Penny pinchers
July 15, 2009
Cascades of boos and the occasional middle-finger salute - that was the welcome Hamburg chairman Bernd Hoffmann and other club functionaries at an extraordinary public question-and-answer session on July 13th.
The main topics on the agenda were the departures of two popular figures - sports director Dietmar Beiersdorfer and coach Martin Jol - and the club's reticence thus far to reinvest the millions earned form selling midfielders Rafael van der Vaart and Nigel de Jong.
"The club lives from emotions - they're the heart and soul of the club," Hoffmann told reporters after that turbulent evening. "You have to take the positives while enduring the negatives."
Hoffmann can afford to sanguine as he is now clearly the main boss after winning a power struggle with Beiersdorfer, who dissolved his contract with the club in late June. It was a classic confrontation between a former footballer, Beiersdorfer, and a businessman, Hoffmann.
But fans are questioning whether an expert in sports marketing necessarily has the soccer knowledge to improve results on the pitch. And several recent events in Hamburg suggest that their skepticism may not be unwarranted.
Coaching carrousel
Both fans and most of the media were shocked when Hamburg's coach during the 2008-2009 campaign, Dutchman Martin Jol, abruptly quit just three days after the last round of the season.
Jol hinted that he was unhappy about Hamburg's tight-fisted budget policies, and there have been persistent rumors he couldn't stand Hoffmann personally.
The consensus among fans and experts was that Hamburg should make a bid to land Hertha Berlin's Lucien Favre. But Favre stayed put in the German capital, and Hamburg ended up paying Leverkusen a million euros ($1.4 million) to pry free Bruno Labbadia.
Hoffmann was obviously convinced that Labbadia was the right man for the job. It's less obvious why.
The former German national striker only has two years of big time coaching experience, with second division Greuther Fuerth and last season with Bayer Leverkusen. In Leverkusen, he inherited a gifted and young squad expected to challenge for the title and led them, after a strong start, to ninth place in the table.
News of Labbadia's hiring turned the air in the Hamburg blogosphere poisonous.
"Hoffmann with his never-ending drivel about being in the top 20 in Europe - Hamburg will be lucky to be in the top 20 in Germany next season," wrote one outraged supporter. And that was far from the harshest remark.
Dutch treats
To help Labbadia disprove his many skeptics, Hamburg have said they will spend some 20 million euros, and possibly more, on new signings.
But the club earned some 35 million for van der Vaart and de Jong, so supporters are asking, understandably, what's taking management so long to reinvest. In particularly, they're irked that the club didn't try to land a major new signing in the last winter break, when Hamburg looked as though could challenge for the title.
And thus far, this off-season hasn't inspired too much confidence for 2009-2010. Hoffmann has laid out nine million for 22-year-old Dutch forward Eljero Elia, who's fleet of foot and very good on the ball. But his record of only 11 goals in 64 matches for his former club Twente Enschede makes it hard to imagine him setting the Bundesliga on fire.
The club is reportedly very interested as well in Swedish forward Marcus Berg, a former top goal scorer in Sweden and has notched up 32 goals in 56 matches for first-division Dutch side Groningen.
Berg has been touted as the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Hamburg may have to pay more than his estimated 8-10 million euro value to lure him to the Elbe River.
Berg's growing price tag could make the expense difficult to swallow, but if history is a guide, Hamburg should pony up the loot. The club has had success with Dutchmen in the past, one of whom - at least in the realm of rumor - could rejoin the club.
Van der Vaart redux?
No one was more popular among Hamburg supporters in recent years than playmaker Rafael van der Vaart, who left the club at the beginning of last season to join Real Madrid.
On Wednesday, July 15, Germany's tabloid Bild newspaper reported that Real informed the Dutchman, who never established himself in Madrid's starting eleven, that he was free to seek a new employer.
That news surely caused hearts in Hamburg to flutter, even if many fans weren't happy with van der Vaart's antics in 2007-8, when he tried to provoke the club into releasing him.
A return to Hamburg remains unlikely. One thing, however, is for sure - it will be Hoffmann together with Labbadia, who will decide this and other personnel issues.
And they better hope they get their initial decisions right. Otherwise, the electric atmosphere surrounding the club at the moment could explode, and fan frustration could rasin down upon their heads.
Author: Jefferson Chase
Editor: Neil King