History Archives ⋆ An Old International

Posts in Category ‘History’

a little positivity

The year is almost over and it was a difficult one to get through, particularly since the events in Magdeburg last Friday. However, sometimes it is the little things that provide you with hope and a sense that not all is lost or negative.

This gesture by Alex Iwobi is one of those moments that demonstrate that professional football players are capable of giving something back to the community. Footballers have the reputation of being disconnected from their fan base and their communities. This example proves that we should not judge all players by the same token.

Thanks to Jerome Pugmire for the inspiration.

x-mas? go away!

Christmas is a difficult time in general as its imposed happiness feels false and hollow. This year, however, it feels even worse. The attack on the Christmas Market in Magdeburg, back home!, has made it impossible to enjoy this time of year. Thoughts are with the victims and their families and those who are injured.…

Excuses and Accusations: England vs Germany 1954

“Sport and time can be great healers”, is how Geoffrey Green – somewhat naively – closed his pre-match report in The Times ahead of the first encounter between England and Germany in December 1954. The question that many asked themselves was whether or not the English would show their emotions at a football match. Memories…

No Backbone

Standards I’d kept, in the back of my mind Are now just rules to break from time to time As the singer of The Lemonheads, Evan Dando possesses the magic of turning scenes taken from our daily lives into little pop gems. This applies to the song “No Backbone,” quoted above. We have all been…

A Foreigner as England Manager? Never!

The news that Thomas Tuchel will be the England manager come January 1, 2025, has caused a wave of comments that are bordering on the ludicrous, while others at least take into consideration the state of international football. This is a first and brief thought about the fact that a German will be in charge…

Berne, July 4, 1954 – Notes on a perceived Miracle

‘Rahn should shoot from the background. Rahn shoots! Goal! Goal! Goal!’ These words spoken by radio commentator Herbert Zimmermann in the heat of the moment when Helmut Rahn had scored Germany’s third goal during the World Cup final 1954 in Berne are familiar to many Germans and have become cultural icons like Kenneth Wolstenholme’s words…

Ideas on Player Ratings

Experience as a teacher includes marking students work and essays. However, not all these works deserve the same weight in the final bulletin. Here are some ideas how to weigh players performances differently. As a teacher it is my task to teach and educate children of different ages in different subject matters: sport and social…

Franz Beckenbauer 1945 – 2024

The story of German could have come quite differently, had not one incident decided the fate of the two Munich clubs, 1860 and Bayern, respectively. As a youngster, Franz Beckenbauer played for a small Munich club in his neighbourhood, Giesing. It was his intention to move to TSV 1860 Munich at some point in his…

Super Jews – Exhibition Review

The Jewish Museum in Vienna presents an exhibition on Jewish Identity in the football stadium, which looks at several different clubs from four European countries: Austria (Hakoah, First Vienna and Austria), Germany (Bayern Munich), England (Tottenham) and the Netherlands (Ajax). The question this little exhibition follows is “What makes a football club, a Jewish club?”…

Intel Inside! Magdeburg and Intel

The news that the American chip producer Intel would open a production site near Magdeburg was one of the best news that happened in 2022. The volume of the investment is estimated to be around 30bn Euro. That is massive and a sincere boost for the region which has seen a lot of unemployment following…