Eintracht Frankfurt

The View From the Top

Irena — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 01:00:49 +0000

Oh wow, I have been bad at updating this blog. [insert profuse apologies and promises to do better in the future] And it’s not like I have a decent excuse for not writing about Eintracht-the Eagles will head into Sunday’s game coming off a 6-1 derby win against FSV Frankfurt.

Care for some highlights? (The buildup to the fourth goal is particularly lovely )

As nice as it would be to rest on this victory for a while, the season is still far from over. On Sunday, Eintracht will travel away to play SC Paderborn. Paderborn have proven to be a pretty competitive team this season, managing to win both games against Düsseldorf, as well as holding us and Pauli to draws in the Hinrunde. Right now, they are only a couple points shy of jumping into one of the promotion spots (provided everything else goes in their favor, obviously). Eintracht will be looking to solidify their position as table toppers (in theory, the next matchday could see any one of Düsseldorf, Paderborn, Pauli, or Fürth jump into first place, if Eintracht fail to take any points from Sunday’s game).

As far as injuries go, it looks like Pirmin Schwegler and Mo Idrissou could make their way back into the squad this weekend, with Veh saying that both of them could be in the starting lineup. It’d certainly be great to see our captain again after having to start the second half of the season without him. *fingers crossed* Kickoff against Paderborn is at 13:30 CET/7:30 EST. I can’t blame any American Eintracht fans for not getting up and watching this match, especially as I’m on the west coast and not my most lucid at 4 in the morning. I’d love to wake up to a Frankfurt victory though-and let’s hope we get one this weekend. =)

Good-bye Gekas, Hello Heiko

Irena — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:29:09 +0000

The news came out on Tuesday that Theofanis Gekas has transferred to Samsunspor, a club in Turkey. Gotta admit, I’m going to miss the big Greek, but at the same time, I’m not terribly surprised at the move (the timing did surprise me though-I would have bet on a summer move, not in the winter). Even though he struggled with consistency this season, his seven goals this season can speak for themselves. Best of luck with your new club, Gekas!

Eintracht has also added a defender to the squad-Heiko Butscher from SC Freiburg. He’s a versatile player who can play CB, or LB (at Freiburg, it looks like most of his time has been spent at left-back). Veh apparently sees him as welcome depth for the LB position as well. A veteran presence at the back is certainly welcome, and, depending on how well Constant Djakpa’s recovery goes (poor guy had to leave training a couple days ago due to knee problems), we might have to test the depth at that position. Anyway, welcome to the team, Heiko, and we hope we’ll get to play first tier football with you next season.

It’s been a pretty quiet break for the Eagles, but perhaps that’s for the best. We’ve got a pretty good squad already, and focusing on training and getting ready for the Rückrunde are definitely at the top of our to-do list. I hope you all are having a great new year, and (like me) can’t wait for Bundesliga football to start again.

Looking Back (Happy Holidays in Frankfurt?)

Irena — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:56:05 +0000

It sucks to end the Hinrunde with a loss. Especially against your promotion rivals. The 2-0 defeat at St. Pauli leaves us in third place, two points shy of overtaking Greuther Fürth and a direct promotion spot. And yet, it’s only the second time we’ve lost this season. Ending the first half of the season with only two losses and a double-digit goal difference isn’t the worst way to spend the winter break. Angling for first or second place may be a little trickier, as Düsseldorf, Pauli, Fürth, and Paderborn have clearly shown that they want first league action next season as well. The jump from third place to fifth is separated only by goal difference, remarkable as that may be. All in all, it’s a good position to be in, but not necessarily a satisfying one.

Still, there have been some wonderful Eintracht highlights over the first half of the season. Like the time we beat our inner-city rivals 4-0.

And the time Alex Meier made that “traumtor” that was just icing on the win over Duisburg.

And the time Matmour equalized in stoppage time against Ingolstadt to save our unbeaten streak. And the time the Eintracht fans sang for the full 120, even as we went out of the Pokal, thanks to a goal in extra time from Kaiserslautern. Here’s to hoping there will be many more good moments in 2012. And a comeback into the top tier.

2nd league action starts again in February-the Eagles will host Eintracht Braunschweig on the 5th. Until then, happy holidays from the Eintracht Frankfurt offside. We’ll see you in 2012!

Ready for a Derby (and the Pokal)?

Irena — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:28:14 +0000

Frankfurt are doing great right now, wouldn’t you say? We’re one of only two teams to stay unbeaten in league play (the other would be Fortuna Düsseldorf) and we’re the only team to have a double-digit goal difference. Alex Meier is currently tied for the second league’s top goalscorer. For an Eintracht fan, it couldn’t be much better right now. (Aside from the fact that, you know, we’re still in the 2nd Liga…)

Speaking of Alex Meier, have a look at his goal on Sunday against Duisburg, along with the highlights from that game:

Our next game will be in the DFB Pokal against FC Kaiserslautern. So yes, that makes it a derby match as well (although I hope that won’t be a license for fans to act stupidly…I’m looking at you, Eintracht Ultras). We do get the advantage of hosting this round, and with at least 40,000 supporters in black-and-red, the Waldstadion should be rocking. The one unfortunate thing is that our captain, Pirmin Schwegler, will have to sit this one out with a match ban.
The last game we played against Kaiserslautern at home ended in that dismal 0-0 draw last spring. With our current form though, it’s hard to see this game turning out the same way. Especially since that means we’d eventually have to go to penalty kicks. Kaiserslautern have struggled so far in the league, but did manage to win their last two games against Schalke and Freiburg. Then again, for a Pokal game that doubles as a derby match, statistics probably don’t mean as much.

