FCSP vs. Dynamo Dresden 27.11.2011

I hadn’t been looking forward to this game as I otherwise might have been. Due to Dynamo’s fans going a bit too wild in Dortmund, there was to be no away support for at the Millerntor (see youtube / internet for more info). And their team is, well, pretty average. Nontheless, the day started with a pretty early meet at the Fanladen. Edition number 10 of Das Ende der Welt (“The End of the World”) was finally out and I’d volunteered to try and shift a few copies. One of the good things about selling fanzines is that it gives you a chance to speak to people you perhaps recognise from away days / from the scene generally. One guy I chatted to had relieved a 16 year-old of his Hansa Rostock scarf in Buxtehude! After an hour or two of moving between the Fanladen and Jolly, I was only left with six copies when I decided it was time to head into the stadium to secure a decent spot before kick-off. Almost all the usual faces from Breitseite were there and our new “BSSP 1910% Antifacist” two-stick (taking the Breitseite two-stick tally up to six, five of which were present today) got its first proper outing (no poles having been allowed in Rostock last week).

As the teams came out there was a choreo in the middle block. All I could see of it was a large cardboard silhouette of a player, with a replica goalframe at the back of the terrace. At the time I assumed it was something to do with the homophobic chanting we were subjected to in Rostock- photos show it was in fact related to the absence of away fans at the game. The cardboard silhouette represented a player taking a penalty and the goalframe an open goal. At the same time, hanging over the front of the Suedkurve was a banner saying “football without fans is like taking a penalty with no goalkeeper,” the implication from a support perspective being that with no opponent we’d win no bother- though we’d win even if we were crap. Slightly self-ironic (support at home games has generally been poor this season), but also addressing the current issue of the suppression of fan-freedoms in Germany, particularly in light of the now very public debate about the use of pyro at football.

From what I can remember, the first half was garbage. Dresden headed against the bar once and Fabian Boll had a decent hit from distance for St. Pauli, but otherwise there wasn’t much of note. The second half was better. St Pauli pressurised at the start of the half, but Dresden scored with a counter. As expected, a few Dynamo fans had snuck into the posh seats in the Suedkurve and Haupttribuene. Most celebrated the goals and then sat back down, but a few thought it ok to start chanting. They were put in their place, first by the St. Pauli fans around them and then by some stewards. Nothing very exciting. For a while after the Dresden goal it looked like it might not be St. Pauli’s day, with a lot of possession but not really being able to carve out any decent chances. Just as the stadium was tensing up, however, Fabian Boll popped up with a header to equalise. Deniz Naki then scored a cracker about 90 seconds later to put us 2-1 up. Marius Ebbers came on to make it 3-1 in injury time, Dresden having missed one of the most unbelievable sitters I’ve ever seen in the meanwhile- an absolute shoe-in for any football bloopers DVDs that haven’t been printed for Christmas yet. In terms of support, it was more or less as the choreo before the game suggested- decent, but not at any stage particularly good. Had Dresden had their fans with them, it could have been an embarrassment...

I’d like to take this chance to point out how highly I rate Dennis Daube. He was excellent again today- at any other second division club I have not a doubt in my mind that he’d be one of the first names on the team sheet. It’s proven tricky, however, to fit him into the team alongside Fabian Boll (even though both started today). Dennis has been patient though, not sulked and has been excellent whenever he’s played (Mahir Saglik, take note). I’m absolutely delighted that he renewed his contract at the start of the season- in my opinion he’s more than capable of filling Boll’s shoes when he finally retires. And in the event he does get itchy feet and want to move on, the new contract means that at least we’ll get a decent sum for him.

After the game we headed to the Fanladen to get rid of some more copies of Das Ende der Welt. Beer was drunk; vegan burgers eaten; and plans sorted out for the next few matches, before heading home. It being a Sunday and the early start, as well as the weather, meant that the mood after the game was more relaxed than party.

On the pitch, St. Pauli are exceeding a lot of expectations this season. Whether this will lead to promotion (and even whether promotion into the Bundesliga is a good thing) remains to be seen. It’s clear though that in the stands there is still plenty of room for improvement. Perhaps it’s good, then, that the next home game (and the last before the winter break) is against Frankfurt, who have one of the strongest fanscenes in Germany. The better the opponent, the better you have to be to win. Today, however, can be considered a moderate success- three points and a solid, if not outstanding, performance in the stands.

I’m not travelling to Paderborn. See you in Ingolstadt!

MM

ach ja, auf FB zu finden unter: BSSP Breitseite St. Pauli (und nun klick GEFÄLLT MIR)