SV
Hamburg and VfB Stuttgart: back in the day
The
near double relegation of SV Hamburg and VfB Stuttgart this past season took my
memories back to more than thirty years earlier when both teams left an
indelible mark on me as a new Football fan.
The
teams from the opposite poles of the Nation (Hamburg-North, Stuttgart-South)
were then perennial powers in the West German Bundesliga. In case of Hamburg,
they were a force in the European Stage as well.
The
days when the likes of Magath, Hrubesch, Keegan and Kaltz starred for Hamburg
with ‘Hitachi’ and ‘BP’ emblazoned across their shirts.
Similarly
an exciting Stuttgart team exemplified by the youth of Hansi Muller and the
Förster brothers were giving the big guns a run for their money.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 48, December 1979
(Kevin Keegan) |
For
most of the 1970s, Bayern Munich and Borussia Moenchengladbach dominated the
West German Football landscape with most teams such as Hamburg and Stuttgart
unable to reach the same standards.
The
fortunes of Hamburg changed when Peter Krohn became General Manager on April
23, 1973. The flamboyant and ambitious Krohn wanted to make Hamburg a force in
German Football.
However,
success would take a few years to achieve for Hamburg (Stuttgart as well).
The
well-respected Kuno Klotzer was appointed as Hamburg manager in 1973. After a
mid-table finish in 1973/74, Hamburg showed improvement in 1974/75 (4th
place) and 1975/76 (Runner-up) and won the West German Cup (DfB Pokal)
(1975/76).
VfB
Stuttgart fared worse during this time and were relegated at the end of the
1974/75 season and would remain in the Second Division for the next two
seasons.
 |
Photo
From: Fussball Magazin, Issue 6, September October 1977
(Peter
Krohn)
|
For
the 1976/77 season, despite a relatively poorer campaign (6th
place), SV Hamburg were triumphant in the Cup Winners Cup by defeating
Anderlecht.
This
off-season of the year 1977 became a pivotal date for both teams, as Stuttgart
was also promoted back to the Bundesliga.
It
was during this summer that Peter Krohn made the play to take Hamburg to the
next level. He sanctioned the purchase of England’s Kevin Keegan from Liverpool
for 500,000 British Pounds, which was a record for a Bundesliga side. In
addition Yugoslavian defender Ivan Buljan arrived from Hajduk Split. This duo replaced ageing foreign players:
the Danish Ole
Bjørnmose and Austrian Hans Ettmayer.
Keegan’s
fee had been too much for both Bayern Munich and Borussia Moenchengladbach, but
Hamburg had to
pay on its profits to avoid a large tax.
During
the previous season, Krohn had already informed Kuno Klotzer that he would be
relieved of his duties at the end of the season.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 20, August 1977
(Kevin
Keegan’s debut, July 26, 1977, SV Hamburg 6-Barcelona 0)
|
Most
of the squad was against this decision, as Klotzer was well regarded. Klotzer and Krohn had many clashes during
their time together. For the Press,
Klotzer was too old school to be able to have a meaningful working relationship
with a dynamic General Manager like Krohn.
Krohn
appointed the globetrotting German manager Rudi Gutendorf in this summer of
1977.
The
showman Krohn declared that he intended to revolutionize German Football.
Krohn
had balanced the books by among other things being at the forefront of Shirt
Advertisement for teams. Hamburg were able to rake in extra funds from Japanese
Firm ‘Hitachi’ by having them as shirt sponsors.
The
new signings joined a team that included Rudi Kargus (goalkeeper), Manfred
Kaltz, Peter Nogly, Peter Hidien, Capar Memmering, Felix Magath, Willi Reinmann
and Georg Volkert.
Not
much was expected from the newly promoted Stuttgart side, however, they would
take Bundesliga by storm by finishing in the Fourth place for the 1977/78
season.
The
team included Helmut Roleder (goalkeeper), Karlheinz Förster, Yugoslav defender
Dragan Holcer, Bernd Martin, Hermann Ohlicher, Erwin Hadewicz, Hansi Muller,
Austria’s Roland Hattenberger, Dieter Hoeness (brother of Bayern’s Uli), Walter
Kelsch and Ottmar Hitzfled (nearing the end of his career).
