Incredible atmospheres and fan culture

Until 1. FC Köln and Hamburg were promoted at the end of last season, the 2. Bundesliga for several years boasted more former German champions than the top flight. Storied clubs steeped in tradition and backed by huge followings – not just across Germany but around the world – find themselves languishing below their standards of decades gone by. All this makes for some incredible atmospheres that must be seen to be believed. And when you factor in the cost of a matchday ticket and beer, not to mention the free transport to the game, then no country rivals Germany.

It’s impossible to predict

For much of last season, 10 clubs were firmly in the promotion race until the final weeks, with the eventual top nine clubs separated by just 10 points. Elversberg upset the apple cart by finishing third and making it to the relegation playoff, just one point behind HSV. The league is simply impossible to predict, anyone can beat anyone and remains fiercely tight throughout. With a host of sides missing out on Bundesliga promotion last season, and the additions of relegated VfL Bochum and Holstein Kiel, along with 3. Liga newcomers Dynamo Dresden and none other than DFB Pokal finalists Arminia Bielefeld, the upcoming campaign promises to be even more unpredictable than the last.

A league of sleeping giants and big names

FC Köln and HSV may have earned promotion back into the top flight – the latter after a seven-year absence – but there are still a number of sleeping giants in the 2. Bundesliga. 1. FC Nürnberg, a nine-time German champion, have found themselves languishing in the second division since 2019. 1. FC Kaiserslautern – who won the Bundesliga in 1998 – found themselves in the 3. Liga in 2022 but since returned and narrowly missed out on the promotion playoff. Schalke 04 and Hertha Berlin are two clubs steeped in history with exceptional fanbases, but find themselves stuck in the second division while Hannover will also be eager to return to the Bundesliga under Christian Titz. And when it comes to big names, there are few bigger than Miroslav Klose in German football, who coaches FC Nürnberg in what is his first professional coaching job.

GGFN | Harry Good 

Should Yokota’s move to Hannover materialize, he will face his former 2. Bundesliga club on the first matchday of the 2025/26 campaign this weekend. The 25-year-old enjoyed a fine season with Lautern last year, scoring four goals and registering three assists in 25 appearances for the Pfälzer Red Devils.

Prior to moving to his current Belgian club, KAA Gent, Yokota came of age in German academies. After moving to Germany at the age of 18, the Itabashi-native worked on the footballing campuses of FSV Frankfurt and Carl Zeiss Jena. 

Sky reports that Hannover are in “advanced talks” to finalize the deal. Yokota’s transfer to St. Pauli reportedly fell through because Gent wasn’t satisfied with a €2.5m purchase offer for their player. 

GGFN | Peter Weis

Raab’s ambitions remain very high for a player who never even managed to be a sustainable No. 1 at the 2. Bundesliga level. Raab hasn’t had a season-long starting role since he helped 1. FC Kaiserslautern achieve promotion from the 3. Liga during the 2021/22 campaign.

If there is one thing Raab can count on, however, it’s the belief of current FCU head coach Steffen Baumgart. After failing to displace Hamburg starter Daniel Heuer Fernandes during his first 18 months with the 2. Bundesliga outfit, it was Baumgart who opted to stick with Raab towards the end of the 2023/24 season.

Raab started in former HSV head coach Tim Walter’s final match. Then interim (and now current) HSV head coach Merlin Polzin opted to stick with him during his lone fixture in charge. Baumgart then ensured that Raab held onto the starting place for the final 12 fixtures. 

Unfortunately, a bout with pneumonia and a broken hand meant that Raab would only earn three starts at the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign. Heuer Fernandes – sometimes preferred to Raab even when he was fit last season – ended up leading Hamburg to the top flight. 

Raab receives by far the biggest chance of his career in Köpenick this season. It was Baumgart’s idea to send Raab’s former Kaiserslautern teammate Lennart Grill to Dynamo Dresden in order to free up the back-up slot for his former player.

Following Alexander Schwolow’s departure, Grill would have been the undisputed no. 2. Grill – the same age as Raab – at least had some Bundesliga experience, amassing 10 appearances for Union and Bayer Leverkusen. 

Rønnow certainly isn’t an easy starter to displace. The Dane has held a tight grip on Union’s starting role since Andreas Luthe’s departure after the 2021/22 season. The former Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt professional now has 119 German top flight appearances to his credit. 

