Visiting the land of giants
It would be easy to call me an imposter for writing an article with so much reference to Borussia Dortmund – after all my Bundesliga allegiance lies firmly with the once mighty, now rather less so, 1.FC Nuremberg. And after Dortmund’s recent crushing 4-0 victory over the historical Franconian club, it is debatable whether my Bundesliga favourites will maintain their top-flight position for much longer, whereas BVB look certain to be secure. However, watching the game live on the Internet brought back great memories as Dortmund and the Westfalen Stadium have a small place in my heart having been the venue for my second ever Bundesliga game and my first away game following 1.FCN.
I’d heard about the big crowds, I’d seen the stadium on TV, and when the opportunity presented itself (or was, in fact, very carefully engineered on account of the game clashing with my wife’s birthday) I was only too keen to fly over to Germany to experience it for myself.
Arriving in Dortmund after a drive from Cologne with my father-in-law, we met with a couple of his Dortmund supporting business associates and headed for the stadium. I remember the car journey from the suburbs because I couldn’t understand any of the conversation, my poor German being even worst then. But what I could understand was the context – football supporters moaning about this, that and the other, speculating on whether so-and-so would play, predicting the scoreline and, of course, giving each other plenty of friendly ‘stick’ for supporting a different team.
The stadium itself was just what I had expected in terms of the wide open surroundings, the easy access and the cleanliness. No need to drive along row after row, street after street, of terraced housing to find a parking space for a Bundesliga match – everything seems to have been thought-out and with almost clinical precision.
I was a little concerned that my seat was among home fans, though I was not too far from the terrace where a couple of thousand Franconians stood, waving their flags with the vigour of people who have finally being allowed to stretch their limbs after several hours cramped in a car, a bus or the back of a van – an impressive display of away support.
Unfortunately, had this following being several times the size, it would have still paled into insignificance when compared to the vast home terrace. In this giant of a stadium, I was astounded at the sight of this giant of a terrace. Even 45 minutes before kick-off it was packed. Flags and scarves only added to the effect as this wall of yellow and black, a beautiful yet threatening sight, dominated everything within the four sides of the stadium. And then there was the noise. I should not have been surprised that so many people in such a relatively small space can generate such a cacophony. Surely this awesome support must have played a huge role in Dortmund’s successes in the past (albeit in a different stadium) and will also be significant in future glories.
Fortunately the 1.FCN players were not as fazed by it all as me. Or a least they were not at first. Goals from Mintal and Vittek put Nuremberg in control. For me there was just a nagging doubt concerning their ability to hold onto the lead. They were pros, so they could handle playing in front of such a huge crowd without too much awe and wonder distracting them from the task in hand. However, I was worried that they would not be able cope with another giant that day, a giant more threatening than the stadium itself. Would it be possible to prevent the huge Jan Koller from scoring at least once? Watching from the stands, it seemed clear to me that, with the exception of maybe Nuremberg’s Mintal and Dortmund defender Christian Woerns, Koller was a class above the other players on the pitch. His two goals levelled the game before half-time and I was somewhat relieved and surprised that Koller did not add to this tally in the second half as the game ended in a 2-2 draw.
From that day on, I was constantly singing the praises of Jan Koller. It was such a pity that by the time he signed for Nuremberg in January 2008, both Koller’s ability to be a constant danger, and Nuremberg’s chances of avoiding relegation were both waning rapidly. Most Nuremberg supporters will remember him as little more than a gamble in a failed attempt to stay in the Bundesliga, although that could have all been so different had he not missed an easy chance against Bayern Munich when the chase for points was getting incredibly desperate.
While my constant ravings about one player ultimately backfired when, too late in his career, he couldn’t live up to my expectations, it wasn’t just giant Jan Koller who grabbed my attention that day. The magnificent, giant stadium, the incredible atmosphere and the banter in a foreign language was coupled with the welcome from the Dortmund supporters around the stadium. It certainly sold the Bundesliga to me. I was already hooked on 1.FCN but Dortmund really opened my eyes to the Bundesliga in general and gave me a desire (which I try my best to fulfil) to watch Nuremberg play in other German cities too. So far, with the exception of the atmosphere in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium for the 2007 Cup Final, nothing has approached the size and volume of the Westfalen Stadium crowd. It is therefore little wonder that Dortmund has a healthy following from overseas, and, although I would naturally encourage anybody who has not witnessed the Bundesliga live in the stadium to visit Nuremberg, you certainly won’t regret a trip to Dortmund. But then most of you reading this will be BVB fans anyway. And, fortunately for Bundesliga defenders, Koller has moved-on for good. They no longer have to face the towering striker but I can’t help missing his presence in German football, a presence that, at Dortmund at least was as massive as the stadium itself.
Jon Goulding, 09.12.2009
Jon Goulding is a member of the 1.FC Nuremberg United Kingdom fan-club, 1FCNUK. He edits the website www.1fcnuk.com. His book, For Better Or For Wurst, following the adventures of 1FCNUK in parallel to the fortunes of 1.FCN, was published in August 2009. For more information visit www.jongoulding.com and Jon’s blog http://semanticencounter.jongoulding.com/#home
