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March 2013

CONTACT US: Twitter Facebook YorkshireStPauli.com

IN THIS ISSUE:

A relegation struggle, getting lost in Hamburg, a look at the

remaining fixtures and the death of Cardiff City.

Advice: Mexicana shots are awful...

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I’d completely overlooked the fact that February only has 28 days, so as I started to think about the fanzine 2 weeks ago I’d convinced myself that I had plenty of time to organise it all. Unfortunately, as with most

things in life, it creeps up on you. Thankfully, we have lots of helpful people willing to write for the fanzine - even if I forget to ask them until the last minute. At some point in the

future we’ll be organised… It’s amazing to think that there is only 11

games left of the season. Although I’ll be glad to see the back of this season, as long as we maintain our league status and can build for next season. In this issue we’ll take a look back at the games in February, as well as taking a look at the remaining games.

I also had the pleasure of making the trip over to St. Pauli for the recent game against Koln. The trip summarised St. Pauli for me. I travelled on my own, but I was amongst friends

for the entire trip. I’d arranged to meet one of our members, Gary, who was already in Germany and was coincidentally staying in the

same hotel. Having met up with Gary and his mate at the hotel, we headed over to meet some fellow St. Pauli fans from the UK forum, who had arranged a meet-up as there was a number of us over for the game. It’s always great to meet new people, and I always enjoy

asking how people got into following St. Pauli. On Monday, I met Hamburg-based Yorkshire St. Pauli member Dave, and we then met up

with regular fanzine contributor Nick and his mate Shaun, who have been travelling over to watch FCSP for years. Many great things have

come out of the formation of Yorkshire St. Pauli, but the main thing is friends, feeling part of an extended St. Pauli family. Ours spreads across the UK, Germany, Greece, America and beyond. One of the perks of running the fanclub and the

fanzine is the dialogue that we have with the club, who are always amazingly helpful and approachable. I was recently asked to write an article for the St. Pauli matchday program,

VIVA. As a side note, I asked the club whether it would be possible for me to have a look

inside the ground on Monday, as I’ve always wanted to write a “behind the scenes” piece for the fanzine. The club were more than happy to arrange this, and a huge thanks to the people involved for organising this. More on this later in the fanzine, along with a few stories from the trip.

As we seem to mention in every addition of the

fanzine, Yorkshire St. Pauli goes from strength

to strength. Last month’s fanzine was the most read yet, but the fact we publish it every month means that it’s very difficult to continue to produce content - particularly when our writers have jobs and families! It’s also difficult to produce interviews and extensive articles in a

matter of weeks, and as we get more ambitious with our articles it becomes even more demanding. When the fanzine was merely a newsletter for our members with only 8-10

pages it was relatively easy to manage, but it’s now an out of control juggernaut.

Therefore this will be the last monthly edition of our fanzine. For future, we will plan to have an issue every 6-8 weeks. This will give us more time to produce quality articles, without pestering players, club members, fan groups etc. every couple of weeks for interviews! It also gives myself and the other writers more

time to prepare pieces (as well as some time to ourselves!), and hopefully we can get more content. The next aim for the fanzine is to have 40+ pages, a different layout to make it more

print friendly and we might look into getting a limited number of printed copies done each

month too, depending on interest. We will try and keep our website updated on a regular basis though, so you won’t miss out on information! As always, I hope you enjoy the fanzine. A huge thanks to all those who have contributed!

Scott

EDITOR’S NOTE

Our array of banners hanging from the stage at Wharf

Chambers.

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The Recent reopening of the new Gegengerade

We received this message from the Fanclubsprecherrat and wanted to share it with you all, as St. Pauli prepared recently for the

opening of the new Gegengerade, which increased the Millerntor capacity to 29,063.

273 days after bidding farewell to the old, our

new terrace will finally be filled on Sunday 3 Feb against Energie Cottbus. A great moment! On the St Pauli Forum it has been discussed how to use this moment. Over the weeks the idea was

developed and is supported by the fan committee. Before Hell's Bells we will instigate a loud YNWA with thousands of raised scarves, flags, banners, etc:

for the return home of the fans from the seating areas, who have waited 9 months to return; to greet the new fans and returning fans, who for

years couldn't get hold of a season ticket; to the memory of the last 25 years and the many moments when we had to carry on and not give

up; as a signal of a newly opened standing terrace in an era of undifferentiated discussions on violence and the fantasy of banning standing areas, and

for an active and multifaceted fan culture in the stadium; as a thank you to the members of Stadionbau AG, who have taken into account fans' interests in an excellent way, and who are hugely responsible for making the terrace what it is;

as a thank you to all the builders and various helpers who have worked on this project, in wind and rain, early, late and nights;

as a thank you to everyone at the club who supported the terrace and made its construction possible; as a thank you to everyone who posted photos

and reports of the progress on the forum for the benefit of those fans not living close to the stadium; as a sign of solidarity with everybody who at this moment can't be in the stadium, but would like to be there; as a sign that it pays (for example, in the last big

discussion of the rebuilding of the Gegengerade-museum, not police station) not to give in and to carry on regardless.

You'll never walk alone!

Never before were so many people on this terrace

and never before was it fully roofed. Let it be unbelievably loud and colourful! The song will be sung in the classic Gerry & the Pacemakers style until the first refrain. We are looking forward to an unforgettable moment and any form of support - of course, from the other part of the ground as well!

From a group of FC St. Pauli fans.

Kein Fussball den Faschisten and recent opponents, Energie Cottbus

It has become clear that Energie is followed by a neo-Nazi group called ‘Inferno Cottbus’. A delightful bunch of people, their actions in the

past have included holding up a banner with the words ‘Sieg Heil’ at a game versus our magical FCSP, calling ‘Juden’ at opponents, monkey chants, etc. They also have members who are

connected to the neo-Nazi underground scene in Brandenburg. The Brandenburg authorities have expressed their concern about the rise of this

group, but Energie Cottbus itself chose for a long time to bury its head in the sand, play it down, ignore it.

