fck news recap - 1. FC Kaiserslautern

76
In Teufels Namen
fck news recap
Dear fans and friends
of 1. FC Kaiserslautern:
I would like to welcome you to the
Fritz Walter Stadium for the encounter
between FCK and FC Schalke 04. On the
occasion of this crucial game, our players have launched the unique “We Are
Lautrer” campaign.
In order to encourage as many fans as
possible to attend the games and support their team, FCK has discounted a
total of 11,000 tickets for this season’s
last home games. The “We Are Lautrer”
tickets are available for only €10 each,
with the squad paying the difference
between the original ticket prices and
the price of the “We are Lautrer” tickets.
The campaign got off to a successful
start as 6,000 tickets have been sold
on the first day alone. It is our players’
dream to play the last five home mat-
ches in front of a sell-out crowd at the
Betzenberg and stave off relegation together with the fans.
We are all tired of hearing about FCK’s
financial situation and the distorted
competitive balance within the league.
However, playing in Germany’s top flight
is simply great, and we want to earn our
right to stay in the Bundesliga.
I would like to extend a warm welcome
to our guests from the Ruhr valley.
In particular, I would like to welcome
Clemens Tönnies, chairman of the
supervisory board of FC Schalke 04,
along with Horst Heldt and Peter Peters,
members of the managing board of FC
Schalke 04, and the match officials.
I hope we will witness an exciting match
and see the Red Devils pick up three
points today.
We Are Lautrer! – FCK Players
Mathias Abel: “Lautrer never give in. LautLaunch Ticket Campaign
The Red Devils have launched a unique
campaign to express their solidarity with their fans. “The 12th man is
the most important man on the field
of play. We have understood our fans’
message and know what we have to
do now. It is our dream to play our
last five home matches in front of a
sell-out crowd at the Betzenberg and
stave off relegation together with our
fans,” Christian Tiffert says on behalf
of the entire team.
In order to encourage as many fans as
possible to attend the games and cheer
on the players as they do their best to
secure the club’s top-flight status for
another year, FCK has discounted a total of 11,000 tickets for the home games
against Schalke, HSV, Hoffenheim,
Nürnberg, and Dortmund. The “We Are
Lautrer” tickets are available for only
€10 each. The FCK squad pays the biggest part of the difference between the
original ticket prices and the price of the
“We are Lautrer” tickets.
rer fight until the very end! Our fans can
make all the difference. We need our fans’
support because we can only win our
battle to stay up together. We are Lautrer!”
The “We Are Lautrer” tickets" are available
via our hotline at +49(0)1805-318800,
through www.fck-ticketshop.de as well as
at the FCK Fan Shops (while stocks last).
Support FCK in its battle to stay up. Buy
“We are Lautrer” tickets!
We Are Lautrer! Let’s stave off relegation together!
masthead
Publisher:
1. FC Kaiserslautern e.V.
Fritz-Walter-Straße 1
67663 Kaiserslautern
Phone: +49(0)1805 - 3188 00
Fax: +49(0)631 - 3188 290,
E-Mail: info@fck.de, www.fck.de
Editorial staff:
Christian Gruber (person in charge of content),
Stefan Roßkopf, Trans-Language
Photos & images:
FCK, photo agency (Fotoagentur) KUNZ, Getty
Concept & design:
Timo Elflein, Nadine Grosch, Patrick Flörchinger
Marketing:
SPORTFIVE GmbH & Co. KG c/o 1. FC Kaiserslautern
Fritz-Walter-Straße 1, 67663 Kaiserslautern
Phone: +49(0)631 - 3188 5106
Fax: +49(0)631 - 3188 144
E-Mail: fck@sportfive.com
betze news
WEEKLY TRAINING ROUNDUP
The Red Devils sank to the bottom of the
pile after sharing the spoils with Wolfsburg on Matchday 24. Nevertheless,
Stefan Kuntz expressed the club’s faith
in Marco Kurz and underlined: “The lads
were very clearly playing for their coach.”
Kurz’s charges produced a disciplined
performance away at VfB Stuttgart one
week later and came close to picking up
all three points against Labbadia’s side.
“We can take heart from a professional
and workmanlike performance,” Marco
Kurz said after the final whistle.
Kurz and his men believe they are capable
of staving off relegation. Tiffert and his
team-mates fight for survival on and
off the field, and they are utterly determined to pick up a win over Schalke in
front of their home crowd at the Betzenberg. "Everyone - whether players, supporters, staff or whatever - has to throw
every-thing towards the one aim and that
is to get us three badly needed points
from the game against Schalke today.
We’re going to go out there and put it all
on the line,” the FCK captain announced.
‘We will give everything for
FCK until the last game!’
INTERVIEW WITH
MARCO KURZ
Marco Kurz, the last two games ended
in goalless draws. Nevertheless, fans,
players, and the media have been talking about a performance increase and
growing confidence. What do you think?
