Blog Entries

Transfer window

Photo by Giuseppe Peronato (Wikimedia Commons)

Jacob Sweetman: The 2012 Elpis comeback special

The transfer window leaves football fans desperately grasping for Elpis, the ancient Greek Goddess of hope. She, however, probably can't be bothered. The Sportsdesk has some words of conciliation.

Jan 31, 2012 by in The Berlin Blog

Waldemar Cierpinski runner

Waldemar Cierpinski. Photo courtesy of the Deutsches Bundesarchiv

Jacob Sweetman: The Polish pole vaulter and the GDR's Des Lynam

Jacob Sweetman has got technical issues, but with a copy of the GDR sporting lexicon, and the peerless RBB film archives, he will boldly push onwards in a search for the ghosts of Olympics’ past and from the days when the games' coverage was special.

Jan 24, 2012 by in The Berlin Blog (5 Comments)

FlexStrom 1952

Photo courtesy of the Deutsche Fotothek

Jacob Sweetman: Five is the magic number

Saturday saw the third annual FlexStrom Cup, the successful indoor "legends" tournament at the Max-Schmeling-Halle. Sceptical Englander, Jacob Sweetman, was won over. It's not real football, just entertainment.

Jan 18, 2012 by in The Berlin Blog

Sepp Blatter

Sepp Blatter enjoys James Blunt. Photo by Marcello Casal Jr. (Wikimedia Commons)

Jacob Sweetman: No way, José

It's that time of year when FIFA gets to pat itself on the back at a typically tasteful ceremony, as they present the famous old Ballon D'or – the world player of the year. Jacob Sweetman says José Mourinho did well to stay away.

Jan 11, 2012 by in The Berlin Blog (1 Comments)

Tom Hilde

Photo by Geir A Granviken (Ggranvik; Flickr CC)

Jacob Sweetman: Jumpers for goalposts

As the English are left alone playing football during the winter, Jacob Sweetman gets excited about the ski jumping season. Not just excited, terrified too. Maybe we are not supposed to be up there?

Jan 4, 2012 by in The Berlin Blog

Georg Buschner

Georg Buschner. Photo by Rainer Mittelstädt (courtesy of the German Federal Archive)

Jacob Sweetman: The ghosts of football past

Yesterday, Sweetman had the chance to watch anything he liked from the GDR archives, absolutely anything. That he chose to watch an old pre-match press conference tells you and us everything we need to know about his sort.

Dec 29, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog

Michael Preetz

Photo by Steindy (Wikimedia Commons)

Jacob Sweetman: The great pretenders

To say the last couple of weeks at Hertha BSC have been turbulent would do the word a disservice. Markus Babbel was fired on Saturday, with accusations of lying being flung between him and the clubs manager, Michael Preetz. It's not been pretty.

Dec 21, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog (2 Comments)

Türkeyim'

Photo by Ian Stenhouse

Jacob Sweetman: The death knells...

Türkiyemspor is slipping away. The Xberger football club has often stood for all the good things about Kreuzberg, Berlin and integration. Now, in insolvency, they are fighting a bigger fight than the ones they face on the pitch.

Dec 13, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog (1 Comments)

Jacob Sweetman: A ramble about Socrates' death

Whilst coming so close to each other in terms of timing, the deaths of Gary Speed and Socrates couldn't have been more different circumstantially. With no offence intended towards the loved ones of the former, it was Socrates that moved me the most.

Dec 7, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog (2 Comments)

Jacob Sweetman: We woz robbed

Guido Kocer was this week jailed with fellow footballer, Süleyman Koç for his part in helping an armed robbery. His actions are in no way to be defended, but it might help in the future to understand what it means to be a footballer.

Nov 30, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog

Referee

Photo by BrokenSphere (Wikimedia CC)

Jacob Sweetman: Supporting the referees

They are the ones who face the worst of opprobrium raining down from the stands, the referees without whom the beautiful game would be nothing. Sure they can be incompetent, but then (and let's be honest here), who can't?

