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Post by Bismarck on Dec 20, 2008 9:10:14 GMT
Well he is 24 I would say there is time for him to come.... I envy Bayern to have a player like this however could not see him anywhere else... the way he speaks of the club... he has Bayern in his soul... He IS Bayern and truly there is something special there that cannot be taken away from player or team... Bayern is one of the greatest teams, it is a symbol and has a lot of pride... respect for player and team...
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Post by Bismarck on Dec 20, 2008 9:11:02 GMT
Borussia Monchengladbach coach Hans Meyer has admitted he was surprised when assistant coach Christian Ziege's announced his decision to resign.
Ziege yesterday told the squad and managerial staff that he would not be joining them on a trip to Israel as he was to relinquish his responsibilities with immediate effect.
"That really came out of the blue," Meyer told Wednesday's Rheinischen Post newspaper. "I have been working together with him since I arrived here a few weeks ago and I got the impression that things were working well.
"Then he informed us that he wanted to step back due to personal reasons. I don't know what those reasons are and I don't want to pass any sort of judgment."
Ziege took temporary charge of the coaching duties when Jos Luhukay was sacked earlier this season, however he was never considered for the role on a permanent basis and, instead, was asked to help find a replacement for the Dutchman.
Once Meyer was appointed, Ziege took on the role as assistant coach.
It had been speculated recently that Ziege was not happy working under Meyer and that he still harboured ambitions of becoming head coach, but both have distanced themselves from such rumours.
"I wanted to go public with this decision at the end of the week, but the reports in the media have forced me to do this today," said Ziege.
"My reasons for leaving are purely of a personal, private nature and have nothing at all to do with the wild speculation."
Meyer added that the speculation was "without foundation" and that he and Ziege had "worked well together."
Meyer will now be looking for another assistant with the same characteristics as Ziege.
"I am 66 years old and I need young people who can really work on the field," he added.
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Post by Bismarck on Dec 20, 2008 9:11:32 GMT
Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has warned clubs off Franck Ribery, saying that his long-term future lies with the Bundesliga side.
The French winger not only caught the eye in being voted the Bundesliga's best player in his debut season last year, but his return from injury this term has coincided with Bayern's revival.
Ribery has helped Bayern put their worst start to a Bundesliga season in three decades behind them and move into a share of the league lead at the midway stage of the season.
For Rummenigge, the Frenchman is indispensable.
"Ribery will be staying with FC Bayern at least until June 30, 2011, and I emphasise the words 'at least'," he told the Bild newspaper. "I can make that a 100% certain promise to all FC Bayern fans and friends of attractive football.
"No offer, no sum in the world can change our minds. We will even try to extend his contract in the new year beyond 2011."
Rummenigge is equally thrilled by the work being carried out by new coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
He gave the coach a glowing report for his first six months in charge and hinted that he too could be summoned to his office for contract talks soon.
"We are heading in the right direction, thanks above all to Jurgen Klinsmann," he said. "Jurgen has a contract until June 30, 2010. I think we will have to make definite thoughts about that next summer.
"He is really managing to improve every player day by day."
The apparent exception to that rule is Lukas Podolski, whose transfer request has fallen on deaf ears.
The striker wants to return to his home-town club Cologne after failing to break into the first team under Klinsmann, but Bayern have forbade him from leaving this winter.
"He is our third striker," said Rummenigge. "We need him for all the competitions. I can see him having some good chances over the next six months."
However, Rummenigge would not rule out a transfer for the 23-year-old in the summer.
He said: "If Cologne make us an acceptable offer, then it would be very helpful for Lukas. We would be able to agree a deal with Cologne at the start of January for a transfer on July 1.
"That would be in Lukas' interests. He would be able to get his head free and would be fresh and happy again and could give himself a worthy send-off from FC Bayern."
But Rummenigge says the two clubs are still a few million euros apart with their valuations of the player, and has advised Cologne not to let this opportunity pass them by.
"I think Cologne are playing a strange game," he said. "If they really want a player, then they should not let it break down for just one or two million.
"They have put something into Lukas' mind, but are not now following it up with everything they have to get him back to Cologne. They want him, but only at their price."
