story of my season BORUSSIA DORTMUND | DIE SCHWARZGELBEN ANGRIFF - BUNDESLIGA MATCHDAY 17 - DUSSELDORF UPDATE POSTED

 JUNE 15TH 2012 - KLOPP DEPARTS FROM CHAMPIONS

 'Borussia Dortmund are searching for a new head coach
after the departure of Jürgen Klopp from the Westfalenstadion'



Dortmund will begin the defence of their Bundesliga championship without the man who lead them to the club’s first domestic double. The news has come as a shock to many in the German city after such a successful season for the club, which saw them break numerous records; including the record for most point collected in a single season with 81 and longest undefeated run in the Bundesliga with 28 matches, breaking Bayern Munich's previous record of 25 matches.

In a statement released by the club's General Manager Hans-Joachim Watzke, the club was quick to dismiss the rumours that Klopp had been having disagreements with the club following the departure of playmaker Shinji Kagawa, the man who secured the club's back to back championship success last turn with his goal against Borussia Monchengladbach, as well as how they would spend the funds. Watzke stated, "That club and Jürgen have come to the mutual understanding that, for the betterment of the club and the fans, it is time to call an end to our working relationship. Jürgen has wished the club nothing but the best and the club also extend the same wishes toward a man who has lead our illustrious club to much success over the past few years."

Dortmund are now on the hunt for a new head coach but Watzke refused to be drawn on any early speculation as to who will take over from Klopp but wanted to find the most suitable candidate for the job. "Dortmund and it's fans, over the past few years, come to expect a certain level of success from it's team and we need to find a coach that will reflect that high expectation. We will, however, not be drawn into any media speculation on who will replace Jürgen going forward." Die Schwarzgelben are looking to continue their domestic dominance while looking to make a successful run in the UEFA Champions League, where they failed to advance beyond the Group Stages last term. Needless to say, the new coach, who will have to earn the approval of the passionate home support, is going to have a tough task ahead of him. 




Did the sale of Shinji Kagawa bring about
the end of Jürgen Klopp's reign at Dortmund?



HAVE YOUR SAY!
With Jürgen Klopp's departure from Dortmund, will the champions be able to defend their crown as the Kings of German Football and has the sale of playmaker Shinji Kagawa lead to the deterioration of the relationship between Die Schwarzgelben's board and their influential manager?

 THE TROPHY CABINET

 'Ciaran O'Donnell - Dortmund - July 2012 - Present'






CLUB ACHIEVEMENTS
League Championships
2012/2013 - In Progress - Currently in First Place

Domestic Trophies
2012/2013 Season
- DFB-Pokal - In Progress (Third round)
- DFL-Supercup - Runners Up (Penalty defeat to Bayern Munich)

European Trophies
2012/2013 Season
- UEFA Champions League - Progress (Last Sixteen vs Celtic)

MANAGERIAL ACHIEVEMENTS
July 14th 2012 - Appointed Dortmund Manager

quote Cowdenbeath rule

Good to see another Bundesliga story a very fun and competitive league to play in.

I'll be reading mate

 JULY 1ST 2012 - UNKNOWN SCOT TO LEAD DORTMUND

 'Borussia Dortmund name the unknown Ciaran O'Donnell
 as their new manager, sparking angry protests from fans'



Fans of the German Champions were shocked to hear that the unknown Scot was named as their new head coach and, in the hours since the announcement, have been at the centre of protests outside the Westfalenstadion. Many have called the board's decision to appoint O'Donnell a joke and an insult to the lineage of the club that is looking to maintain their dominance in the Bundesliga while others have questioned the club's ambition to succeed by bringing in a manager with no record at the highest level.

At the press conference, O'Donnell, who was sat with General Manager Hans-Joachim Watzke and a translator, was quick to dismiss any fears that the fans may have about his appointment. O'Donnell stated, "Like the Dortmund support, I am a football fan. I understand the fear and scepticism that comes with appointing a manager that has little experience, let alone one you've never heard of. I know well that many will not take my words into account but I not only expect this club to succeed but I vow to continue it's grand history of success. That starts this season with the defence of the Bundesliga championship." Expanding on the statement, O'Donnell was quick to reassure fans that retaining their league crown was the most realistic target for them to achieve, "I don't think we're overshooting the mark, I believe anything less than the championship isn't good enough. Jürgen Klopp has worked to build a team of young, talented players, the majority of them from Germany I will add, why shouldn't we aim to continue to build on his success?"

