GuyGermanLatic

PC nonsense, football fans having their money milked each week and the FA still not giving a :censored: about what we think - same old. Can't even think of a stadium here that doesn't have a terrace... Even Union Berlin have only one stand designated for sitting.

Pfft. Schalke's Sean Kolašinac is something keeping in mind he's only 19. Defender, too.

Got the "Rummy edition" on the far-right.

Could see that post coming a mile off. I will actually have a go at it too. Currently working on a couple of others. Quite good feedback from the Facebook page so far at least. Happily. Not looking to make a profit on these. Just want everyone to have them and me not out of pocket!

Quite a few people in the past have messaged me about getting stickers made. I made one this morning just as an example of size, what they'd look like as well as their preferences (seems outdoor stickers are fairly cheaper than I thought). I'd be willing to produce a load and sell them to fans (I'm aware I'll have to be careful of images used) for a very small price. I'll happily make different designs but it'd be good first to get feedback from others fans to see what they think. Perfect for away days, on holiday and when we win the CL Final. Again, any suggestions are welcome.

The goalkeeper ones are nice... No? Looks like they've done the kits so far on LSD.

Great city, great people. Not sure if I could go back to living in Oldham... But I do graphic design for cafés/event clubs at the moment: posters, business cards, flyers, etc. All that sort of stuff. I get by and have a few bob to spend so it's decent. Haha, sounds like it was a great to see/hear. Amazing how German fans can still kick up such a storm of noise with such little numbers. Hertha's song to that tune is "Nur nach Hause." They sing it in Berlinerisch too to give it a local twist. Think I have it somewhere on the video I posted.

What happened to a bit of back bone at BP? I feel like the club is growing more and more out touch with the fans than it ever has been. There are so many fans quick to use the "my/our club" card when it comes to a sudden change yet we're given very little say in the way things are run or in the decisions the club takes regarding official business. What makes it worse is that it only ever seems to become a materialised issue when it suits us - or just not at all. I'm aware we have the supporters trust but it seems to act as a small stepping stone into the large pool of football-turned-business :censored:e. There are also those who are more vocal/active with their voice and I applaud them and urge more fans to follow suit. However, it seems over the past few years it's become such a flat point in the spectrum of "supporting Latics." For example: The change of badge which had historically represented the club for many years - fans had no say. The design of the new stand which will be built very soon - fans had little say, those sitting there will get piss wet through whilst the real money will go to those protected behind glass and funky design. The 2013/2014 home kit - the fans had no say, it doesn't apply to Oldham at all in terms of our kit over the past seasons or what we've traditionally had (not the prettiest of things either). The harassment of fans for standing up/drumming at matches from both stewards and the police - fans have no say, the club has not intervened to support the fans as of yet besides a "call for a drummer" even though we've had a designated drummer for the past 3 seasons!!! The possible Vaughan takeover - fans will have little say, although the trust can step into this one, Oldham is now a business and money speaks louder than words if he can prove he can provide financial backing for the future of the club The season ticket "offers" and pricing of tickets - fans have no say, we fork out :censored:loads to watch Latics in return for a discounted 20 quid shirt nobody likes or had a say in & the idea of paying 20 quid to watch a home match is :censored:ing absurd. I know that there will be those who say "Do you really want the fans to decide?" Yes, I'd much rather have the fans decide. After all, this is our club, if you haven't forgotten. We are the customers, the funders, the spectators and the directors of club's future. This possible Stephan Vaughan :censored: has really put me in a sour mood with the club, especially after the mentioning of talks which have been going on for "some months". And what a :censored:ing surprise - as a fellow fan mentioned - that all this spills out after the season ticket sales. What a coincidence! Just like how the club were so kind when it come to the season tickets. Remember how they raised the prices once more for junior fans having blamed the problems of the last few matches on junior ST holders (it was mostly one-day tourists) who are the future of the club? The best part is they made it out as a fair deal too. It's really starting to remind me of that rodeo bull:censored: thread posted a little while ago. I hope this possible Vaughan thing will change things at Latics. Perhaps people will feel the need to finally say something bad about the club instead of defending it at every corner.

Bit of an obscure term, that.