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 59, November 1980
(Stuttgart’s
Karlheinz Förster)
|
By
the end of the season, the midfield organizer Hansi Muller and Stopper
Karlheinz Foerster earned International honors and were earmarked as the future
of West German Football. Stuttgart also turned out to be the best-supported
team in the Bundesliga, which was a benefit to them, as the players’ earnings
were directly linked to attendance.
Their
young Manager Jurgen Sundermann was seen as one to watch for the future.
Despite
all the pre-season promise, SV Hamburg had a poor season (1977/78). Keegan was
disappointing and was considered an expensive flop. In his very poor first season, Keegan was also suspended for
eight weeks for punching an opponent.
 |
Photo
From: Fussball Magazin, March april 1982
(Jurgen
Sundermamm with Stuttgart President Gerhard Mayer-Vorfeldert)
|
On
October 28th, 1977, Rudi Gutendorf took a leave of absence and his
assistant Ozcan Arkoc took over (and actually improved matters on the field).
Many
were critical of Krohn for signing Keegan and Buljan and disrupt the team unity
that had been built. Keegan even stated that his teammates cold-shouldered him
and would freeze him out during matches.
With
his gamble and plans seemingly in ruin, Krohn also resigned from his position
as General Manager. This event would actually turn out to be the catalyst that
Hamburg needed.
Former
Borussia Moenchengladbach and Real Madrid midfielder Gunther Netzer had retired
at the end of the previous season. He was appointed as the new General Manager
and started in his new post on February 8th, 1978.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 46, October 1979
(Gunther
Netzer)
|
Due
to his difficulties in adapting, many tipped Keegan would be sold, but Netzer
chose to hold onto him. Some time later, Netzer remarked in an interview that
his initial difficulties at Real Madrid paralleled Keegan’s; as a result he
chose to be patient with him.
For
his first full season as General Manager (1978/79), Netzer appointed Yugoslav
Branko Zebec as manager.
He
also transferred out Arno Steffenhagen and Georg Volkert, whom he perceived
were not playing for Keegan and were troublemakers.
The
new signings included midfielder William ‘Jimmy’ Hartwig (TSV Munich 1860), as
well as strikers Horst Hrubesch
(Rot-Weiss Essen), Bernd Wehmeyer (Hannover) and Hans-Gunther Plucken
(Union Solingen).
Branko
Zebec brought stability to the team and won the Bundesliga title with a
re-energized Keegan. Keegan had become an integral part of the team and managed
to score 16 goals.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 46, October 1979
(Branko
Zebec)
|
His
problems were mostly off the field as he angered the German media by refusing
to grant interviews. He was reluctant due to the language barrier, as well as
his contract with an English Sunday Newspaper. After a number of stories still
suggesting that he was not integrating, he wrote an open letter to Kicker
Sportsmagazin and asked the Sports Journalists to leave him in peace and just
write about his football.
But
nonetheless his stark improvement led him to extend his contract by one more
year.
As
far as Stuttgart, the previous season’s exploits had not gone unnoticed and on
December 1978, Kicker Sportsmagazin named Jurgen Sundermann manager of the
year.
Their
new arrivals that season were Hamburg’s discarded Volkert as well Karlheinz
Förster’s brother Bernd, who arrived from Saarbrucken.
They
actually improved from the previous season and were Hamburg’s closest
challengers and ended up as runner-up.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 53, May 1980
(Horst
Hrubesch)
|
Surprisingly,
Sundermann decided to leave Stuttgart and return to work in Switzerland, where
he had managed before. In order to not
lose his Swiss residency he was forced to return there (In addition his family
had pressured him to return).
Both
teams’ impressive seasons led to first caps being awarded to William Hartwig,
Caspar Memmering, Dieter Hoeness, Bernd Förster and Bernd Martin.
