Just like in the first quarter of 2015, the period from April to June was full of excitement. From a supposed ‘April fools joke', to the return of a true Green White, there is...
Just like in the first quarter of 2015, the period from April to June was full of excitement. From a supposed ‘April fools joke', to the return of a true Green White, there is...
Just like in the first quarter of 2015, the period from April to June was full of excitement. From a supposed ‘April fools joke', to the return of a true Green White, there is a lot to talk about. On the pitch, Werder were able to celebrate a legendary ‘Nordderby' win, and an emotional victory upon the return of Thomas Schaaf as Frankfurt manager. In the second part of the year review, WERDER.DE look back at what was a busy period of 2015.
Bundesliga matches in the Weser-stadion are always something special, particularly games against Bayern, Dortmund and Co. The North Derby against Hamburger SV goes without saying. For that reason, the Werder players increased the anticipation ahead of these matches with the hash tag #ichhättbock throughout the season. Sometimes, the players would stand in an empty stadium and dream of the green and white fans. Other times, they spent time preparing the grass and goals for an upcoming match, and in one instance they stared at the DFB Cup, hoping to get one step closer. These funny films with Bartels, Ujah, Wiedwald and Co. were published on the Werder Youtube channel and social media channels.
A moment that we won't forget in a hurry. A good description of the derby win against Hamburger SV in April of this year. The triumph over the rivals from Hamburg was coincidentally Werder's 500th Bundesliga home win in their history. The events in the final moments of that match make the day simply unforgettable.
Sebastian Prödl, who left Werder for Watford this summer, took the opportunity to get a picture of the moment after the game. The Austrian central defender asked Tim Barten to take a photo of the whole team in front of the Nordkurve right after the final whistle. The reaction was huge, with the post on Werder's Facebook page reaching over 1,1 million people. On Instagram, it quickly became one of Werder's most popular photos of all time.
"No, this isn't a April fools joke." It doesn't bear thinking about how often workers at the call centre will have had to answer such questions. At 11:18 on the 1st April 2015, Werder released a statement in which they confirmed the departure of Davie Selke to RB Leipzig that summer, thus creating a real sense of disappointment amongst many Werder fans. It is still today one of the most-read news articles on the website. "Davie is an important part of our team, and will give his all to Werder before he leaves," assured Thomas Eichin. Selke did exactly that, scoring three more important goals in the last third of the season before his departure.
The long-lost son
The transfer of Felix Wiedwald to Werder was not dissimilar to the return of a long-lost son. The goalkeeper spent many years in Werder's youth setup, before moving to Frankfurt via Duisburg. In the summer, he returned to the "team in his heart," and signed a two-year contract at the end of May. "It is an amazing feeling being back in Bremen again. Werder is my team," said Wiedwald, who has since saved valuable points for his team with multiple excellent saves.
There was another transfer which was confirmed in May, namely that of Anthony Ujah, who was signed in preparation for the 2015/16 season. The Nigerian didn't waste any time, impressing with his goals in pre-season, and this form continued in the league and cup. ‘Tony' has scored ten goals in competitive matches so far (seven league, three cup), and has become Werder's most important source of goals this season.
He is one of the most successful managers in the club's history. Thomas Schaaf, who was part of the club for 41 years, 14 of which as head title-winning coach, returned to the Weser-stadion for the first time as an away coach. "Bremen will always be a hugely important part of my life, as I lived here for a long time and experienced a lot," said Schaaf ahead of the match.
‘TS' was greeted with huge applause from the fans. Much like at the final matches of Frings and Ailton, and the choreography planned at the first home match without Schaaf in 2013, the Werder fans showed their gratitude and thanks for the three cup wins and one championship. "You could feel that there was a special atmosphere in the stadium today," explained Clemens Fritz. Skripnik confirmed: "I was very happy to see him again." The 1-0 win for Werder was almost of secondary importance, but it allowed Werder to once again move up the table near European football places.
