GuyGermanLatic Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 (edited) 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" Edited May 19, 2013 by GuyGermanLatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 Another top post. Great scenes in on the stands, looks :censored:ing aces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opinions4u Posted May 19, 2013 Share Posted May 19, 2013 How was it with the athletics track? I don't think I've ever watched football in an athletics stadium. Not convinced it would be spectator friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuyGermanLatic Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 (edited) Another top post. Great scenes in on the stands, looks :censored:ing aces. Cheers. The experience here is something else entirely. How was it with the athletics track? I don't think I've ever watched football in an athletics stadium. Not convinced it would be spectator friendly. 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. Edited May 19, 2013 by GuyGermanLatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuyGermanLatic Posted May 19, 2013 Author Share Posted May 19, 2013 Video there. Starting from 1:10 on fullscreen is good. Wish I had a better quality video camera on my phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimsleftfoot Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Never watched a match there but visited the stadium pre-refurb in '97. I ran down the athletics track and got chased off by security guards... as you do!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimsleftfoot Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 Never watched a match there but visited the stadium pre-refurb in '97. I ran down the athletics track and got chased off by security guards... as you do!!! And this is post 3000!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldhamSheridan Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 I had no problem with the track either. It's a good ground for atmosphere (well it is in Germany). Though I think I may have overdone it when I went to watch the reserves play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevesidg Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Another great report Guy Viel spass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc-latics Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 (edited) only just seen this post, great read! visited the Olympic Stadium in February for a tour but didn't get to a match. Definitely one of the best stadiums i've ever been to and that's without the fans you've described. am i right in thinking that the 'ultras' curved section is 10euro entry? ridiculously good value to watch football in that stadium. Edited June 2, 2013 by oafc-latics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ritchie Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 How come you're in Berlin Guy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuyGermanLatic Posted June 2, 2013 Author Share Posted June 2, 2013 (edited) only just seen this post, great read! visited the Olympic Stadium in February for a tour but didn't get to a match. Definitely one of the best stadiums i've ever been to and that's without the fans you've described. am i right in thinking that the 'ultras' curved section is 10euro entry? ridiculously good value to watch football in that stadium. 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. How come you're in Berlin Guy? 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? Edited June 2, 2013 by GuyGermanLatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ritchie Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 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? Sound, I loved Berlin when I visited. Had a lot going on. What is it you do out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaticsChris Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I went to the Hertha - St. Pauli game in November. It was strange there being such an excellent atmosphere in a half empty stadium (attendance was around 40,000 I think). I sat (stood) in the Ostkurve top tier, just by the video screen you can see in Guy's photos, and it really was excellent. Even managed to join in a few chants once I'd summoned my GCSE German knowledge from the memory vaults. Surreal moment of the night was after the final whistle, when all the players held hands as the fans sang their own version of 'We Are Sailing'. I believe this is done all over Germany. I can't imagine it taking off in England, though I'd like to see it tried out at the New Den. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuyGermanLatic Posted June 4, 2013 Author Share Posted June 4, 2013 Sound, I loved Berlin when I visited. Had a lot going on. What is it you do out there? 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. I went to the Hertha - St. Pauli game in November. It was strange there being such an excellent atmosphere in a half empty stadium (attendance was around 40,000 I think). I sat (stood) in the Ostkurve top tier, just by the video screen you can see in Guy's photos, and it really was excellent. Even managed to join in a few chants once I'd summoned my GCSE German knowledge from the memory vaults. Surreal moment of the night was after the final whistle, when all the players held hands as the fans sang their own version of 'We Are Sailing'. I believe this is done all over Germany. I can't imagine it taking off in England, though I'd like to see it tried out at the New Den. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latics_Fanatic Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Visted the stadium in Feb also (On the same trip as oafc-latics) It was stunning, it is up there with the best stadiums I have been to. It looks even better packed with fans as seen in your photos - the passion for the football in Germany combined with the cheap prices must make for a great spectacle, especially when at the game. Dortmund is on my list for stadiums to visit to, the 'kop' there looks absolutely stunning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ritchie Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 How was it with the athletics track? I don't think I've ever watched football in an athletics stadium. Not convinced it would be spectator friendly. Only ground I went to was Brighton's old one and that was the worst view I've ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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