One more interesting fact to note is that Eintracht Frankfurt played Kaiserslautern in the Pokal final back in 1981. The match ended 3-1 for Frankfurt and got us our third Pokal Cup. Tomorrow will be another step towards trying for our fifth Cup, of course. But also, another chance at redemption-to show that we are good enough to beat a top-tier team (even if they are 14th placed right now) and that we belong back in the first league. Kickoff is at 20:30 CET/11:30 PST. This is actually one game that I might be able to catch, as my classes are canceled for tomorrow. Forze SGE!

Back to League Play

Irena — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:06:04 +0000

For most of the six Eintracht players who were called up for international duty, it was a good week. Gekas helped Greece qualify for the Euros, netting a goal against Croatia and playing in both qualifying games. Our Croatian international, Gordon Schildenfeld, wasn’t as fortunate-Croatia’ll have to face Turkey in a playoff game to qualify for the Euros.

The three German U-21s (Rode, Jung, and Bell) all got some playing time with their squad. Jung and Rode played in both U-21 games, while Bell went the full 90 against San Marino. With a goal difference of +22, and five wins in five games, the German U-21s continue to impress.

Karim Matmour and Algeria managed to defeat Central Africa 2-0 on Sunday. Algeria are currently third placed in their African Cup of Nations qualifying group, separated by goal difference. There’s still a chance for Matmour and Algeria, though. =)

Tomorrow we’ll be playing VFL Bochum, Theofanis Gekas’ old team in their stadium. Bochum were relegated from the top flight two seasons ago. As third place finishers last year in the 2nd league, they had a shot at promotion, but were ultimately denied by Borussia Mönchengladbach. They’ve had a rough start to this season with only ten points out of ten games, but they did have a wild 5-3 win over Ingolstadt on Matchday 10, after being down 3-1 at halftime. History favors Bochum slightly (23 losses to them against 22 wins) , but current form would point to Eintracht. It’ll be interesting to see if Eintracht will keep up their unbeaten streak, or if the international break has left them a bit rusty. Kickoff is at 18:00 CET. With a win, we’d be two points ahead of Greuther Fürth, and jump into first place. Keep your fingers crossed for that (and for the other matchday results to go in Frankfurt’s favor)!

Still Unbeaten

Irena — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 23:32:30 +0000

Yes, I’m still alive. No, I haven’t made a post in about a month. With the way things are looking right now, I’m not going to be a very fun person until at least January. I probably won’t be able to regularly update, but I will follow the Eagles and try to make the semi-occasional post. It’s a shame too, because we’ve been doing well.

Last week, Eintracht finally got their first home win of the season, in a 4-1 drubbing of Hansa Rostock, in a match that was dominated by the Eagles. It could have been 5-1, but Köhler (unfortunately) missed a penalty. This result has us in fifth place, and one of only two teams in the 2nd league to have a perfect unbeaten record. At least two of our draws have been us coming from behind to even the score. Mo Idrissou, who signed with us on transfer deadline day, got himself a brace. As our inability to score consistently was one of the factors that led to relegation last season, it’s very nice to see our strikers doing so well. Three Eintracht players, including Idrissou, now have at least three goals in league play, and Alex Meier is currently tied for second place on the top goalscorers list with six to his name.

On Monday, Eintracht Frankfurt will play away to Dynamo Dresden. Three points could have us in second or third place (depending on the results from Greuther Fürth-1860 Munich tomorrow). Dresden are not doing well, having won only two matches so far. I’ll go ahead and predict a Frankfurt victory. It’s a winnable game, and given our form, anything less would be disappointing. Kickoff is at 20:45 CET/10:45 PST.

Derbysieg! (A Very Late Post)

Irena — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:22:09 +0000

Although technically an away game, FSV Frankfurt decided that Eintracht’s stadium would make for a better derby (our capacity is roughly four times theirs), so the game was held at the Waldstadion. A crowd of 50,000 (the majority being Eintracht fans) got the chance to see the Eagles thrash their rivals 4-0. Gekas scored once again from the penalty spot, and subsequently got his first 2nd league goal this season. Benny Köhler, who is having a very good season so far, netted himself a brace. The win leaves Eintracht at fourth place and tied for the best goal difference so far. Unfortunately, I can’t comment much on the game itself since I didn’t get to see it live or a replay. I did find highlights however, which are posted after the jump.