If there’s some hope for Raab, it concerns the fact that injuries led to Schwolow earning six starts last year. Grill got five league and two cup auditions working behind Rønnow during the 2022/23 season. Raab expressed respect for his new sporting colleague, while also retaining his competitive edge.

”I’ll do everything I can to become number one here,” Raab – quoted by Kicker – noted. “That’s why we became competitive athletes. Everyone has the ambition to play, and so do I. But I know what my role is here at the beginning. I’m joining an experienced Bundesliga team. I want to get involved, but I also want to fight my way through. Otherwise, I’d be in the wrong place in football if I sat back now and settled for being number two.”

“He’s an outstanding goalkeeper,” Raab said of Rønnow. “As far as I can tell after just a few weeks, he’s also a good person. Just like the other two guys [Yannic Stein and Carl Klaus] in the goalkeeping team. It’s important that we treat each other fairly and push one another. I’ve settled in well. The team has welcomed me. Thus far, I have only positive things to report.”  

“Last season didn’t go well for me,” Raab noted of his final year in Hamburg. “I lost my place as the number one. There were various things that happened during the year that weren’t necessarily positive for me. I sought a conversation with the club to discuss my personal situation. I told them that I wanted to look elsewhere because I wasn’t happy. Here at Union, the long-term prospects convinced me.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

“We have repeatedly emphasized that we want to sign a strong centre-back, preferably with a good left foot,” FCK sporting director Marcel Klos noted in a club statement. “Not only has he already demonstrated his great potential at a young age, but he also stands out for his two-footedness, technique, and physicality. His qualities have already brought him attention internationally. We want to give him the opportunity at FCK to take the next steps in his career.“

“I’m very much looking forward to the new challenge at 1. FC Kaiserslautern,” the player himself added. “The club worked hard to sign me, which means a lot to me. I want to use this opportunity to develop as a player and help the team have a successful season.“

GGFN | Peter Weis

Kim has drawn comparisons to his countryman Kim Min-Jae of FC Bayern Munich in terms of his potential and playing style, yet needs to accrue more playing time in order to hone his skills. Lautern enjoyed some success taking another East Asian talent on loan last season in the form of Japanese midfield Daisuke Yokota.

The German tabloid speaks of a one-year-loan without a purchase option. The central defender remains under contract with Brentford until 2027. Kim’s estimated market value has remained steady at €600,000 since joining the Bees. At one point, Bayern were reported to be interested in taking him on. 

GGFN | Peter Weis

Yokota’s move to St. Pauli very much appeared to be a certainty just a few days ago. The Abendblatt nevertheless reports that Yokota still hasn’t undergone his club medical despite being in the city. Apparently, Yokota’s Belgian parent club seeks more than the €2.5m tendered by the Hamburg-based club.

It may very well be the case that Gent – knowing full well that St. Pauli are flush with cash following the record sale of Philipp Treu to Freiburg – feel they can squeeze some more money out of their German counterparts. Yokota’s reported purchase clause whilst he was on loan in Lautern was €4m.

The Abendblatt quotes a senior figure in the Gent front office as saying “the deal is off.“

No other major German footballing media sources are corroborating that information at this time. 

GGFN | Peter Weis

Yokota remains under contract with his Belgian club KAA Gent through 2027. At present, the attacking midfielder/winger maintains an estimated market value of €2.5m. Hamburg’s Kiezkicker continue to seek attacking assistance this summer after a historically bad goal-scoring season in the Bundesliga last year.

St. Pauli have already signed two new attackers in the form of Peterborough’s Ricky-Jade Jones and Stade Brest’s Mathias Pereira Lage. Both new additions arrived on free transfers.

St. Pauli currently operate on an estimated €900,000 summer transfer surplus thanks to RC Lens’ pull of a buyback option for on-loan winger Morgan Guilavogui. Yokota could constitute an affordable buy. 

Lautern themselves have been reported to wish to retain Yokota’s services, but don’t have the financial means to do so. The Belgian report notes that FCP head coach Alexander Blessin himself is keen on the Japanese talent. 

The local Hamburger Abendblatt has picked up on the Yokota, nevertheless taking care to emphasize that it cannot independently verify the information just yet. 

GGFN | Peter Weis

“When I got the call from Köln, I just thought: Great! Now I’m really happy that my move to Cologne has worked out and I can’t wait to play at the RheinEnergieStadion. At my last game for Kaiserslautern, I was already able to experience the incredible atmosphere of the Cologne fans,” said Ache.

