Real Madrid will take the field at the Santiago Bernabeu
tonight on the verge of making their third consecutive exit at the semi-final
stage of the UEFA Champions League. The reason for their current predicament is
a team from North-West Germany adorned in Black and Yellow. They trail 1-4 from
the 1st leg to their semi-final opponents Borussia Dortmund and
while it would be foolhardy to discount any hopes of a comeback, the task in
front of them is an arduous one.
For Dortmund, this stage represents a culmination of the
club’s efforts to get back on track following a tumultuous few years in the
past decade. BVB 09 as a club almost ceased to exist, but they have managed to
climb out of the depths of battling for relegation into once again pulling
their weight at the top of the Bundesliga.
‘Borussia’ for Beer
On 19 December, 1909, a group of 17 young men, mostly
steelworkers and miners, founded the club of Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e.V. Dortmund; the name ‘Borussia’ is
Latin for Prussia, but the youth actually went for that name in honour of their
favourite beer served in the pub where they used to frequently gather. That’s
how one ‘Borussia’ of the alcoholic kind lent its name to another one of the
sporting kind.
Dortmund’s financial troubles in the early 2000’s are well
documented. However, that wasn’t the first instance of the club being bailed
out of trouble. Way back in 1929, the club had its first taste of bankruptcy
when an attempt to sign professionally paid footballers fell flat on its face
and left the team deep in debt. A local
supporter of the club eventually managed to cover the team’s losses out of his
own pocket and that ensured the continued existence of the football club.
Enjoying modest success before the war, Borussia really came
into their own during the formative years following the end of World War II.
They managed to win 3 National titles before the Bundesliga as a concept came
into existence. The inaugural season of the Bundesliga saw them finish fourth.
In 1966, the club became the first German team to win European honours (yes,
even before Bayern Munich) when they beat Liverpool to lift the European Cup
Winners’ Cup.
THE ROLLER-COASTER
RIDE
For much of the next 2 decades, Dortmund enjoyed limited to
moderate success, encountering a few relegation battles, some failed and some
successful, along the way. Their return to prominence began with their 1989 DFB
Cup final victory over Werder Bremen, which happened to be their first trophy
in 23 long years.
What followed was perhaps one of the most successful periods
in the club’s history; in a span of little over 10 years, Dortmund won the
Intercontinental Cup (1997), the UEFA Champions League (1997) and 3 Bundesliga
titles (1995, 1996 and 2002). This phase in their history has come to be known
as the ‘Golden Age’ of Borussia Dortmund.
But, Borussia’s history has often resembled a sine curve,
high one moment followed by massive lows. The fall from grace began with Dortmund
becoming the first, and so far only, publicly traded club to be listed on the
German stock market. After securing
their 3rd Bundesliga title on the final day of the 2001-02 season
things began to go south.
The next few years saw a steady decline in Dortmund’s
fortunes plagued by poor financial management that led to the club becoming
steeped in debt. It forced the sale of their Westfalenstadion ground to try and
pay off some of that debt. €2 million was loaned from Bayern Munich in order to
pay off the players’ wages for a couple of months in 2003. Part of the reason
for their stadium being called the ‘Signal Iduna Park’ is the sponsorship
agreement the signed with a local insurance company in an attempt to arrest
rising debt.
2005-2008 caused more angst to Dortmund fans. Top players
such as Tomas Rosicky, David Odonkor and Christoph Metzelder all exited and in
the 2006-07 season saw them teeter perilously close to relegation.
The current phase that has seen the club claim back-to-back
Bundesliga titles and currently challenge for honours in the Champions League
is the most positive one after the ‘Golden Age’. Both phases have been overseen
by managers whose appointments at the time were viewed as risky, but turned out
to be excellent choices going forward.
THE GENERAL
A man who can be credited with overseeing most of the
success in the ‘Golden Age’ is legendary German coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. Hitzfeld
is one of only 3 managers, Ernst Happel and Jose Mourinho being the other two,
to have won the Champions League with 2 different clubs.
In 1991, the Borussia board decided to entrust Hitzfeld, at
that time still relatively inexperienced, with the responsibility of bringing
Dortmund back into the big league. In his very first year in charge, he took
the team to second spot in the league managing to secure a UEFA Cup place in
the process. The following season Dortmund reached the finals of that very
tournament, but they would finish 2nd best to Juventus losing both
games of a two-legged final. In 1995, Dortmund claimed their first Bundesliga
title (4th national title overall). They went on to do a repeat the
next season successfully defending the title. The greatest night though in
Borussia Dortmund’s history was to come the following season.
The 1996-97 saw Dortmund finish third in the league, but
Hitzfeld’s team managed to reach the Champions League final where an old foe in
Juventus lay in wait. This time Borussia prevailed 3–1 in the final at Munich’s
Olympic Stadium. This was no ordinary team as it featured the likes of Zinedine
Zidane, Didier Deschamps, Alessandro Del Piero and Christian Vieri amongst
others. That made the victory all the more special and Hitzfeld was rewarded
for the first time with the "World Coach of the Year" award.