Agreed, especially if you have the weather on your side for your visit there. And I think so. It's around 15€ - not too sure about it being 10€. I remember Union Berlin costing me 12€ so I imagine it'll be a few Euros extra. Just checked on their website for a season ticket for the ultra end and they cost 178€. And when you compare that to Latics... EDIT: Just to add onto that, every ticket or season ticket you have also covers the cost of the train to the stadium within a 3 hour time gap before the match. That saves you 4,80€ itself. I just reached my limit of how many times I could stand waiting for the 59 to come piss wet through every morning. I speak German, have ties over here, wanted to start afresh... Why not?

Thanks for the comments. Always a pleasure bringing back a bit of the unreported for those who're interested. A few of them mentioned to me they'd be heading to watch Tennis Borussia Berlin after their official Facebook page invited fans of FC United to come and watch. With the weather easing a little, it seems a few of them popped by and earned yet another friendship: From the official TeBe website

"Chelsea oder Arsenal?" The pronunciation of "London" by Germans is weirdly close to "Oldham"

Part 2/2 There was a great sense of friendship and community at the match. It wasn't long before we found that FC fans had mixed with the Babelsberg lot and visa versa. I even found myself waving a huge Babelsberg flag being passed around the FC stand. It was strange almost to be at a game were both the home and away side were celebrating together: what it was that they were celebrating was not an issue - it was :censored:ing excellent! When the final whistle went, a small group of the Babelsberg fans ran up to the fence, climbed up and starting chanting with the FC fans. The FC fans did the same until more and more Babelsberg fans came calling for the gate to be open for the clubs to celebrate together. Eventually they did and both fans poured onto the pitch giving one another hand shakes and hugs, having conversations in broken English and German insisting they have to come back to England for another friendly. The night was mental. To see fans from 2 countries and 2 different worlds in arms was fantastic. As an outsider I found it amazing to watch and get involved in. I met people from Poland, Romania, Belarus, Ukraine, England and Germany of course. It was a game people from across Europe had come to watch. I even bumped into a few people from Oldham which was a nice surprise. There were a few knobheads but there are wherever you go. That match will definitely mark a friendship between the clubs like we hold with Frankfurt. If Babelsberg were to go to Manchester next year then I am pretty damn sure that will be an amazing party. It goes well up there with one of the most memorable matches I've been to. The "party train" back was all that packed into a 40 minute ride back into the centre. What a night! To close this off I've said it before and I'll say it again: you cannot beat European fan culture. As for what I'll do next, I'm taking a day off from visiting TeBe today to watch the German cup final on TV between Bayern München and VfB Stuttgart as I live with Bayern fans - fan-bloody-tastic. St. Pauli have booked a game in Berlin against Babelsberg on the 26th June which I will definitely be gong to. Celtic play in July here but I won't be here sadly as Oldham calls. Until then.

