Borussia Mönchengladbach
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| Full name | Borussia VfL 1900 Mönchengladbach e.V. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Die Fohlen (The Foals) | |||
| Founded | 1 August 1900 | |||
| Ground | Stadion im Borussia-Park | |||
| Capacity | 54,057 | |||
| President | Rolf Königs | |||
| Manager | Lucien Favre | |||
| League | Bundesliga | |||
| 2012–13 | 8th | |||
| Website | http://www.borussia.de | |||
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Borussia VfL 1900 Mönchengladbach e.V., commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach [boˈʁʊsi̯a mœnçənˈglatbax], Mönchengladbach or Gladbach, is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. Founded in 1900, Borussia Mönchengladbach play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system, making their first appearance in the league during the 1965–66 season. Subsequently the club became one of Germany's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams, winning the Bundesliga five times during the 1970s.[1]
Since 2004, Borussia Mönchengladbach have played at the 54,057 capacity Borussia-Park, having previously played at the smaller Bökelbergstadion. Borussia-Park is famous for its "Nordkurve" (or North stand), a single-tiered stand. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 50,000 members as of February 2012 and is the sixth largest club in Germany.[2] Their main rivals are 1. FC Köln.
"Borussia" is a Latinized form of Prussia, a popular term in naming German clubs located within the former Kingdom of Prussia. The club's nickname is Die Fohlen [diː ˈfoːlən] (The Foals), coined in the 1970s due to having a young team with a fast, aggressive playing style. The official mascot of the club is the foal Jünter.
History
Formation
Borussia Mönchengladbach were formed as FC Borussia in 1900 in the Eicken district of Mönchengladbach. Borussia derives from the Latinized form of Prussia, the Kingdom in which Mönchengladbach was situated in since 1815. By 1912, Die Borussen found themselves in the Verbandsliga, at the time the highest division the club could play in.
In March 1914, the club purchased De Kull, the ground on which the Bökelbergstadion would be built. The First World War halted the progress of both the stadium and FC Borussia, but by late 1917 the team had begun to play games once more. In 1919, FC Borussia merged with another local club, Turnverein Germania 1889, becoming 1899 VfTuR M.Gladbach. The club tasted its first major success in 1920, beating Kölner BC 3–1, thus winning the Westdeutsche Meisterschaft final.
The union between Germania and Borussia only lasted a matter of two years; the club was thereafter known as Borussia VfL 1900 e.V. M.Gladbach.[3]
1933–1945: Football under the Third Reich
Following the rise of the Nazi Party to power in 1933, the German league system was reformed to consist of 16 Gauligen – Gladbach found themselves playing first in the Gauliga Niederrhein, and later in various Bezirksklassen (District Leagues). Also whilst under the Third Reich, Mönchengladbach's first ever international player was capped; Heinz Ditgens playing in a 9–0 win over Luxembourg for Germany in the 1936 Olympic Games. After the outbreak of the Second World War, play continued as usual, other than for the 1944/1945 season.
Post War until 1959
Eventually Mönchengladbach resumed play in June 1946, gaining successive promotions to the Landesliga Niederrhein (the regional second tier) in 1949 and the top flight: the Oberliga West in 1950. Following many years of promotions and relegations, Borussia won their first Oberliga title in the 1958–59 season.
Ascent to the Bundesliga
| Seasons 1959/60 – 1964/65 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Position | Goals For | Goals Against | Points | Average Attendance |
| Oberliga West 1959/60 | 14 | 27 | 33 | 38 | 16,134 |
| Oberliga West 1960/61 | 6 | 31 | 29 | 58 | 22,400 |
| Oberliga West 1961/62 | 13 | 21 | 39 | 42 | 13,543 |
| Oberliga West 1962/63 | 11 | 24 | 36 | 44 | 11,200 |
| Regionalliga West 1963/64 | 8 | 41 | 35 | 71 | 12,000 |
| Regionalliga West 1964/65 | 1 | 52 | 16 | 92 | 22,334 |
| gold: promotion to the Bundesliga as Champions | |||||
In August 1960 Borussia Mönchengladbach defeated 1. FC Köln in the West German Cup. Weeks later, the club won the DFB-Pokal, clinching their first national honours, beating Karlsruher SC 3–2 in the final. The following year took on the now familiar name Borussia VfL Mönchengladbach after the city of München-Gladbach became Mönchengladbach. Further honours would have to wait a decade, however. Borussia's results in the ten years leading up to the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 were not good enough to earn them admission into the ranks of the nation's new top flight professional league and so they played in the second tier, the Regionalliga West.
