Matchday 33: FC Sankt Pauli – VfL Bochum 5-1!!!!!!

Fabulous FCSP, almost there!

source: http://www.abendblatt.de

Of course there’s no serious philosophy when talking about the thinness of the line between Heaven and Hell but the experience of walking the line yourself is always a different thing, the same way your personal Hell seems always, for reasons that have to do with the way we grow up as human beings, much more Red and Hot comparing to the cauldron that the guy next to you is boiling into…As Sankt Pauli fans, we lived yesterday our own personal Inferno for a while, before the the Boys in Brown make an incredible comeback and sky rocket the entire Millerntor along with thousands of FCSP fans watching all around the globe, holding their breath throughout the game. Just one thing before we start shouting chants of redemption and joy – it’s not over yet…

 

Properly screwed up by the motherfuckin’ provider who preferred showing 2 Italian Serie A, matches we decided with the Athens Club to gather all together at their venue (Locomotiva) and stream the game. The tension during the entire week before the game was such that I was actually not surprised when I found out, arriving with some equipment some 50′ before the game, that I was not the first one there 🙂 No discussion about any other result except winning (we didn’t have the choice after all), an optimistic atmosphere, result of the almost unbelievable last week victory and even one tiny youngster Paulianer, escorted for the first time by his parents to the venue (OK, fair enough, hard decision for an average parent to leave a guy around 12-13 enter Exarcheia alone) which let the boy inside with the grown ups and discretely enjoyed their coffee at the tables outside the venue ;-). Squads in, Hell in Millerntor and off we go…

Overview of the projection system while still working, lots of discussion regarding the “replace lamp” orange led yesterday 😀

…in the worst possible manner imaginable, with ex-Paulianer Gregoritsch opening the score on 4′ (he didn’t celebrate in any way), following a Buchtmann major screw-up (it’s OK Chris 😉 ) leaving both Millerntor and Locomotiva frozen…And like this wasn’t enough, freezing evolved to sheer terror just 2′ later (6′) when Gregoritsch (again), last receiver of the ball in a well organized Bochum attack missed the goal that could probably kill any hope and ambition of survival in the league…With time passing things were getting gloomier, as Petros from the Athens Club (on duty, informing the venue about the other results) was already passing unpleasant news from the other games and Gonther had to make place for Ziereis due to injury after 17′ of play…Nevertheless, this quite unpleasant situation wasn’t enough to bend the decisiveness of the Boys in Brown, which, having entered the game ready to play for all or nothing, at this exact point started taking control of the game and exercising pressure towards the guests. First attempt on 26′ and really good chance with Halstenberg winning everybody on the air after a Rzatkowski deep free kick from the left but Luthe blocking his 6m header just before the line, 2nd warning shot on 29′ with Luthe saving again Bochum, winning again Halstenberg from an acute angle and HELL on 34′!!! DEEEEP Kalla distant free kick from the right flank, Halstenberg header (?) to Thy, excellent reverse volley from 13m and GOAL FOR FCSP!!! 1-1 for the Boys in Brown, chaos on the terraces, noise galore in the Locomotiva! With the squad certainly on the drivers seat and the other results start going our way, everybody now nailed on the screen waiting for the goal that will change eveything and it didn’t take long 🙂 Another very deep (from the center circle, in Bochum’s half) free kick from Kalla – first header Sobiech, second header Thy, right in front of Halstenberg, who didn’t leave any chances to Luthe this time and with another killing volley shook up his net for the 2nd FCSP goal! Screams must made it up to Exarcheia square, some 200m away, this time! Finally, completely back to life after having a near death experience for half an hour or so, half time whistle was welcomed as a full time one, with FCSP 2-1 ahead, everybody now calmer, checking the competition results and me wearing the smile of the stoned idiot without being stoned 😀

The turning point: Lennart Thy has just equalized! (image source: http://www.sport1.de)

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!

With just 3′ on the clock in the 2nd half, Buchtmann stole the ball in the centre, charged in all the way to the Bochum box and as soon as he set foot inside, fired the shot that Luthe couldn’t do nothing about it, sending everybody up in the Football Heaven (the only existing Heaven actually 😀 ) and maybe getting even with himself (not with us – shit happens all the time 🙂 ) for his unlucky moment during the opening stages of the game! 3-1 for FCSP…only for 4′ minutes!!! 52′ in the game, excellent cooperation from the Boys in Brown against a dissolved from the shock Bochum defense, final ball from Daube (excellent pass!) to Thy, charging in in the box from the right and…4-1 in front of a Südkurve going bananas, just like the Millerntor or any place where FCSP fans were watching the match yesterday! It was obvious at this point that even we can’t lose such a game at this point, all pressure decompressed, giving its place to a state of complete Euphoria, with the only source of anxiety now being the other results. Game actually finished at this point, FCSP’s momentum could be turned the other way around – Bochum just didn’t have the psychological reserves to come back from this. Only serious sign of life from them, the Terodde chance on 78′ who managed (after getting rid of Ziereis at the edge of the box) to lose an almost certain goal from 10m in front of Himmelmann….5-1 simply reminded moments from 2009-10 season when Stani’s brigade, on the way to Bundesliga, was crushing big any form of resistance that was standing on the way, a goal personal affair by Sobota, just 3′ after his entrance in the field, who manage to dribble everybody on his way before trying from the edge of the box, facing the net directly, another shot that Luthe didn’t have the answer to, on 83′ sealing officialy the fate of a match that was decided some time before and it could be even more, hadn’t Luthe stopped Rzatkowski on 90′ 🙂 FT FCSP 5 (!!!) – Bochum 1, mission completed in the most emphatic way possible at the last home game of the season, let’s hope that the return to our ground towards the end of July will find us playing in the same league as now…