Part 1/2 I've woken up this morning with a sore throat and a bit of a head but my God it was worth it. After meeting up with a few other lads from Manchester on Wednesday, I was really up for watching FC United against Babelsberg. It's nearly been a year since I've lived in Berlin and the closest I've come to seeing a bit of "home" was a guy from Sheffield last year, so the idea of 500+ Mancs coming over was like a dream. You cannot beat a bit of northern humour after a while - life fact. Great guys anyway. FC United are well-known for their stance against the exploitation of fans by large companies such as Sky and for their "punk football" which is proving to be a popular hit winning them friends from all over Europe - and even the world, so I learnt. Babelsberg, on the other hand,are pretty much that with an extreme angle added to it: the most left-wing, punk-styled anti-fascists I've ever seen in my life. But decent people. Fun to talk to, wanting to speak English and welcome you. Let's get this under way! ______________ Having met up in the centre of Berlin, the sun was somewhat shinning and the day was uncomfortably warm - humid warm. The forecast for later told us that there was rain and thunderstorms on the way but we were armed with only jackets and scarves. We went to Alexanderplatz, the large station in the centre of the city right next to the Fernsehturm (the big tower with the revolving restaurant). Beautiful views. Getting the S7 train to Potsdam, we were in a small group of 10 on a train which would take us 40 minutes away from the centre of Berlin to Babelsberg station. When we got there, we walked to ground which was further up the road. Surprisingly we saw a large amount of FC fans in comparison to the Babelsberg home numbers meant to be turning up. Outside was a festival with about 10 stalls set out for fans. There was even a live reggae/ska band on stage to entertain the punks. I had a gander round at what was on offer. Besides the amazing tasting Berliner currywurst, there were a large amount of scarf stalls set up. I got myself a 50/50 for my collection and noticed the "Babelsberg Ultra" stall. Every left-wing icon you can imagine was there. Pictures of past choreographies, stickers, badges, etc. Further down the row it got even more interesting: Partizan Minsk, a team from Belarus who share a friendship with Babelsberg, had their own stall selling scarves and memorabilia. Having a look at some, I noticed a very pleasant looking one from Polonia Warsaw which was anti-Nazi themed with a large crossed out swastika in the middle and at each end a "Good night, white pride" logo. Each to their own, I guess. As it was pissing down, we decided to head inside out of the rain. There were flags everywhere from FC United fans. Having a look around, I took a few photos of what it was like: A pretty decent stadium for a club that's recently been relegated into Germany's 4th division. The FC United fans went in the end on the second picture whilst the rest of the ground filled with Babelsberg fans. Their ultras sat pretty much adjacent to where I'm standing taking these photos in the rain - brave souls (it was seriously pissing it down). Having said that, no fans were allocated to a section. As this was a game between 2 clubs sharing very similar ideas, we found ourselves mixed with the home fans who were a great laugh. As the game was gonna kick-off in 20 and the FC fans were still getting used to being able to drink during matches, I decided to look at the graffiti wall at the ground. For those of you who remember, I did some for Latics' match prior to playing Everton. I'd love to do something like this for the club but I'm not sure they'd appreciate it somehow. Anyway, to the wall! I thought the badges were really well sprayed. Really interesting to see such dedication from fans in art form like that. Don't think I've come across official club graffiti before. I'm going to cover the match now simply because, if I'm honest, I don't think a single fan watched it properly. The atmosphere was so :censored:ing good that both Babelsberg and FC United fans missed at least 1 goal. Although FC United did out-play Babelsberg somewhat, they did want to get a victory against FC and you could see it, possibly to prove themselves better having been relegated. FC were able to keep possession more and create more chances in the midfield were the ball spent most of its time. After a close game, it ended FC United 3-2 SV Babelsbergs 03. I think that was the score at least! Enough of that! It's time for the fans. The atmopshere coming from the FC fans was electric: singing, jumping, flags, scarves! I dare say they were louder than the large amount of Ultra fans singing their hearts out but they were simply too loud to hear! FC fans had brought at least 500, I reckon. I never actually found out the final attendance number but there were plenty of reds around. No Dice Magazine Behind all those FC fans were a small but determined group of Babelsberg fans who were trying to outsing the wave of noise coming from the reds. They pretty much got outdone every time with "What the :censored:ing hell was that?" They were laughing their heads off though. Too the far right just off the picture was another small group of mental Babelsberg fans who were throwing umbrellas everywhere. FC fans had brought a number of large beach balls. Sadly most ended up on the fence and getting burst! Still fun as hell. We were all expecting something though: pyro! We were wondering where the flares were with it being such a special match abroad. Fortunately we didn't have to wait too long. As the players began the match after half-time, the Babelsberg ultras got underway with putting on a show for us all! No Dice Magazine In person it looked so much better. They got massive cheers from fans all around the ground with little interference from stewards. That huge cloud of smoke blew directly towards us too which I can only describe as putting your head on top of bonfire without the heat: it stunk! Plus we couldn't see the match either as the pitch was covered in smoke leaving the goalkeeper going mental for the referee to stop play. It wasn't long before those Babelsberg fans next to us got together with a few FC fans and put on their own little show to 1-up the Ultras: No Dice Magazine The stewards came along eventually once it'd burnt out and kicked it away - no kicking fans out, arrests or aggro at all. The entire night was just pure fun with both fans trying to outsing one another. At one point, the FC fans chanted "Babelsberg" so the Babelsberg fans began chanting "United" back at them.

A few of my British-Pakistani friends were nearly attacked the other day in Oldham by a group of young lads chanting "EDL." Sigh...