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Post by Bismarck on Jan 26, 2009 11:07:26 GMT
Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness has slapped a 150 million euro price tag on midfielder Franck Ribery.
The France international was a reported target for AC Milan, who were thought to see him as a possible replacement for Kaka before his proposed move to Manchester City fell through last night.
Hoeness, though, values the former Marseille man higher than the Brazilian.
"If Kaka is meant to be worth 120 million, then Franck Ribery is worth 150 million," Hoeness told Eurosport television. "We would only perhaps start to consider selling him at a sum like this."
Ribery, 25, has a contract running to 2011 but recently said he would enjoy playing for other European clubs.
"Bayern are obviously one of the biggest and best clubs in the world," he said late last year. "Obviously there are other clubs that would be a dream: Real Madrid and Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United."
"I certainly love Real Madrid because of the great tradition but I feel happy here at Bayern. We will have to wait and see what the future holds."
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Post by Bismarck on Jan 31, 2009 23:48:50 GMT
January 31, 2009 VfB Stuttgart 2-0 Borussia Monchengladbach
FC Cologne 1-1 VfL Wolfsburg
Hertha Berlin 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
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Post by Bismarck on Jan 31, 2009 23:49:37 GMT
Hoffenheim win to reclaim top spot..
Hoffenheim comfortably beat relegation-threatened Energie Cottbus 2-0 on Saturday to reclaim top spot in the Bundesliga and keep their title hoes in the debut season alive.
Demba Ba opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the season after 28 minutes before Boubacar Sanogo marked his debut with a second on 63 after joining on loan from Werder Bremen earlier this month.
Hoffenheim, without top scorer Vedad Ibisevic who is out for the rest of the season with a ruptured cruciate ligament, put in another solid performance as they resumed their title chase in their first top-flight season.
Hoffenheim lead with 38 points, two ahead of Hertha Berlin who nicked ahead of Hamburg SV on goal difference thanks to a Marko Pantelic brace in a 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Champions Bayern Munich lost 1-0 to Hamburg on Friday and drop to fourth on 35.
Hoffenheim started new signings Sanogo and former Germany keeper Timo Hildebrand but missed a spate of good chances with the Ivory Coast striker and defender Matthias Jaissle proving particularly wasteful.
The hosts had to wait only half an hour though to celebrate their first league goal in their newly-opened Rhein-Neckar arena when Ba picked up a Selim Teber cross and muscled his way past two defenders before slotting home.
Sanogo added the second when he combined beautifully with Ba to beat keeper Gerhard Tremmel from ten metres.
Hildebrand did not have as enjoyable a debut, having to be substituted in the 60th minute and taken to hospital for x-rays on his injured foot.
"We are satisfied with the result but also with the way the team played for most of the game," Hoffenheim coach Ralf Rangnick told reporters. "They deserve a big fat compliment."
Hertha edged past Frankfurt for their seventh straight league win at home when Pantelic netted in each half.
The Berliners, who this week renewed coach Lucien Favre's contract for another year, also missed a penalty when Cicero's effort was blocked by goalkeeper Markus Proell on 33 minutes.
Frankfurt pulled one back through Benjamin Koehler three minutes after Pantelic's second but failed to grab an equaliser despite putting Hertha under mounting pressure.
"We are very relieved with this result," Favre said. "Frankfurt put us under a lot of pressure at 2-0 but we hung in there. I had the intuition to play Pantelic."
Sixth-placed Borussia Dortmund were lucky to get away with a 1-1 home draw against Bayer Leverkusen after the side who lie one place ahead of them on 33 points dominated throughout.
The hosts led through a header from Switzerland's Alexander Frei's nine minutes before the break before Leverkusen's Patrick Helmes and Stefan Kiessling went close to levelling early in the second half but were denied by goalkeeper and cross bar.
Helmes scored the equaliser when Tranquillo Barnetta set him up to slot home his 13th goal of the season.
Schalke 04's erratic season continued when hosts Hanover scored against the run of play in the 8th minute to leave the Royal Blues in ninth place, while Borussia Moenchengladbach stayed bottom after going down 2-0 to VfB Stuttgart.
Werder Bremen play Arminia Bielefeld and VfL Bochum host Karlsruhe SC (1600GMT) on Sunday
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