By
the start of 1979/80 season, SV Hamburg were regarded as one of Europe’s best
teams and a candidate to win the Champions Cup. By now Keegan had been elected
as France Football’s Ballon d’Or twice and the team contained many West German
Internationals. The Kaltz-Hrubesch combination was seen as one of the best on
the continent (Kaltz would cross from the right side for Hrubesch to score from
headers).
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 59, November 1980
(Manfred
Kaltz)
|
Due
to major expenditures in the previous few seasons, Netzer made one notable
purchase. Central defender and future International Ditmar Jakobs arrived from
MSV Duisburg.
Future
Internationals: Defender Holger Hieronymus arrived from neighbors St Pauli and
Jurgen Milewski arrived from Hertha Berlin.
Hamburg
also ended their partnership with Hitachi and signed on with BP-British
Petroleum as their shirt sponsors.
For
Stuttgart, former Darmstadt Manager Lothar Buchmann was appointed as the new man
to lead the team.
They
were able to keep the backbone of the team, but they were unable to hold onto
Dieter Hoeness, who joined Bayern Munich.
Stuttgart
did well in the UEFA Cup that season by reaching the semifinals.
Both
Hamburg and Stuttgart were strong, but this was the season that signaled Bayern
Munich’s resurgence with the double act of Paul Breitner and Karl-Heinz
Rumemnigge. Nevertheless, Hamburg were
in the running up until the end. Their loss in the penultimate match vs. Bayer
Levekusen cost them the title. Stuttgart for their part maintained their
consistency by finishing third.
A
few days later, Hamburg’s European dream ended in defeat as they lost the
Champions Cup Final to Nottingham Forest. Many had predicted them as winners
after their demolition of Real Madrid in the semifinals (0-2, 5-1).
Hamburg’s
end of the season was also marred Manager Branko Zebec’s drunk driving incident
in between the Real Madrid ties.
Zebec’s
position was further undermined when it was reported that following the
Champions Cup defeat the players had ignored the curfew set by him and had
instead been drinking through the night at the Hotel bar.
Furthermore,
Kevin Keegan had already declared during the season that he would be returning
home for the following season and joined Southampton.
For
the 1980/81, Hamburg achieved a major coup by bringing in Franz Beckenbauer.
Though ageing, his presence strengthened Hamburg’s box-office clout.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 65, May 1981
(Franz
Beckenbauer)
|
Long
serving goalkeeper Rudi Kargus and defender Peter Nogly left Hamburg during the
summer.
Netzer
brought in two new goalkeepers Heinz-Josef Koitka (Rot-Weiss Ludenscheid) and
Uli Stein (Arminia Bielfeld) as back-up, along with midfielder Jurgen Groh
(Kaiserslautern) and striker Werner Dressel (Werder Bremen).
The
1980/81 was similar to the previous season as Bayern Munich triumphed in the
League with Hamburg and Stuttgart just behind.
Stuttgart
welcomed back Jurgen Sundermann at the helm and maintained their UEFA Cup
standing of the previous seasons.
During
the season Gunther Schafer made his debut with Stuttgart, he would remain with
the club until 1996.
Karl
Allgower arrived from Stuttgart Kickers and future German national Team manager
Joachim Low arrived from Freiburg (though he only made four appearances).
In
the UEFA Cup, SV Hamburg were eliminated in the third round after a humiliating
(0-5) defeat at home to Saint Etienne.
By
midseason, Branko Zebec was relieved of his duties, as his problems with
alcoholism grew more visible and problematic. His assistant and compatriot Aleksandr
Ristic replaced him.
For
the 1981/82 season, Netzer hired Austrian Manager Ernst Happel to lead the
team.
Two
new foreign strikers were also signed, the Yugoslav Borisa Djordjevic (Hajduk
Split) and Danish Lars Bastrup (AGF Aarhus).
 |
Photo
From: Fussball magazin, january february 1983
(Ernst Happel and Gunther Netzer) |
Djordjevic
would fail to adapt, while Bastrup was more successful.
Happel
installed Uli Stein as his starting goalkeeper and gave a more prominent role
to Thomas von Heesen.