I have no idea where to start with this one. Perhaps let me take you back to last week: I was preparing for today's match which saw TeBe play at home against Club Italia who were bottom of the league with 161 conceded goals to their name. I semi-jokingly said that if Borussia won by anything less than 15-0 I'd claim a refund. Ahem... This is how it went. Now Club Italia is a club organised by the Italian community here in Berlin. As the city is a giant melting pot of nationalities, this isn't uncommon in the Berlin-Liga. There are plenty of Turkish teams such as Türkiyemspor Berlin as well as a Jewish team called TUS Makkabi and a few others for communities dotted all round place. It's a gentle mix and a nice representation of what Berlin's all about. Now back to the day. It seems every time I go and watch Borussia play it rains, is windy and is a bit cowd to say the least. After yet another week of weather in the mid-20s with sunshine and the odd cloud, today it chucked it down once more for my outing. Brilliant! Fortunately there's nothing a gigantic umbrella can't handle. Little did I know the rain wouldn't matter today though. Not because of the main stand (Lookers lookalike) being perfectly built to keep all bad weather off but for what was in store. I had more of a look around today at the ground: you can really see the sign of a once successful team which has been swept back under the rug. Something about it is very Latics-esque. I got a pint of Berliner Kindl, headed for the stand and sat myself between the mini-ultra section located at the far left of the upper tier. There seemed to be quite a decent crowd here today in around the 300-400s in comparison to last week's 195 attendance. Obviously they were expecting something. The players came out to a small roar from the crowd. Answering the call of nature before the match, I noticed that the toilets are directly next to the changing rooms for the players. Whilst standing at a urinal a player came bursting in quickly only 5 minutes before kick-off like a Frisbee in a wind tunnel. You can't beat lower league football sometimes. Club Italia kicked-off the game and managed to keep the ball. It started off as a midfield battle between the two with no side able to get a proper run at goal. However, after 3 minutes, a beautiful long ball found the TeBe winger who ran it into the box, pulled off a shot and put TeBe in front 1-0. Come on! An early goal will do the trick. 1 minute later, the exact same ball came again. It was crossed into the box to find a cheeky foot waiting to tap in the ball to make it 2-0 to TeBe. 2-0, let's keep it till half-time! 4 minutes later, now 8 minutes into the game, a slip up from a Club Italia defender left the TeBe forwards to pick it up and attack at goal. As the keeper ran towards him, he chipped the ball at an almost impossible angle. The instant reaction from the crowd was of disappointment - the ball stall hadn't landed, however. With God watching down on the ball - or perhaps the wind - it somehow dipped a millimetre under the bar to make it 3-0 to TeBe after. Later, TeBe scored again. And again. And then again. And then once more. And then another for good luck. And then one because it's nearly half time. Half-time score: Tennis Borussia Berlin 9-0 Club Italia Tennis Borussia were winning by 9 goals to 0. From little tap-ins to spectacular diving headers, the TeBe players were enjoying this and you could tell. As they walked off, they made sure to pass us, the fans, who were giving them a loud cheer of support. It was starting to become more like celebration practice instead of a league fixture. Deep down I felt bad for the Club Italia guys but they honestly didn't seem to care that much. I noticed again that TeBe's right-back was putting in an amazing performance - not just because they were winning either. His awareness of the game and skill are brilliant. He's definitely a player which will end up at a league club in the higher divisions. Fabien Thokomeni Siewe is his name, hailing from sunny Cameroon. Sign him up, LJ! Enough of half-time, I want to see some more goals! Fortunately I didn't have to wait that long, pretty much straight after the kick-off TeBe scored once more making it 10-0. They used up 2 subs at this point to try and give the younger lads more experience and perhaps their first goal for the club. Club Italia tried and tried again but just couldn't get it through the back line of defence. They'd either lose possession by a tackle or simply mess up a pass. They did have 3 shots though in the match. Sadly only 1 was on target. It was a dangerous shot from range which had the keeper worried but just sailed over. When you're winning 10-0 though, it's not exactly a live or die situation. At this point the Club Italia keeper gave up. He was making his defenders take his goal kicks and spinning the spare balls on his shoulders like a basketball player. He let yet another in: 11-0. For goal number 12, it was scrappy mess around in the box which landed at the feet of the TeBe's striker. From point blank range he smacked it into the right-hand corner with little more than a movement of the goalkeeper's eyelids. Poor lad. Just before the whistle went, TeBe made it 13-0 in what is the highest scoring league match I have seen to this day. I stayed behind like most fans did and sang the boys in purple home. The Club Italia players surprisingly joined in. All in a single line, both teams took a run and dive for the fans to crown off the brilliant performance. If I'm honest, I didn't want the match to end! Absolutely brilliant. Forget Dortmund tonight, THAT is a one good Borussia team! Final score: Tennis Borussia Berlin 13-0 Club Italia for my video of a great goal and the players celebrating! I still want my 5€ back.