Not all Energie Cottbus fans are active on the far right, but in this situation the club’s normal fans must stand up and make their voices heard. The club should also take the lead. In the past few

months we’ve seen similar examples in Braunschweig, Aachen, etc, where left wing fangroups have been marginalised out of

existence, creating a vacuum in which right wing extremists can proliferate their filth, unchecked by clubs who don’t want to admit to a problem. A year ago I was speaking to a Dynamo Dresden

fan. Nice lad, totally normal football fan without any right wing leanings. I told him how important I think he is (and people like him), particularly in the east, and that he must not stand by and hand over his club to the right. Which brings me neatly onto Dresden…..

Wir sind alle Tim

The city of Dresden commemorates each year in February the terrible bombing by the allied forces

in World War II, which left the city devastated and more than 20,000 dead. Unfortunately, the commemoration has been increasingly hijacked over the last few years by neo-Nazis. In 2011,

3,000 Nazis turned up to march through Dresden. In opposition, unions reckon 21,000 turned up to counter-protest (Police figures stated 12,000). There was unrest and to cut a long story short, a Linke party member, Tim H, has been jailed for 22 months for his supposed part in organising the counter-protest - without any clear evidence!

Even if there were evidence that he had organised the counter-protest’s actions, the anti-

fascist movement has been wrongly criminalised for trying to blockade an obscene protest. Nazi groups once again tried to march through Dresden’s streets this year. The Dresden city

council urged its citizens to form a ring of protest against a march that stains their city with fascist ideology and the counter-protest movement also geared up. This year 13,000 protested against the march and the number of Nazis dwindled further.

No football for fascists! Solidarity with Tim!

IN AND AROUND THE FANSCENE

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The welcome return of the 2.Bundesliga at the start of February, but it brought with it a harsh sense of reality. After a torrid start to the season under Schubert, Michael Frontzeck had steadied the ship going into the winter break -

but a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Aue followed by a goalless draw in Ingolstadt were a reminder that we weren’t out of danger yet. That warning was even greater at the start of

February. St. Pauli’s first game back was a home tie against Energie Cottbus. It was also

the opening of the new Gegengerade. It was an impressive sight, as the fans welcomed the new stand with a special edition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. You can watch a video of the singing here. The game itself wasn’t as exciting as the build-

up and neither team found the net. The 0-0 final score wasn’t actually a bad result against a decent Cottbus side, but the horror show that was served up a week later put the club on red

alert. St. Pauli travelled to newly promoted

Sandhausen, a small town in Baden-Württemberg with a population of less than 15,000, making Sandhausen the smallest professional football club in Germany. Sandhausen are struggling to acclimatise to the 2.Bundesliga, and find themselves in the

automatic relegation places. It was a perfect opportunity for St. Pauli to make a statement, to distance themselves from the relegation places and Frontzeck and the players were determined to get victory, stating they wouldn’t

underestimate Sandhausen.

Unfortunately, St. Pauli had (another) one of those days. Sandhausen were ahead inside 3 minutes, and doubled their lead just before the half hour mark. They deserved it, and could have had more. Buchtmann hit the post for St. Pauli, but the game was one way traffic which caused Michael Frontzeck to make a double

substitution after just 37 minutes. The game didn’t change though, and the one-way traffic led to a third goal two minutes later. The second half didn't start much better either, with Sandhausen making it 4-0 after less than 50

minutes. Undercover agent Fabio Morena came

on for Sandhausen and gave us a penalty, but it wasn’t any sort of consolation for a 4-1 hammering against a side that were supposedly one of the worst teams in the league. Despite the performance though, the fans had stayed with the team throughout the club,

vocally supporting them as loud and proud as

ever. All of a sudden, St. Pauli were looking down at the table. The optimism of the Frontzeck reign had worn off, it was a defeat reminiscent of

some of the lacklustre performances under Schubert. All of a sudden the club were faced with the reality that we are still in trouble, and relegation is still a possibility.

A Monday night home game was next on the agenda, with St. Pauli legend Holger

Stanislawski bringing his resurgent Koln side to the Millerntor. It was Stani’s first competitive game since leaving St. Pauli at the end of the Bundesliga campaign two years ago. But it wasn’t a time for pleasantries, St. Pauli were in need of a win. The players had to come out fighting, and so they did. In front of a sell-out

29,063 crowd though, St. Pauli conceded an early goal again. Christian Clemens took a clever free-kick which beat Tschauner at his near post.

But the goal didn’t deflate the spirits of the boys in brown, who were much the better side

and had chances to find an equaliser. Unfortunately, the referee had other ideas, sending off Thorandt just before half-time for a harsh second yellow card. The ten men continued to put in a spirited performance though, and were much the better side in the

second half. Unfortunately, as has often been the case this season, they struggled to find the back of the net. Koln were wasteful with a few chances on the counter attack, and could have finished the game off on a couple of occasions.

Despite plenty of possession in the opposition half though, St. Pauli couldn’t find an equaliser

and the last action of the game was a weak second yellow for Florian Mohr, meaning both centre backs would miss the next game. Again though, as at Sandhausen, the fans were full of support for the team. As the game finished, a rendition of “You’ll Never Walk

Alone” echoed around the Millerntor. Although the result had left St. Pauli in real trouble of finding themselves in a relegation fight for the reminder of the season, the fans appreciated the efforts of the players who had deserved

something from the game.

The gap between St. Pauli and the relegation places was shortening by the week. The last game of the month saw St. Pauli host FSV Frankfurt. A review of which is on the next page...

A MONTH OF REALISATION

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As the game ended on Monday night, the crowd stood strong in support of their team. "You'll Never Walk Alone" echoed around the Millerntor, recognising the courage of the players in defeat. Despite losing with nine

men, the players had shown spirit in defeat - something that had been lacking in the hammering in Sandhausen the previous week.

St. Pauli were missing first choice defensive

pairing Mohr and Thorandt through suspension for the visit of FSV Frankfurt. In addition, captain Fabian Boll was missing due to a bout

of flu and Fin Bartels was injured. The team had their backs to the wall from the naming of the team. Kevin Schindler, usually an attacking midfielder played at right back and Jan-Philipp Kalla was made captain and put into central defence with youngster Christopher Avevor. It was a make-shift defence to say the least.

