Since the second half of November 2021 Manchester United have caused all sorts of headlines for all the wrong reasons. The sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the latest chapter in the club’s history, a history that has been somewhat turbulent since Sir Alex Ferguson decided to retire in 2013. The parallels to the retirement of Sir Matt Busby in 1969 and the period until 1986 are striking. Read more →
Jens vs. Jahn
A short reflection on events three ago and the present: Jens Härtel was sacked after Magdeburg were defeated by Jahn Regensburg in November 2018; in 2021 Härtel beat them twice. Read more →
Red Star vs Le Mans – Match Report
Two years without a live match are a long time. Add to that some personal issues and it seems an eternity has passed. This game Red Star vs Le Mans demonstrates the end of the wait. Read more →
Joshua Kimmich and the vaccin: It is complicated
With another corona winter just around the corner, football seems to have missed something. It is clear that Joshua Kimmich will be looked at differently since stating that he is not vaccinated yet, arguing worries about the consequences. This may be a fair point but does a huge disservice to football and more importantly, to society. Read more →
Rico’s Curse
There are things which regardless of how often you try, will never work, you will always fail. Rico Schmitt, the coach of SV Meppen must have felt as though he is living a groundhog day when he faced FC Magdeburg. The away side went home with three points in the bag and hosts made long faces.
This is not a recent phenomenon; thirteen games and only two wins are a clear sign that Schmitt simply knows not how to beat Magdeburg with his teams. Among this list are those famous two games in late May and early June 2015 during the play-offs against Kickers Offenbach.
October 2021 and the picture is the same: Magdeburg take the three points from Meppen and cement their position at the top of the table.
He will keep trying …
The screenshot was taken from Transfermakrt.de
Euro Hools
The new season in the Europa League and Champions League is just a few days old and the centre stage besides the football was taken by violence. How has it come to this? Read more →
Contingency Plans
How important a player is, becomes apparent when he is missing. Magdeburg are learning this the hard way, losing two games in a row and looking very average in the process. Read more →
Bad Losers, Suspicions and Conspiracies?
A debate of racism surrounded the match between Saarbrücken and Magdeburg in late August. The evidence is thin and there is an element of whataboutism included. Not an easy debate considering all points of view. Read more →
Stats and how to bend them
In early August FC Magdeburg played St. Pauli in the German Cup and lost unfortunately. The main headlines however, focused on Magdeburg’s dominance in one particular part of the match statistics. While these are not wrong, they do give a wrong image of the game. Read more →
Football’s Coming Home – Debunking a Myth
The slogan „Football’s coming home“ from the song “Three Lions” by Baddiel and Skinner has enlightened the hearts of football fans across the globe for 25 years now.
The song was released in May 1996 just ahead of the European Championships held in England, thus the reasoning that football is coming home. Since it is English in origin, it is little surprise that it is full of references to the past and of course about the history of encounters between the national teams of Germany and England. While this is without doubt one of the most iconic and melodic songs about football, it is questionable wether the message is correct. As the country where modern football has its origins, the claim by England that football is coming home needs to be refuted, however.
Where's your shirts anyway lads??
Seem to remember these two belters being on display last time… pic.twitter.com/G3qzXV77eB
— 🤘 Jay 🤘 💛⚪💜🖤 (@inatimate1) June 29, 2021
Football has no home. Yet it is not homeless. It pops up every day of the week in parks and playing areas the world over and doesn’t care who plays with or against whom as long as a ball is kicked about. If Argentina would win another World Cup, many would argue that football is coming home because again many consider Buenos Aires the home of football with its clubs and fans being very passionate about the game. The same would be said about Brazil and of course, about England.
Yet, none of this is true. Football has no home.