General Manager Watzke echoed O'Donnell's statements, stating that it was the thirty year old Scot's drive, motivation and determination not to settle for merely continental qualification that tipped the odds in his favour during the selection process. "What we have here, is a young man who's vision for Dortmund matches that of the club. a number of candidates we interviewed didn't show what Ciaran showed as they wished merely to obtain a place in next season's UEFA Champions League. Ciaran, after being shown round our facilities and was given a background on the staff here, believed that this was the minimum standard and the league, for a club like Dortmund and it's fans, was the true prize." The first task for the new manager is a Super Cup tie against last season's closest rivals Bayern Munich and it's a tie that O'Donnell is certainly going to savour. "Bayern is a club that Dortmund have a lot of history with from the last few years and are certainly our closest rivals in terms of challenging for the title. Winning the game will, not only give me a chance to assess the squad in depth but, also present me the opportunity to gauge where the club is so we can improve over the season ahead."

It was always believed that the new manager would have a tough task in trying to win over the Dortmund fans but O'Donnell, unproven and untested, certainly has an uphill climb and, despite the protests, many will be hoping the Scot will go about proving them wrong. 




Angry protesters in Dortmund as fans
voice their anger at Ciaran O'Donnell's appointment



HAVE YOUR SAY!
Ciaran O'Donnell's shock appointment in Dortmund has angered the support to the point of protests outside the stadium. What chance does the Scottish Manager have of winning them over?

 AUGUST 25TH 2012 - DORTMUND WIN ON FIRST DAY BUT BAYERN DOMINATE

 'Borussia Dortmund began the defence of their Bundesliga title with a win against Furth
 but Bayern Munich destroyed Stuttgart ahead of their first league meeting of the season'



Dortmund kicked off their season with an unconvincing win, one that given the control the champions had during the game they should have won by more. It took a goal from Robert Lewandowski to give his side the win, a week before they face championship rivals Bayern Munich in the league, only two weeks into the season, a match that manager Ciaran O'Donnell is relishing, "After losing the DFB-Supercup, the team is more than up for the visit of Bayern. We've watched the tapes of the game and I think it's safe to say we won't get caught short again."

Borussia go into the game having dominated in their game against Furth but with a lack of cutting edge from many of their players, had very little to show for it. New signing Marco Reus saw several set piece attempts go wide of their mark, as well as seeing his new team mates unable to connect with his corners to strike a blow. Dortmund's defence was solid throughout, never finding itself troubled and Robert Weidenfella found himself with very little to do during the ninety minutes. O'Donnell's side threatened constantly but a combination of lax finishing and an inspired display by Max Grun in the Furth goal denied their impressive front line until just before the hour mark when Marco Reus' cross was hit first time by Lewandowski, a goal well worth the wait as Grun had frustrated the Polish striker for most of the game. When asked about the lack of clinical finishing, O'Donnell waved off suggestions that his team would struggle next weekend. "You're judging us on the first game of the season, against a tricky team? Hardly seems far does it? Should we have won by more? Of course we should, that's what people expect from us but that's not real life is it. The team played well, we'll take positives from that.

Munich on the other hand, had no trouble finishing as they walked over Stuttgart at the Allianz-Arena. Doubles from Thomas Muller and Claudio Pizzaro four goals in a 6-1 thrashing but Dortmund's manager wasn't overly concerned. "Nothing against Stuttgart but we're not them, we're Borussia Dortmund, international recognised defenders in our team, I have no doubt we can keep Bayern at bay next week." Todays win comes days before the end of the transfer window, one where Dortmund have been quiet but reports linking the Bundesliga champions with a move for Manchester City's Aleksander Kolarov have been swirling for several days, "I'd not rule it out" was O'Donnell's response, as he looks to bring in yet another international defender into his ranks for the season ahead. 




Marco Reus, Robert Lewandowski and Mats Hummels following
Lewandowski's winning goal that gave Dortmund a winning start


BUNDESLIGA MATCHDAY ONE RESULTS
Augsburg 1-1 Leverkusen
Freiburg 1-2 Hamburg
FURTH 0-1 DORTMUND
Hofenheim 1-3 Mainz
Schalke 2-0 Dusseldorf
Wolfsburg 3-0 Nurnberg
Werder Bremen 1-1 Monchengladbach (18:30 KO)
Bayern Munich 6-1 Stuttgart (Sun)
Frankfurt 0-4 Hannover (Sun)

quote Liverpool_96

Terrific SOMS this is mate, amount of detail is just perfect and it's easy on the eye. Keep up the good work!

quote Assassin7

Currently doing a manager mode as Dortmund... struggling for results in the first 10 games... was wondering if you could do a screenshot of your squads line up and tactics?? Mario Gotze has been a missing man for me, got no assists, no goals and missed 2 penalties. Any help would be much appreciated