when you get hammered 0-6 and 0-5 by Siegen and Verl.

Dec 14, 1998

Brilliant WSV victory!
Wuppertaler SV - Bayer Leverkusen Amat. 4:0
WSV finished the home season prior to the winterbreak with a crushing 4-0 romp over the Bayer Leverkusen amateurs. Despite the score line, WSV had a tough time. Starting out nervously on the muddy pitch, WSV was at a disadvantage. However, a free kick was headed on by Gerrit Meinke to Richard Mademann, who put Wuppertal into the lead. bayer continued to attack, but unlike other games, WSV stood fast. In the 2nd half, Roland Wohlfahrt got his first for Wuppertal, and when Sascha Lehnhart came one, WSV went to all out attack, knocking in a couple more.

WSV: Wiesner - Backhaus, Klemmer, Wuester, Mademann -Steup, de Wit, Raduta (Dengel), Broos (53. Menzel) - Meinke, Wohlfahrt (69. Lehnhart)
Bayer: Preisner - Czarnetzki, Bach, Baumann, Schulla, Klein, Hejduk, Voss, Genzler, Witteck, Poduz

1:0 Mademann (28.), 2:0 Wohlfahrt (67.), 3:0 Steup (74.), 4:0 Meinke (81.)
Att: 900

Dec 2, 1998

* - WSV was spared further em-bare-ass-ment as the match at FSV Salmrohr was canceled due to arctic conditions. The next match is another trip south, to Homburg. This begins the second half of the season. WSV won the opener 2-1 at home, and definitely needs a good result in the Saarland.

* - Uwe Scherr and Ingo Menzel have been dropped from the squad and assigned to the reserves for crap performance and attitude.

* - An interesting tidbit from "WSV-Kurier": After the 1974/75 season, ex-coach Horst Buhtz, who had brought WSV to the heights of the Bundesliga, stated: "You won't see 1st class soccer in Wuppertal for 20 years." Hmm, Buhtz was always noted for his conservatism!

Nov 23, 1998

DISGRACEFUL ASS WHIPPING!!
Wuppertaler SV - SpFr Siegen 0:6
Woe is us!
In one of the worst sorry ass displays in Wuppertal history, WSV was rolled by Siegen 6-0. The fans in the Zoo stadium were stunned, and even some in the press demanded a public apology from WSV, and others have demanded coach Rudi Gores scalp. Gores said he was sorry that the fans had to witness the spectacle, but said it is too early to draw consequences yet. This defeat is the worst home loss in WSV history, rivaling a 0-5 Bundesliga thrashing against Moenchengladbach back in 1973-74. But that was Gladbach in their prime, for heaven's sakes!

Things started out badly - and then got worse. Tonello was totally unmarked and only had to head the ball past Gramse and Siegen was up 0-1. A couple more headers and it's 0-3. WSV's defense was non-existant and Siegen ran around totally unmarked.

GK Wolfgang Wieser was suspended from last week's red card, so Jochen Gramse took his place. He didn't play badly, but it didn't matter, Gerrit Meinke had the flu, and Soares was playing striker - a position for which he's unsuited, being a playmaking midfielder. Aurel Panait was supposedly injured, and Murat Jasarevic was out with a broken arm. But the guys that have been carrying the club recently, like Lehnhart, De Witt and Dengel were totally lost.

Wuppertal: Gramse - Mademann, Menzel, Klemmer, Niedzkowski (52. Steup) - Kaul (46. Heinzmann), Scherr (69. Wohlfarth), Soares, Lehnhart - de Wit, Dengel
Siegen: Kellermann - Kuci, Wolf, Schoenberg (73. Frey) - Germann, Marget, Scholtysik, Scherba, Jonjic - Saric (67. Kraemer), Tonello (58. Klein)
0:1 Tonello (10.), 0:2 Kuci (20.), 0:3 Tonello (27.), 0:4 Saric (33.), 0:5 Jonjic (62., pen), 0:6 Jonjic (81.)
Att: 2,200

Nov 16, 1998

WSV fails in the mud
Wuppertaler SV - Alemannia Aachen 1:2

WSV's first home loss. Crappy field conditions hurt the play, but not more than a totally disorangized WSV defense, which gifted Aachen two early goals. Aurel Panait was out of control, fouling everything in site, so coach Gores had to sub him out after only 30 minutes, as he was foaming at the mouth. After settling down, it was again the outstanding Sascha Lehnhart who crossed the ball, allowing Gerrit Meinke to head home. But WSV's comeback was hampered when GK Wolfgang Wiesner was red carded for handling the ball. He blamed it on the field, as the ball got stuck in the mud. Despite being down a man, Wuppertal attacked furiously, and were denied a clear penalty when Christoph Dengel was hacked down. Overall, a lucky win for Aachen, but an exciting game. The Wuppertal fans showed their appreciation by cheering after the game, despite the disappointment.

