Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Mönchengladbach This famed club with the unpronounceable name was one of the dominant teams of the 1970s, winning 5 Bundesliga titles. Since then, things have been a lot more rough, and it is unlikely that Gladbach will ever see those heights again - unless they get a sudden, massive infusion of cash. However, based on their now fading glory years, Borussia remain one of Germany's most recognizable clubs.
The club was founded back in 1900, in the "Anton Schmitz" pub. Disgruntled members of FC Germannia decided to break off and form their own club. Some moderate success was achieved in the 1930s, mostly on a regional scale. The first real national success on a didn't occur until 1960, when Borussia, led by international Albert Brülls, won the DFB Cup, defeating archrival 1.FC Köln 3-1.
Traditionally, M'Gladbach has been known for stylish, attacking football, but always from a solid defense. Among the famous players, most of whom played in the glory years of the 1970s, are midfielders Günter Netzer, Rainer Bonhof and forward Jupp Heynckes. Tiny Dane Allan Simonsen was a big star, and Lotthar Matthäus broke into the national squad with Gladbach in the early 80s. However, the best player was probably defender Berti Vogts, a fixture at the back for many years, to go along with 96 international caps. The memory of Vogts is somewhat clouded these days with his less than stellar run as national team coach, but the "Terrier" almost defined the style of a dogged defensive back.
On the European stage, Borussia has always been a tough opponent. The most famous game was however officially never played. Back in the 1971 Champions Cup, Gladbach defeated Inter Milan 7-1, but one of the Italian cheaters, Roberto Boninsegna, faked an injury, supposedly being hit on the head by a bottle thrown from the stands. The result was overturned by a spineless UEFA.
After the last title in 1977, Gladbach remained a top Bundesliga fixture, and indeed, after some poor results and danger in the early 1990s, by the mid decade they had reestablished themselves as a credible squad. However the wheels came off realtively quickly: 97-98 was almost a total disaster, as only a Gladbach away win and a Karlsruhe loss (who were leading in their game) saved Borussia from their first relegation ever.
1998-99 was the darkest year in club history. Basically, Gladbach sucked out of the gate, and there was little doubt they would end at the bottom. The premier German club of the 1970s had reached the end-of-the-line. When it became clear that relegation really couldn't be avoided, they finally started playing half-way decent. However, since most of the players left, it was unclear if they would be able to rebound in the 2.Liga. Their start was crap, and they were in the relegation zone early. However, in the 2nd half, they put things together and made a decent run. They enter the new milenium with a young, rebuilt squad and hopes of bouncing back to the top flight.
| Fullname | Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V.
Mönchengladbach
| City |
Mönchengladbach
(Nordrhein-Westfalen). Pop:
263,000
(2002). West of Düsseldorf.
| Address |
Bökelstraße 165 (Stadion), 41063 Mönchengladbach | Phone: (02161) 92930 Colors |
Green-white-black. Usually white with black trim at home, green on the
road.
| Nickname |
Die Fohlen (foals, i.e. horses)
| Stadium |
Stadion im Borussia Park. Capacity: 53,148 (37,740 seats). | This state-of-the-art stadium opened in August 2004. Before then, MG had played in the legendary Bökelberg. Capacity 34,500 (8,900 seats) Tickets |
Range from 10.50-37.50 euros. Up to 5 euros additional charge for "Top
games". (2004).
| Supporters |
Despite being a "small" club, Gladbach has a strong following, basically
in the western/Ruhr area. However, their stylish play has brought them
many international admirers. Averaged about 33,000 in 2004, but the new
stadium should boost it closer to 50,000.
| Friends |
|
Foes |
Traditionally Gladbach's biggest foes have been the rivals at the top.
Locally, probably 1.FC Köln. And of course Bayern München,
especially from the 70s. | Heroes |
Over 30 German internationals, almost all of which came post 1970. The
best player prior to the 70s was
probably Albert Brülls, capped 22 times before moving to
Italy. The 1970s produced
some of the greatest stars: Flashy midfield general Günter
Netzer, perhaps Germany's greatest defender Berti Vogts (96
caps), forward Jupp Heynckes (195 BL goals, by far the team
leader), workhorse midfielder Rainer
Bonhof. The teams of the late 70s/early 80s were built around superb
diminutive Danish forward Allan Simonsen.
| Zeroes |
Lothar Matthäus may have gotten his start as Germany's most
capped player (26 caps for Gladbach, another 120+ for other teams), but
is considered a traitor by most fans. Not only
did he leave for Bayern München, but in his last game for Gladbach he
missed a penalty kick in the DFB-Cup final...against Bayern
München!!!
| Beer |
Jever. Hannen Alt is
locally brewed. Diebels was the main sponsor
from 1994-97. Danish brew Tuborg was a sponsor before that.
|
Pub Grub |
| The Net |
Official site is www.borussia.de
with a well done and informative history section.
| |
Recent History:
--------------
1963-64 (II) Regionalliga West 8th
1964-65 (II) Regionalliga West 1st
1965-66 (I) Bundesliga 13th
1966-67 (I) Bundesliga 8th
1967-68 (I) Bundesliga 3rd
1968-69 (I) Bundesliga 3rd
1969-70 (I) Bundesliga 1st CHAMPION
1970-71 (I) Bundesliga 1st CHAMPION
1971-72 (I) Bundesliga 3rd
1972-73 (I) Bundesliga 5th
1973-74 (I) Bundesliga 2nd
1974-75 (I) Bundesliga 1st CHAMPION
1975-76 (I) Bundesliga 1st CHAMPION
1976-77 (I) Bundesliga 1st CHAMPION
1977-78 (I) Bundesliga 2nd
1978-79 (I) Bundesliga 10th
1979-80 (I) Bundesliga 7th
1980-81 (I) Bundesliga 6th
1981-82 (I) Bundesliga 7th
1982-83 (I) Bundesliga 12th
1983-84 (I) Bundesliga 3rd
1984-85 (I) Bundesliga 4th
1985-86 (I) Bundesliga 4th
1986-87 (I) Bundesliga 3rd
1987-88 (I) Bundesliga 7th
1988-89 (I) Bundesliga 6th
1989-90 (I) Bundesliga 15th
1990-91 (I) Bundesliga 9th
1991-92 (I) Bundesliga 13th
1992-93 (I) Bundesliga 9th
1993-94 (I) Bundesliga 10th
1994-95 (I) Bundesliga 5th DFB Cup Winner
1995-96 (I) Bundesliga 4th
1996-97 (I) Bundesliga 11th
1997-98 (I) Bundesliga 15th
1998-99 (I) Bundesliga 18th
1999-00 (II) 2.Bundesliga 5th
2000-01 (II) 2.Bundesliga 2nd
2001-02 (I) Bundesliga 12th
2002-03 (I) Bundesliga 12th
2003-04 (I) Bundesliga 11th
2004-05 (I) Bundesliga 15th
2005-06 (I) Bundesliga 10th
2006-07 (I) Bundesliga 18th
2007-08 (II) 2.Bundesliga 1st
2008-09 (I) Bundesliga
(c) Abseits Guide to Germany : www.abseits-soccer.com