Planet Dortmund
14Apr/10Off

Transfer me this … Transfer me that … BVB players .. in and out?

Coming up to the time of year when all fans dream of what could be ... but usually end up with what was and could have been ..

who will come in ... more than just prospective talent for BVB II ?
who will leave ....?

again so far the obvious rumour is Robert Lewandowski to come .. and this seems to have progress this time around to more then gossip with Zorc actually admitting interest and confirming BVB want him ... with a deal possibly set for the summer,  with the only stumbling block being possible interest from the money pit that is the EPL,  and the mega buck wage packet they can throw at a player,  will Lewandowski choose style over overindulgent substance and choose to play for BVB

Only time will tell well more specifically hte end of the summer will and how much BVB are willing to splash out on the Pole with the fee rumoured to be around five million euros for the striker.

and to make way for the player there is the sounds from the Nelson Valdez camp as the player recently said in a n interview for Bild he is considering looking at his options in the summer as he wants more playing time than he currently has at the moment , will Valdez call time on a BVB career that has for a striker been somewhat fruitless in goals since his move from Bremen in 2006 ,and while the players overall contribution and effort  has been welcomed by the club maybe a fresh start will do the players strike rate the world of good , who knows.

another player constantly linked with a move away from the club is central defender Neven Subotic who has attracted the gossip columns of many a tabloid newspaper linking him with a big money move to .. you guessed it the EPL with transfer fees of 20 million euros being thrown around, but to the players credit he has consistenly said he wants to stay with BVB and while that may be his intention , the lure of a big money offer may be when and if the time comes could prove too much for the club to resist then its a case of the player himself deciding where his future lies.

With european football next year a distinct possibility BVB will be have to strengthen the squad in depth and quality but how much on how many depends on how well BVB can and are willing to invest as their budget is not expected to be that big .

so really much may depend on Zorc and whether he can unearth a few gems for not a large amount or if he can snap up some good quality free agents who will add to the team not jsut in numbers , the players are out there.. he will just have to look where, or maybe he should just visit many a BVB forum and let them do the scouting for him .. but unlike years past in the summer transfer market.. this one is expected to be a somewhat busier one than normal.

9Apr/10Off

BVB travel to Mainz

On the euphoria after last weekends 2-1 win against Bremen people are seriously starting to see a consistency to BVB style of play and that has contributed to the form that is seeing them this end of the season challenging the top end of the table rather than fighting for survival as with the past few seasons.

This can all be attributed to one Jurgen Klopp the coach who in since coming from Mainz has instilled a sense of camaraderie and team ethic that has not only given the team and players confidence but has seen too each player playing with trust and belief in the tactics and decisions of the coach.

It is this style of play that BVB will take with them when they travel to Mainz on Saturday to play against the very club in which Klopp first demonstrated and tried out this style of coaching and play.

While now Mainz are under new tutelage of Thomas Tuchel  it had been a good start to the season for them they have been difficult to break down at home this season, which is why any visiting team has found it hard to go there and get a result but come the second half of the season their form has tailed off and they have struggled to recreate early form, and one loss to them is sure to be their midfield lynch pin Andreas Ivanschitz who is out for the next 3 games due to suspension.

BVB on the other hand are again at full strength minus Kehl who is set to miss the rest of the season, but will be with their leading goalscorer Barrios who came through a midweek injury scare he is set to start as the lone striker , with Sahin set to partner Bender in the defensive midfield position , with Kuba , Grosskreutz and Zidan forming the rest of the midfield.

it will be an interesting game maybe an emotional one for Klopp where the home fans are sure to give him a warm welcome but the sentiment will stop the moment the game starts where it is every coach player and fan or themselves , will Mainz upset the BVB apple cart or will BVB roll over Mainz on the way to fighting to secure that European spot.