Mönchengladbach enjoyed their first taste of the Bundesliga in the 1965–66 season, earning promotion alongside future powerhouse Bayern Munich. The two clubs would go on to a fierce struggle as they challenged each other for domestic supremacy throughout the 1970s. Bayern took first blood in the struggle for supremacy between the two: winning the Bundesliga championship in 1969. Mönchengladbach struck back immediately in the next season with a championship of their own and followed up with a second title in 1971, becoming the first Bundesliga club ever to successfully defend their title.
1970s: Borussia's Golden Decade
| Seasons 1969/70 – 1979/80 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Position | Goals For | Goals Against | Points | Average Attendance |
| 1969/70 | First | 71 | 29 | 51 | 25,645 |
| 1970/71 | First | 77 | 35 | 50 | 21,706 |
| 1971/72 | Third | 82 | 40 | 43 | 16,294 |
| 1979/80 | Seventh | 61 | 60 | 36 | 17,655 |
| in green: winning the Bundesliga | |||||
Bayern Munich then became the first club to win three consecutive titles, with Borussia finishing only a point behind the champions in 1974. Die Fohlen were able to take some consolation in a 2–1 victory over 1. FC Köln in 1973 to win their second DFB-Pokal, the German Cup. Under coach Hennes Weisweiler, the young side displayed an offensive-minded philosophy and powerful play that attracted fans from all over Germany. The team stayed on the attack and matched Bayern's achievement with three consecutive titles of their own from 1975 to 1977. Mönchengladbach lost the 1977 final of the European Cup to Liverpool, but also made four appearances in the UEFA Cup with wins in 1975 and 1979 against losses in 1973 and 1980. The club's spectacular run had come to an end with eight trophies to their credit, and although they would continue to be competitive for many years, success would be much harder to come by.[1]
1980 and beyond
Mönchengladbach's golden era ended in the 1980s as the club had to sell many of its best players to keep its finances in order, and without talented coaches like Hennes Weisweiler and Udo Lattek, it was not possible to compete with Bayern Munich. Even so, they managed to finish most seasons in the upper half of the league table, and in 1984, Die Fohlen were part of a four way race to the Meisterschale – the Bundesliga championship – finishing one point ahead of Bayern, and tied on points with Hamburger SV and champions VfB Stuttgart, but behind on goal difference. In the same season, Mönchengladbach also lost the German Cup final to Bayern Munich on penalties, Lothar Matthäus and Norbert Ringels both missing from the spot after the game originally ended all square at 1–1. Matthäus subsequently joined Bayern for a then-record fee of 2.25 million DM, leading some fans to question whether he had deliberately missed his penalty.[4]
The team's performance slipped significantly in the 1990s and Die Fohlen soon found themselves struggling in the lower half of the Bundesliga table. They lost another German Cup on penalties – this time to Hannover 96 — before winning their most recent trophy to date with a 3–0 Cup win over VfL Wolfsburg in 1995. Finally, in 1999, Gladbach were relegated to 2. Bundesliga, where they would spend two seasons. Upon returning to the Bundesliga in 2001, Mönchengladbach remained uninspired as they continued to be mired in the bottom half of the league.
In 2004, Mönchengladbach appointed Dick Advocaat, who had guided the Dutch national team to the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 2004 tournament and was a successful manager at Rangers, as their new coach. The Dutchman, however, was unable to turn the team's fortunes and resigned in April of the following year. Former Mönchengladbach player and German international Horst Köppel was appointed caretaker for the remaining five fixtures of the season. Köppel had managed the club's reserves since leaving Borussia Dortmund in June 2004. For the 2006–07 season legendary Mönchengladbach player and coach Jupp Heynckes was appointed as team coach.