The atmosphere inside the Millerntor was even louder than usual, and the players responded. St. Pauli start strongly from the first whistle,

eager to create chances going forward and playing with a high tempo. However the first chances fell for FSV Frankfurt. A deflected shot could have gone anywhere inside the box but

it was cleared eventually for a corner, and a header from the resulting corner was headed over from a good position.

But St. Pauli fought back, chasing down the opposition when in position and playing with a quicker tempo when attacking. On 11 minutes

Ginczek found his way into the box and hit a shot with the outside of his foot which beat the goalkeeper, but unfortunately it hit the post

and bounced away from goal. Minutes later, Ginczek played a neat reverse pass into Buchtmann inside the area, but his shot from an awakward angle could only find the side-

netting.

It was a highly encouraging start. The team had struggled for goals all season, but they were showing a renewed optimism on the ball and were playing with a quick tempo that FSV Frankfurt were struggling to cope with. Schachten and Ginczek both had chances

before the half hour mark, and the missed chances were soon piling up.

Finally the boys in brown found the back of the net. It started at the other end of the field though, with Rasmus Jönsson one-on-one with Tschauner on the edge of the St. Pauli box.

Tschauner tackled Jönsson with his feet as Jönsson tried to go round the goalkeeper, and the resulting ball fell to the feet of Kalla to clear the danger. Kalla played a long ball forward, which GInczek ran onto and managed to exquisitely lob the onrushing goalkeeper. It

was a deserved lead and an excellent goal.

The goal didn't change the flow of play, with St. Pauli growing in confidence and looking more likely to score the next goal. Even the make-shift defence was looking composed

after a bit of a nervous start, with Schindler and Schachten pushing forward when possible to offer width, and Kalla and Avevor strong at the back when needed.

FSV Frankfurt responded at half time with two changes, and they had a brief spell at the start of the second half when they could have found

an equaliser. For the first five minutes of the second half, St. Pauli were forced to defend. On 51 minutes, Ginczek picked up a clearance on the half way line. With no-one in support, he knocked the ball behind the defender next to him, and beat him for pace. Ginczek sprinted towards goal, but was closed down by

another defender. He didn't panic, he slipped the ball passed the defender and slotted the ball into the back of the net. It was a great

solo run and finish from a quality striker.

It was the first time that St. Pauli had scored two goals in a game since the 4-1 defeat of Duisburg at the end of November. The second

goal seemed to ease the nerves of the St. Pauli players, and they started to pass the ball with confidence with every pass cheered on by the Millerntor crowd. The confidence brought about another goal, with Ginczek tapping in a cross from close range after some good passing

work. Ginczek was replaced on 85 minutes to a standing ovation, a much deserved acknowledgment of his match-winning

performance.

But whilst Ginczek will gain the plaudits for the magnificent goals, the whole team were magnificent. Every player fought for each

other, chased every single ball and put their heart into the game from start until finish. Schindler at right back didn't put a foot wrong, Kalla seemed to win every header despite lacking a physical presence, Kringe and Funk controlled the game and Gogia, Buchtmann and Thy fought defensively whilst also creating

chances when going forward. The 3-0 score did not flatter the home side, it was deserved.

Every player deserved it. Ginczek provided the icing on the cake, with a match winning performance and a couple of magical goals. Equally important though, the fans stood by

the team. In times of adversity, you have to stand together, stand up and be counted. The players, the management and the fans did that. These 3 points are for all of us.

MAGIC SANKT PAULI.

PASSION, PRIDE, POSITIVITY.

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Only one month has passed since 2.Bundesliga returned to action from the winter break & already the two promotion places to the promise land are as good as taken.

Hertha Berlin topped the table for the first time last weekend as they stretched their unbeaten run to 21 games with a 1-0 win over fellow promotion hopefuls Kaiserslautern, nine wins from their last eleven games has seen them

gradually close the gap on long time leaders Eintracht Braunschweig & Monday’s win

coupled with Eintracht’s first home loss of the season (a 2-1 defeat to 1860 Munich) saw the pair swap places. Eintracht have now only picked up one point from their last two home games & without Captain Dennis Kruppke are they going to face

their first wobble of the season & open the door for the chasing pack? Having begun the season with five straight wins the side many (including myself) tipped to struggle have been superb &

if some of the goal scoring weight that striker Domi Kumbela has brilliantly carried all season can be spread out among others then even an

average return from the last eleven games should still yield promotion to the Bundesliga. Kaiserslautern looked to be heading for a minimum of third place until three straight defeats before the break coupled with the loss

at Hertha Berlin has left a cluster of challengers within striking distance. Maybe too many eggs were placed in the winter transfer window basket? Kaiserslautern were the busiest team in the market & brought in plenty of quality

players but with upwards of five new players in the side could the gelling process cost them

vital points? Best equipped of the challengers are undoubtedly Koln who after a dreadful start to the season which saw them have to wait until week six for their first maximum return have now only lost once since that win over FSV

Frankfurt (who they meet again this weekend) & are unbeaten in their last eleven games. Their fine run has been built on a solid defence who have only conceded four goals in their last eleven games & they are just three points from

the play off place with a visit to Kaiserslautern

scheduled for early April. Their are five teams all within four points of Koln but all of them have suffered bouts of inconsistency recently & all would need to improve dramatically if they are to trouble the end of season play off race. 1860 Munich,

winners at Eintracht Braunschweig last week were beaten at home by lowly Bochum the week before with the visitors playing a large

chunk of the game with ten men. FSV Frankfurt have been hit by the injury to key goal getter Edmond Kaplliani & are prone to howler as recent defeats to Ingolstadt & St Pauli show, Union Berlin will still feel they can play a part

but the sale of midfielder Markus Karl to rivals Kaiserslautern my come back to haunt them. Paderborn & Cottbus are still the mix& meet this weekend although the latter are falling

away fast with only one win in their last 10 games, Paderborn have hit some form winning their last three games after a run of five

defeats. The battle to stay in 2.BL is a lot tighter with a host teams casting a worried eye below, two of the three promoted teams currently hold the two automatic relegation spots & meet this

coming weekend as Sandhausen travel to bottom side Jahn Regensburg. Both sides have shown glimpses of the ability required to climb the table in recent weeks & Jahn have appointed Poland’s Euro 2012 Coach Franciszek

Smuda to hopefully mastermind their great escape.