Köln Sporting Director Thomas Kessler added: “Even in my initial discussions with Ragnar, I had a feeling that he was a great fit for 1. FC Köln, both athletically and personally. He’s not only a really good striker, but also someone who will integrate quickly into our team and improve our attack with his quality up front.”

A criticism of Köln last season was their weak attack. The Billy Goats scored just 53 goals in 34 league games, the least of any team in the top eight of the 2. Bundesliga last season.

Ache scored 18 and provided one assists in 30 second divisions games for Kaiserslautern last season.

GGFN | Daniel Pinder

Basler’s new book – his third – is entitled “Das Leben nach der beaten Jahren” (“Life after the best years”) promises loads of anecdotes about their days spent living the dream life of German footballing superstars. The German public television produced “FC Hollywood” documentary counts as an absolute “must watch” for football fans everywhere. The book and the doc make for perfect companion pieces.

The book should prove just as interesting as our GGFN interview. Basler is an outspoken and razor-sharp Palatinate character who never shies away from controversy or scandal. In his trademark gravelly voice, the Neustadt-native loves to embark on a diatribe whenever discussing football-related topics.

Examples of “cult” Basler opinion pieces abound. A recent example illustrates this. When on tour in Aalen with Germany’s famed “Doppelpass” footballing roundtable, Basler had this to say on the ongoing topic of Thomas Müller’s departure from FC Bayern Munich:

“There’s no denying what he’s accomplished, but I’m glad that the topic is done with. I’ve been wondering over the last weeks if there’s still going to be Bundesliga football after Thomas Müller leaves. FC Bayern will go on without Thomas Müller. Seven weeks is too long. There’s plenty of reasons why Bayern decided not to extend with him in January.

“With his technical footballing skills, Müller would have been lucky to fetch the water bottles in my day. When he used to play right wing, were there regular warnings at the airport about an unknown flying object when Müller tried to cross the ball.”

GGFN spoke with Basler about this statement and other topics. Subjects covered included Basler’s coaching record following his professional career, which famous German coach influenced him the most, and some of his greatest setbacks during his playing days. When it came time to wrap things up, the 56-year-old was gracious enough to provide some interesting tips on how the exciting 2024/25 2. Bundesliga campaign will conclude. 

Basler came up through the FCK amateur ranks, not making his professional debut until the age of 21. After his illustrious professional career was over, he continued representing amateur and semi-pro clubs as a both a player. He also managed several third and fourth tier sides.

Such an interesting path leaves one curious as to whether Basler preferred working in the amateur ranks or might have envisioned things differently . The man who collected five major trophies with Bayern and Werder Bremen remained rather ruthlessly honest about his career trajectory. 

“There wasn’t a lot of success in my career. I often times made mistakes coaching teams that didn’t have the best financial prospects. I sometimes did a favor for one sporting director or another. At a certain point, I decided to give up my coaching career.“

Basler nevertheless did achieve some success in his coaching career and was pleased to give himself some credit after some follow-up questions. Did his own history rise through the amateur ranks as a “late bloomer” not fuel his passion for working with lower division players? Was it not a useful experience in the end?

“Of course. I also had a lot of fun and enjoyed working with the lads. In the beginning I couldn’t understand why third or fourth division players couldn’t play a 10 meter pass precisely. Perhaps I compared them to myself too much, as I don’t think football’s all that hard.

“It took some time to comprehend why certain players are in the third or fourth division as opposed to the first or second. I did learn a lot and did take Eintracht Trier to the third round of the DFB Pokal by beating first and second league opponents. I’m glad that I made that step.”

When it came time to ask which German coach influenced his own coaching style the most, one surmised that the answer would likely be the legendary Otto Rehhagel. Basler won the DFB Pokal with Rehhagel’s Bremen in 1994 and also served under him upon his return to Lautern in 1999.

Basler was not part of the legendary Rehhagel team that snatched the 1997/98 Bundesliga title away from the “FC Hollywood” Bayern crew. Even so, it was indeed “King Otto” who shaped Basler the most. This the case in both negative and positive ways.

“Otto Rehhagel was very relaxed with us players. He wasn’t the type to push his players to their limits three or four times a week. He was respectful and very adept at building a team of characters, that also had a character and were willing to walk through the fire for him.

“I took a lot from Rehhagel. I was always loose with my team. They were always totally fit, but there were times when I was a little too loose with players I should have pushed more. In the final analysis, I have to say that Otto was a great coach, person, and mentor for his players.”

