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Union's recent history – part 7 – off to distant shores? (2016/17)
on 29/03/2017 11/05/2018 with 1 comment	by felix	0 views
And now we're here – 2016/17. Union is suddenly a solid contestant for promotion to 1. Bundesliga during a season in which relegated power houses like Hanover and Stuttgart will do everything to return. A season that couldn't be more difficult. A season that again starts with a new coach.
Jens Keller did not have an easy time at Schalke 04 but has proved at Union this season that he is a great leader. In an interview he explained that when he came to Union, the club's mentality was that it was OK to have one crappy half of the season and ending up somewhere in the middle or upper third, to get kicked out of the cup early etc. He joked he might be the only coach who would get sacked for getting a club promoted.
2. Bundesliga seemed the proper home for Union while at the same time the club wanted to be part of the top 20 in Germany, especially given all the progress on and off the pitch.
Keller seems to have unleashed the dragon within. It took some time for his idea of the game to settle in, but especially in the second leg of the season the team seems indestructible. Union suddenly win away matches on a regular basis and play an aggressive, fast-paced style unknown before.
Fans who remember the constant safety passes in the back or the Mattuschka pirouettes during Neuhaus' times can't believe their eyes. Surviving the first cup round against a strong Duisburg side, almost battling Dortmund at the Westfalenstadion to a defeat. Winning matches in Bavaria, at St. Pauli, against Nürnberg and ending almost every historically bad streak, just seems unfathomable.
So now, a dozen years after Union struggled to get out of Oberliga, they are knocking on the door of the top flight. Is this happening too soon? No. This is Union's 8th year in the second league and the development has been steady, be it infrastructure (extending the stadium step by step) or the team (transfer expenses of €5m in the last two years). So after the journey has been steady for a while, it seems only logical to climb this last mountain.
The return of a dedicated, tried-and-tested Sebastian Polter for a record transfer fee of €1.6m (more or less in exchange for a less consistent Collin Quaner) was the final signal – internally and externally: this is the season. The team is on fire like never before, and more consistently than ever.
Coach Keller points out that this is absolutely vital, because Union are not a top team that could win matches half-assed – and the team follows. After having a few sloppy starts into the second half of matches, they now get out a few minutes earlier for an extra warm-up round.
Union teams were always dedicated, but it has been a while since matches like those crazy 2:2 battles in the Regionalliga, with lots of tension and players giving everything they could and more. This is the first time there is a similar vibe in the air, but recently it has been happening during every single game.
The players must have lungs of steel – running after every ball, starting their defence early, sometimes tackling their opponents when they try to kick out a ball from their own goal-line, forcing them into mistakes and then immediately capitalizing on them. Sebastian Polter used to do this during his stint two years ago; now he has an entire likeminded team at his side.
No matter how this season ends, this is the beginning of a new chapter and Union will go the next step one way or another: the stadium will get extended once more. The home section is sold out quite often these days and league regulations now require at least 8,000 seats (for 1. Bundesliga). The club will present its plans at some point after the end of this season and an extension to 30-35k is rumored. The main stand is supposed to stay as it is and also remain free-standing. This leaves only the three terracing sides who will probably get more layers on top.
Looking back at the recent history, this is the only logical step to stay competitive and to be able to still bring a unique Union community management style to the table. To show that while certain adaptations are necessary, you don't have to change who you are. We can be certain that we won't have to endure goal music, corner sponsors or half-time raffles anytime soon.
This is the seventh part of a series of articles. Read the other parts here: one – two – three – four – five – six. For more frequent Union updates in English, subscribe to our Union in Englisch facebook page, and/or follow us on twitter.
Union's recent history – part 6 – becoming a 2. Bundesliga regular (2011/12 – 2015/16)
Han(g)over and Happy Auer – back to reality?
Chillen vor dem Topspiel | ***textilvergehen***
[…] Außerdem gibt es bei Union in English den letzten Teil der Geschichts-Serie: Off to Distant Shores? (2016/17) […]
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Last time the remaining 8 teams in the Men's Pokal won the DFB Pokal
Hannover: 1992
Hamburg: 1987
Karlsruhe: 1956
St.Pauli, Bochum, Freiburg, Leipzig: Never
Union Berlin: Never won the DFB Pokal, but has won the FDGB Pokal (Eastern Germany's Pokal) in 1968
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