It must be a very special occurrence for Werder to hold a reception just a few hours before possibly the most important match of the year. And in fact, it was a very special...
It must be a very special occurrence for Werder to hold a reception just a few hours before possibly the most important match of the year. And in fact, it was a very special...
It must be a very special occurrence for Werder to hold a reception just a few hours before possibly the most important match of the year. And in fact, it was a very special occurrence. Because as of Tuesday, manager Klaus-Dieter Fischer had guided the Werder ship for 40 years. And it was a fitting scene that the small, exclusive celebration – to which the Green-Whites invited 100 of the closest friends, colleagues and family – began on a ship on the Weser.
Altogether, the group headed to the Bremen restaurant "Outer Roads" at 4:30 p.m. to recall the wild Werder times from the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s and the past decade as well. "Thomas Schaaf was 9 years old, Klaus Allofs was 13 and Otto Rehhagel 31 when Klaus-Dieter Fischer was elected into the board. That shows what kind of unbelievable time frame we are talking about," said Werder supervisory board chairman Willi Lemke in his speech over the roofs of Bremen. Lemke talked in moving words about all the 69-year-old Fischer has done.
Werder Vice President Dr. Hess-Grunewald followed with a very personal speech in which he said: "Klaus-Dieter, you have been an honorary member since 1989. Making you now honorary president would be the wrong sign because we want to work forward. But at this time and in representation of 37,000 members, I would like to bow to you and your life work. You are the greatest Werder personality we have ever had in the 111-year history," said Hess-Grunewald.
Klaus-Dieter Fischer, for his part, said: "I will remain a Werder personality to whom the 1-0 is not more important than anything else. The bright eyes of the children at our social functions will always make me happier than any goal."