WSV: Wiesner - Jasarevic (69. Gramse), Mademann, Menzel, Klemmer - Raduta (57. Soares), Panait (30. Scherr), de Wit, Lenhart - Dengel, Meinke

Aachen: Lenz - Winkhold, Bashi, Bluhm, Schnidt - Lasser, Hoffmann (67. Suksur), Meulenberg, Heeren, Krohm (84. Ibrahim), Laemmermann (87. Vanderbroek)

0:1 Krohn (9.), 0:2 Lasser (15.), 1:2 Meinke (25.)
Att: 4,100

* - Murat Jasarevic broke his hand, and is out for a while.

Nov 9, 1998

Worrisome win for WSV in derby
FC Remscheid - Wuppertaler SV 1:2
WSV didn't show much in the hard fought Bergisch derby. Heavy rains had turned the field into a mud-pie, and the fans stayed away in droves, less than 2,000 showing up. Despite the fact that Remscheid has been getting their ass kicked recently, the hosts were up to the derby fight, and were aided by the lame referee, who hardly called serious hacks. After Markus Kaul broke down the left side and crossed, Christoph Dengel knocked home WSV into the lead. 10 minutes later, Gabi Raduta curled a free kick around the wall for the deciding goal. After that, WSV was pretty much asleep. Raduta was hot and cold, looking great, and then sucking by losing the ball in midfield. Richard Mademann returned after long injury to give some stability.

In the 2nd half, Remscheid got back into the game. Wiesner brought down Chetchouga and Ingo Putz put home the penalty kick. Things got a bit scary for WSV, as the ref refused to call an obvious penalty on Dengel, who was hacked down by Giaslanis in the FCR box after an hour. Luckily, Remscheid showed why they will be relegated (they're crap), so WSV was able to bring home the points.

Remscheid: Rothkopf - Müller, Giaslanis, Chetchouga, Schultz, Winge, Ohemeng, Galach, Denisiuk, Röder, Wieczorek

Wuppertal: Wiesner - Raduta (81. Scherr), Klemmer, Menzel, Mademann, Kaul (90. Heinzmann), de Witt, Dengel, Meinke, Lehnhart (89. Niedzkowski), Panait

0:1 Dengel (28.), 0:2 Raduta (38.), 1:2 Putz (56.)
Att: 1,800

Nov 3, 1998

* - WSV played a friendly practice match against Preussen Muenster, and got it's ass kicked 5-2. Several reserve players were tried on defense, but the defense remained in a chaotic state. Hopefully things will be worked out in practice prior to this weekend's derby at Remscheid.

* - Ion Viorel, the Moldavian forward who never actually played for WSV, has landed with VfL Bochum, and had a decent debut in the Bundesliga match against Stuttgart.

Nov 1, 1998

Rain knocks out match
Heavy rains and a water logged pitch in the Zoo Stadion led to cancellation of the match against Sportfreunde Siegen. Given the injury situation at WSV, this probably is not a bad thing. The match has been tentatively rescheduled for November 21st.

Oct 26, 1998

WSV stopped cold in Paderborn
SC Paderborn - Wuppertaler SV 1:0

Once again, a defensively oriented WSV was unable to hold a draw on the road. Paderborn seized the initiative from the start and pressured WSV into the defensive, and it was only a matter of time. Some 200 WSV fans made the trip, but were treated to only a single WSV threat, when Gabi Raduta hit the post off a freekick in the 70th minute. Wuppertal sadly missed Sascha Lehnhart, who has been in superb form.

Oct 19, 1998

Stellar offensive performance by WSV
Wuppertaler SV - 1.FC Kaiserslautern Amat. 5:2
A great offensive game by WSV, as they knocked off the 1.FC Kaiserslautern Amateurs 5-2 in front of 2,600 fans in the Zoo-Stadion. Once again, an outstanding game by Sascha Lehnhart, who was unstoppable, and striker Gerrit Meinke, who got the first hattrick in ages.

Things started out quickly, as newly signed Frank Klemmer put in a high ball, Aurel Panait headed it on to Gerrit Meinke, and his header put WSV up 1-0 after only 8 minutes. Only a couple minutes later, Meinke broke through by himself, but FCK's goalie rushed out and saved. But it didn't take long for a dominating WSV to score again: Sascha Lehnhart raced down the left side and put in a precise cross, so Christoph Dengel only had to tap the ball in. Two minutes later, it seemed like the rout was on it's way: Soares came down the left, his cross was met by Meinke: 3-0.