We gave everything from the first minute
right until the final whistle in the game
against Wolfsburg. The team put everything on the line, but our finishing keeps
letting us down. We also produced a disciplined performance against Stuttgart
and kept a clean sheet there. The players
gained confidence and pushed forward
with increased energy, yet we need to
be more clinical in front of goal. We will
continue to work very hard as we want to
reward our fans with a win over Schalke.
How will you approach the game
against FC Schalke 04?
You can’t expect on offensive onslaught
from my team at the moment. We’re
1. FC Kaiserslautern SQUAD
Goal
1
Tobias Sippel
27
Marco Knaller
29
Kevin Trapp
32
Marius Müller
Defense
2
Jan Simunek
3
Leon Jessen
6
Mathias Abel
17
Alexander Bugera
19
Denis Linsmeyer
20Rodnei
23
Florian Dick
25
Anthar Yahia
33
Dominique Heintz
34
Willi Orban
Midfield
4
Ariel Borysiuk
7
Oliver Kirch
8
Christian Tiffert
10
Olcay Sahan
13
Thanos Petsos
21
Pierre De Wit
26
Steven Zellner
28
Konstantinos Fortounis
certainly not brimming with confidence, but we’re working very hard to
build self-esteem. We really need to
feel a sense of achievement again, and
we do not give in but strive for a breakthrough win.
Attack
9
Itay Shechter
11
Sandro Wagner
16
Richard Sukuta-Pasu
22
Nicolai Jørgensen
What do you think of the “We Are
Lautrer” campaign?
30
Dorge Kouemaha
31
Jakub Swierczok
I think a great deal of the campaign. It
is absolutely overwhelming and expresses the players’ great solidarity with
the club and the fans. The campaign
speaks for itself. We need our fans behind us as we can only win the battle to
stay up together.
35
Julian Derstroff
37
Andrew Wooten
Head Coach
Marco Kurz
In Teufels Namen
The Red Devils have drawn their last two
games, 0-0 on both occasions, and have
only added two points to their tally at
first sight. On closer inspection, however, the players have demonstrated
increased confidence. The FCK defense
stood firm and Kurz’s men kept clean
sheets in both games. Moreover, they
created some decent openings and
Tiffert, Dick, and Wooten even came
within inches of scoring. In the end, the
Red Devils are still suffering a crisis of
confidence in front of goal, but Kurz and
his men continue to work assiduously
to finally end their goal drought. A win
against FC Schalke 04 would be a very
important step in the right direction.
77
‘We’re going to put it all on the line’
betze news
In Teufels Namen
78
’It’s like Christmas and your
birthday all rolled into one’
Interview with
FC Schalke 04 Squad
Lewis Holtby
Lewis Holtby, what are the reasons behind Schalke’s stuttering start to the
second half of the season?
We were lacking that bit of luck recently,
but I am sure things will change for the
better. We are on the right track.
What are you expecting from the last
games of the 2010 ⁄ 11 season?
We want to show good performances and
take maximum points from every game.
Our priority is to secure a top-four finish.
You have only just returned to action
after a long time on the sidelines with
an ankle joint injury. Are you back to
100 percent?
I don’t know if I’m back to 100 percent
fitness. I need to get some more playing time under my belt. However, I feel
fit and ready. I went the whole distance
against Enschede, and my confidence has
been improving steadily over the past
weeks. It’s an overwhelming feeling. It’s
just like Christmas and your birthday all
rolled into one.
While your team wants to qualify for
European soccer, the Red Devils are
battling against relegation. What are
you expecting from the match?
I’m expecting a fierce fight. There are
three crucial points at stake and both
sides want to win. Moreover, we want to
make up for our defeat at home.
STORIED CLUB WITH TOP-CLASS
PLAYERS
Schalke 04 is one of the big teams in
the German top flight. Sitting in fourth
position in the Bundesliga table, the
team of head coach Huub Stevens is
aiming to secure a Champions League
berth. Undoubtedly, the club from the
Ruhr valley is the clear favorite for
Sunday’s clash with the Red Devils.
However, FCK’s home record against FC
Schalke 04 bodes ill for the visitors as
they lost 20, drew thirteen, and only
managed to win five games at the Betzenberg to date. The Red Devils have
won their last three meetings with FC
Schalke 04. Especially the stunning
5-0 thumping of the Ruhr valley outfit
in November 2010 is still fresh in the
Red Devils’ memory.
One year later, in September 2011,
Schalke appointed Huub Stevens as
the club’s coach for a second time. The
former PSV Eindhoven boss, who previously spent six years with the German
club from 1996 until 2002, replaced Ralf
Rangnick after his resignation. During
his first spell in charge, Stevens guided
the club to UEFA Cup success (1997) and
two German cup victories (2001, 2002).
Schalke won its last German title in
1958. Nevertheless, Schalke is one of
Germany’s most storied clubs and has
finished in second place nine times.