^ New club, new start. Seems like a decent player which is exactly what we need. Really looking forward to the squad at the end of the Summer.

Video there. Starting from 1:10 on fullscreen is good. Wish I had a better quality video camera on my phone.

Cheers. The experience here is something else entirely. It wasn't too bad, actually. Thought it'd ruin the closeness of the match but the track there is really small/narrow (pretty much the one from 1936 only painted blue). Didn't really make a difference from where I was sat at least. I imagine for the people in the end sections it was quite a distance though - not that they would care much.

My fault for being presumptuous. I didn't realise that LJ was taking the role rather seriously, as in appointing him somewhere and whatnot. Wouldn't it be best if us fans could sit down with him or at least some officials and discuss this? We don't really have a group representing the singers and those who will join the drummer - ahem.

Thank you to those who gave feedback about my last post. I'll happily keep on writing for people who enjoy reading about football here in Germany - something to keep busy reading whilst the season is done and dusted in England. As a preview for Saturday, I'm going back to watch TeBe take on Club Italia who are bottom of the league having conceded 161 goals in 28 matches! If they don't win by more than 15 goals then I plan on demanding a refund. Anyway, here's what happened today as already-crowned-champions Hertha BSC took on Cottbuss in the 2. Bundesliga at Berlin's Olympiastadion! _______________ The weather was perfect today. It was that kind of weather where it's sunny and baking hot but at the same time a cool breeze is always there to keep things nice. Perfect. I set off at 11:15 (13:30 kick-off) knowing today would be busy and that the friends I was meeting with needed to pick up their tickets at the ground after printing off receipts. I've never been to the Olympiastdadion before today but having been on the train in the past with fans heading to matches, I know that it's normally a case of being squashed up against a window whilst sweaty shirtless fans sing and throw beer over the seats - better to be there early! A special service runs on match days which skips the 3 stations normally between the main west station and the Olympiastation. Being constantly watched by large groups of police in full gear, we pushed on the train and managed to get their in great time without having any beer showers or problems in general. The tickets you buy also cover the trips on the train you make probably because Hertha is sponsored by Deutsche Bahn (German Rail). Nevertheless it saves pissing about. When we got there it was packed. The area around the stadium however is HUGE. It covers such a large area as it houses the sports complexes that were built for the Olympic Games in 1936 when Hitler was in charge of things. Outside you could buy giant flags, shirts, and even vuvuzelas. There was also a giant collection of scarves you could buy from pretty much any big club in Europe. I counted 15 different types of Hertha ones at least! The sight of the stadium is beautiful. I'm not one for buildings but it really is a nice looking thing and the large surrounding area is very clean. Going through the turnstile and having been checked (all fans are searched prior to entering a stadium in Germany) we were in. Not yet in the ground but walking up to the turnstiles - beautiful breeze. The guy in front of me is a homeless person collecting bottles/glasses. In Germany you have something called "Pfand" (money given back when you recycle them, generally about 25 cent). This is the hotspot for doing it and pretty much gives homeless people a helping hand with their lives. Another interesting thing about this is that it applies to the cups you get your drinks in. A cola I bought was 4€! Thought they were having a laugh until they told me that there was a 2€ Pfand for bringing back the cup. Not bad. Inside was great. Large grass fields surround the stadium where people were sat chatting, sunbathing or drinking a beer. Every now and then there'd be a drinks stand, fan shop or mobile pretzel salesman for all your German needs. One thing that did strike me though is that