At this point FCK was crushed, but thanks to horrible play by Gabi Raduta, they got back in the game. First he lost the ball, which allowed Graf to waltz in uncontested and blast past Wiesner. Then a couple of minutes later, he handled the ball in the penalty box, gifting another goal. So instead of a rout, WSV only had a slim lead going into half.

Raduta continued his sabotage, and almost scored an own goal. Luckily, coach Gores had enough, and yanked his ass after 50 minutes. The stability occured when Markus Kaul took Raduta's spot as sweeper. Sascha Lehnhart was the one who got WSV on track, as just before the hour, he dribbled through the FCK defense and blasted WSV into some breathing room. A few minutes later, it was again his play that set up Gerrit Meinke for the coup-de-grace. Despite further chances, WSV was unable to bang home any more, and FCK was happy not to get a worse ass-kicking.

1:0 Meinke (8.), 2:0 Dengel (20.), 3:0 Meinke (22), 3:1 Graf (40.), 3:2 Gauch (42.), 4:2 Lehnhart (57.), 5:2 Meinke (75.)

* - Forward Roland Wohlfahrt made his first appearance for WSV, having recovered from injury. He came in for the last 15 minutes against FCK. Hopefully this will add even more firepower to the already potent WSV attack.

Oct 11, 1998

WSV gets ass booted 0-1 in Saar-town
1.FC Saarbrücken - Wuppertaler SV 1:0
Another trip to Saarbruecken, another miserable defeat. But at least it wasn't another 1-7 debacle like last year. Two of the hot teams in the Regionalliga West met in a showdown, but for the only 30 Wuppi fans that made the trek, there wasn't much to cheer about. WSV was too defensively oriented, and FCS controlled the game from the start. Interviewed at half, WSV manager Gerd Zeise was heard to say "some chances would be nice." Anyway, the Wuppertal defensive wall finally cracked after 75 minutes, as Branko Zibert knocked home the deserved winner. Still, given the past horrors at the Ludwigspark, perhaps a moral victory for WSV.

* - Defender Frank Klemmer, a 27 year old defender from FC Remscheid has apparently signed a contract with WSV through 2001, and should practive this week.

* - Those clowns from Dortmund amateurs protested their defeat last week to the DFB. In any case, the DFB had a good laugh and confirmed the WSV victory.

* - Coach Rudi Gores did a "Sven Christians" against Rot-Weiss Essen and got a court to award him some DM 160,000. Guess Rudi won't be invited to the RWE Christmas party this year...

Oct 4, 1998

HEROIC VICTORY OVER "AMATEURS"
Wuppertaler SV - Borussia Dortmund Amateurs 4:2
WSV played an excellent game, and prevailed 4-2 over Borussia Dortmund's Amateurs. Scoring by de Witt, Soares and two by Dengel. After a disastrous start, BD netting a goal on an early penalty, WSV pressed on with the attack. Dirk de Witt equalized on a beautfiul free kick from 25 meters, but the Dortmunders went beserk, arguing that the ball didn't cross the line. The Dortmund coach acted like an idiot and ran out on the field and tried to steal the game ball! It took a while before he was forcibily ejected. What we want to know, where the hell was the police!? They should have rushed out there and clubbed the idiot silly, and dragged his ass to jail. Interferring with a soccer game, indeed! Anyway, from then on, WSV dominated and played some superb soccer, scoring 3 more times, before BD got a worthless goal in injury time.

Sep 28, 1998

Tough defeat in Trier
Eintracht Trier - Wuppertaler SV 2:1

WSV lost the match against Eintracht Trier 2-1. This marks the debut of live cellular phone coverage from WSV-Szene-Westerwald, which is then posted over the internet.

Overall, not a bad effort for Wuppertal, which was down to 10 men early. Murat Jasarevic was red carded for a foul.

Trier attempted to shut down WSV by doubling up on Sascha Lehnhart, who has been in great form. Despite the player deficit, WSV pressed hard after scoring, and had a few chances.

0:1 Papic, 0:2 Papic (50.), 1:2 Menzel (55.)

* - Rumors are again floating around about a potential "grand merger". Presumably the candidates would be Union Solingen or FC Remscheid, neither of which would seem to be much of a match.

Sep 22, 1998

BRILLIANT VICTORY FOR WSV!!!
Wuppertaler SV - LR Ahlen 3:1

In a stunning performance, the likes which have not been seen for several years in the Zoo-Stadion, WSV defeated leaders LR Ahlen 3-1. From the start, there was a sign things might be different. For one things, WSV showed out in all-blue uniforms with white trim. Second, Brazilian Waldimiro Soares, aka "Tostao" had his debut. He was immediately an impact player, as the Ahleners struggled to neutralize his ball control and speed. Meanwhile, Sascha Lehnhart continued his strong performance, and was racing down the field. Ahlen, despite being on the defensive, showed why they were the leaders, with a strong midfield and quick counter attacks. WSV drew first blood, as Christoph Dengel was brought down in the penalty box, and Dirk de Witt converted the kick for a 1-0 WSV lead shortly before half. In the 2nd period, Ahlen began to neutralize Tostao with great effort, but at the expense of letting Lehnhart run wild. He broke through on the left and put in a perfect cross to Gerrit Meinke, who headed home for a 2-0 after 71 minutes. The he put the coup-de-grace himself, as he raced past three defenders and blasted home the 3-0 lead to finish off the visitors, who got the consolation goal in the last minute. A heroic effort for WSV, recognized by some 150 fans who stayed on after the game, cheering...

