#fcsanktpauli

[stijnderuyck]

This weekend is the start of the season for the 2nd Bundesliga. Which stadium do you absolutely want to visit this upcoming season? . . . . . #fcsanktpauli #sanktpauli #groundhopper #groundhopping #bundesliga2 #hamburg #instafootball #fussball #instafutbol #germanfootball #stadiumlife #stadiumsoftheworld (bij Millerntor Gallery)

[icanbarelydraw]

Fußball Tattoo mal anders ! Thanx Benni ! #icanbarelydraw #kaigeorgiadis #tattoos #fcsanktpauli #fcsp #fussballtattoo #fußballgegenrechts #rabbitstattooink #silverbacktattooink #eternaltattooink #anchortattoo #ink #inked #ta2

[fcumad]

VFL Bochum 0 v 1 FC Sankt Pauli:

Matchday 1. Normally this would raise little excitement within me. As i’ve no doubt mentioned before I only really like the football season once it’s cold enough to wear a coat and a scarf. The early games are full of perfect pitches, optimism and sunburnt fans sweating away in the new kits. This time around though I’d attempted to take my holiday earlier in the year, and so like Pavlovs dog, returned expecting football to immediately commence and it didnt, leaving me with the odd sensation of yearning for the start of the season. This yearning reached such ridiculous levels, we ALL went to Lippstadt (a good 2 hours drive away) to watch them play a friendly one weekend. New depths indeed.  Added to which, I say „attempted a holiday„ as I managed to fracture my shoulder in a bike accident, calling a premature end to my jollies. The next attempt is in September only increasing my desire to see as much football now to make up for what I will miss then. So the fixtures were announced and we got a late Friday night fixture in Bochum. Ideal for me. Just down the road, we’d all go in shorts and sunglasses like utter bakes, load up on beer and stumble home. Wrong. It rained and I had a terrible cold. Almost winter like conditions! Well it would have been were it not for me still suffering a slight fever and thus sweating bucket loads.

Anyway, one work mate in tow, we met the rest of the group on the train and were in Bochum in good time. My aforementioned lack of beer thirst, meant we didnt bother going to Ale specialists Biermuda, but still made a quick diversion to Bermuda Dreieck, Bochum’s main area for going out. After stocking up, we headed down to the ground, stopping briefly for a photoopportunity with the new scarves the rest of the lads and lasses had been sent from Kurdish side „Amedspor Barikat“. Im not that up on these things, but apparently they are dead sound so do whatever youre supposed to do in such circumstances and follow them on social media or something.

Outside the ground the usual familiar faces plus a few less usual ones. Rum and cola for my cold and then into the ground, the young uns down the front with the ultras, us older lot up the backend with the view. This being the first match of the season the German football league had planned a show for tv. Large numbers of people were parading across the pitch in formation and holding up banners for the cameras. It wouldve worked, but we (i.e. both sets of supporters) had smuggled in whistles and so the whole thing was rendered useless for tv as it was accompanied by boos, a cacophany of whistles, and chants against the German FA. The German FA and the German Football League are (I think) two separate organisations, but basically everyone who goes to matches regularly seems fed up with only lip service being paid to protecting the game, whilst in the meantime kick-off times are spread out more and more across the week, commercialisation continues and fines are dished out without justification or indeed adherance to the German legal system.

Show all finished, we finally got to watch some football. St Pauli looked very assured in the first half with one or two very good chances that wouldve given us a deserved lead. Allagui (new from Hertha) looked especially lively. Sadly his partner up front (yes two up front!) Bouhaddouz had an off day. Im sure he will find his form soon though. Atmosphere wise, just old songs, but very decent throughout the 90 minutes, as you’d expect with the roof on the away end in Bochum.

Second half was a different story. A few holes in our defence like the beginning of last season, fortunately the newly returned Himmelmann was on top form and produced some great saves. We hit Bochum once on the break and scored. After that we sat back and defended and Bochum never really looked dangerous again.

After the final whistle we celebrated with the players and then made the wet tramp back to the station, the darkness only increasing the danger of getting punched and unsurprisingly that very nearly happened. We survived though. Next up for me - Paderborn away in the cup.

