If you know very little about German football, the league (Bundesliga) or their teams, then look over this thread and get informed. First some information about the league itself - BUNDESLIGA. Country - Germany Founded - 1963 Number of teams - 18 Domestic cup(s) - DFB-Pokal International cup(s) - Champions League, UEFA Cup, Intertoto Cup Current Champions - FC Bayern Munich (2007-2008) The Bundesliga is composed of two divisions: the 1. Bundesliga (although it is rarely referred to with the First prefix), and, below that, the 2. Bundesliga (Second Bundesliga), which has been the second tier of German football since 1974. The Bundesligen (pl.) are professional leagues. Since 2008, the 3rd League in Germany is also a professional league, but may not be called Bundesliga because the league is run by the German Football Association (DFB) and not, as are the 2 Bundesligen, by the German Football League (DFL). Below the level of the 3rd league, leagues are generally often subdivided on a regional basis. For example, the Regionalligen are currently made up of Nord (North), Süd (South) and West divisions, and the Oberligen (upper leagues) are composed of nine divisions representing federal states or large urban and geographical areas. The levels below the Oberligen differ between the local areas. The league structure has changed frequently and typically reflects the degree of participation in the sport in various parts of the country. In the early 1990s, changes were driven by the reunification of Germany and the subsequent integration of the national leagues of East and West Germany. Every team in the Bundesligen must have a licence to play in the league, or else they are relegated into the regional leagues. To obtain a licence, teams must be financially healthy and meet certain standards of conduct as organisations. The season starts in early August and lasts until late May, with a winter break of six weeks (mid-December through to the end of January). In recent years, games have been played on Saturdays (seven games beginning at 3:30 pm) and Sundays (two games beginning at 5:00 pm). A new television deal in 2006 reintroduced a Friday game (beginning at 8:30 pm) in place of one of the Saturday matches. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Full name - Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V. Nickname - Hoffe Founded - 1 July 1899 Manager - Ralf Rangnick (Germany) History The modern-day club was formed in 1945, when gymnastics club Turnverein Hoffenheim (founded July 1 1899) and football club Fußballverein Hoffenheim (founded 1921) merged. At the beginning of the 1990s, the club was an obscure local amateur side playing in the eighth division Baden-Württemberg A-Liga. They steadily improved and by 1996 were competing in the Verbandsliga Nordbaden (V). In 2006, the club sought to improve its squad and technical staff by bringing in players with several years of Bundesliga experience, most notably Jochen Seitz and Tomislav Marić, and by signing Ralf Rangnick, former manager of Bundesliga teams VfB Stuttgart, Hannover 96, and FC Schalke 04, to a five-year contract. The investment paid off in the 2006-07 season with the club's promotion to the 2. Bundesliga after finishing 2nd in Regionalliga Süd. Remarkably, the club spent only a single season in the 2. Bundesliga, where they finished in 2nd place and received automatic promotion. The 2008–2009 season will be Hoffenheim's first in the German top division. Current Squad <table border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="48%" bgcolor="#ffffff"><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#aad0ff"><th width="1%">No.</th> <th width="1%"> </th> <th width="1%">Position</th> <th width="75%">Player</th> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">1</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>Daniel Haas</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">2</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Andreas Beck</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">3</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Matthias Jaissle</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">5</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Marvin Compper</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">9</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Demba Ba</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">10</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Selim Teber (captain)</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">11</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Jochen Seitz</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">12</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Wellington</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">13</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Zsolt Lőw</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">14</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Christoph Janker</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">17</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Tobias Weis</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">19</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Vedad Ibišević</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">20</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Chinedu Ogbuke</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td width="1%"> </td> <td valign="top" width="48%" bgcolor="#ffffff"> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr bgcolor="#aad0ff"> <th width="1%">No.</th> <th width="1%"> </th> <th width="1%">Position</th> <th width="75%">Player</th> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">21</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Gustavo</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">22</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Francisco Copado</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">23</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Sejad Salihović</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">24</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Per Nilsson</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">25</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Isaac Vorsah</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">26</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Andreas Ibertsberger</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">27</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>Ramazan Özcan</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">29</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>Daniel Bernhardt</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">30</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>Thorsten Kirschbaum</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">33</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Carlos Eduardo</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">36</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Marco Terrazzino</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">37</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Jonas Strifler</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table> Arminia Bielefeld Full name - Deutscher Sport-Club Arminia Bielefeld Nickname - Die Arminen, Die Blauen Founded - 1905 Manager - Michael Frontzeck (Germany) History Arminia Bielefeld was founded on 3 May 1905 as 1. Bielefelder FC Arminia. The fourteen men who founded the club were from the local bourgeoise. Two weeks later, the club played its first match against a side from Osnabrück. Neither the name of the oppenent nor the result are known. The club was admitted to the DFB in the same year. In 1907, local rivals FC Siegfried joined Arminia, a move which strengthend Arminia‘s squad. After playing on various grounds, Arminia moved to a new home at the Pottenau in 1910. Their first big achievement came in 1913, when they won the Westphalian championship after a 5-1 win over BV Dortmund 04.[3] The outbreak of World War I interrupted Arminia rise to the top. In 1919, Arminia merged with Bielefelder Turngemeinde 1848 to form TG Arminia Bielefeld. However, the merged broke up in 1922 and both parent clubs were formed again. Arminia reached the semi-finals of the German cup in 2005 and 2006. Arminia will play their fifth consecutive Bundesliga season in 2008-09. Current Squad <table border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="48%" bgcolor="#ffffff"><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#aad0ff"><th width="1%">No.</th> <th width="1%"> </th> <th width="1%">Position</th> <th width="75%">Player</th> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">1</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>Rowen Fernandez</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">2</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Markus Schuler</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">4</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Nico Herzig</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">5</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Rüdiger Kauf (captain)</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">6</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Markus Bollmann</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">7</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Thorben Marx</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">8</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Tobias Rau</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">10</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Christopher Katongo</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">11</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Berat Sadik</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">13</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Oliver Kirch</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">14</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Jonas Kamper</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">15</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Zlatko Janjic</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">16</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Andre Mijatović</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">17</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Maik Rodenberg</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">18</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Artur Wichniarek</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td width="1%"> </td> <td valign="top" width="48%" bgcolor="#ffffff"> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr bgcolor="#aad0ff"> <th width="1%">No.