The disciplinarian Happel molded Hamburg into
a stronger unit and by the end of the season Hamburg regained the Bundesliga
title.
Hamburg
would not lose a match the entire second half of the season and Beckenbauer
signed off his career with another League title.
They
unexpectedly lost the UEFA Cup final to the Swedes of IFK Gothenburg, but there
was a feeling that this Hamburg squad was on the verge of European glory.
Stuttgart
welcomed two strikers, Dieter Muller from Koln and Frenchman Didier Six.
Former
Romanian defector Alexandru Satmareanu (also known as Szamatari) was also able
to lineup after the obligatory one year suspension.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 68, August 1981
(Dieter
Muller, Didier Six and Hansi Muller)
|
Striker
Peter Reichert moved up from the youth squad with much success.
Dragan
Holcer left and joined Schalke.
Despite
these acquisitions, Hansi Muller and Karlheinz Foerster’s injuries disrupted
the team’s rhythm and they finished in a poor Ninth position. Jurgen Sundermann
took full responsibility and left at the end of the season.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 59, November 1980
(Hansi Muller and Bayern Munich’s Dieter
Hoeness) |
The
1982/83 season turned out to be the best in Hamburg’s history. The addition of future International
midfielder Wolfgang Rolff (Fortuna Koln) strengthened an already impressive
squad.
Danish
forward Allan Hansen arrived from Odense BK (though to not much effect).
They
led the League from the start and despite a late push by Werder Bremen they
retained the Bundesliga title.
They
maintained an unbeaten streak in the League for an entire calendar year. Their
last loss in the previous season had been to Eintracht Braunschweig (1-2) on
January 16, 1982. They would suffer their next League defeat one year later on
January 29, 1983 vs. Werder Bremen (2-3) (a run of 36 matches).
They
reached their zenith by defeating Juventus in the Champions Cup Final in Athens
courtesy of an early Felix Magath goal. Happel’s tactics of zonal marking
baffled the Italians accustomed to man-to-man marking.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 90, June 1983
(Hamburg
squad, Top, left to right: Felix Magath, Lars Bastrup, Wolfgang Rolff, Ditmar
Jakobs, Manfred Kaltz, Horst
Hrubesch , Bottom, left to right: Bernd
Wehmeyer, Holger Hieronymus, Jurgen Groh, Jurgen Milewski, Uli Stein , May 25,
1983, Champions Cup, SV Hamburg 1-Juventus 0, Team captains: Horst Hrubesch and
Dino Zoff)
|
In
the summer of 1982, Stuttgart appointed Helmut Benthaus as manager. He arrived
after managing Switzerland’s FC Basel for 17 years. He pushed out Dieter
Muller, who demanded an automatic starting spot, to France’s Bordeaux.
Stuttgart also transferred long serving defender Bernd Martin to Bayern Munich.
As part of the exchange, they got Libero Kurt Niedermayer and Icelandic
midfielder Asgeir Sigurvinsson from Bayern.
Promising
midfielder Thomas Kempe arrived from Duisburg.
 |
Photo
From: Fussball Magazin, Issue 6, June 1986
(Asgeir
Sigurvinsson)
|
Most
importantly, they lost their main star when Hansi Muller joined Internazionale
Milano in the summer. A loss that many felt would be costly.
However,
Benthaus against expectations, placed Stuttgart back in their customary UEFA
Cup zone and they finished third.
Hamburg
could not have foreseen that this was as high as they would reach. Lars Bastrup
returned to his native Denmark. Captain Horst Hrubesch was ageing and Netzer
was unwilling to offer him more than a one-year contract and expected his
departure. He transferred Hrubesch to Standard Liege. He had anticipated
Hrubesch’s departure for more than a year and had acquired Dieter
Schatzschneider in 1982 from Hannover and had loaned him for one season to
Fortuna Koln. Schatzschenider was a towering striker like Hrubesch and was seen
as an ideal replacement. Similarly Wolfram Wuttke arrived from Schalke to
replace Bastrup.
 |
Photo
From: Fussball magazin, March april 1983
(Dieter
Schatzschneider)
|
These
two signings would signal Nezter and Hamburg’s downfall. In the annals of
Bundesliga, they are often regarded as examples of a disastrous transfer
policy.