The starting line ups are set to be  as follows :

1. FSV Mainz 05: Müller - Zabavnik, Svensson, Noveski, Fathi - Polanski, Karhan, Soto - Schürrle, Trojan - Bancé.

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller - Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Bender, Sahin - Kuba, Zidan, Großkreutz - Barrios.

Kick off - 15.30 (cet) 14:30 (gmt)

Referee : Deniz Aytekin (Oberasbach).

2Apr/10Off

BVB tackle Bremen in Dortmund

After last weeks lacklustre draw in Berlin from a point of offensive attacking football this Saturdays game against Bremen shows on paper the promise to be a better show , with the likes of Barrios , Zidan and  Kuba, and the recently returned Hummels, going up against Pizarro , Marin, Ozil and Hunt.

Both sides go into the game not shy of the ability and firepower to score goals in Pizarro and Barrios being in hot form, but those 2 are likely to come up against 2 of the  most consistent solid keepers in Weidenfeller (BVB) and Wiese (Bremen) , both of whom have show on more than one occasion they are capable of keeping their sides in the hunt for a game making their goals at times impenetrable.

European football again will prove to be the incentive reward for both teams as up for grabs is the possibility of a Champions League spot but more immediately a Europa League spot , BVB lay in 4th place on 49 points and Bremen in 5th on 48 , so a win or loss for either side will prove equally as consequential come the end of the season when final positions determine what team may play in which european competition, but a point and a draw for either side would put each team that little further away from Hamburg who are in 6th place on 44 points.

Squad line ups is where BVB have a slight advantage in that they have available to them a Full Strength line up of players to choose from , with the only missing player being LeTallec , whereas Bremen will be missing ex BVB star and their captain Torsten Frings out due to a suspension also missing is German international Tim Borowski , for them 2 defensive midfield lynch pins , and this is where maybe BVB will look to take advantage and press on this to their gain and hopefully give the home fans 3 points , and something to cheer about and most importantly push themselves that bit closer to europe next season.

the starting line ups for both teams are expected as follows :

Borussia Dortmund: Weidenfeller - Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Kehl, Sahin - Kuba, Zidan, Großkreutz - Barrios

Werder Bremen: Wiese - Fritz, Mertesacker, Naldo, Boenisch - Bargfrede, Jensen - Marin, Özil, Hunt - Pizarro

the referee for the game will be Babak Rafati (Hannover)

kick off : 15:30 CET , 14:30 GMT

13Feb/10Off

Bayern too strong for Dortmund

Bayern Munich proved to be too strong for Borussia Dortmund as they went on to a 3-1 win.

Dortmund got off to a lively start within the first 4 minutes Seven Bender had two very good chances. With Van Bommel having to make a last ditch clearance. In the 5th minute though Mohamed Zidan done well to get past Van Buyten and fire a shot into the Bayern net. Dortmund went on to create more and more chances with barrios failing to capitalize on a few occasions.

Bayern managed to equalise in the 20th minute when Van Bommels shot from distance deflected off Barrios and past a wrong footed Marc Ziegler. After the goal both teams tried to test one another but not many attacks materialised into anything. In the last 5 minutes Dortmund managed to get a few chances at goal. Barrios was close but Van Bommel cleared the ball with a great tackle.

It only took 4 minutes after the restart for the next goal to be scored. Ribery played a ball across goal where Robben was waiting for an easy tap in. Dortmund went on to pressure and looked close to getting another goal. But Gomez broke past the BVB defenders and fired a shot past Ziegler from 6 yards out.

Dortmund again piled the pressure on Bayern but goalkeeper Butt was in fine form and stopped shots from Grosskreutz(twice) and Barrios to keep Bayerns lead intact.  Some good defending at the other side also saved BVB from conceding more goals.