there's a public swimming pool inside the ground right next to the stadium - I mean a stone's throw away from the actual stand. Kids & adults were swimming and diving in which was so strange... At a football match. Cool nonetheless. It seems every Hertha fan actually owns a Hertha shirt As I mentioned before, it really is a nice stadium and so are the surrounding areas. I suggest anyone visiting pays a visit to the stadium and a tour around it which are offered daily. Well worth it. In the background you can see the large towers marking different areas of sports for the Olympic Games. Inside the atmosphere was amazing. Although I have a collection of videos, I will upload them later and post them on here. It was so :censored:ing loud I can't describe! They sell special earmuffs for babies to help kill the noise of the fans. I was sat directly next to the Ostkurve (East curve/end) which is known for its large ultra block. The oval shaped stadium gives you a great view of all fans in the stadium, especially of the away fans who were sat further down than us. However, enough of them, this giant force was causing a LOT of noise! The noise they were making was amazing. In this photo they're all locking arms jumping up and down whilst singing. I've never felt the stadium of a ground shake until today - absolutely brilliant! I noticed as well that the stadium looks smaller from the outside. This is because it is built quite far into the ground. The exits of the lower tier (under the Ostkurve banner) you can see are ground level to give you an idea of what I mean Having said that, when your time is looking good, Germans have a thing for trying to out-do each other. Although Cottbus weren't quite making the noise of Hertha's Ostkurve, they were constantly using flares throughout the match which attracted a lot of attention both from fans and ground officials. They were asking the fans to "stop it" and reminding them that it is both illegal and worthy of a fined penalty to Energie Cottbus itself. The match, however, wasn't as beautiful as they day had been so far. With neither team being able to pull off anything spectacular, the first 20 minutes did see Hertha dominate posession and have the odd chance. Like at my game yesterday though it seemed Hertha were a bit sheepish when it came to taking a shot in front of goal - Cottbus weren't. After a long first half, a mistake by Hertha's defence meant the ball fell to a Cottbus player whilst the keeper was well of his line having dealt with the first attempt. With a open net the away side made it 1-0 with 10 minutes to go before half-time. In the 44th minute, Cottbus had another break but Hertha's play fell victim to bringing down the last man with what I can only describe as a very soft touch. Nevertheless Hertha were now losing 1-0 with only 10 men in the first half. At half-time we sat out in the sun again enjoying the weather with a drink. Even though Hertha were crowned champions a while back, it was sort of strange to think they were losing 1-0 - as if they weren't getting promoted already. Back from the break, Hertha dominated for the rest of the match. Chance after chance, miss after miss. It took right until the 87th minute when a cross from Hertha resulted in header that the keeper had no chance in stopping - the stadium errupted. Hertha Berlin 1-1 Energie Cottbus! The away started to empty and the Berlin boys got louder and louder. At the final whilstle the celebrations began as the players went mental along with the fans. Even Cottbus fans stayed to watch them lift the 2. Bundesliga trophy guaranteeing them in a place in the top flight next year. I'm no massive fan of Hertha but I had a fantastic time today and what this means to the fans could be seen through and through. One of the best atmospheres inside and outside the ground I've ever seen for sure. The football could've been better but was well worth waiting the full 90 minutes for. Hertha can look forward to swaping the likes of Cottbus for Bayern München next season as well as replacing FSV Frankfurt with our Eintracht friends! I literally had no problems with the trains getting home which just topped off a brilliant day. Great weather, great game, great day in all! "NIE MEHR ZWEITE LIGA - NO MORE LEAGUE TWO"