Dynamo Dresden have had another disappointing campaign so far & occupy the relegation play off spot ahead of a visit from Hertha Berlin. Dynamo seemed to use the transfer market very well in the summer but a poor run of form saw Ralf Loose dismissed &

Peter Pacult return to the club & under Pacult Dresden have only lost one of his four games in charge. Aue & Duisburg are both three points ahead of Dynamo & neither side has won since returning from the winter break, Bochum have

a four point gap & St Pauli a five point gap &

both sides have more than enough quality in their ranks to be in the top half of the table but quality is no guarantee of safety & both teams will need to up their game especially against lowly opposition as the season draws to a close.

As always, a huge thanks to Lee, aka @tiertwofooty for providing the excellent summary.

2.BUNDESLIGA: A MONTHLY REVIEW

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Since the campaign started in Aue on August 3rd, St. Pauli have played 23 league games, only scoring 22 goals, and collecting 26 points. Form which means that the remaining 11 fixtures of the current campaign are vitally

important. We take a look at the remaining fixtures, and where the points could be won and lost…

MARCH

March starts with this weekend’s trip to VfR

Aalen, who won promotion from the third tier last season. Aalen have had a decent campaign, but their early season form has dwindled in recent months. They are without a win in their 4 games since the Christmas break, and like St. Pauli they have struggled

for goals. If St. Pauli perform like they did against FSV Frankfurt then there’s no reason why we can’t win the game, but a lower scoring affair is likely to be decided by a single goal.

St. Pauli then have a great opportunity to pick up three points against another promoted side,

Regensburg, who sit bottom of the table. Regensburg have only 4 wins all season, and have conceded 41 goals. Anything but a victory here will be a disappointment.

March finishes with a tricky tie in the capital against Union Berlin. Union have an outside chance of finishing 3rd and playing in the

promotion playoff, and have a good home record so far this term. St. Pauli have an incredibly poor away, with only 1 win in 11 away games and only 5 goals scored away

from the Millerntor. Coming back from Berlin with a point would be a good result.

APRIL

After an international break at the end of March, the 2.Bundesliga starts again in April with St. Pauli hosting Paderborn. Paderborn

have struggled to replicate their form from last season, which saw them challenge along with St. Pauli for a promotion spot. 5 straight defeats had threatened to see them slip into the relegation battle, but they’ve now won 4 games in a row which has lifted them into the

top half of the table. Bizarrely, their away form

is much better than their home record.

St. Pauli then face a hostile trip to Dynamo Dresden, who currently find themselves sitting in the relegation playoff place, with 5 points separating them from St. Pauli. To use a cliché, this is a real six pointer. A trip to the Rudolf Harbig Stadium is never easy.

1860 Munich visit the Millerntor a week later, in the hunt for points to help them try and

catch Kaiserslautern in 3rd place. One of St. Pauli’s best performances of the season was when they beat 1860 at the Allianz Arena to secure their only away victory so far this season. A repeat performance would be more

than welcome, but 1860 had an off day and it’s unlikely they’ll be as poor again.

Another ‘six-pointer’ sees Bochum hosting St. Pauli a week later. Bochum are only 1 point

behind St. Pauli in the league at the time of writing, but have had an upturn of form in recent weeks with 8 points from their past 5

games.

Title-challenging Hertha Berlin visit the Millerntor for the final game in April. Hertha have had a great season and seem certain to return to the Bundesliga. Perhaps they’ll have won the title by this point and we can hope they take it easy?

MAY

Into the final month of the game, and 3 crucial fixtures that could decide our league status next season. Let’s hope we’ve moved away

from the relegation places by May.

St. Pauli travel to fellow strugglers MSV Duisburg in the first game of the month. Duisburg looked relegation certainties a few months ago, but three straight victories before the winter break aided their fight against the drop and both teams could be in a desperate

fight for points in the final weeks of the season. The good news is that Duisburg have been terrible at home all season, with only 9 points from 11 games.

The final two games of the season couldn’t be much more difficult for Michael Frontzeck. The

final home game of the season comes on the penultimate weekend, with Eintracht Braunschweig making the long trip to Hamburg. Braunschweig have had an excellent season and have only experienced two defeats in the league. They are only 1 point behind Hertha Berlin in the race for the title, and they

could arrive at the Millerntor in need of 3 points to secure the title.

Finally, St. Pauli travel to Kaiserslautern on the

final day of the season. Kaiserslautern currently sit third in the table, which would give them a playoff place against the Bundesliga side who finish 16th for the

opportunity to play in the top division next season. Kaiserslautern have only been beaten once at home, and will be a formidable opponent on the last day.

COME ON YOU BOYS IN BROWN.

ALL TO PLAY FOR.

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FC Sankt Pauli 0 - 1.FC Köln 1 Millerntor Stadium, 18th February 2013 (& finally a flutlichspiel) I can be a right miserable bugger, as my best

mate and sometime travelling companion to the Millerntor, Shaun, knows only too well. I’m not great a making new friends, instead seeking solace with those people I’ve known for years (it’s an only child thing: the juxtaposition

of quite enjoying being the centre of attention, but also keeping your own company, least I

think that’s what it is?) Anyhow, over the last few months or so I’ve felt a real sea-change. Both at football and St. Elsewhere, I’ve been fortunate to meet some fantastic people. This change couldn’t be more apparent than in my trips to St. Pauli. Over the six years and 17

St. Pauli games I’ve attended, my relationship with the club has changed dramatically. When I first came over, I was hooked on the idea of FCSP: this radical community of fans that

shared so many of my core ideologies. In the early stages of the relationship, I got a buzz off the vibe, and the feeling at the Millerntor, but I

was still essentially an onlooker, or partisan observer. Now things are different. I felt it back in October, meeting with a variety of fans who’d travelled to the game from across Europe. I feel it in the incredibly active,

international #FCSPfamily on twitter (at what other club do ex-players interact so freely and honestly with fans?) And I felt it again on this trip. I no longer feel liken an interested outsider, I feel like I belong to a real and

tangible community. But more of that in a minute. First, some details of the trip.

