Matchday 32 revisited: FC Sankt Pauli – Hansa Rostock 3-0 and other spicy stuff :-)

Sankt Pauli Rock ‘N’ Roll in (and outside) Millerntor!

The Boys In Brown DESTROYED the Monkeys In Blue, with Ultra Sankt Pauli passing their own message outside the stadium, in a game that was only one out of a lot of things happened in a somehow chaotic but certainly full of positive experiences weekend…

 

 

A lot of stuff this time – let’s split the issues and get some order here…

THE GAME:

Without the usual atmosphere at the Südkurve (half full 10′ before the game, packed at kick-off but without the USP), the rest of the stadium trying to fill the support gap (Scum went Gegengerade this time – Südkurve wouldn’t be the same without the known friends and faces) and some 20-30 (!) HRO fans guarded at the corner of the guest block, game started. Hansa (actually very good during the entire 1st half) it was the first one to pay us a visit on 6′ but Tschauner didn’t had any problem handling Weilandt’s challenge – same taste for our first visit as well on 9′ when a Schachten shot didn’t caused any worries… but the next one was quite a different story:  12th minute, killer Kruse cross from the left right in the heart of their defense where Ebbers caught up with the ball after a looooooong tackling move and sent it right in the right corner! TOOOOOOOOOOORRRRR!!!! for FCSP and everybody on their feet but HRO wasn’t about to just give up…these guys, playing actually their last Liga 2 cards, moved immediately the game on our half and started pushing slowly but surely. On 19′, first real danger when Mintal, following a corner situation put a very tough test on Tschauner but fortunately, our guy touched the ball just enough to prevent the equalizer and give away just a corner…the worst (AAAAAACK!) almost happened on 25′ when Peitz jumped higher than everybody and got the header towards the left corner but (again!) Tschauner and our right vertical post saved the day… BIG chance for FCSP right in the next minute, in a situation  very similar to the first goal. This time, Naki made the killing cross and Boll the loooong move but ball ended just by the far post… Second goal came 2′ later but never counted… Direct 40 meter free kick without any serious perspective by Daube, the first idiot (Hansa keeper) completely unaware of its field position, blocked the ball from INSIDE the goal and the second idiot (assistant referee) never saw it happening…for the rest of the first half, game went somehow wild with both teams losing chances. The usual direct-volley-but-no-goal Naki situation followed on 34′. Good occasion for desperate HRO on 37′ with a Mintal shot slightly wide and almost the goal of the season for FCSP on 40′! Bartels made an incredible solo from the right, humiliated the entire HRO defense and tried for the second in front of Hahnel (28′ Idiot Nr. 1) which this time practically saved his team throwing the ball just wide… Last serious occasion of the first half, in the dying seconds for Rostock. Shot from Blum and again Philipp Tschauner repeated 19th minute’s save…

2nd half – immediate death!

The game finished when second half started! Ebbers took advantage of a clever immediate pass by Naki , got to the ball before Holst and didn’t had problem finishing in front of Hahnel – 2-0! MADNESS in the Gegengerade, MADNESS actually everywhere except probably the upper corner of the guest block 🙂 This was the turning point… Hansa still hardly tried but there was no turning back for them. Pelzer tried something on 56′ but his effort ended hitting the outside side of the net…almost same luck for some far shot efforts: Blum (59′), Pannewitz (63′) and Holst (68′) – and that was all… only FCSP from this point and then. Hahnel (we may have misjudged this guy earlier :-)) did the impossible twice in 2 minutes (75′, 76′) and deprived Ebbers from the hat-trick. Wasn’t long though…79 minutes into the game, this time was Ebbers serving for Bartels and just like that…3-0! Party in the stadium, moment of truth for HRO… Last occasion, a right-side free-kick from Bruns, saved to corner by Hahnel… match concluded with the sweet “Hansa Rooostooock, nie mehr, nie mehr, nieeeee meeeeehr” tune shaking Millerntor 🙂

About them: fought hard, fought almost until the end and the Scum has to recognize that they came and played a physical but 100% fair and athletic game – referee’s empty notebook is the absolute proof of it…BUT they still a FUCKED UP CLUB and there’s no way that their, beyond any doubt, fair attitude will ruin our pleasure for having the honor to kick personally the stool under their feet…GAME OVER, welcome to the Hell of Liga 3 and see you (vs FC Sankt Pauli II, of course!) in a couple of years!!!

About us: job done, HRO ass kicked, off we go to Dresden!!! Two special fan trains will follow the team in the most critical (yes, more critical than Paderborn!) mission of the season. If we leave the place intact and Fortuna does not win at Fürth (something quite possible), our future returns to our hands with the last shot at home. We CAN do it as long as we don’t forget what happened to Fortuna…VIVA SANKT PAULI! OFF WE GO!!!

