Today’s game see Fortuna, who are spending their 4th consecutive season in the second tier following relegation (having previously been something of a yo-yo club) against Paderborn, who have been pretty much a fixture in the 2.Bundesliga this millennium – although they have been both promoted from it and relegated from it once each in that time.
Following their promotion season they sold their star striker (and joint top scorer in the division), one Nick Proschwitz, to Hull City, then of the English Championship. In Hull he is largely remembered for having a penalty saved, while we were 2-1 up against Cardiff in the game in which we were playing for promotion to the Premier League. Not only was the penalty saved, but the ensuing move resulted in a penalty at the other end, which was scored. Aaagh.
City’s promotion was finally secured however, by – nobody else but “Dirty” Leeds, who beat our rivals Watford in the other game – an event still remembered with a strange mixture of hilarity and disgust which the Germans probably have a word for. Steve Bruce later commented with his usual dry wit: “I thought I’d seen it all when Brentford played Doncaster last week, but this tops the lot”.
Incidentally, Proschwitz’s other claim to fame is being sacked by Paderborn (in his second spell) for allegedly ‘exposing his privates for approximately 20 seconds’ to the female employee of a 4-star hotel, subsequently defending himself by claiming to have ‘no underpants’. Turning to happier thoughts, I’m massively looking forward to the beer in Düsseldorf. The ‘Altbier’ style associated with this region is a genre I particularly enjoy. Thoroughly recommended to all drinkers of Traditional English Bitter who find themselves in Germany and can’t overcome their irrational tribal aversion to lager.