Shaun and I set off for Heathrow at 4.00am, a little bleary-eyed but full of enthusiasm. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the motorway, although we were minus any music as my tape-to-ipod converter was on the blink. Then, as soon as we hit the M40, there was a strange

beeping noise accompanied by an engine-shaped orange warning light, which after furious consolation with the manual, reassuringly (?) told us we needed to get the car to a Citroën dealer, pronto. Hmmn. Shaun,

with indefatigable logic, said, “well, what if the

nearest Citroën dealer is 200 miles away?” Good point. We ploughed on, only slightly perturbed by the loss of power going up hill. We were mighty relived to make it to the long-stay car park at Heathrow and board the plane for Hamburg.

We didn’t make it in time for the tour of the ground, arranged by Scott from Yorkshire St. Pauli, but we did manage to check into the

hotel early (the excellent Superbude, up the road in Sternschanze.) With that we were off out into the bitterly cold Hamburg afternoon in search of the Hummel shop. We found it: well stocked, but waaaay beyond our budget!

Next stop was the Fanladen. We’d arranged to meet Scott and Dave (from Swearing at Motorists) there at 3.00pm. And this is where St. Pauli starts to feel like home. I remember

being apprehensive the first time I ventured into the Fanladen to collect my tickets. Now,

we rock up and are warmly welcomed by Stefan and Justus. It’s like meeting up with old friends. As we were early, we bagged a space on the sofas, chatted to Scott and Dave and started on the Astra. Soon, some of the London based members of the St. Pauli UK forum pitched up, giving me the rare opportunity to

catch up on Watford news with Malcolm (general agreement that they are playing some of their best football ever.)

After a while, we decided we needed some food, so Scott, Shaun and I headed off in search of Backboard, a café that had been well

recommended. It was four in the afternoon, and we’d not really eaten anything all day. After a bit of aimless wandering and on the verge of being lost, Dave, who’d disappeared early to go and hang a flag up at the ground, popped out from a supermarket entrance and

magically pointed us in the right direction. Only in St. Pauli. Backboard was fab, well worth a visit. The vegan currywurst was a delight, as were the

pitchers of beer. On top of all that, we found the final resting place for both the Inter Cities

Fairs Cup and the original Blue Peter boat (don’t worry, we’ve already written and requested an Antiques Roadshow special.) Scott was mighty relived to get a square meal down him, after a night on the Mexicanas and a breakfast of bread and roast beef (there’s a story to be told there, eh, Scott?).

The rest of the afternoon flew by, in a relaxed haze of leisurely beer consumption. So that by the time we paid up and headed out into the Hamburg night, it was both cold and dark. We

made our way to the AFM container, for more

Astras and to dream of taking over the container, with Shaun spinning some old-skool indie tunes on the wheels-of-steel (my suggested Country half-hour was given short-shrift.) We didn’t leave it too long getting into the ground, as we wanted a reasonably central spot on the Südkurve, so we could join in with

the singing. Inside the ground, the new Gegengerade was looking vast, and was filling up nicely. It first found its voice pre-match

AMONGST FRIENDS

9

saluting Stani, on his first competitive return to the Millerntor.

Indeed, as the evening wore on, you couldn’t fail to be impressed by the noise the new GG

generated when the team really needed them. The atmosphere was good, even after St. Pauli fell a goal behind after just three minutes, scored direct from a free-kick, which from where I was standing looked like a poor decision by the ref. Thorandt was harshly booked for the challenge as the ref looked to

set his stall out for the night. It was a stall that seemed to heavily favour our guests from Köln, a stall where we had to pay for any sort

of challenge with a yellow card whilst they got away scott-free. St. Pauli responded gallantly, as did the fans. We were jumping, bouncing and singing for the entire 45 minutes. Well,

until Thorandt picked-up his second yellow, followed swiftly by the obligatory red. Then we were mostly just shouting. The team responded impressively in the second-half, really taking the game to Köln. All around the ground, the fans did everything

they could to spur the players on. Returning heroes, Ebbers and Boller were brought on to a massive cheer, but we just lacked that cutting

edge. The ref did his bit by sending-off Florian Mohr and reducing us to nine men, but even then Köln couldn’t bury us, and we couldn’t

level it up. The final whistle brought a torrent of whistles and jeers for the referee, with sections of the crowd around us shouting, “Fußball Mafia, DFB!” there were also a couple of empty beer cups lobbed in frustration, but fortunately none got through the safety netting to land us in more trouble with the authorities.

The whole stadium also responded with an impressive version of “You’ll Never Walk Alone”

and the players, who had expended every last ounce of effort, stayed to acknowledge the support. The flip-side to this was the unexplained and unnecessary presence of

stewards in front on the Südkurve at the final

whistle. Common place in the UK for sure, but absolutely uncalled for at the Millerntor. There

was no threat of anything untoward happening. Fortunately, they were quickly ushered away by some higher-force, and the

players and fans were able to show their appreciation for each other without an unnecessary fluorescent barrier coming between them. We had arranged – by text – to meet up with some other friends back at the AFM container,

but by now it was snowing and both our mobiles had run out of battery, so we said our goodbyes to Scott (who was heading off on the

Diffidati march back to the Fanladen) and started our long walk back to the hotel. Back at the Superbude, we dried off and headed down to the bar, where we stayed

chatting for way longer than was sensible for people with a 7.00am flight to catch (we were half hoping the rumoured security staff strike at the airport might materialize, so we could have a lie-in and another day in fabulous St. Pauli.) Not to be, we were at the airport and back to London without a hitch.

