1. FC Bayern München (M) 34 22 7 5 73:28 +45 73 CL 2. Bayer 04 Leverkusen 34 21 10 3 74:36 +38 73 CL ------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Hamburger SV 34 16 11 7 63:39 +24 59 CLQ 4. TSV München 1860 34 14 11 9 55:48 +7 53 CLQ 5. 1. FC Kaiserslautern 34 15 5 14 54:59 -5 50 UEFA 6. Hertha BSC Berlin 34 13 11 10 39:46 -7 50 UEFA ------------------------------------------------------------ 7. VfL Wolfsburg 34 12 13 9 51:58 -7 49 8. VfB Stuttgart 34 14 6 14 44:47 -3 48 9. SV Werder Bremen (P) 34 13 8 13 65:52 +13 47 10. Spvgg. Unterhaching (N) 34 12 8 14 40:42 -2 44 11. Borussia Dortmund 34 9 13 12 41:38 +3 40 12. SC Freiburg 34 10 10 14 45:50 -5 40 13. Eintracht Frankfurt 34 12 5 17 42:44 -2 39 (-2) 14. FC Schalke 04 34 8 15 11 42:44 -2 39 15. FC Hansa Rostock 34 8 14 12 44:60 -16 38 ------------------------------------------------------------ 16. SSV Ulm 1846 (N) 34 9 8 17 36:62 -26 35 relegated 17. Arminia Bielefeld (N) 34 7 9 18 40:61 -21 30 relegated 18. MSV Duisburg 34 4 10 20 37:71 -34 22 relegated M = Meister, defending champion P = Pokal, defending cupwinner N = Neuling, newly promoted Frankfurt was subtracted 2 pts due to financial shenanigans Bayern Muenchen defeated Werder Bremen 3-0 to win the DFB Cup and do the double. Goalgetters: 1. Martin Max (München 1860) 19 2. Ulf Kirsten (Leverkusen) 17 3. Ebbe Sand (Schalke) 14 4. Giovanne Elber (Bayern) 14 5. Paulo Sergio (Bayern) 13 6. Marco Bode (Bremen) 13 7. Ailton SV (Bremen) 12 8. Jonathan Akpoborie (Wolfb.) 12 9. Michael Preetz (Hertha) 12
The 1999-2000 season turned out to be quite amazing, as both the battle for the title and relegation ended in dramtic fashion. Bayern Muenchen, the defending champ and heavy favorite, seemed to be coasting along. But the perennial challenger Bayer Leverkusen put together a brilliant run and seemed to have the title in the bag. Leverkusen needed only a draw at Unterhaching to secure their first championship. However, they were stunned 0-2, and Bayern caught them to claim their 16th title.
At the bottom, MSV Duisburg and Arminia Bielefeld pretty much played themselves out early on, but the relegation battle had an unexpected twist. Borussia Dortmund, only a couple of years removed from winning everything, including the Intercontinental title, dropped in serious trouble. Eintracht Frankfurt was given up for dead, and had a 2 pt penalty to boot. But a brilliant end run and a dramatic 2-1 win in the final match against Ulm saved the day, and surprising newcomer SSV Ulm was sent down.
Among the surprises this season were undoubtedly the crap performances by both Dortmund and Schalke, whereas 1860 Muenchen and SpVgg Unterhaching made it a Munich festival with their great results. Hamburg showed strength, but never really threatened. Werder Bremen tailed off at the end, but showed offensive prowess.
