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…
‘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…
Who marches so late through the night dark and drear? It’s Germany’s team, for Euro 2024 they steer. Moritz von Schwind, Erlkönig, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The quote above originates from Johan Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem “Erlkönig”. These two lines are the opening lines of the poem. They are quite fitting to describe Germany’s…
While for many the European Championships will be a festival of football, other thoughts need to be considered, too. Many people will remember the 2006 men’s World Cup held in Germany. It was a tournament accompanied by five weeks of wonderful weather and an atmosphere that surprised hosts and visitors alike. Though the end was…
Some classic John Motson commentary. Two matches of football which Motson commentated on and which have engrained themselves in memory for various reasons. Enjoy. Germany’s Wurst Nightmare, 2001 This is a classic match: for one team it was a nightmare, for the other it was the beginning of a dream that come to an end…
In a very good match of football, Germany cam back from one goal down to level the score by Niclas Füllkrug who is an out and out centre forward – a real number nine that has been missing since the retirement of Miroslav Klose. 🤓 #ESPGER pic.twitter.com/gHrsen14Wg— Olis Cartoons (@OlisCartoons) November 28, 2022 By coincidence…
The market for football magazines of all sorts is huge with new titles emerging regularly, promising the best writing we’ve never heard of paired with some stunning layout and imagery. Halb Vier isn’t that new, issue four is being discussed here but it is the focus on Germany that offers a difference. If there is…
The last few weeks have been revealing and testing. Testing as the Corona pandemic has forced the world to a stand still, has made us re-think our daily habits like shaking hands, high fiving, the famous French ‘bisous’ and worst of all attending football matches with tens of thousands of other people. In this respect…
Clemens Tönnies, head of board of directors has made headlines with a racist remark; the consequences are too soft. Football has to stand up to show that such behaviour is no longer acceptable. Read more →
A brief report on the first international match between Germany and Russia in 1912 during the Olympic Games in Stockholm Read more →