On the way home in the car, the orange light was still blinking at us in an annoying fashion,

but at least we got the stereo working. Shaun had already taken a shine to Dave’s Swearing at Motorists back catalogue, and by the time

we got home, I’d shoe-horned “Flying Pizza” into my Top 5 all-time lo-fi classics. As far as the match itself goes, I couldn’t put it better than KleinerTod on his excellent blog: “This was not a defeat, just a 0-1.” The spirit of those on the pitch and in the stands saw to

that. For those of us who travel ridiculous distances to watch St. Pauli, it’s not about the score anyway. It’s about being amongst

friends. Being some small part of the FC St. Pauli fan scene. Feeling like we belong. Written by Nick. @outside_left

See pictures from the trip here.

10

Picture the scene. It's 6:30am, the morning after watching St. Pauli lose 1-0 at home to Koln and having two men sent off. I've had five hours sleep. It's snowing and freezing. I have an hour to catch the train from St. Pauli to

Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, before heading onwards to Bremen Airport. I've done the journey on this route twice, so for some unknown reason I'm sure there is a direct line. I've no grounds for my certainty, as my

memory is terrible. The previous two times I had done the journey with friends, so I wasn't

really paying any attention. Uncertainly sets in when I buy my ticket and look at the two platforms infront of me from which to choose from. Neither seem to go to the Hauptbahnhof. One seems to suggest you can go to the South station, but I'm imagining

that this is a completely different station on the outskirts of Hamburg which isn't the one I need. I consult the Hamburg underground map, which to a Yorkshireman in desperate need of

sleep is as clear as mud. There is a Nord and a Sud station. And a Hauptbahnhof too. I know Hamburg is ace, but does it need 3 stations?

Finally, I think logically. I remember that on the way from Hamburg airport I went past a station called Schlump. A wonderful name for somewhere. It describes how I feel at this moment, even though schlump isn't really a

word. I decide I should go in the opposite direction of the airport and Schlump, so get the train going in the opposite direction. I decide to get off at Rathaus, which seems to be a calling point for all the lines, so I assume i must be

able to get to the Hauptbahnhof from here.

A couple of stops later I'm at the Rathaus. I see all the other lines, but none of them seem to be going to the Hauptbahnhof. Now panic is setting in. I need to catch my train from a seemingly imaginary and impossible to reach

train station in under an hour. Do I want to risk going to the north or south station? Is it all just one big station with different names to confuse idiots like me? I've practically resigned myself to failure, perhaps I was going to end up living

like Tom Hanks in 'The Terminal', but with Rathaus underground station rather than an

airport with lots of shops. There's no people here, unsurprisingly since its not even 7am yet. I'm rapidly searching on my phone for answers, but asking google whether hamburg had 3 main stations didn't seem to work either. Finally, a glimmer of hope. A man

wanders into the station, and in my basic German I asked whether he spoke English. 'A little bit' he replied, which is the standard German response to this question, even though

many speak better English than me. Lets hope he knows the way to this imaginary station.

'Of course!' he said. 'Just go up those steps and walk 500 metres down the street'. After a short walk in the snow, there it was, the holy grail of train stations. I'm not sure whether it was the north, south, or the middle of nowhere station, but I was where I needed to be.

Scott Rathaus ist Braun-Weiss.

NORTH OR SOUTH?

11

12

Editor’s Note - In addition to the recent trouble I encountered trying to navigate the underground system in Hamburg (see page 11), I also had another silly incident on my recent trip. Having had one too many drinks in

the Jolly Roger on the Sunday evening, and having managed to organise a look round the stadium at 11am, I woke up on Monday morning in desperate need of some food. What better way to find somewhere than ask the St.

Pauli public via twitter?

I had a couple of suggestions, so picked one, found it on the map and headed off in a hung-over state looking for the place. I won’t name it, as it’s most probably a great place, and down to my own stupidity that the following incident happened. By the time I found it, it was 10:10, and I was watching the clock

knowing I had to be at the Millerntor for 11:00. I had been expecting some sort of bakery, café place for some unknown reason, but instead it looked like a pub from the 1980s. I walked in,

and a really friendly woman greeted me and asked what I wanted. I didn’t have any idea of what was on offer, so I just for a coffee and sat

down quietly. Probably realising my hung-over, in need of food state the woman then came over and asked if I wanted something to eat. “Yes, please” I replied, thinking I was going to be able to choose from an array of hot food and

pastries. But how wrong I was. In English, the woman tried to explain the breakfast menu. Essentially, it was bread with a variety of options, “beef, egg, cheese…”, she began to read all the options. I had a momentary panic,

as can often happen when you’re feeling rough, in a foreign country and desperate for a full

English breakfast. I panicked and just agreed with the first option on the menu, “beef, that would be great thanks”. It’s 10:15 and I’ve just ordered a beef sandwich. I wouldn’t order that at home, and I’m starting to question my decision. I’m

imagining a beef baguette though, and my Yorkshire thoughts imagine it with a huge gravy dip too. Instead though, I get a couple of thick slices of beef on top of half a baguette. Why didn’t I pick cheese? Cheese would have

been fine. I didn’t even have a knife or fork,

making the task of eating the thick beef even more difficult. I managed it, not wanting to waste good food, but it wasn’t the ideal start to a Monday morning and I’ve had much better breakfasts. Anyway, having had this experience, I decided I needed to know more about St. Pauli, the areas to go, places to eat

and drink, so here is the first instalment of our new column - with a different contributor every month.

This month’s suggestions are made by @KleinerTod. A huge thanks for the suggestions!