For the 1983/84, Hamburg suffered in the early
stages with the signings unable to adapt. They were eliminated in the Second
Round of the Champions Cup and were nowhere near the team of the previous two
seasons.
They
also lost the UEFA Super Cup to Aberdeen and the Intercontinental Cup to
Gremio.
The
two new arrivals had been such a problem, that on the day before the second leg
vs. Aberdeen (December 19, 1983), the players held a meeting from which Wuttke
and Schatzschneider were excluded. They declared that the two players had
displayed the wrong attitude and lacked camaraderie with the rest of the squad.
Magath, as captain and representative of the squad, demanded from Club
President Dr. Wolfgang Klein, the exclusion of the two players.
Dr.
Wolfgang Klein responded that he would rather field the two players with other
Amateurs rather than allow others to dictate team policy.
The
following day, another team meeting was held that included the two players as
well as Netzer and Happel. Magath presented a signed document that expressed
regret for the previous meeting. Nezter downplayed the incident and denied the
possibility of any revolt. He even said that two players were technically
better than Hrubesch and Bastrup but for some reason have not gelled with the
rest of the squad.
From
that point on the team’s form improved and they stayed in the running for the
Bundesliga title.
Stuttgart,
despite regularly finishing near the top for many seasons, were not seen as a
title winning team. Much to the surprise of most observers, this was the season
that they finally reached their goal. They had lost Frenchman Didier Six in the
off season, but welcomed Sweden’s Dan Corneluisson with much success.
Future
International Guido Buchwald arrived from Stuttgart Kickers and his excellent
season would be rewarded with international recognition.
They
set the pace for most of the season, as Hamburg were struggling.
In
an exciting season, four teams (Hamburg, Stuttgart, as well as Bayern Munich
and B.M’Gladbach) were in a very tight race to win the title.
In
the end, the penultimate round proved decisive. Stuttgart’s win vs. Werder
Bremen, coupled with Hamburg’s loss vs. Eintracht Frankfurt, gave Stuttgart a
two-point lead going into the last round. Coincidentally, the two teams were
scheduled to play one another at Stuttgart. By all accounts, even going into
this round, the title was Stuttgart’s, as Hamburg had to win by five clear
goals to overtake Stuttgart on goal difference. In the end Hamburg won (1-0)
with a goal by Jurgen Milewski in the 85th minute, but Stuttgart
were Bundesliga Champions.
 |
Photo
From: Onze, Issue 108, December 1984
(Felix
Magath and Karlheinz Förster, May 26, 1984, Stuttgart 0-SV Hamburg 1)
|
This
in a way concluded the great Hamburg and Stuttgart eras.
Nezter
left in 1986 and Happel a year later. Succeeding managers were unable to bring
back the glory days. While a Bundesliga mainstay, they were no longer potential
title winners.
After
that Hamburg were either an average side or at best a UEFA Cup squad (some
seasons), save a couple of Champions League qualifications.
Despite
the 1984 League title, Stuttgart had also peaked and in the coming seasons,
just like Hamburg, they were either a mid-table side or at best a UEFA Cup one.
A
Jurgen Klinnsman inspired Stuttgart did reach the UEFA Cup final vs. Maradona’s
Napoli in 1989, but the consistency of the late 70s and early 80s was no longer
there.
Stuttgart
did win two further Bundeliga titles, one in 1992 (inspired by Matthias Sammer
and containing 1984 survivors Buchwald and Gunther Schaefer) and also in 2007.
But
in neither case, could anyone see a long-term reign and after each title they
went through years of mid-table mediocrity.
In
the penultimate Round of this last season (2014/15), both teams were in
relegation zone. Stuttgart saved itself with a last win, while Hamburg just
barely managed to save itself via a playoff.
 |
Photo
From: France Football, Issue 1991, June 5, 1984
(Stuttgart
squad, Bundesliga Champions, May 26, 1984, Stuttgart 0-SV Hamburg 1)
|