Match goals:

1:0 Ebbers (12′, Assist: M. Kruse)

2:0 Ebbers (49′, Assist: Naki)

3:0 Bartels (79′, Assist: Ebbers)

Spectators: 22620

Sankt Pauli cards: N/A

For full match coverage (in German) visit: http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/2bundesliga/spieltag/2-bundesliga/2011-12/32/1143276/spielanalyse_fc-st-pauli-18_hansa-rostock-3.html

THE USP PROTEST (AND NOT ONLY):

This was not just about the decision of Hamburg police banning HRO fans. The thing is a little bigger since there’s an active court dispute in progress about a more general law that will give the German police the ability to ban fans from traveling without having to attend at any court to support it’s decision. In other words, the police will have the authority to ban any fans they like, anytime they like, from going anywhere they like and this will be the law. For a country with such a football fan culture tradition, as Germany the importance and impact of something like this, is obvious, so the all news about the protest came to us as quite no surprise…

Friday: Fan Culture in the Morgue – tragic scenes outside involving friends and relatives…

What was came like a surprise it was the USP decision to stay outside of the stadium at a such a critical match and against such an opponent. Had the opportunity discussing about it a little and seems that it was a very hard decision even for these guys themselves. Speaking only for myself, I think that such an action (staying out) wasn’t a good decision but the reasons that drove to the action were 100% right and even the arguments about the specific protest had a point. All these along with the scheduled HRO protest at Altona were promising a very interesting Sunday…

Things got going around 10:10 Sunday morning somewhere in the neighborhood with a first core of something like 100-150 people (family, relatives and friends) gathered for the march that got started about 20 minutes later. It was quite something when this bunch got in the street with the coffin, seeing more and more people joining the parade at every corner. Actually when the parade arrived at the stadium was much much bigger comparing to its original size 🙂

At the open space in front of the AFM container a much bigger crowd was waiting to take part in the humble Farewell ceremony. Coffin placed in front of the Club Stone Logo, all relatives passed in front for the last goodbye and after tears stopped flowing, beer started to do so with all this sweet bunch gathered around the stadium, some  of them on their way outside and the rest prepared to stick around, listen to the match from the radio and more or less keep the local police force (many many of them around) busy 🙂

Things were looking quite different two and a half hours later, after the game. Been told that during second half some people (not USP) attacked the police, something that led to a not exactly chaotic (we live in Athens, remember?) but anything but normal situation and for the next 1-2 hours, walking the streets of Sankt Pauli became kind of difficult… Not an exact block of the neighborhood, but so many police in so different places, blocking almost BUT NOT completely everything, probably in an attempt to break people into smaller groups…

Regarding the Hansa Rostock fans, they performed their scheduled march to the neighborhood of Altona under HEAVY police observation, without any serious incidents reported and returned to Rostock…

A snapshot of the events, fished somewhere in the net… Police taking care of Sankt Pauli fans’ personal hygiene…

Situation became a little more serious actually after police left. Been informed that about 20  Sankt Pauli fans, part of a wider group that was “patrolling” the Reeperbahn, split and attacked Tankstelle, the most important H$V fan bar, something like our Jolly Roger. This was a fool and a low move… Fool because the timing was completely wrong and (that’s the most important) low because it’s just a hit below the belt – so simple as that…

This (at least “unnecessary”) action, of course fired a strong reaction on the other side of town. Information arrived about a good number of H$V people preparing to attack the Jolly and for the next hours there was a lot of tension on the air with people all over the neighborhood gathered in order to defend the pub. A lot of negative feelings present (plenty of time – plenty of people to talk) since the vast majority of the people not only weren’t present at the attack earlier but were strongly disapproving what happened…

Tankstelle, the day after…

Finally the H$V visit didn’t happen, the Jolly closed at 22:00 for safety reasons and everybody took the rest of the day off… Heard a few things about how further escalation avoided, bot nothing too certain to post…

Fanladen issued its official position regarding Sunday’s events. Seems like a very accurate overall description of what happened – you can read it here

SCUM AT SANKT PAULI:

Just like every time in Hamburg… always new people to meet and always new places to see 🙂 The usual great (words are poor) USP (and Oldtra!) hospitality that made us feel at home, a few incredible freaks having incredible stories to tell, lots of good talk with all kinds of fellow FCSP fans, the known feeling of being at home when walking Clemens Schultz Straße and lots of other things too much to fit in this post…

One of the funnier occasions was on Saturday evening when people packed the (not so big) indoor stadium in Budapester Straße to support FC Sankt Pauli Handball playing the Liga 3 relegation derby against…hmmm…another team in white and blue (sorry guys!). Pure and clean fan, derby was won by 7 goals or something and relegation was avoided – here are 2 short videos, quite indicative of the atmosphere 🙂 Watch the crazy freak with the shorts “organizing” the fans – he is the security guy!!!

Couldn’t miss mentioning 1-2 cool places that haven’t been aware of. The first one is Der Clochard located on our side of the Reeperbahn. Have passed in front of it a few times in the past but never imagined what’s inside this quite unattractive entrance – a REAL and almost surreal Rock ‘N’ Roll Bar dark inside with 80-something year old drunk people sleeping while Misfits “Bullet” playing from the speakers and a balcony with excellent view of the street. No idea, how it is at night but visiting it about 4 in the afternoon was one of the biggest surprises of the 5 day trip – DON’T MISS!

South End Scum people at the Clochard, exchanging gifts and smoking the pipe of peace with people from the local tribes ‘-)

Another unexpected good one was the Schlemmer Eck on Hamburger Berg. Another excellent (even though quite old school – no smoking inside :-)) and “doesn’t look like much from the outside” bar which deserves more than one round of drinks from anybody gets inside. A very warm and cozy place and…full of Turbonegro memorabilia! The guy that took us there (Cheers Andre!) told us that the story of the bar is quite bound with the Hamburg story of the band. He actually explained us quite all the details but already whiskey has started flowing and the proper attention was not given 100% – probably St. John remembers better – anyway a must see!

Schlemmer Eck entrance

OVERALL:

No overall, no nothing – this damn thing has taken 6 hours already 🙂 Just the desire to return back as soon as possible and the need to thank once again all these fellow FC Sankt Pauli people for making it another trip to remember 🙂

Victory on Dresden! VIVA SANKT PAULI!!!