4-1, things really getting out of control 😀 (image source: http://www.mopo.de)

Fuck me, what  the Hell was that??? A squad out of our wildest dreams at the most crucial turning point of the season! 5th win in the last 7 matches for a squad that yesterday was once more full of passion (enough to change the flow of a game that was going completely against us), focused (after the opening 10′ of Horror) and (just like last time) extremely effective (the majority of our chances ended up goals, it’s not very flattering when you have scored only once but, after scoring 5, picture looks completely different). Just wishing that this squad had turned on the turbo button just a little earlier, like February for example, the most bitter month of the entire season…

For sure, this team deserves much more than fighting until the very end for survival but this is a situation we got ourselves into and unfortunately, we’re not out of it yet…Situation may look much better than it looked some one month ago, relegation candidates suddenly increased the last 2 matchdays, we seem to have the upper hand here but, talking numbers, we haven’t avoided not even the direct relegation yet, let’s take a look at the picture the way it is, just one game before the exciting (for all) finish…

Yeps, it’s everybody against everybody. Talking under consideration the entire schedule, a draw at Darmstadt could be enough to avoid direct relegation (unless Aue wins by 6 goals at Heidenheim but the last time I personally remember such an occasion is going back to… June 1978  🙂 ). Of course one thing is saying that we will get a draw at Darmstadt and another thing doing so but the same thing we said before Braunschweig and Kaiserslautern… On the other hand, this is the worst case scenario based on assumptions like 1860 winning Karlsruhe (maybe even a draw could do for them under certain circumstances), FSV winning at Düsseldorf (hmmm, not very unikely) and Aue winning at Heidenheim. If the last one doesn’t happen, we’re off the hook regarding direct relagation, with another one, we’re off the hook for good and, after all we’ve seen so far, we better not underestimate what we can do vs Darmstadt 🙂

In exactly 7 days from now we will know the final outcome. I have no idea if it’s going to be bitter, sweet or something in between but one thing is for sure. This squad during the last 2 months paid back all the patience and support from the fans (which after all should be UNCONDITIONAL when talking FCSP) and towards the end of the race has fulfilled (and in certain cases exceeded) our expectations. To lose it all now, it would be a terrible waste, considering the hard path we have managed to overcome so far. And we won’t…

eS A eN Ka Te Pe A U eeeeeeL Iiiiii

Forza FC Sankt Pauliiiiiiiiii!!!!

Match goals:

0:1 Gregoritsch (4′, Right foot shot)

1:1 Thy (34′, Right foot shot, Halstenberg)

2:1 Halstenberg (45+1′, Left foot shot, Thy)

3:1 Buchtmann (48′, Left foot shot)

4:1 Thy (52′, Right foot shot, Daube)

5:1 Sobota (83′, Right foot shot)

Spectators: 23584 (sold out)

Sankt Pauli cards: Gonther(6), Schachten(8)

For full match coverage (in German) visit: http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/2bundesliga/spieltag/2-bundesliga/2014-15/33/2407824/spielbericht_fc-st-pauli-18_vfl-bochum-8.html

Match highlights: HERE, say thanks to the Argentinian FCSP madmen, Piratas Del Sur 🙂

Further reading:

• USP Photo Gallery
• Beebleblox (German)
• Hamburg ist Braun Weiß (German)
• Kleiner Tod (German)
• Metalust & Subdiskurse Reloaded (German)
• Yorkshire St. Pauli (Hey, it’s been a while!)
• Grenzenlos Sankt Pauli (German)
• Der Übersteiger (German)
• Fangirl 1910 (German)

General Ewald Lienen before kickoff 🙂

 

Ralle

Danke für diese Choreo und ein paar Worte zu meiner Zukunft: https://t.co/xXaCJFWbog pic.twitter.com/47aUqUiaLQ

— Ralph Gunesch (@felgenralle) May 18, 2015

Ralph Gunesch lifted yesterday his 2nd Liga 2 championship in 5 years. Last one was 5 years ago during the magic trip that led us to the Bundesliga. Unfortunately he will not have the ability to enjoy a 2nd Bundesliga ride (at least with Ingolstadt) due to the very ugly injury that managed to entirely fuck up his season and resulted to his “release”, without his contract getting renewed…. For anybody too young to remember, Ralph left Millerntor 3,5 years ago, without his own free will, another “casualty” in the shame series, one amongst the many souvenirs to remind us, still until today, the era of the Unspeakable…

Now Ralle is again free to move to any Club that would be happy to use his services. Of course, we have no idea neither about the level of his physical condition or the aftermath of his very serious injury nor about Coach Lienen’s future plans but we know one thing: the guy is a Hardcore Paulianer and a guy that could provide invaluable lessons in and out of the pitch to the vast majority of the young and ambitious talents that currently wearing the honoured Brown/White jersey. Regarding his football ability, we don’t have to say much, he has already spoken in the pitch for years…

The relatively fresh Club administration (hey Mr President!) should really consider the significance (in more than one sectors) of bringing him back and if (of course!) Ralle himself is really positive to such a perspective as well, we, as fans (OK, as South End Scum 😀 ), would be absolutely delighted to welcome him back to the home that should never leave… Hey FCSP, what do you say???