G W T L GF:GA Diff Pts 1. 1.FC Köln 34 19 8 7 68:39 +29 65 promoted 2. VfL Bochum (A) 34 18 7 9 67:48 +19 61 promoted 3. FC Energie Cottbus 34 18 4 12 62:42 +20 58 promoted ------------------------------------------------------------ 4. 1. FC Nürnberg (A) 34 15 10 9 54:46 +8 55 5. Borussia M'gladbach (A) 34 14 12 8 60:43 +17 54 6. Rot-Weiß Oberhausen 34 12 13 9 43:34 +9 49 7. SpVgg. Greuther Fürth 34 10 16 8 40:39 +1 46 8. Alemannia Aachen (N) 34 12 10 12 46:54 -8 46 9. FSV Mainz 05 34 11 12 11 41:42 -1 45 10. Hannover 96 34 12 8 14 56:56 0 44 11. Chemnitzer FC (N) 34 11 10 13 42:49 -7 43 12. SV Waldhof Mannheim (N) 34 10 12 12 50:56 -6 42 13. Tennis Borussia Berlin 34 10 10 14 42:50 -8 40 relegated 14. FC St. Pauli 34 8 15 11 37:45 -8 39 ------------------------------------------------------------ 15. Stuttgarter Kickers 34 10 9 15 49:58 -9 39 16. Fortuna Köln 34 8 11 15 38:50 -12 35 relegated 17. Kickers Offenbach (N) 34 8 11 15 35:58 -23 35 relegated 18. Karlsruher SC 34 5 12 17 35:56 -21 27 relegated A = Absteiger, just relegated from Bundesliga N = Neuling, just promoted from Regionalliga Note: After the season, Tennis Borussia was denied a 2.Liga license by the DFB for financial incompetance, and are forcibly relegated. That saves Kickers Stuttgart's ass. Leading Scorers: --------------- Tomislav Maric (Stuttgart) 21 Arie Van Lent (Gladbach) 19 Achim Weber (Bochum) 19 Rainer Krieg (KSC) 15 Antun Labak (Cottbus) 15 Peter Peschel (Bochum) 15
The Zweite Liga turned out to be incredibly hard fought and went down to the wire in various categories. Relegated VfL Bochum came out breathing fire, destroying everybody in their path, but then collapsed into mediocrity. They recovered their form and easily secured 2nd place and a return to the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, ex-Bundesligist 1.FC Koeln got off to a slow start, but once they started rolling, they were unstoppable, and essentially assured themselves of the title and Promotion with several games to spare. The sensation was Energie Cottbus, who got off well, and then remained doggedly in the race. Relegated Gladbach and Nuernberg attempted to mount seious challenges, but Cottbus fended them off and desevedly gain promotion to the top flight!
Gladbach started horribly, and looked like a relegation candidate. However, they fired their coach, regrouped, and almost made it to promotion. Nuernberg played mostly uninspired soccer, not enough to grab the prize.
There was drama at the bottom. Karlsruhe pays the price for management incompetance and overpriced mercenaries, and goes down, a sad day. Fortuna Koeln was pretty lame, as was Offenbach. However Stuttgarter Kickers mounted a last ditch effort that almost saved the day. A last second goal saved St.Pauli on the final day, sending Stuttgart down.
From the teams in the middle, Oberhausen started poorly, but finished strong, ending higher than expected. Tennis Borussia was disappointing, almost getting relegated. Their players proved to be unmotivated when the dream of promotion faded, and they totally phoned it in down the stretch. Aachen turned out to be a pleasant surprise: not only did they play well, but averaged a nice 18,500 per game attendance.
G GF:GA Diff Pts
1. VfL Osnabrueck 34 69:34 +35 74 Playoff
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3. VfB Luebeck 34 74:34 +40 70
5. Eintracht Braunschweig 34 69:28 +41 69
2. SV Wilhelmshaven 92 34 62:38 +24 68
4. Werder Bremen Amat. 34 68:38 +30 63
6. Lueneburger SK 34 60:38 +22 60
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8. BV Cloppenburg 34 73:58 +15 55
7. Holstein Kiel 34 62:57 +5 51
9. Goettingen 05 (N) 34 58:63 -5 45
10. Arminia Hannover 34 53:51 +2 41
11. SV Meppen 34 57:57 0 41
12. SC Norderstedt 34 47:64 -17 36
13. Eintracht Nordhorn 34 54:76 -22 36
14. TuS Celle FC 34 39:65 -16 35
15. FC St. Pauli Am. (N) 34 44:67 -23 34
16. Hamburger SV Amat. 34 45:68 -23 31
17. FC Bremerhaven (N) 34 39:82 -43 27
18. VfB Oldenburg 34 28:83 -55 14 (-2)
A = Absteiger; relegated previous season from 2.Liga
N = Neuling; promoted previous season from Oberliga
1st place into 2.Liga playoffs
Top 5 teams qualify for new Regionalliga
6th place in new Regionalliga playoff
VfB Oldenburg will be subtracted 2 pts at season end
Leading Scorers:
---------------
Daniel Bärwolf (Lübeck) 25
Marinus Bester (Lüneburg) 25
Horst Elberfeld (Cloppenburg) 24
The Regionalliga Nord was pretty much controlled from the start by VfL
Osnabrück, the defending champion. However, they were surprisingly
challenged by Wilhelmshaven until late in the season. Lübeck and
Braunschweig finished strong, but were basically out of the title race by
midway.
