Berlin (dpa) - SV Hamburg moved up to 13th in the Bundesliga with a
win over Mainz on Sunday and, at long last, there is cautious hope
that the northern giants may finally be awaking from a long slumber.
Thorsten Fink, Bert van Marwijk and Mirko Slomka all held the
coaching position at Hamburg last season and it was Slomka who managed to ensure survival by winning a relegation play-off on away goals.
Maintaining their proud record as the only club to have competed in every Bundesliga season was important for Hamburg, but that being a goal at all shows how far the European champions of 1983 have fallen.
And despite the board spending money to bring in several players over summer, Slomka himself lasted just three games of this latest campaign before being fired.
In turning to under-23 coach Josef Zinnbauer, himself only appointed to that position in summer, Hamburg may have stumbled across a solution to their problems.
Zinnbauer had guided his charges, effectively the Hamburg reserves, to the top of the northern regional league before being promoted to first team duties. And he showed no sign of being intimidated at having to deal with so called stars rather than youngsters.
"If it doesn't work with the top squad, I'll call up the U23s," Zinnbauer promised back in September.
Though not the first coach to make such threats, few have stuck to their word as clearly in such a short space of time.
Several experienced first team players have found themselves benched or sitting in the stands as the likes of Mohamed Gouaida, Ashton Goetz and Ronny Marcos have played significant roles in important victories.
The win against Mainz, which should have been much safer than the final score of 2-1, was Hamburg's third in a row in front of their own fans.
"We're happy with the result even if we have not played as we would have hoped in the last 15 minutes," Zinnbauer said. "But that's normal at that stage when the opponent goes all or nothing in the attack.
"I also really liked that in the dressing room our team is already focussing on our next opponents, Freiburg."
Hamburg have picked up only one away win in the league in the last calendar year but travel to Germany's Black Forest region knowing victory over Freiburg could take them to the verge of the top half of the table.
There is then a midweek clash at home to currently bottom Stuttgart, offering the chance to finally establish the consistency which has been lacking so long.
"Looking at the table today is quite pleasant," defender Dennis Diekmeier said. "But it is only a snapshot.
"We played well (against Mainz) but we will not rest on our laurels. In the next game we want more points and to do that we must deliver a strong performance away from home."
Fighting relegation has become a habit in Hamburg in recent years but Zinnbauer and his band of youth now seem to be looking up the table rather than down.
Thorsten Fink, Bert van Marwijk and Mirko Slomka all held the
coaching position at Hamburg last season and it was Slomka who managed to ensure survival by winning a relegation play-off on away goals.
Maintaining their proud record as the only club to have competed in every Bundesliga season was important for Hamburg, but that being a goal at all shows how far the European champions of 1983 have fallen.
And despite the board spending money to bring in several players over summer, Slomka himself lasted just three games of this latest campaign before being fired.
In turning to under-23 coach Josef Zinnbauer, himself only appointed to that position in summer, Hamburg may have stumbled across a solution to their problems.
Zinnbauer had guided his charges, effectively the Hamburg reserves, to the top of the northern regional league before being promoted to first team duties. And he showed no sign of being intimidated at having to deal with so called stars rather than youngsters.
"If it doesn't work with the top squad, I'll call up the U23s," Zinnbauer promised back in September.
Though not the first coach to make such threats, few have stuck to their word as clearly in such a short space of time.
Several experienced first team players have found themselves benched or sitting in the stands as the likes of Mohamed Gouaida, Ashton Goetz and Ronny Marcos have played significant roles in important victories.
The win against Mainz, which should have been much safer than the final score of 2-1, was Hamburg's third in a row in front of their own fans.
"We're happy with the result even if we have not played as we would have hoped in the last 15 minutes," Zinnbauer said. "But that's normal at that stage when the opponent goes all or nothing in the attack.
"I also really liked that in the dressing room our team is already focussing on our next opponents, Freiburg."
Hamburg have picked up only one away win in the league in the last calendar year but travel to Germany's Black Forest region knowing victory over Freiburg could take them to the verge of the top half of the table.
There is then a midweek clash at home to currently bottom Stuttgart, offering the chance to finally establish the consistency which has been lacking so long.
"Looking at the table today is quite pleasant," defender Dennis Diekmeier said. "But it is only a snapshot.
"We played well (against Mainz) but we will not rest on our laurels. In the next game we want more points and to do that we must deliver a strong performance away from home."
Fighting relegation has become a habit in Hamburg in recent years but Zinnbauer and his band of youth now seem to be looking up the table rather than down.
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