Next week we’ll host SC Paderborn, who won 2-1 over Dynamo Dresden last matchday, despite Dresden dominating for much the game. They finished 12th last season and are currently in 8th place. Eintracht will need to be careful of counterattacks and make the most out of their possession. The good news is that Alex Meier will be back after his suspension last week. Kickoff is on Sunday, at 13:30 CET (or if you’re living on the West Coast like me, far too early).

Three Wins and a Tie

Irena — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:33:15 +0000

Eintracht Frankfurt have gotten off to a good start in the 2nd league, winning two away games and drawing once at home. They also beat Hallescher FC in the DFB Pokal, and will be playing FC Kaiserslautern in the next round. I don’t think anyone is surprised by Eintracht’s form, but it is great to see that the team playing well. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to catch any of their games live, but I did find highlights, which are posted below. Alex Meier has impressed so far, scoring five goals in league play, and Gekas netted a brace in the Pokal game. Hopefully, this is just the start for the both of them. All in all, the team looks intent on finishing at the top and promotion.

Fürth 2-3 Frankfurt

Hallescher FC 0-2 Frankfurt

Frankfurt 1-1 St. Pauli

Braunschweig 0-3 Frankfurt

The next game scheduled will be on Monday, Aug. 15th against Fortuna Düsseldorf. After that, we’ll be playing away to FSV Frankfurt, in what will be the first derby in a long time between these two teams. With a win, the Eagles could potentially top the table for the week. Kickoff starts at 20:15 CET (2:15 EST) and the official Eintracht website will have a liveticker up and running for the game.

EDIT: Accidentally wrote the wrong fixture for Monday-we’re playing Düsseldorf, not FSV Frankfurt. My apologies to anyone who was confused.

Frankfurt Update: What’s New?

Irena — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 23:13:59 +0000

Well, my plan to keep semi-updated with Frankfurt news didn’t work out and for that, I have only myself to blame. There’s been quite a lot of changes at the club since the end of the season, and there could be more to come before the 2011/12 season begins.

Looking back over the last month or so, here’s a quick run-down of what’s been happening at Eintracht so far:

Arrivals: Armin Veh (new coach) along with Reiner Geye (assistant coach); Matthias Lehmann (midfield, St.Pauli); Thomas Kessler (GK, one-year loan from FC Koeln); Erwin Hoffer (striker, currently pending a one-year loan from Napoli); Constant Djakpa (leftback, Bayer Leverkusen); Stefan Bell (centerback, FSV Mainz);

Departures: Patrick Ochs (Wolfsburg); Ralf Fährmann (Schalke 04); Halil Altintop (Trabzonspor A.S.); Maik Franz (Hertha BSC); Marcel Heller (Dynamo Dresden);

The Eagles are currently training in Austria, and have played two test matches, against FK Senica (won 2:1) and MFK Košice (on 5:1) respectively.

Our first second-league match will be an away game against SpVgg Greuther Fürth, who finished in 4th place last season. The game is set to start Friday, July 15th at 20:30 CET (2:30 PM EST). The first home match of the season will happen ten days later, where St. Pauli will pay us a visit. Maximum attendance for this game has been set at 19,000. Eintracht will also play away to Hallescher FC (4th division club) in the first round of the DFB Cup.

Anything you’re looking forward to in particular for the Eagles next season? I have to confess that I’m really not excited at all about Armin Veh as head coach. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of coach who can lead us to a great season and promotion spot, and I wasn’t very happy when they announced that he’d be taking over. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt though (not like there’s anything else to do) and wish him success with the club.

I’ll be traveling for most of next month, and two weeks of that will be with very limited internet, so I don’t think I’ll be able to write anything during that time. Hope you’re finding ways to amuse yourself in the off-season and that your summer is going well.

Season’s end; time for a new start

Irena — Sat, 28 May 2011 04:59:36 +0000

There’s been some issues with Wordpress recently, which partially explains the lack of updating around this blog. Hopefully, the bugs around Wordpress will be sorted out soon. Until then, it might be tough to get soemthing up here. Midterms and being swamped with school make up the rest of the reason why I haven’t posted in a while . For that, I really do apologize.

I’ll assume that everyone already knows about our descend (read: incredible collapse) into the 2nd league, so there’s probably no need to write about that. Some players will leave (our vice-captain Ochs has already signed on with Wolfsburg), but there are some who have expressed their desires to stay with the squad and help us get promoted again. The board hasn’t found a replacement for Daum yet, but we have hired Bruno Hübner as the new Sporting Director. It’s clear that our goal is to get back into the Bundesliga by next season with automatic promotion.

The end of the season means that I most likely won’t be posting much on the Frankfurt Offside but I will try to stay somewhat on top of Frankfurt-related news. Assuming that everything goes well, expect the infrequent update about transfers, new developments, summer signings, and maybe a club trivia or history post.

I wish you all have a great summer break and hope to see you around come the start of next season, when we tackle the challenge of making our stay in the 2nd tier a very short one.