For the third year in a row, Werder Bremen have topped the visitor record at their 'Day of the Fans'. On Sunday, some 30,000 fans made the pilgrimage to the party area around the Weser Stadium which was this year twice as big as in previous years and better equipped for the demands of the Green-White faithful.
The Werder players looked equally well prepared as they presented the League Cup trophy to the hoardes of fans around the stadium. It wasn't only the first trophy of the season that so inspired the fans but also the heaps of fan articles which the Owomoyela, Klasnic & Co. flung into the masses. Once again trainer Thomas Schaaf promised: "We will work hard in the coming season to finish this season in an even better place than we did last season", to absolute raptuous applause.
Of course the day could not pass without heartily thanking the fans. The Werder general manager took on the task himself of tipping his hat to the wonderful Werder fans and their match day performances: "The team has gone through a phenomenal transformation over the last three years, as has the quality of the fans. We are very proud of our supporters and know that none of this would be possible without them", explained Klaus Allofs who was joined by his managerial colleague Klaus-Dieter Fischer: "Our fans have been rewarded for their unabiding faith in us and never leting us down when times were tough." Manfred Müller, marketing manager declared his love for the Werder fans: "Today more than 20,000 fans will visit this fan day. Once agai´n we've sold 25,000 season tickets and 5,000 fans have put their names on the waiting list - not only the East Stand is behind us but the whole stadium, the whole city." In the opinion of the chairman of the board, Jürgen L. Born see's no reason for the will of the fans to remain "No.1 in the North", not to continue: "With our style of play we belong among the cream of football teams in Germany. We've qualified for the Champions League three times now, three times realising our dream - and so may it continue. We promised our fans that we would take the money earned through our sporting achievements and reinvest them into the club. We will continue to do this in the future."
The Werder fans themselves saw to the good relationship between the club and the fans themselves in the afternoon, when despite a morning training session, they patiently signed countless autographs for the ecstatic Green-White faithful.