PLACES TO STAY It is difficult to say when you live in Hamburg and don’t need to use hotels, but here are my suggestions:

Jugendherberge "Auf dem Stintfang" Alfred-Wegener-Weg 5 - U3/S1/S2/S3 Landungsbrücken Checkin: 13:00-1:00 - jugendherberge.de/jh/hamburg-stintfang (Just a youth hostel but centrally located Landungsbrücken with a breathtaking view at

the harbour) Other places to stay: AO Hostel Hauptbahnhof Amsinckstr. 2-10 - U1 Steinstr. / Hauptbahnhof Checkin: 16:00 - ? aohostels.com/de/hamburg (Central station)

Backpackers St. Pauli. Bernstorffstraße 98 - U3 Feldstr. / S11/ S21/S31 Holstenstr. Checkin: 15:00-1:00 (or later) - backpackers-stpauli.de (St. Pauli) Instant Sleep Backpacker Hostel Max-

Brauer-Allee 277 - U3/S11/S21/S31 Sternschanze Checkin: 15:00-20:00 (or later) – instantsleep.de (Schanze, close to St. Pauli)

PLACES TO EAT

Lots. Especially if you’re interested in vegetarian/vegan food, try one of these: Azeitona, Beckstr. 17-19 - U3 Feldstraße Su-

Th: 12:00 - 23:00, Fr-Sa: 12:00 (open end) - azeitona.de (St. Pauli, comfortable, very friendly stuff, extremely good oriental food with a bride variety) Hin & Veg, Schulterblatt 16 - U3 Feldstraße or U 3 / S11/21/31 Sternschanze - hinundveg.de

Mo-Th: 11:30-22:30, Fr-Sa: 11:30-24:00, Su: 12:30-22:00 (St. Pauli, vegan and vegetarian food, you have to wait a long time and you can

definitely find better food elsewhere, but it is still ok) Falafelstern, Schanzenstraße 111 - U 3 /

S11/21/31 Sternschanze - falafelstern.de 10:00 (open end) (Schanze, probably the best falafel in town - and you can find other food here too) Backbord, Clemens-Schultz-Strasse 41 - U3

St. Pauli – 11:30 - 01:00 backbord-stpauli.de

TRAVEL TIPS

13

(St. Pauli, good food, vegetarian or vegan or

meat&co, hard to find a place after a FCSP match, but it is always a good place to go) If you just want some coffee, tea or cakes:

Café Oriental, Marktstr. 21a - U3 Feldstraße / U2 Messehallen 10:00 (open end) (St. Pauli, a nice café with a long history in the centre of the alternative shopping street Marktstrasse, you can find food and alcoholic drinks here too)

Liebes Bisschen, Eifflerstraße 47 - U 3 / S11/21/31 Sternschanze - cookiecouture.de/

cafe Tu-So 12:00 -19:00 (closed on Monday) (Schanze, if you like sweet stuff, this is a very good place to get happy this way)

Herr Max, Schulterblatt 12 - U3 Feldstraße or U 3 / S11/21/31 Sternschanze - herrmax.de 10:00-21:00 (St. Pauli, great cakes and other sweets)

PLACES YOU SHOULD SEE

After each home game there is the Diffidati

March – singing solidary together with fans

which have been banned from attending games by the police (without any reasons - this is a huge problem in Germany), around 40 minutes after the game at the Südkurvenvorplatz (before the South terraces outside):

usp.stpaulifans.de/2012/10/diffidati-marsch From there you will find the Fanladen of FCSP too, which is the ending point of the march. A good way to get in contact with other St. Pauli

fans.

Fans without a ticket to a game or if you are in Hamburg during an away game - you can go to the KNUST - U3 Feldstraße - knusthamburg.de – opposite to the station Feldstrasse, where you can see the games on screen close to the

Millerntor together with lots of other Fans.

Good concerts and the FCSP & Celtic Party (the

annual party of supporters of FC St. Pauli & Celtic FC) you can find here, too. If you have some spare time, visit the harbour

and especially the Speicherstadt.

PLACES TO HANG OUT Around the Rote Flora, Schulterblatt 71 - U 3 / S11/21/31 Sternschanze - an autonomous center, see rote-flora.de, you can find some great cafes and bars. But a lot of strange party people without any political sense or manners,

so please beware. Better to go there during daytime. If you're interested in some shopping, go to the Marktstraße – an old alternative shopping street before, which has been transformed to

somewhat normal today, but still got some nice shops.

ANY OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS?

If you have lots of time, you could go to the

central cemetary Ohlsdorf. Why? Because this is the biggest park cemetary of the world. Very big and a nice place, too. Lots of green. Good for a walk. Hauptfriedhof Ohlsdorf, Fuhlsbüttler Str. 756 - S1 Ohlsdorf / U1 Ohlsdorf Apr.-Oct.: 8:00-21:00, Nov.-March: 8:00-18:00 -

friedhof-hamburg.de/ohlsdorf And if you have 5 hours of time or more, try this one: Zaubertrank Mexikoring 11 a - S1 Rübenkamp (City Nord) / U1 Sengelmannstr. (City Nord) Mo-Sa: 10:00-24:00, Su: 18:00-

24:00 - zaubertrank-hamburg.de – this place

serves drinks only to customers, which has been informed about their range of drinks and other stuff. You need about one or two hours for this and I don't know if they do this in any other language than German. But the drinks are very interesting, expensive and very, very

special. You won't find anything like this anywhere else (this is the reason for their extreme caution). Try it and you will understand. It is worth the waiting time! More information and pictures from a lot of the places before, written especially for Gothics

and Postpunks, you can find here http://

kleinertod.de/reisefuehrer/hamburg-schwarzer-reisefuehrer.html (in german). A huge thanks again to @KleinerTod for

the suggestions, be sure to check out his regular St. Pauli blog: http://kleinertod.wordpress.com/

Rota Flora, Hamburg.

14

How much would you sacrifice for success? Is it worth losing your identity, your history and your club traditions? Ben Dudley tells us of the day his beloved Cardiff City sold it’s soul. You can follow Ben at Twitter @Dudley1927 and

read more on his website here. On the 6th June 2012, the football club I loved announced it was completely ‘rebranding’ itself in an attempt to appeal to the Asian market.