Borussia had taken steps to improve their financial situation with the construction of a new state-of-the-art stadium called Borussia-Park with a permitted capacity of 59,771 spectators (limited to 54,067 for Bundesliga games and to 46,249 for international games). The club had long been hindered by playing in a much smaller and older facility (Bökelberg, capacity 34,500) and with the opening of the new stadium in 2004 can look forward to increased revenues through higher ticket sales and the ability to host lucrative international matches.
On the 31st matchday of the 2006–07 season, Borussia Mönchengladbach were relegated from the Bundesliga after fellow relegation fighters Arminia Bielefeld upset Werder Bremen 3–2 while Mönchengladbach lost 1–0 at home to VfB Stuttgart.
They were promoted back to the Bundesliga on the 32nd matchday of the 2007–08 season after winning the match against SV Wehen 3–0. They were almost relegated in the 2010–11 season, surviving through the post-season relegation play-offs. The following season, 2011–12, followed this up with a strong season in which they were for much of the year in contention for the championship and eventually finished in fourth place. They missed out on qualification to the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League after losing 4–3 on aggregate to Ukrainian club Dynamo Kyiv in the playoff round.
Off the pitch, the fans have developed a bond with fans of Liverpool, having played against each other in a UEFA Cup final and a European Cup final in the 1970s. It is a friendship that is developing every year with supporters of Liverpool travelling to Mönchengladbach annually and vice-versa. After the Hillsborough disaster, fans of Borussia Mönchengladbach donated a large sum of money for the Hillsborough fund. They also provided the opposition for Emlyn Hughes' Testimonial game at Anfield. Many "Borussen" wear Liverpool shirts and scarves in the "Nordkurve" (the BMG Kop) during home games.
Manager history
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Players
For recent transfers, see List of German football transfers summer 2011 and List of German football transfers winter 2011–12.
Current squad
As of 18 July 2012[6]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Coaching and backroom staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Lucien Favre |
| Assistant Coach | Frank Geideck |
| Assistant Coach | Manfred Stefes |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Uwe Kamps |
| Team Doctor and Orthopedic Surgeon | Dr. Stefan Hertl |
| Team Doctor | Dr. Heribert Ditzel |
| Team Doctor and Orthopedic surgeon | Dr. Stefan Porten |
| Athletic Trainer | Christian Weigl |
| Physiotherapist | Andreas Bluhm |
| Physiotherapist | Dirk Müller |
| Physiotherapist | Adam Szordykowski |
Last updated: 11 December 2011
Source: Borussia Mönchengladbach's official website
Reserve team
Borussia Mönchengladbach II play in the Regionalliga West and are coached by Sven Demandt
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Honours
Borussia Mönchengladbach's five Bundesliga championships entitle the club to display two gold stars of the "Verdiente Meistervereine".
National
- Winners (1): 2007–08
- Winners (1): 1977 (Unofficial)
- Runners-up (1): 1995
- Runners-up (1): 1972–73
European
- Runners-up (1): 1976–77
International
- Runners-up (1): 1977
- Winners (1): 1978 (Shared with SE Palmeiras)
Other Trophies
- Winners (1): 1972
- Winners (1): 1977
- Winners (1): 2004
- Runners-up (1): 2012-2013
Youth
- Winners (1): 1981
- Under 17 Bundesliga West
- Winners (1): 2009
Records
Borussia Mönchengladbach's name is attached to a number of Bundesliga records:
- Mönchengladbach has a fearsome record when it comes to laying a drubbing on other teams. On 29 April 1978, they beat Borussia Dortmund 12–0, the biggest winning margin ever in league history, as well as the most goals scored by a single side in a match. The Dortmund coach, Otto Rehhagel, was not only immediately fired after the game, he also got the nickname "Torhagel" ("Goal hail"). They also hold second place in the category for beating Schalke 04 11–0 on 7 January 1967, and third place for a pair of 10–0 victories over Eintracht Braunschweig on 11 November 1984 and Borussia Neunkirchen on 4 November 1967.
- The most penalties in a match is five in a game played between Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund on 9 November 1965.
