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ASPECTS OF
DORTMUND (Courtesy of Waiting For The Great Leap Forward Fanzine) |
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ASPECTS OF
DORTMUND (Courtesy of Waiting For The Great Leap Forward Fanzine) |
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Our second season in Europe eventually pitched us in the might of Bundesliga favourites Dortmund, via the might of Havnar. What did we learn?
The biggest tie the club has even played. And but for one minor indescretion and some very dodgy refereeing in the second lef who knows where we could have been now. I don't think many realised how strong a club Dortmund were when their name came out the hat with ours but slowly the realisation that we were up against it sunk in - Riedle, Moller, Chapusiat, Cesar, Polvsen, Sammer and Reuter. Travel arrangements were made for the away leg with many good deals on offer. I chose coach travel, mainly due to the economics of the thing and didn't regret a penny of it (especially hotel accommodation).
Arriving late on Monday evening in Dortmund, the fans made their way to the city centre to cement foreign relationships and although the eleven o'clock curfew set by wives and relations wasn't strictly adhered to, most made it back for breakfast on Tuesday.
The large gathering of 'Well fans in the square on match day was loud and proud - but exemplary. hardly anyone departed for the game without wearing some form of opposition colour as fans mixed freely. The only dissent shown was towards the poor Dortmund fan who appeared wearing his Celtic top from their encounter with them some seasons ago - a bad decision on his part. The obligatory fountain was there and those with a change of shoes duly obliged the local press. This was what it's all about. By the way Andy Russell's tailor wants shot - just like the pheasant, whose plumage Andy was sporting in his hat.
Onto the ground with a chorus of Yellow Submarine on the tram (God knows what the Dortmund fans were signing to it). By the way, within the city is free if in possession of your matchday ticket - can't really see Strathclyde Transport or Hutchisons going for that one, mind you. A quick march-past with the German Pipe Band on the outer concourse and then we made our way inside. Looking back, I can't remember seeing a policeman, though I'm sure they must have been there somewhere. Security was relaxed with both sets of fans in good spirits.
Cue the music. Chants of "Who the fuck's Borussia Dortmund/Phil O'Donnell" (alternate performances), "One nil to the Motherwell" (who cares that it never happened) and "One Andy Russell" filled the air. The fans never stopped signing and my throat is still not back to normal. The players responded and surprised everyone watching with a skillful and atypical Scottish performance - I believe the Germans expected us to hump the ball from back to front like our Scottish Champions. The Germans were lucky - and they knew it.
Before the second leg the club had secured a cool half million from German TV for the rights to broadcast the match live. the desires of the fans took a back seat and an afternoon kick-off was agreed. The board tried to appease by saying the game would not be moved to a bigger stadium so as not to inconvenience its supporters. Pardon me gents, bollocks - money talks.
The second leg was always going to be the hard one but with ten men it became impossible. The whole game went flat and after the goals we eventually embarked on a damage limitation exercise - a sad ending after such a promising start. However the team gained confidence from their showing if not the result and our league form improved.
And so we had pitted our ourselves against the best in Europe and came away with a self-belief and realisation that we are playing football the way it should be played and and showing the rest of Scotland the way forward. How Alex McLeish handled himself throughout was encouraging. His TV manner has developed and he comes across as honest and knowledgable - as opposed to the drivel you get from the likes of Walter Smith. The hype about his European experience was not a hollow pre-amble. This guy knows the score.
Perhaps in the end, the draw was unkind. But had we not drawn Dortmund we may not have found out just how good we are. The fact that also made a lot of money along the way was an added bonus - compare this tie to the Katowice one! We found out also that even after selling our 'best' player we could still perform to very high standards.
The players learned about gamesmanship - a masterclass with the very exceptional Andy Moller. And the very differing standards of refereeing - Anders Frisk may have collected 'Brownie points' from UEFA but most fans thought he refereed the game like one!
The fans learned, as if they didn't already know, that rivalry between supporters doesn't have to be about hurling abuse a la Old Firm - I was at Ibrox when they played Athens, believe me supporter relations hit a new low. I felt proud to be a 'Well fan in Germany - it almost brought a tear to my eye.
The whole experience will live with us all for a long time to come (some more than others - my son having bought the official Borussia Dortmund cassette tape)
Anyone for a quick chorus of "HEJA BVB, SO HEISST UNSERE PARTY"?