Thanks to Tom, he pointed me in the direction of Berlin's own league 6 levels under the sea of association football. Living here in Berlin is a bit hectic as you have quite a few clubs on your doorstep and picking between the few can be quite hard - especially when you mention to a person you're looking at watching a game. I was already aware of some clubs, especially ones near me, who were playing in the Berlin-Liga so today, with just 2 hours until kick-off, I decided to go and watch Tennis Borussia Berlin from the well-to-do district of Charlottenburg take on SC Staaken from dirty ol' Spandau across the river. Anyway, here's my report of how it went, what it was like and how much better than watching Bradford it was. It must've easily been 28°C here yesterday. For the past week we've had weather which takes an arrogant :censored: of those family members we have who live abroad and moan when there's a "slight breeze at the beach today." Sadly it wasn't sticking around. For the 1 day it rains in Berlin a year, today was that day and the heavens opened up just as I hopped on the underground to get to the overground ring line. It took about 20 minutes with the overground ring train which was fairly decent considering they tend to be located in the middle of nowhere, these grounds. As I switched train to the line heading to the ground, I noticed probably less than a dozen fans wearing the purple and white colours of "Tebe." Getting off the train I must've walked with about 6/7 guys through a quaint park which is a bit strange seeing as normally you can't move when a league game's on in Berlin. As you exit the park you see the Mommsenstadion right in front of you. What you think is a tired-looking gate is, in fact, a tired looking gate. These however lead to the terraces which were all shut due to the small numbers regularly showing up for matches as it is a multi-sport stadium. However, despite it sounding somewhat run-down, a rather modest double-tier stand is a nice sight - and somehow quite a ringer for the Looker's Stand if it had been abandoned somewhere in the 1980s. Photo from Google Images Paying only 5€ to get in, it was a really nice welcome to be sat in the top tier with the rain off me even if I did have an umbrella beside me. At the turnstile however (more of a window where you can just walk past) the guy happily assumed I was a student not even asking about my age or - most importantly - if I was actually a student. Nevertheless I saved 2€ on a full-priced 7€ ticket - 'ave it! Inside the ground was generally really nice. Nicely decorated halls along with 3 floors and a fan shop was a really welcoming change to what I've seen before at some English grounds. The top tier was separated into 3 sections in terms of who sat where: one for standing, the other simply for wooden planks to sit on and then a small section for genuine seats. Photo from Google Images Out of the 10,000 the ground can hold, a modest 195 showed up today to watch the boys in purple take on the blue Staakeners. Of course, as this is Europe, there was firstly the ultra section who sang for pretty much the full 90 minutes. From "God Save the Borussia" to "I Just Can't Get Enough" and even "Nobody likes us, we don't care!" they sang it all - in English too. For the 6th tier of football, I have to say they truly were some brilliant fans. In the centre of the stand, where I was sat, pretty much sat the majority of normal people coming to watch the game. At the end of the centre sat the "main stand" fans. Let me put it this way: if you think Oldham fans are bad for moaning THESE guys are 10x worse. Even when Borussia managed to pull of great chances and have shots on goal they'd shout how bad they were or something of the likes. Generally both funny and piss annoying at the same time. The away fans occupied the other far end with a decent following of about 20. I say "decent"... My picture of pre-match training. Top class. The match was something. SC Staaken occupy 2nd whereas Tebe find themselves 13th out of the 18 teams in the Berlin-Liga. The first 45 minutes were scrappy. The wet surface had a massive impact on play with not a single shot on goal coming from either side. It seemed they were quite equally match although Tebe were quite decent in making cheeky paces around the stone defensive wall of Staaken's men. With only a few minutes gone in the second half, Tebe almost played like a league team. Great passes began bringing great chances and as they attacked in Staaken's box a cross hit the arm of one of their defenders meaning a penalty to the home side! With an absolute hammer of a shot it was 1-0 to Tebe. The match continued the same way until near the 90th minute the exact same happened again! This time, however, in Beckham style, the ball went flying way over the crossbar landing in the puddles forming on the running track surrounding the pitch. It ended 1-0 which was a very decent score for an extremely entertaining 90 minutes! On a side note, Tebe's right-back is one of the best players I've seen in a lower league. His skill, vision and pace pretty much gave Tebe every single chance they had and ran around others so well - sign him up, Johnson! Sadly their striker is :censored:. He stood in front of goal so many times but seemed to want to wait for support instead of taking a shot. Very frustrating and he didn't deserve to play with such a performance like that. However, their number 17, a fast midfielder, slapped in a few decent free kicks from at least 30-yards out making the keeper really work. Another one of my pictures. The place was bouncing by this point, just after the first goal. All-in-all it was actually a brlliant match and had a great community feel to it. Perhaps it wasn't the best football in existance but what really is? Latics, of course. For the price and reach of the ground I'd definitely go back to watch another match of that. I wanted to get a scarf to add to my collection of grounds I've visited outside the UK. There were only 2 in the small, cramped shop located in the mainstand but this "friendship" scarf was just beautiful. Forza Borussia! In lasting frienship I'm off to watch Hertha Berlin v Energie Cottbus tomorrow for their last game as champions of the 2. Bundesliga. I could write another if anyone found this worth reading. I guess there might be a bit more to write about tomorrow at the Olympiastadion. Come on!

Drum. Everybody knows where the drummer always sits. Sit in another stand if you don't like it. Done.

Brilliant news. Nice to see an actual shout out to the fans this time. The current drummer recently got a season ticket so that's another bonus for us. Hopefully we can take this somewhere before the miserable brigade rain on our parade.

Bloody good job we're not called Oldham United if 2 clubs sharing a nickname causes so much fuss.