- In 1961, Mönchengladbach became the first German side in the Cup Winners' Cup. They were defeated, however, by Rangers of Glasgow in the quarter-finals with losses of 0–3 and 0–8. The quarter-finals were the first round then.
- On 20 October 1971, Mönchengladbach won 7–1 against Internazionale. But the match was cancelled due to an empty Coca-Cola tin can being thrown at Inter striker Roberto Boninsegna, who collapsed to the ground, supposedly hit by that tin (“Büchsenwurf vom Bökelberg”). Inter launched a protest against the result and the UEFA granted a re-match to be staged in Germany, with Berlin's Olympiastadion chosen, which ended in a goalless draw.
Players' honours
For a list of every Borussia Mönchengladbach player with 50 or more appearances, see List of Borussia Mönchengladbach players
Players of the club achieved the following honours:
Player of the Year – Europe
- 1977:
Allan Simonsen - 1986:
Igor Belanov
- 1977:
Player of the Year – Germany
- 1971:
Berti Vogts - 1972: Günter Netzer
- 1973: Günter Netzer
- 1979: Berti Vogts
- 1987: Uwe Rahn
- 1990: Lothar Matthäus
- 1999: Lothar Matthäus
- 2012: Marco Reus
- 1971:
Player of the Year – Australia
- 1996:
Damian Mori
- 1996:
Player of the Year – Austria
- 1986:
Anton Polster - 1997: Anton Polster
- 1986:
Player of the Year – Belgium
- 2001:
Wesley Sonck
- 2001:
Player of the Year – Denmark
- 1994: Thomas Helveg
- 1994:
Player of the Year – Sweden
- 1993:
Martin Dahlin - 1995: Patrik Andersson
- 2001: Patrik Andersson
- 1993:
Player of the Year – USA
- 1997:
Kasey Keller - 1999: Kasey Keller
- 2005: Kasey Keller
- 1997:
Bundesliga Top-Scorers
- 1974 – 30 Goals – Jupp Heynckes (jointly with Gerd Müller (FC Bayern München))
- 1975 – 29 Goals – Jupp Heynckes
- 1987 – 24 Goals – Uwe Rahn
- 1995 – 20 Goals – Heiko Herrlich (jointly with Mario Basler (Werder Bremen))
- 1974 – 30 Goals –
Goal of the Year
- 1971: Ulrik Le Fevre
- 1972: Günter Netzer
- 1973: Günter Netzer
- 1978: Rainer Bonhof
- 1979: Harald Nickel
- 2005: Kasper Bögelund
- 2006: Oliver Neuville
- 2013:
Juan Arango
- 1971:
References
- ^ a b News – Bundesliga – official website. Bundesliga.de.
- ^ Members Borussia Mönchengladbach (in German)
- ^ Classic club. FIFA.com.
- ^ Lothar Matthäus und der Fehlschuss: Gladbachs bitterster Pokal-Moment. Sport.t-online.de.
- ^ "Borussias Trainer" (in German). borussia.de.
- ^ Squad – Borussia Mönchengladbach. Borussia.de.
Literature
- Holger Jenrich (2007), Das Borussia Mönchengladbach Lexikon, Göttingen: Verlag Die Werkstatt, ISBN 3-89533-585-1
- Holger Jenrich, Markus Aretz (2005), Die Elf vom Niederrhein. 40 Jahre Borussia Mönchengladbach in der Bundesliga, Göttingen: Verlag Die Werkstatt, ISBN 3-89533-503-7
- Werner Jakobs, Rainer Kalb, Markus Aretz (1999), 100 Jahre Borussia Mönchengladbach – Die Borussen-Chronik, Düsseldorf: Verlag Rheinsport networking, ISBN 3-934702-00-7
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Helmut Grashoff, Susanne Grashoff (2005), Meine launische Diva: 30 Jahre mit Borussia Mönchengladbach, Norderstedt: Radtke & Bahr GbR, ISBN 3-00-016918-0
- Markus Aretz, Ingo Rütten (2008), Akte Aufstieg: Borussias Tagebuch der Saison 2007/08, Göttingen: Verlag Die Werkstatt, ISBN 3-89533-626-2
External links
Template:UEFA Champions League Template:UEFA Europa League
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