Bayern München: Butt - Lahm, van Buyten, Demichelis, Badstuber - van Bommel, Schweinsteiger - Robben, Ribery - Müller, Gomez.
Borussia Dortmund: Ziegler - Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Bender, Sahin - Kuba, Zidan, Großkreutz - Barrios.
Substitutes: 72. Olic for Ribery - 74. Hajnal and Götze for Zidan and Kuba, 85. Le Tallec for Barrios.
Goals: 0:1 Zidan (5.), 1:1 van Bommel (21.), 2:1 Robben (50.), 3:1 Gomez (65.).

7Feb/10Off

Dortmund suffer 2nd defeat in a row

Borussia Dortmund 2 - 3 Eintracht Frankfurt

Borussia Dortmund played host to Eintracht Frankfurt, who hadn't won at Dortmund since 1991. But the visitors walked away victorious today.

The first half of the match came to be a very evenly matched affair, with both sides having plenty of possession and attempts at goal. It was the away team that managed to open the scoring though. With 7 minutes played Benjamin Kohler leaped to meet a Patrick  Ochs cross, and powered home a header.

Frankfurt nearly added a second minutes later when Altintop got some space at the edge of the box but Marc Ziegler was quick off his line to muffle out any attack.

On the 15th minute Dortmund managed to pull a goal back. Grosskreutz's corner was cleared only as far as Mohamed Zidan who played the ball back into the box where Mats Hummels was quick to react to put the ball in the back of the net.

Both teams had their fair share in chances on goal but Frankfurt were the closest to adding to their tally. Altintop managed to shot past Ziegler in the 27th minute but Mats Hummels was quick to clear the ball off the line, and just a few minutes later Altintop again had another great chance but failed to materialise a free header.

On the 39th minute Barrios was clear on goal but quick reactions by the goalkeeper ensured that the Dortmund hitman didn't score.

So at halftime the teams remained on level terms at 1-1.

The second half both teams took a while to get into the match shot wise, both teams kept plenty of possession though.

Dortmund then took the lead in the 56th minute. Owomoyela done well to retain possession of the ball in the oppositions box, he played the ball out to Zidan who crossed the ball into the box. Barrios was there to slot home from a few yards.

Dortmund went on to create a few good chances but the Frankfurt goalkeeper was on good form. In the 64th minute a Frankfurt corner was cleared out to Jung who fired a shot from 20 yards but it took a deflection on the way and Ziegler had no chance. The score levelled at 2-1.

The match livened up as both teams went all out for the winner. Dortmund came closest when a scramble in front of goal failed to materialise. It was then in the 73rd minute when Frankfurt took the lead. Meier took advantage of some slack defending to shoot past Ziegler.

Dortmund had the best chance after that just 1 minute away from the end of regulation time, Santana managed to head over the bar from 2 yards.

Borussia Dortmund: Ziegler- Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer, K. Großkreutz, Sahin, Le Tallec, Zidan, Valdez, Barrios
Eintracht Frankfurt: Nikolov- Jung, Franz, Russ, Spycher, Chris, P. Ochs, Meier, Teber, Köhler, Halil Altintop

4Feb/10Off

Borussia Dortmund against Eintracht Frankfurt: Preview

Borussia Dortmund look to splash doubts of a lack of good form and are setting their sights on Frankfurt. Dortmund fell last weekend 1-4 against a strong Suttgart side away from home. The Westfalen return home and will have the support of 70,000 or more fans rooting for them for the clash against Frankfurt on Sunday (17.30).

Dortmund will have Mohamad Zidan back in the squad and it appears that Sven Bender is fit. Bender will be a game time decision, but in training today he had no pain from an earlier complication from the knee. Dortmund will be missing star midfielder Kuba who is suffering from back problems. Felipe Santana is still making a recovery from a bone bruise but the prognosis is looking better.

Frankfurt have a strew of their own players missing but much of their starting eleven has not been badly effected. Big Star missing from Frankfurt is the Greek forward Amanatidis. Dortmund can cushion their lead on Frankfurt in a European place with a win. Frankfurt is eight points behind Dortmund and a win would see Dortmund move eleven points clear of Frankfurt. Dortmund currently sit fourth in the table on 36 points and are looking ambitiously to play European football this year.