That would be Hitzfeld’s final contribution as manager of
Borussia Dortmund as he would go on to take a job upstairs as Sports Manager
with the club.
CAPTAIN ‘KLOPPO’
Jürgen Klopp was summoned at the end of the 2007-08 season
to take charge. This was to be Klopp’s first stint outside of Mainz as he spent
19 years at the club – 12 as player and when he retired went on to serve as
manager of Mainz for another 7 years. A squad of players costing somewhere in the range of €15-€20
million Euros in its entirety was put together.
A 6th place finish
in the very first season, followed by 5th a year later, showed
positive signs for the Rhine valley club. But, what caught everybody’s
attention is their defeat of Bayern Munich in the DFL Super Cup in his first
year. That was an upset and a sign of things to come as Dortmund would go on to
win successive league titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12 completing a first double
with their cup win to boot last season.
‘Kloppo’ since his arrival has got the team playing with a
renewed charisma and passion and he has had young players who have been able to
carry off his high work rate, slick passing brand of high octane football. Many
of that motley crew assembled for around €20 million are now superstars in
their own right.
COPING WITH EXITS
A large part of the current squad has been together since
Klopp took over with a few additions to replace outgoing stars along the way.
What has been remarkable is the team’s failure to cope with the departure of
some of its star names.
Nuri Sahin was lured away by the temptation of Real Madrid;
since then he has had 2 ineffectual seasons, one with Real and the second half
a season on loan with Liverpool. He is now back at Dortmund having re-joined in
January.
Meanwhile, his club did not too fare too badly as they went
on win the title yet again. Ilkay Gundogan was brought in from FC Nuremberg to
fill the vacancy and the German midfielder’s influence since signing for
Dortmund has been spectacular. He was imperious in the first leg against Madrid
and along with Sven Bender completely too control of the midfield leaving Sami
Khedira and Xabi Alonso to feed off scraps.
The next season, Shinji Kagawa left for English shores as
Manchester United came calling. Marko Reus, one of the hottest young players
around, was signed from Borussia Monchengladbach as a replacement and he has
had a stellar season. After a slow start, Dortmund have managed to get back to
2nd position and stand 1 step away from a possible final appearance
in this year’s UEFA Champions League.
A STRONG CORE
Part of the reason why they have managed to cope so well is
the retention of a strong core of players. Mario Götze, Robert Lewandowski,
Mats Hummels, Neven Subotic, Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski have
provided a strong base for Klopp to be able to deal with the loss of 1 or 2 players.
Dortmund’s ‘Golden Age’ was driven by the trio of Mathias Sammer, Andreas Möller
and Lars Ricken.
After almost a decade since that trio last played, another
impressive quartet of players has engineered the club’s more recent successes.
Lewandowski, Götze, Reus and Blaszczykowski are easily one of the best
attacking quartets around capable of punching a hole in any opposition defence.
KLOPP & HIS BAND
OF MERRY MEN
Just like Robin Hood and his band, Jürgen Klopp and his
band of players have caught the footballing world by storm. Much like the
famous brew that the club derives its name from, watching Borussia Dortmund in
action guarantees fun and excitement and brings a smile to your lips, just like
a good mug of beer.
Reflecting Klopp's strong commitment to playing fast,
free-flowing football, Dortmund work hard and press teams high up the pitch.
Although their pressing style resembles that of Barcelona, they attack with
greater speed and intensity than the Catalan side whose priority is to retain
possession of the ball and build up attacks in a more measured way. Klopp
believes that open, exciting, attacking football is what Dortmund's loyal fans
expect and deserve. How refreshing to hear such a positive attitude towards
football and fans.
And the clubs fans have showed their support through thick
and thin. Even when in the depths of despair during their financial struggles,
Dortmund still managed to rake in average attendances in excess of 70,000. And
with the new ‘Yellow Stand’ as it is called, where fans are allowed to stand with
a mug of beer in hand and singing and dancing away in their numerous bands, the
Signal Iduna Park swells to over 80,000.
ROAD TO WEMBLEY
Borussia Dortmund have relinquished their Bundesliga title
to an all-conquering Bayern Munich side. Their late show against Malaga that
took them into the semi-finals and the supremely confident performance in last
week’s 1st leg versus Real exemplifies the spirit within this squad
and the kind of passion and confidence that Jürgen Klopp has instilled at the
club. Though the 2nd leg remains, the Germans are expected to
progress barring a miraculous Real turnaround.
After that, a potentially lip-smacking clash with rivals
Bayern Munich awaits. With Mario Götze already signing for Bayern and
Lewandowski set to follow his mate out of the club, it represents a last chance
for a final hurrah for this group of players.
2 games away from repeating the heroics of the Class of ’97,
Klopp and his players have come a long way in putting Borussia Dortmund back on
the European footballing map. Going all the way and winning the final in
Wembley will just about be the exclamation mark on their efforts!
2007 was good year of club
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