With players such as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Jefferson Farfan, and Raúl,
Schalke has some world-class players in
its ranks.
Goal
Ralf Fährmann
1
33 Mathias Schober
34 Timo Hildebrand
36 Lars Unnerstall
Defense
2
Hans Sarpel
Sergio Escudero
3
4
Benedikt Höwedes
6
Tom Hoogland
14 Kyriakos Papadopoulos
21 Christoph Metzelder
22 Atsuto Uchida
23 Christian Fuchs
Midfield
10 Lewis Holtby
11 Alexander Baumjohann
12 Marco Höger
13 Jermaine Jones
18Jurado
24 Peer Kluge
28 Christoph Moritz
30 Levan Kenia
31 Julian Draxler
32 Joel Matip
Attack
7Raul
8
Ciprian Marica
17 Jefferson Farfan
19 Chinedu Obasi
20 Teemu Pukki
25 Klaas-Jan Huntelaar
Head Coach
Huub Stevens
betze news
The hosts started confidently and showed
a great deal of fighting spirit right
from the off, with Wolfsburg sitting
back and looking to break forward on
the counter.
However, real scoring chances were few
and far between as most of the action
took place in midfield. Wagner and Dick
failed to connect with a De Wit free-kick
when unmarked in front of goal, while
Helmes forced some brave goalkeeping
from Sippel at the other end.
The Red Devils took the upper hand midway through the half. Derstroff hared
goalwards, but the winger saw his shot
blocked before Dick caught the rebound
to feed Tiffert in front of goal. However, Benaglio parried the midfielder’s
attempt. The hosts pushed forward
relentlessly and almost took the lead
when Tiffert latched on to a superb
cross from Derstroff, but Benaglio was
on hand again to deny the effort.
At the other end, Sippel displayed a superb
double save, parrying a shot from Träsch
before denying Schäfer with his feet as the
sides went in level at the break.
The hosts continued to dominate after
the restart. They attacked with determination and defended well. Derstroff
found himself blocked at the edge of
In Teufels Namen
The Red Devils produced a battling performance and created several decent
chances but failed to reward themselves for their efforts as the match
ended in a goalless draw. The result
saw the Red Devils slip to 18th position
in the Bundesliga table.
79
Red Devils and Wolves Share the Spoils
in Goalless Draw
the box, before Wagner wasted two clear
chances. The next opportunity fell to the
visitors, but Orozco fired his effort wide.
Sub Andrew Wooten came within inches
of putting the Red Devils in the lead
off a Tiffert free-kick, but Mandzukic
scraped the ball off the line, before
Wagner dragged a header narrowly
wide. FCK continued to push forward,
but Wagner could not beat Benaglio in
the one-on-one as both sides shared
the spoils in the end.
Red Devils hold Stuttgart to Goalless
Draw
The Red Devils can take heart from
a professional and workmanlike
performance away at VfB Stuttgart
as they held the hosts to a goalless
draw in front of a 50,100 crowd at
the Mercedes Benz Arena on Matchday 25. Kurz’s charges almost picked
up all three points in the dying
seconds, but Dick’s shot flew narrowly
wide of the post.
The Red Devils started brightly and
pushed forward right from the off.
Wagner chased down a ball through
but was blocked by Niedermeier in
front of goal, and Dick failed in a bit to
connect with a Tiffert corner kick when
well positioned. At the other end,
Harnik hared down the right wing before sending a shot on goal from the
edge of the box, but Sippel stretched
bravely to deny the attempt.
Ibisevic then fired a low shot on target,
forcing Sippel into a smart save.
Labbadia’s men controlled possession,
but the FCK defense held firm. Sippel performed heroics to parry a Hajnal corner
kick, before thwarting a superb overhead
kick from Harnik as the sides went in level
at the break.
Kurz’s men defended well and waited
for the chance to counter-attack. With
the hour-mark approaching, FCK upped
the heat and Tiffert almost opened the
scoring after superb work from Wagner,
but his long-range effort only hit the
side netting.
The visitors managed to neutralize their
opponents and slowly took the upper
hand. Tiffert sent a brilliant cross to
Wagner in the middle, but the striker
couldn’t connect with the ball when per-
TICKET GUIDE & SCHEDULE
fectly positioned in front of the net. At
the other end, Sippel got down well to
save Schieber’s attempt.
Kurz’s men delivered a disciplined
performance and came within inches
of scoring the winner in the dying
seconds, but Florian Dick’s shot flew
narrowly wide of the left post as the
sides shared the points.
Your guide to buying tickets for the Red Devils’ forthcoming home games at the Betze
Matchday 33 (Weekend, April 28, 2012): 1. FC Kaiserslautern – Borussia Dortmund Tickets go on sale to FCK members on Monday, March 5, 2012.
Tickets go on sale to season ticket holders on Monday, March 12, 2012. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday, March 19, 2012.
more information: www.fck-ticketshop.de