Possible Lineups:

Borussia Dortmund: Ziegler - Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Bender (Santana), Sahin - Valdez, Zidan, Großkreutz - Barrios.
Bench: Höttecke - Dede, Hünemeier, Santana, Hajnal, Götze, Ginczek, Stiepermann.
Questionable: Bender, Barrios, Santana.
Missing: Weidenfeller, Kuba, Kehl, Tinga, Feulner, Rangelov, Öztekin.

Eintracht Frankfurt: Nikolov - Franz, Russ, Chris, Spycher - Teber - Ochs, Meier, Liberopoulos, Köhler - Altintop.
Bench: Fährmann - Jung, Heller, Tsoumou, Caio, Toski, Titsch-Rivero
Questionable: Chris, Teber.
Missing: Petkovic, Vasoski, Bajramovic, Korkmaz, Clark, Fenin, Amanatidis, Schwegler, Tosun, Alvarez.

Referee: Unknown
Yellow Card Tally: Barrios, Sahin, Valdez, Schmelzer (all 4) - Teber (9), Ochs (4).

Attendance: 70,000(unofficial number)

31Jan/10Off

Dortmund suffer at the hands of Stuttgart

Stuttgart 4 - 1 Borussia Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmunds unbeaten streak came to an abrupt end today as they lost 4-1 against Stuttgart. Dortmund had previously gone 12 games unbeaten. But Stuttgart are also on a good streak and proved too powerful for Dortmund.

Before the match Stuttgart sat in 13 place on the table and Dortmund in 4th. Luckily for Dortmund they continue to occupy 4th spot but this win moves Stuttgart up to 10th place.

Stuttgart went ahead in the 14th minute when Pogrebnyak scored from close range with what would have been Stuttgarts only shot on goal in the first half. The Stuttgart defence stood strong as Borussia Dortmund came at them during the first half.

In the second half Stuttgart had numerous chances to extend their lead, most notably when Ciprian Marica hit the crossbar from the penalty spot on the 47th minute. Three minutes later though Dortmund had equalised after Grosskreutz played in Barrios who fired home. Both teams then fought for the lead.

Stuttgart then went on to score 3 goals in the last 15 minutes to rid of any hopes of Dortmund getting a 7th win in a row. Kuzmanovic (77'), Marica (86') and Träsch (89')

VfB Stuttgart: Lehmann - Celozzi, Niedermeier, Tasci, Molinaro - Träsch, Khedira - Gebhart, Hleb - Marica, Pogrebnyak.
Bor. Dortmund: Ziegler - Owomoyela, Subotic, Santana, Schmelzer - Hummels, Sahin - Kuba, Valdez, Großkreutz - Barrios.

Sunstitutions: 59. Hilbert for Hleb, 65. Kuzmanovic for Gebhart - 22. Le Tallec for Kuba, 85. Hajnal and Götze for Valdez und Santana.
Goals: 1:0 Pogrebnyak, 1:1 Barrios , 2:1 Kuzmanovic, 3:1 Marica, 4:1 Träsch .
Referee: Gagelmann (Bremen), Yellow Cards: Marica, Pogrebnyak - Sahin, Santana, Barrios, Schmelzer.
Attendance: 42.000.

28Jan/10Off

Stuttgart vs BVB

VFB STUTTGART - BORUSSIA DORTMUND
Sunday, 31. January 2010,  (Mercedes-Benz-Arena)

Following on from their win against Hamburg, Borussia Dortmund travel to face Stuttgart at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena. Klopp's side are currently on a 12 match unbeaten run, notching up 6 wins in a row.

Stuttgart are currently sitting in 11th place and are eager to progress further up the table. But Stuttgart have only managed to win twice in the last 9 meetings between these sides. Only once in the last 4 at home. Dortmund are sitting in 4th place after their recent good run.