Basler shall always be remembered for his accomplishments, yet also had to deal with the fact that he suffered far more than his fair share of setbacks. German national team colleague Christian Ziege injured him just prior to the 1996 Euros, meaning that Basler missed out on Germany’s title win. 

Basler also scored the opening goal for Bayern in the famous 1999 Champions League final loss against Manchester United. Though he scored the winning goal in Bayern’s 1999 Pokal triumph, he never managed to help Lautern secure any silverware from 1999 onwards.

In 2001, the FCK’s Champions League dream ended in the semi-finals. Bayern also beat Basler’s Lautern in the 2003/04 Pokal final. For Basler, the 1996 Euros remained the most bitter of all disappointments, but not exactly a burning one. 

“One can’t do anything about injuries. They can always happen. They happen to all players. At least I didn’t suffer a career ending injury. It was bitter, but one can’t do much about it.“

The famous Müller comments came up next. In his Get German Football News interview, Basler’s co-author Babbel placed Müller on the same level with Gerd Müller and Franz Beckenbauer. Babbel emphasised that – in the pantheon of Bayern legends – Thomas Müller belonged above Uli Hoeneß, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. 

How was Basler’s opinion different from his friend’s?

“It’s not really a different opinion. Twenty five years at a big club. That’s not something one sees every day. Those other players didn’t accomplish that. I think that Müller received a worthy farewell this weekend until he told that joke [Müller made something of a crude joke about a father on his deathbed refusing a cake his wife had prepared for after the burial in his post match comments. It was something of a swipe at club management.]

“That was gratuitous. No one needed that. The topic simply dragged on too long. For six or seven weeks, it was all about Thomas Müller 24/7. I was afraid that there wouldn’t be any more Bundesliga football after Thomas Müller. I thought people were talking about cancelling the Bundesliga after Thomas Müller’s departure. I was criticising the fact that this was all too much.

“But of course, he accomplished what not accomplished by Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller, Ribery or Robben. In terms of Bayern, Thomas Müller is way up at the top.

“I [still] have no problem with you using my quotes in the article! Use everything that I say. I’ve been saying it for years. Thomas Müller is not a player who does well on the flanks. He should be stationed behind the lead striker.

“I was totally serious. Thomas Müller himself knows that he’s not the best technical footballer. You can use those quotes. I said them and I stand by them.”

Naturally, no one interviewing Basler can resist asking for some tips on upcoming German footballing action. The 2024/25 2. Bundesliga heads for an epic conclusion this coming Sunday. Hamburger SV have already secured promotion. Below the Hanseaten, five clubs are still in the hunt.

What did Basler think of the upcoming mega match between second-place FC Köln and sixth place Kaiserslautern? 

“I think that the FCK will win away at Köln and that Elversberg will secure the second automatic promotion spot [with a win at home over FC Schalke 04]. SC Paderborn 07 will probably finish third [and contest the relegation playoff]. Köln need to watch out that they don’t slip down to fourth place.

“It will prove interesting to see what happens this weekend.“

This interview was made possible by Samba Slots 

GGFN | Peter Weis

Only six points separate first-place Hamburger SV from seventh-place FC Kaiserslautern. Lautern, SC Paderborn 07, FC Magdeburg, and Fortuna Düsseldorf are only two points off SV Elversberg in the relegation playoff place. Hannover 96 and Karlsruher SC aren’t arithmetically eliminated either.

Second-place FC Köln – following a 1-1 draw at SSV Jahn Regensburg this weekend – have pressed the panic button, opting to sack both their head coach and long-time sporting director. The Domstädter have replicated the strategy of one of their promotion rivals. Kaiserslautern too decided to roll the dice with a coaching change two weeks ago.

Since the Pfälzer Red Devils placed Torsten Lieberknecht on the bench, they’ve gained four points from two league fixtures. A home win against Schalke and a draw away at regional rivals Karlsruher SC on Sunday at least ensured that the FCK picked up four points.

Lieberknecht’s team must still win at home at against the head-coach’s most recent club, SV Darmstadt 98, next weekend in order to keep their promotion dream alive. Köln can still secure automatic promotion with a win away at FC Nürnberg next Friday night.

Lieberknecht – who had already brought up the interesting historical parallels of a Lautern trip to the cathedral city after his first match – spoke again of Köln when conducting his post-match Sky Germany interview yesterday.

“You can see from the table what is possible,” Lieberknecht said, “It’s crunch time. There will be a Final [something to play for] in Köln. I’m convinced of that.”

GGFN | Peter Weis