[fcumad]

DSC Arminia Bielefeld 1 v 1 FC Sankt Pauli: With two out of the top six beaten, confidence was high for us as we travelled to play Bielefeld. In the end the result wasnt a disaster but was undoubtedly two points dropped on a weekend when we couldve separated ourselves, at least temporarily, from the bottom three. Bielefeld isnt that far away from where I live, as such it was almost a match I wished for a Friday or Monday night (when an hour or two’s travel could make the difference between being able to go or not). Instead we had all the time in the world and decided to head to Bielefeld for breakfast. From Hamm onwards we had the van full, and by mid-morning had found a bakers near the ground. All filled up with rolls and coffee, we headed back to the stadium where the first buses were starting to arrive from Hamburg. After very complicated and extensive security checks, we finally made it into the ground and hung up our flags on the limited fencing in the away end. The last hour prior to kick-off was used to get voices warmed up with plenty of singing. Then the match finally got underway. The difference between the two teams was clear from the outset. Bielefeld had the possession and would attempt to build down the flanks, using passing to inch their less skillful players into a crossing position. We on the other hand, would try and get the ball and then through dribbling or quick pass interchanges, try to counter down the middle of the pitch. Within about 10 minutes it looked to have paid off, and we had the ball in the net. Unfortunately it was ruled out for offside. On another occasion, Bhouhadouz was denied by a tremendous save from their keeper. Bielefeld continued to hold plenty of the ball, without doing anything of note with it. Second half and we took the lead. Another break with a dribble into the box, it was squared to Buchtmann who apparently put the ball into the net. I say apparently as the actual goal is almost impossible to see for most of the away block. Anyway after a very mixed first half atmosphere wise, we were loud from there on in. As the half wore on, we had a couple more breakaways and those were the ones we came to rue. The odd wrong choice about who to pass to in the final third of the field stopped us sealing the game there and then. We couldnt hear anything from the Bielefeld fans who I assume were coming to terms with how lacking in ideas their team were. Yet we started to sit back as the half wore on, Miyachi was subbed on and struggled to get with the pace of the game, neither offering danger on the break, nor defending well enough. Then in the final minutes, they brought their goalie up, and in a complete scramble one of their players nudged the ball into the net from a corner. I’d forgotten just how appalling the goal music is at Bielefeld. Goal music is a crime anyway, and ours (Blur Song 2) is no doubt irritating to away fans at the Millerntor, but I think Bielefeld may win in that category. Without a moment for the fans to savour, some novelty ringtone from hell breaks loose. I think the melody is the „can can“. Then at double the volume a man shrieks „Torrrr! Torrrr! Torrrr!“ in a voice not too disimilar to the „nein nein nein“ Hitler bit in Inglorious Basterds. Needless to say it didnt make their equaliser any more palatable. Disappointed in the result rather than the teams level of effort, we chanted St Pauli and clapped the players off. The home end trudged out in relative silence. We’re good enough to stay up, we’re unbeaten in three, and if our form continues we will continue that run against Karlsruhe next week. Until that time, we will have to make do with 3rd from bottom.

[fcumad]

SpVGG Fürth 0 v 2 FC Sankt Pauli: This was the first match this season where I went to it with zero expectations. I was travelling alone, and for once didn't believe we might get something out of the game. Maybe I should do that more often! I was up at 4am and despite feeling a cold coming on, braved it through the rain to the train station. The journey passed without incident, and by 11am I was in Fuerth. It was cold so I was planning on just going and sitting in a cafe for an hour, but then I bumped into A (one of the lads with the megaphones). He was on his way to the Xmas market where the rest of the ultras were holed up. Before long I had a mulled wine with rum in my hand. After a while it was time to head to the ground. The whole group marched off en masse, filling the narrow streets of the old town and stopping traffic. After 5 minutes blue lights appeared and we were escorted the rest of the way. I met up with a few friends at the ground, had a beer, hung up my flag and then we headed further up the terrace for a better view. The ground isn't a classic. Each time I've visited it's changed, but it's really thrown together. It reminds me of Maine Road in that nothing matches. The huge VIP office block is particularly ugly. On the pitch though we were treated to a far nicer sight. A slightly moist pitch meant players slipping over everywhere and entertaining end to end football. It was partly down to Fuerth being awful but Sankt Pauli actually played some attacking football! As per usual though, the final pass was always missing. With the game still goalless at halftime, I worried we might have missed our chance to win. Midway through the second half though we finally scored a goal. Our winger cut inside, passed to Bouhaddouz, he was blocked but hit the rebound with a reflex reaction and suddenly the net rippled. It's 6 or 7 games since we last scored I think. I was carried off my feet in the celebration! I've not felt so emotional after a goal in a long time. With the goal, a point at least seemed safe. Yet with so many breakaways, and with the teams around us mostly losing, it would've been a shame not to capitalise. Fuerth were seeing more of the ball gradually, but at the same time starting to collect yellows for last ditch fouls. It remained 1-0 till the final moments, then Cenk Sahin broke free alone, a defender tracked back, Sahin tricked him to win space and then deftly chipped the keeper. Pandemonium once more. The final whistle came, we applauded the players and coach, and then headed out of the ground all with huge grins for once. The way home was also cool, as I traveled via Kassel, meaning I could share a train with friends on their way back from Hamburg. The whole train was overfilled, but Deutsche Bahn paid the price, as Sankt Pauli fans took over the restaurant car. I got home for 9:30pm. I can't wait for Saturday!

[rootsrealityandcalcio-blog]

Millerntor Sankt Pauli - Mai 2011