VfB Stuttgart: Lehmann - Celozzi, Niedermeier, Tasci, Molinaro - Träsch, Khedira - Hilbert, Hleb - Marica, Pogrebnyak.

Substitutes: Ulreich - Osorio, Boulahrouz, Hitzlsperger, Gebhart, Boka, Rudy, Cacau, Kuzmanovic, Schieber.

Doubtful: Cacau .
Injured: Lanig , Delpierre .

Borussia Dortmund: Ziegler - Owomoyela, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer - Bender (Santana), Sahin - Kuba, Valdez, Großkreutz - Barrios.

Subtitutes: Höttecke - Koch, Dede, Santana, Hajnal, Götze, Ginczek, Stiepermann.

Doubtful: Bender , Sahin .
Injured: Weidenfeller , Kehl, Tinga , Zidan (Afrika-Cup), Feulner , Rangelov , Öztekin.

14Jul/09Off

BVB’s Subotic an EPL target

Neven Subotic

Neven Subotic

After a wonder season in the BVB shirt, Neven Subotic the towering Serbian defender has without surprise attracted the interest of some of the big clubs in the EPL , with Arsenal, Chelsea & Manchester City rumoured to be showing an interest in Subotic, who only recently just signed a contract extension with BVB.

The price some of these clubs may be willing to pay for the Serb international may be just too tempting an offer for BVB to turn down, and could the lure of a big wage offer be too much for Subotic to refuse ,who has quoted in German media saying

“I am just 25-years of age in five years time. If I would have the desire to move on that would still be a good time.“I made progress at Dortmund last season and it would be too early to move abroad,” however, he added, “I still have a lot to learn. At this point in time it would take an extraordinary bid to see me leaving.

“This would be great for both, Borussia Dortmund and me. They would have made a big money and then  I would know that this new club is really interested in me as a player.”

any bid for Subotic would have to be in the region of £10-12 million.

will he head for the bright lights of the EPL and the extravagant wages on offer.. or will he continue to play in the BL and want to do great things with BVB, only time will tell as the out come of this story ...

26May/09Off

My thoughts on season 2008/09

Wow, what a ride? A very interesting season full of highs and lows along the way. A massive yellow and black roller coaster!!!
So now the dissapointment of Black Saturday has passed somewhat I thought I'd put my thoughts of the season into words.

Firstly, If someone had offered me sixth place at the start of the season and would have bitten their hand off. To have come from such a pitiful season last time round to be challenging for Europe has been an excellent turn around and Jürgen Klopp and his staff deserves huge credit for that. It is also strange that I am feeling so gutted because of the last weekend of the season. It feels like it has been a waste, but coming from nowhere to where we finished bodes well for next season. 

There have been some great performances on the pitch too. I was particularly impressed with our three young centre backs, Hummels, Subotic and Santana. Clean sheets and unbeaten runs have been a real bonus given the inexperience at the back. Weide ahs been great all season, he has been one of the most consistent performers and hopefully he might get some international recognition next season. Nelson Valdez had a great end to the season, he's obviously a confidence player and when he is on top of his game he is a great asset to the squad. There have been some good work from midfield too this year and the settled look that we had in the final run in has helped a lot. Sahin has had a good season and will hopefully 'train on' next year. 

We've had a great season and it shows the quality of the Bundesliga that the number of points we got would normally have given us European football. In half the years we would have been in a champions league position!!! Unbeaten at home all season, only five defeats on the road. So next season we really have something to look forward to. Hopefully we we be contenders all season long and who knows maybe even challenging for the title.

Favourite moment of the season: Being on the Südtribüne for the 6-0 against Bielefeld. 
Player of the Season: Roman Weidenfeller
Young Player of the Season: Neven Subotic
Worst moment of the season: 4-1 Hoffenheim matchday 5

2008/09 Thanks for the memories BVB

Author : Rinteln Dortmunder Nr.1