Security, Silence, Snow and Victory!
After the International break and the tragic events in Paris the week before Hertha were to face TSG Hoffenheim who were firmly rooted to the foot of the table. Things have not always gone well for Hertha against this team and, if I remember correctly, they inflicted the heaviest loss I have witnessed personally in 2014. Also, if I remember correctly, Jay Brooks gave away a penalty and got sent off in separate incidents so perhaps TSG is a bogey team for him. Having said this, the visitors form (and luck) this season has been terrible and this match was always going to be different.
The game on Sunday was eventful, but perhaps not for the best of reasons. The additional security prompted many (including myself) to arrive earlier at the Olympiastadion. Having said this, in my experience this didn't cause me any delays in getting into the stadium and if anything it went any more smoothly than normal. Before the match the French Tricolour was spread out on the pitch and a minutes silence was held in solidarity with Paris. It's always quite moving when that many people (37,045) can keep silent as a mark of respect no matter what the cause. There are always one of two idiots but there were only one or two.
The game wasn't always pretty if I was honest. Although Hertha had much of the possession when chances and even half chances came there was always a slight: mistimed pass, slip, trip or some other misfortune that resulted in the attack breaking down. The well-publicised statistic that this game failed to produce a single shot on target says much about how the game progressed and the catalogue of errors was added to when the ball came off the head of Eugen Polanski into his own net. The frantic scooping of the ball by Baumann failed to prevent the goal being awarded and Hertha were in front, somehow. The second half saw Hoffenheim playing a more active part but where they managed to create chances some of their "shots" were catastrophically wayward, some going into low orbit. There were some nervous moments when all of this was going on. It's not good for your nerves, being a Hertha fan!
The most dramatic this about the match was the mini blizzard during the match! I was expecting a bit of sleet but not the pitch covered in snow and impressive efforts to clear the snow laid on for half time entertainment. But perhaps I exaggerate. It may have not been pretty but a win is a win and those three points put Hertha back into fourth place for another week. From this fans perspective, more importantly, one step closer to safety. Once we're safe then we can worry about where we end up in the table!
Here is a bit of fun playing with the time lapse function on my phone before the match. It would be cool to film all of the fans arriving in the Ostkurve from start to finish but I really couldn't be bothered to stand around holding my phone up for that long!
After Paris
It is just over a week after the atrocities in Paris that claimed upwards of 130 innocent lives. Although the international against the Netherlands was called off in Hannover the Bundesliga stands defiant in the face of the senseless carnage seen last week and the matches this weekend are set to be played on schedule.
The weekend kicked off with Hamburger SV v Borussia Dortmund on Friday night.
There was a short delay as a result of traffic and the extra security that was laid on but the game started and Bundesliga fans were not cowed by the despicable acts in France.
Having said this, after the match Dortmund fans may have wondered if the world had been turned on its head after the 3:1 defeat to HSV!
A BVB bar in Berlin all ready for the match on Friday
In Berlin I for one will make my way towards the Olympiastadion on Sunday with absolutely no intention of letting recent events prevent me from supporting my club at my stadium in the way that I want to. I hope that hundreds of thousands of people will come together at stadia across Europe in a simple act of defiance and solidarity.
Some would say that this means nothing. However, at least in a very small way, it shows the people who seek to destroy our way of life and turn us against each other have failed, and that in my mind at least, means something.
The good luck turban
Well, what a difference a week makes! On match day 11 Hertha lost 1:4, at home against Borussia Monchengladbach. Just one week later they pull off a spirited, confident away win in Hannover securing the fourth place in the Bundesliga table for at least two weeks until after the International break.
Who's the guy in the Turban? It's our turbaned hero Salomon Kalou! In this game he finally came good in abundance with his first hat-trick for Hertha and in the Bundesliga. In fact, I believe I am correct it was the first Hertha hat-trick since 2010.
The fun in games started in earnest in the 33rd minute when a well weighted pass from Genki Haraguchi found Kalou in the box who produced some magic footwork to: thread a shot through a defenders legs, past the keeper and into the back of the net. Thirty minutes later in the second half found Hertha counter attacking with a pass from Darida to Salomon Kalou in Hertha's own half. On another day this would had led to nothing but today? Today the Ivorian was on fire and he showed a clean pair of heels to the H96 defenders running half the length of the pitch and having the confidence to slot it past the hapless keeper for his second.
Ten minutes later Marvin Plattenhardt gave away a penalty that Kiyotake slotted to give Hannover a chance albeit a small one. The death nail for H96 came in the 87th minute when Wieser was brought down in the Hannover box giving Kalou his chance for win his match ball. The penalty wasn't great and the keeper got a hand to it but hey, it was good enough and the game ended 1:3 and all three points were on the way home to Berlin!
As I suggested in my post on the 5th of October (On the 25th Anniversary of Reunification - HSV ) Salomon Kalou appears to be finding his feet. Not only did he get his first hat-trick but he was "awarded" player of the week by Bundesliga.com based on his performance. It was interesting to hear in an interview during the week that although Kalou picked up positive vibes from Pal Dardai communication was not as easy as it could be as Kalou's German is not that good yet and Pal does not speak either French or English. Perhaps some of Kalou's leap of form results from the arrival of Vedad Ibisevic who speaks fluent French. It must help cooperation between the two strikers. Who knows? Do I care? As long as this rich vein of form carries on for a season or two (or three) - perhaps not!