1:0 de Witt (41., penalty), 2:0 Meinke (71.), 3:0 Lehnahrt, 3:1 ? (90.)

Sep 15, 1998

* - No action last weekend, as WSV had the bye.

* - Apparently Frank Zilles is being brought back from retirement for emergency duty. The many injuries, especially Backhaus and Mademann, have left WSV short. Meanwhile, forward Roland Wohlfahrt has apparently offered to dissolve his contract if he's not fit by the end of October.

Sep 8, 1998

* - Mark McGwire hit his 62nd HR to break Roger Maris' 37 year old record. Has nothing to do with WSV...

Sep 6, 1998

* - WSV ESCAPES (barely) with hide!
SpVgg Eerkenschwick - Wuppertaler SV 2:3

Another "Doctor Jekyl and Mr. Hyde" performance by WSV, as they defeated arch enemy SpVgg Erkenschwick 3-2 on the road. But it should have never been so difficult. WSV was breezing 3-0 at half, with goals by Lehnhart, Panait and de Witt. In fact, Sven Backhaus had the luxury of missing a penalty kick to boot. But this almost backfired, as in the 2nd half, they SUCKED. The Erkies were closer to tying the game than WSV was to putting it away. (Although Meinke did hit the bar with a couple of minutes left, from about 10 feet!) What had been a gala WSV performance melted away, as WSV desperately tried to boot the ball in any direction to fend off their opponent. Ex-WSVer Abdul BenKrema was a constant thorn in the side of the WSV defense. But at least it's a "W". Probably any team with even basic skills would have rolled us.

In the post game press conference, WSV coach Rudi Gores was almost laughed out of the room when he declared that WSV had "won deservedly". Others stated that this was "the worst WSV performance ever in Erkenschwick", which is a bit overblown, considering all the crap performances WSV has shown against this Angstgegner.

0:1 de Witt (13.), 0:2 Lehnhart (35.), 0:3 Panait, 1:3 Sulzbacher (48.), 2:3 Rehder

Aug 31, 1998

* - WSV BRINGS HOME THE BACON!
Wuppertaler SV - Preussen Münster 2:1

Despite a poor performance, WSV managed to defeat Muenster on two late goals by midfielder Dirk De Witt. WSV mostly controlled the game, but both teams gave poor performances. (Although Muenster gave a good performance in the acting category, by falling over and dying everytime they were touched.) The fans were largely bored silly by the kick-a-bout. After Muenster took the lead on a surprise goal, WSV began to press a little harder. However things looked grim until two free kicks by deWitt gave WSV a somewhat flattering victory. Sascha Lehnhart, playing with lots of energy, and Dirk De Witt were the best WSV players. For Muenster, ex-WSV keeper Alexander Ogrinc was secure in goal.

WSV: Wiesner - Backhaus, Panait, Jasarevic - Menzel, Broos, Raduta, De Witt, Lehnhart - Meinke, Dengel

Muenster: Ogrinc - Helmer, Buschkötter, Kile - Becker, Kuhn, Serr, Jedlicka, Geise - Gockel, Antwerpen

Scoring: 0:1 Gockel (64.), 1:1 de Witt (87.), 2:1 de Witt (89.)

Attendance: 2,100

Aug 29, 1998

* - WSV has a new sponsor for the uniform. Gothaer Versicherung, an insurance company will pay "a six figure sum" for the right.

* - WSV has apparently signed a Brazilian forward, 26 year old Soares from Internacional Porto Alegre. He goes by the name of "Tostao", so if he is even half as good as his famous predecessor, WSV is in good shape.

Aug 23, 1998

* - DISGRACEFUL DEFEAT!
SV Eleversberg - Wuppertaler SV 1:0
WSV lost 0-1 against SV Elversberg, in front of some 500 spectators in the tiny Saarland village. WSV suffered an early blow as Richard Mademann was injured and the WSV midfield totally fell apart. (Mademann is expected out at least 4 weeks.) Elversberg totally dominated the game, which could have turned into the worst disgrace in WSV history (as it was, Melunovic missed a penalty for the hosts). In the end, WSV held out for 88 minutes before a headed goal topped the "performance".