Episode 70: Halbfinaleeeeeeeeeee!!!!! Special Guest Rüdiger Ziehl coach of 1 FC Saarbrücken (3 Liga).

Thank you for your interest in the BVB London Fan Community Podcast. Each episode of the show is about discovering a facet of Borussia Dortmund's life in conversation with experts and former participants in club life such as players, fans, coaches or even journalists who have influenced this club in its development.

Our guest today is Rüdiger Ziehl, coach of 1 FC Saarbrücken, who played actively in defensive midfield between 1996 and 2010, making 200 professional appearances for 1 FC Kaiserslautern, Wehen Wiesbaden, Tus Koblenz and VFL Wolfsburg II, scoring 15 goals and finishing his career as champions of the Regionaliga-Nord with Wolfsburg in the 18/19 season.

Born in Zweibrücken, just 35km from Saarbrücken, the former midfielder, who also played as a defender, joined 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1996, from where he moved to SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the 2002/3 season in the Regionalliga-Süd, the fourth third-highest league. In the 2004/5 season, he moved to TuS Koblenz in the same league, where he remained until 2009. For the 2009/10 season, he moved to VfL Wolfsburg II in the fourth-tier Oberliga Nord, where he ended his career in 2011. He played three hundred and twenty-three games, 66 of them in the 2nd Bundesliga and 3 in the top tier Bundesliga.

After earning the UEFA Pro Coach badge, he began as assistant to Lorenz-Günther Köstner at VFL Wolfsburg II in the 2012/13 season. Later in the season, he took over as head coach and remained with the club until 2020.

In the 20/21 season, he took over as head coach at third-division club TSV Havelse. The team finished in eleventh. Ziehl then took over 1. FC Saarbrücken at the start of the 21/22 season. The team finished the season in fifth place and missed out on third place in the promotion play-offs by just one point. 

The team is currently in 11th place, 12 points away from a promotion place. Things are looking much better in the cup, however, as the team from the Ludwigsparkstadion has reached the semi-finals, after wins against Bayern Munich, Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

A totally different team in the league than the one in the cup, how can that be explained? Find out in the interview: 

-  A look at the DFB's decision to drop Adidas for Nike, how the process of designing a new kit works, and why the multi-coloured cross on the back of the England away kit will have been agreed by the big decision makers at The FA. 

- How dropping Hansi Flick was a short-sighted decision, but why the set-up under Julian Nagelsmann is a big step forward over the last years since 2014 for the German team.

- A look back over our guest's active career and his start in coaching including winning the title with Wolfsburg, what life like at Wolfsburg?

- The contrast in how the second teams (U21, U23s) are organised in Germany vs in England, why second teams playing in the third or fourth tiers is ideal for player development, and why the fourth tier divided in 5 regions is a league of derbies and a winner for the environment. 

- Recollections of 1 FC Kaiserslautern with Miroslav Klose, who became one of the greatest German strikers of all time, and Murat Yakin, the current coach of the Swiss national team, Roman Weidenfeller, Taribo West and Youri Djorkaeff, the team finished 7th in the 1 Bundesliga under the recently deceased Kaiserslautern coach Andreas Brehme, and why players like Andi Brehme had German qualities which were admired across the game. 

- Taking over 1. FC Saarbrücken, a historic German soccer club and founder of the Bundesliga in 1963, runners-up in 1943 and 1959, then four-time DFB Cup semi-finalist and two-time champion of the 2nd Bundesliga and even champion of the French Ligue 2 in 1949. The biggest club in Saarland, which spent five seasons in the Bundesliga. A sleeping giant. Was it pressure to take over such a sleeping giant when the fans have such high expectations?

- The fans' expectations are high but the funds are low, what is it like to lead the club with the Inter-style jersey?

- In their fourth consecutive season in the third division, promotion expectations have grown following last season's success, how does he manage the expectations?

- How he gets the most out of talents like Germany U20 keeper Tim Schreiber, currently on loan from RB Leipzig, captain and former SC Paderborn midfielder Manuel Zeitz, and top scorer, former Bradford City striker, Kai Brünker. 

-  Life at 1. FC Saarbrücken, a historic German soccer club and founder of the Bundesliga in 1963, runners-up in 1943 and 1959, then four-time DFB Cup semi-finalist and two-time champion of the 2nd Bundesliga and even champion of the French Ligue 2 in 1949, what it's like managing a true sleeping giant.

- What is the special bond with the fans in the region? And the team spirit in the squad?

- In the 23/24 DFB Cup season, you beat Bayern Munich, Eintracht and 'Gladbach and defeated superior teams with some of the best players in the world. What are your outstanding memories of those games?

- In the semi-final you'll be playing against your former club 1. FC Kaiserslautern,  is there an advantage for you, how much of a derby is the game?

- How much would it mean for your career to reach the final, and which team do you want to play in Berlin? 

- Speaking about the future, do you follow a team in the English game? Would you consider working in the Premier League, or even further afield like Saudi Arabia or the USA?

- Social media.

We hope you enjoy the show. Send us your comments, share the show with friends and don't forget to like it. If you want to contact the fan club, you can do so via the website borussiadortmundlondon.co.uk or in the online group at Facebook.com/borussiadortmundfanclubengland .
 
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