This followed many weeks of speculation about such a change, with the news initially breaking

just minutes after the full time whistle had blown on the final game of the 2011/12 season. After overwhelming initial opposition to the changes, the club released a statement saying that they had listened to the wishes of the fans, and the club would play in blue for the upcoming season, with a traditional

bluebird badge. We will not proceed with the proposed change of colour and logo, and the team will continue

to play in blue at home for the coming season with the current badge – Cardiff City statement – 10th May 2012

They lied. The night before the news of the confirmation of the rebrand, strong rumours suggested that an announcement from the club would be

made, giving me some time to think about what I would do should my worst fears be confirmed. The decision to walk away from the club would not be an easy one. I’d held a season ticket since the age of 14, and made it

to at least 20 away games every season since that time. Cardiff City was undeniably a huge

part of my life. Despite this, I knew that I would be unable to watch Cardiff throw away their history to such a degree. To me, a football club is so much more than just the players who happen to pull on the shirt at any one time. If you don’t

believe in the identity of your club and simply enjoy success, everyone in the world might as well support Barcelona. Whether you support Bayern Munich or Barry

Town, Real Madrid or Rotherham, you should

always be proud of your club and what it stands for. As the rebrand was confirmed, the only overwhelming emotions I felt about Cardiff City were shame and anger. Shame that the club I loved had sold their soul so spectacularly, and anger that the owners were going to get away with it.

I decided straight away that I would be boycotting the club until sense was restored

and they played in a blue home kit with a bluebird on the badge. Even at this stage, in my heart I never truly expected Cardiff to play a game in red. Surely enough of the fanbase would feel the same way as me that the

pressure on the club would force them into reconsidering. An hour after the rebrand was announced I headed to Cardiff City stadium, making my own protest by tying my ‘Bluebirds’ scarf to the Ninian Park gates and paying

tribute to the bluebird with a blue smokebomb.

While there was some desire from fans to protest, the Keep Cardiff Blue group which formed was met with strong opposition and was threatened into submission before any kind of protest could take place. A protest meeting at a local social club was invaded by a group of former hooligans who made dire threats

against anybody who protested, including the immortal line “If you bring a blue banner to a game, I’ll bury you.”

To well and truly ensure that the red revolution would pass off without a hitch, the club banned all protesters from Cardiff City Stadium or the

surrounding area before the opening game of the season at home to Huddersfield. By this stage, the fanbase had been completely divided, with the statement released by Dato Chan scaring many people into accepting or even embracing the rebrand. The majority of

fans were divided up into the following categories:

Completely against the rebrand - Full

boycott

Against the rebrand but continued to

attend games

So called ‘Reluctant reds’ – Acceptance of

the rebrand for what they saw as the benefit of the club

Fans who actively embraced the rebrand

With the fans willing to accept the rebrand far outnumbering those who wanted to protest by at least 50 to 1, it seemed there was very little

point in continuing to protest against the changes. I instead stepped away from the club completely, to the stage where I have not even

seen Cardiff City play on Sky Sports or the Football League Show this season. The only glimpses I had of the stadium was through social media, and with the majority of my

friends feeling the same way as me about the rebrand, even this was very rare. In the images I did see, the majority of fans were reassuringly wearing blue, or at least any colour other than red.

As the months went on and Cardiff won more

THE DAY THE BLUEBIRDS DIED

15

and more games, the dissenting voices against the rebrand continued to dwindle. “Who cares

about history, we’re top of the league” and “it’s only a colour” were phrases seen in various places across the internet.

It didn’t matter to me if Cardiff were top of the Championship, bottom of League Two or winning the Champions League, I could still never watch them in red. This meant I was never tempted to break the boycott, however in my heart at this stage I was still confident that Cardiff City would one day be back in blue

with a bluebird on their shirts. It was not until the 19th February 2013 that this changed for good.

It was announced that the club would be presenting every fan who attended the home fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion with a

free red scarf. This ‘generous gift’ (or cynical marketing ploy) was met with wide outrage by many Cardiff City fans, with many far angrier than when the rebrand had initially happened. It seemed for a lot of supporters it was one thing for the players to be made to wear red, but forcing it down the throats of the fans was

quite another thing. There was much talk of protests against these

scarves, with some fans planning to throw them on the pitch, while others vowed to reject the scarf and wear as much blue as

possible. For the first time in several months, I felt like I could identify with the majority of Cardiff City fans. It was coming a lot later than I expected, but the ‘fire and passion’ from fans to protest was finally there. Posters for ‘Blue Tuesday’ were distributed, while social media was abuzz with promises to rebel against the

scarves. For the first time all season I was excited

about a Cardiff City game. The garish scarves (which didn’t even include the correct name of the club and featured a red bluebird) would surely be rejected en masse, and the fans of

Cardiff City would show pride in their heritage and tradition. The door to a return to blue looked more open than ever. I kept Twitter open to monitor the protests that would take place against the attempted

execution of the bluebird and the rise of the dragon, however it soon became clear that this

was not the case. The much talked about protests failed to emerge, and instead the stadium was a sea of red. 90% of fans within

the ground were proudly showing their fire and passion for the Vincent Tan revolution. The images rolling in of the stadium genuinely looked more like Anfield than Cardiff City Stadium, and it was clear that the Cardiff City I had once loved so dearly was dead.

I can only compare the situation to Winston Smith’s realisation at the end of Nineteen Eighty-Four, betraying Julia and learning to

love Big Brother. The vast majority of Cardiff City fans inside the stadium had shown that far from being ‘reluctant reds’, they had come to love the new club founded by Vincent Tan in

2012. The Malaysian version of Big Brother was watching on from the director’s box, and as he looked around the stadium at a sea of red, it was clear he had won. Who knows what will happen next to the club I used to know, with further changes seeing

inevitable. From red seats at the stadium to a name change, nothing seems impossible. The bluebird was sacrificed on that cold Tuesday

night in February, ending any façade of the rebrand being a temporary measure. For a number of fans, this was the final straw. For

countless more, it was just another game. I have no ill feeling whatsoever towards those who continue to support the club, but as they wave their red scarves when Cardiff are inevitably promoted at the end of the season, a part of them will surely have to consider

whether the price they have paid for glory was really worth it. Brighton won the game 2 – 0, but it was far more than just three points lost

for the home side at Cardiff City Stadium. Fans filed into the night past the statue of Fred Keenor, a stark reminder of the clubs history so wilfully cast aside in the pursuit of success.

To slightly adapt my favourite chant during my time following the club, this truly was the day they took my Cardiff away. Cardiff City Football Club, the Bluebirds. Born 1910, died 2013.