The main interest was the race for the top 5 positions, as these would automatically be guaranteed spots in the "new" Regionalliga. However, it soon turned out that this was decided pretty early on too. As it was, Lüneburg grabbed the 6th spot, which still gives them a chance at the new league. As it was, only Cloppenburg was able to mount any sort of run, as the remainder of the clubs were mired in mediocrity.
G GF:GA Diff Pts
1. 1.FC Union Berlin 34 53:23 +30 77 Playoff
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2. Dresdner SC 34 65:30 +35 60
3. Erzgebirge Aue 34 59:40 +19 60
4. FC Carl Zeiss Jena 34 53:35 +18 58
5. SV Babelsberg 34 57:40 +17 57
6. Sachsen Leipzig 34 46:34 +12 57
7. RW Erfurt 34 39:41 -2 57
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8. Dynamo Dresden 34 44:34 +10 52
9. VfB Leipzig 34 43:36 +7 49
10. 1.FC Magdeburg 34 64:44 +20 47
11. Hertha BSC Am. (N) 34 42:55 -13 43
12. FC Stahl Eisenhuettenstadt 34 40:61 -21 40
13. VFC Plauen 34 39:51 -12 35
14. VfL Halle 96 (N) 34 35:65 -30 35
15. Tennis Bor. Berlin Am. (N) 34 53:70 -17 34
16. Lok Altmark Stendal 34 38:60 -22 34
17. BFC Dynamo Berlin 34 39:56 -17 28
18. FSV Zwickau 34 33:67 -34 25
A = Absteiger, newly relegated from 2.Liga
N = Neuling, newly promoted from Oberliga
1st place into 2.Liga playoffs
Top 6 teams qualify for new Regionalliga
7th place in new Regionalliga playoff
Leading Scorers:
---------------
Hendryk Lau (Babelsberg) 16
Jörg Kirsten (Aue) 13
Rocco Milde (Zwickau/DSC) 13
The Regionalliga Nordost was dominated by "Eisern Union", as the Berliners methodically mowed down their opponents, winning all the tight matches and eventually running away with everything. They would then go on to defeat Nord champs Osnabrück (1-1, 1-1, penalties) for the automatic promotion spot.
Nevertheless, there was plenty of suspense, as the top 7 spots had chances to qualify for the new Regionalliga. From the outset, there were some surprises, as Dresdner SC, Sachsen Leipzig and Babelsberg played brilliantly, racking up points that would eventually carry themselves through. Meanwhile, favored clubs like Dynamo Dresden and VfB Leipzig struggled. Carl Zeiss Jena put on a brilliant 2nd half run to secure a spot, but many other famous clubs fell by the wayside. At the bottom, the drastic collapse of FSV Zwickau showed how the balance of power had shifted in the East.
G GF:GA Diff Pts
1. 1.FC Saarbruecken 36 69:22 +47 77 Promoted
2. LR Ahlen 36 82:32 +50 71 Group Playoff
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3. SpFr Siegen 36 61:42 +19 67
4. SG Wattenscheid 09 (A) 36 72:42 +30 63
5. Eintracht Trier 36 54:47 +7 60
6. Fortuna Duesseldorf (A) 36 53:35 +18 53
7. Rot-Weiss Essen (N) 36 55:46 +9 52
8. Preussen Muenster 36 50:54 -4 50
9. SC Verl 36 49:44 +5 49
10. Bor. Dortmund Am. 36 42:40 +2 49
11. KFC Uerdingen (A) 36 52:52 0 48
12. SV Elversberg 36 49:49 0 48
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13. SC Paderborn 07 36 47:47 0 48
14. 1.FC Kaiserslautern Am. 36 49:55 -6 48
15. VfL Bochum Am. (N) 36 57:69 -12 40
16. Bayer Leverkusen Am. 36 45:52 -7 38
17. FK Pirmasens (N) 36 38:75 -37 33
18. SC Idar-Oberstein (N) 36 25:78 -53 31
19. FSV Salmrohr 36 19:87 -68 16
20. FC Guetersloh (A) 0 0:0 0 0 *
* = FC Guetersloh went bankrupt. All results are annulled.