Nov 23, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog (2 Comments)

Jacob Sweetman: Living the dream

Sometimes footballers do deserve our sympathy – the recent case of Martin Fenin's struggle with alcohol addiction and depression is a case in point. It always looks like such a dream job from the outside, it surely can't be that hard. Can it?

Nov 2, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog (2 Comments)

Jacob Sweetman: Türkiyem-sore

Time is running out for Türkiyemspor. As of Friday we will know what is to happen to the cash strapped Kreuzbergers, but it is not looking pretty. Few clubs in the world do as much in their community as Türkiyem'. We are crossing our fingers.

Oct 26, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog

Photo courtesy of the Bundesarchiv (Brodde)

Jacob Sweetman: Speeed kills

The AVUS racetrack is a relic of its sporting history – a speedster’s wet dream. In the week of Dan Wheldon’s death, we think about what people do to go faster and faster.

Oct 19, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog

Jacob Sweetman: More ordinary extraordinariness

Last night Germany won their 10th and final game of qualification for UEFA EURO 2012. This time it was against Belgium, but it doesn't really matter who the poor sods are. Another game, another three points for Germany. Germany looks devastating.

Oct 12, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog (2 Comments)

Photo by Jérôme (Wikimedia CC)

Jacob Sweetman: Interminable internationals

Another weekend where the football is interrupted by the endless grind towards the European Championships. This week it is Turkey who get to play whipping boys to the relentless German team, and I'm wondering if I can be bothered at all.

Oct 5, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog

Photo courtesy of www.union.de

Jacob Sweetman: The mothership connection

In the middle of 1.FC Union's 2-0 victory over Alemannia Aachen another dominant performance by midfielder Markus Karl was at centre stage. And for the first time in Union's colours he was allowed the glory, too, as the first goal scorer.

Sep 28, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog (4 Comments)

Jacob Sweetman: Just another bloody tragedy

The entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team was wiped out a couple of weeks ago as their plane overran the runway before it was supposed to fly to Minsk. Among them was German international Robert Dietrich. Many in Berlin will remember him.

Sep 21, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog

Jacob Sweetman: The mane man

Paul Breitner just turned 60. Sócrates is lying in his hospital bed sick. Mathias Holst has just returned from injury. What links these events? The beard. The Sportsdesk delves into these shaggy dog stories with a hard hitting expose.

Sep 14, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog

Jacob Sweetman: Falling on hard times

BFC Dynamo have announced the name of their new manager and are keeping their fingers crossed that he can continue the good work of the previous incumbent, Keiko Bonan. And they are trying their hardest to show they've changed.

Sep 7, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog

Jacob Sweetman: Discussing the discus

I thought that after the IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin two years ago there might be a little more hype about the whole thing for this year’s tournament in Korea. German TV certainly didn't seem to care too much.

Aug 31, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog

Photo courtesy of www.unveu.de

Jacob Sweetman: Dealing with the death penalty

1. FC Union bounced back from another miserable week with a 2-1 win against the highly rated VfL Bochum. It was a hard fought battle, but when the pressure was really on their (often misfiring) strikers kept their heads in a time of crisis.

Aug 22, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog (4 Comments)

Jacob Sweetman: BAK to the future

Berliner Athletik Klub 07 has taken on the poisoned chalice of promotion to the Regionalliga Nord this season. It means spending more money, but also guarantees harder opposition, but the Moabit upstarts seem very happy with themselves.

Aug 17, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog

Photo by David Hunter (tandemracer; Flickr CC)

Jacob Sweetman: Zubrowka and the cycle of life

It was the Sportsdesk's summer holiday, but that doesn't mean the sport stops. No, it was the Tour de Poland, a serious bike race which would have been covered even better were it not for the vodka.

Aug 10, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog

Jacob Sweetman: Through the past darkly

A turbulent week for 1.FC Union has, in many ways, been incredibly instructive. About the past and the present. About the scars of Berlins history, and the perceptions of the people in the East and the West that still go on today.

Jul 27, 2011 by in The Berlin Blog (1 Comments)