</th> <th width="1%"> </th> <th width="1%">Position</th> <th width="75%">Player</th> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">19</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Alexander Laas (on loan from VfL Wolfsburg)</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">20</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Michael Lamey</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">21</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>Niklas Hartmann</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">22</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>Dennis Eilhoff</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">23</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Thilo Versick</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">24</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Daniel Halfar</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">25</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Siyabonga Nkosi</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">27</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Leonidas Kampantais</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">28</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>Daniel Riemer</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">29</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Stefan Aigner</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">30</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Nils Fischer</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">31</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Radim Kučera</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">32</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Robert Tesche</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">38</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>Alexander Bade</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table> Bayer 04 Leverkusen Full name - Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH Nickname - Werkself ("Factory Squad") Founded - 1904 Manager - Bruno Labbadia (Germany) History On November 27, 1903, Wilhelm Hauschild wrote a letter – signed by 107 of his fellow workers – to his employer, the Friedrich Bayer and Co., seeking the company's support in starting a sports club. The company agreed to support the initiative, and on July 1, 1904, Turn- und Spielverein Bayer 04 Leverkusen was founded. On May 31, 1907, a separate football department was formed within the club. In the culture of sports in Germany at the time, there was significant animosity between gymnasts and other types of athletes. Eventually this contributed to a split within the club: on June 8, 1928, the footballers formed a separate association – Sportvereinigung Bayer 04 Leverkusen – that also included the handball and fistball players, athletics, and boxing, while the gymnasts carried on as TuS Bayer 04 Leverkusen. SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen took with them the club's traditional colours of red and black, with the gymnasts adopting blue and yellow. Through this period, and into the 1930s, SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen played third and fourth division football. In 1936, they earned promotion to the second highest class of play of the period. That was also the year that the club wore the familiar "Bayer" cross for the first time. They made their first appearance in upper league play in 1951, in the Oberliga West and played there until 1956, after which they were relegated. SV Bayer 04 Leverkusen would not return to the upper leagues until 1962, just one season before the formation of Germany's new professional league, the Bundesliga. The next year saw the club in the Regionalliga West, tier II, where their performances over the next few seasons left them well down the league table. The 2007-08 season was not a successful one for Bayer Leverkusen despite a good start to the seaon. 7 out of the last 10 season games were lost to clubs in the lower half of the table. Michael Skibbe was heavily criticised towards the end of the season after he continuously changed his starting line up. Bayer Leverkusen also lost a lot of their support towards the end of the season. In the 1-2 home loss against Hertha BSC Berlin, the Leverkusen fans caused a lot of commotion. Not only were they yelling their trainer to leave but Ultra fans who had seen enough, set fire to their Jerseys which were then thrown onto the field. Michael Skibbe was fired in the afternoon of the 21 May 2008. The reason for his departure was due to the fact that Leverkusen's goal of the season, to qualify for the UEFA Cup, was not reached. Current Squad <table border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" width="48%" bgcolor="#ffffff"><table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr bgcolor="#aad0ff"><th width="1%">No.</th> <th width="1%"> </th> <th width="1%">Position</th> <th width="75%">Player</th> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">1</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>René Adler</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">2</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Karim Haggui</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">3</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Henrique (on loan from FC Barcelona)</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">5</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Manuel Friedrich</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">6</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Simon Rolfes (captain)</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">7</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Tranquillo Barnetta</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">8</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Renato Augusto</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">9</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Patrick Helmes</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">10</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Theofanis Gekas</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">11</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Stefan Kießling</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">14</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Sascha Dum</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">15</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Hans Sarpei</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">16</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Pirmin Schwegler</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> <td width="1%"> </td> <td valign="top" width="48%" bgcolor="#ffffff"> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr bgcolor="#aad0ff"> <th width="1%">No.</th> <th width="1%"> </th> <th width="1%">Position</th> <th width="75%">Player</th> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">17</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Vratislav Greško</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">18</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Constant Djakpa</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">19</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Marcel Risse</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">20</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Lukas Sinkiewicz</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">22</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>Benedikt Fernandez</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">23</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Arturo Vidal</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">24</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Michal Kadlec (on loan from Sparta Prague) <sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference">[1]</sup></td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">25</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Bernd Schneider</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">27</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Gonzalo Castro</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">33</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">DF</td> <td>Stefan Reinartz</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">34</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">GK</td> <td>Erik Domaschke</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">45</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">MF</td> <td>Jens Hegeler</td> </tr> <tr class="vcard agent"> <td style="text-align: right;">51</td> <td style="text-align: center;"></td> <td style="text-align: center;">FW</td> <td>Richard Sukuta-Pasu</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>
Looks excellent. I think I will do the same for the Spanish and Italian leagues.. As well for the Argentinian.. lol I got a lot of work to do -.-
I call England. We have a team preview, but not one of these. I CALLED IT!!!!!!!!!!! NAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH YEAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HAHAHAL; DFAS1!!!!!!!!!!!!11!!!!