They had played 23 games, with a respectable 37 pts and 30:24 goals
A = Absteiger; relegated previous year from 2.Liga
N = Neuling; promoted previous year from Oberliga
1st place promoted to 2.Liga
2nd place into 2.Liga playoffs
Top 11 teams qualify for new Regionalliga
12th place in new Regionalliga playoff
Leading Scorers:
---------------
Marius Ebbers (Wattenscheid) 23
Daniel Teixeira (Uerdingen) 22
Mario Krohm (Ahlen) 21
A hard fought season, with Saarbruecken finally seizing control mid way through the 2nd half, and bringing home the title. Ahlen attacked furiously, and managed to hold off favored Siegen for the 2nd spot.
The battle for the Regionalliga spots proved to be exciting as well. Ex-Bundeligist was given up for dead, but a furious end spurt saw them through. Paderborn is the big loser, as "goals scored" proved to be the decisive tie-breaker, and they didn't score enough.
FC Gütersloh proved to be the sad story. They were in the upperhalf of the table when they went bankrupt, resulting in all their games being annulled. Although the ex-2.Ligist didn't look strong enough to win the title, they would have been a sure Regionalliga qualifier.
G GF:GA Diff Pts
1. SSV Reutlingen 34 102:25 +77 87
2. SC Pfullendorf 34 57:36 +21 61
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3. VfR Mannheim 34 61:55 +6 57
4. Wacker Burghausen 34 57:42 +15 55
5. FC Bayern Muenchen Amat. 34 64:58 +6 51
6. 1860 Muenchen Amat. 34 48:38 +10 48
7. VfB Stuttgart Amat. 34 49:35 +14 47
8. FC Augsburg 34 43:43 0 46 *
9. VfR Aalen (N) 34 51:54 -3 46
10. SV Darmstadt 98 (N) 34 49:51 -2 46
11. FC Schweinfurt 05 34 47:54 -7 45
12. Karlsruher SC Amat. 34 56:51 +5 44 *
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13. FSV Frankfurt 34 49:55 -6 44 *
14. SV Wehen 34 46:52 -6 43 *
15. TSF Ditzingen 34 46:55 -9 36
16. SG Quelle Fuerth (N) 34 40:70 -30 35
17. Borussia Fulda 34 40:57 -17 31
18. SV Lohof (N) 34 29:103 -74 10
A = Absteiger; relegated previous year from 2.Liga
N = Neuling; promoted previous year from Oberliga
1st place promoted to 2.Liga
2nd place into 2.Liga playoffs
Top 11 teams qualify for new Regionalliga
12th place in new Regionalliga playoff
Notes:
1) KSC Amateurs are forcibly relegated (KSC top team dropped from
2.Liga) Therefore FSV Frankfurt assumes their spot in the playoff!
2) FC Augsburg lost their sponsor, so the DFB kicked their ass out for
lack of funding. As a result, FSV Frankfurt is ppromoted automatically,
and SV Wehen enters the promotion playoff!
Leading Scorers:
---------------
Oliver Djappa (Reutlingen) 36
Neno Rogosic (Aalen) 18
Marco Barcelaj (Pfullendorf) 17
Ivica Magdic (Pfullendorf) 17
Sascha Maier (Burghausen) 17
The Regionalliga Süd race was over from the start. SSV Reutlingen basically kicked everybodies ass and ran away with it. The only question was whether they would score 100 goals, which was in jeopardy, as they slacked off towards the end. The battle for 2nd place soon narrowed down to VfR Mannheim and the shocking SC Pfullendorf, which had only escaped relegation last season when Offenbach got promoted. However this season Pfullendorf proved to be quite a tough nut to crack, and hung on tenaciously, deserving the 2nd spot. There was never much of a race for the remaining Regionalliga spots, as the bottom clubs were generally inferior and not deserving, never really challenging. In the end, only SV Wehen was really in the race for the last spot, from which FSV Frankfurt benefitted from Karlsruhe's automatic relegation.
(c) Abseits Guide to Germany - www.abseits-soccer.com