Hertha Berlin
August 4, 2011
Hertha Berlin, despite a history stretching back to 1892 and a couple of championships in the 1930s, doesn't get much respect from most German football fans. In some ways, that's understandable.
The club lacked regional rivals for decades, marooned as it was in West Berlin. It got itself caught up in a couple of match-fixing scandals over the years, spent significant stretches in the lower divisions, and often played in a two-thirds empty Olympiastadion. Worst of all, it seemed for a time around the turn of this century that Hertha was going to jump the queue, as it were, going from second-division club to European player virtually overnight on the back of big-money sponsorship deals. Germany's tradition-bound football scene was not amused.
Relegation in 2010 put paid to all that, and seems to have taught Hertha to set its sights a little lower - at least for now. The club brought in young coach Markus Babbel, who got them promoted straight back up with a squad that played attractive football in front of packed houses. The team's creaky defense could have trouble measuring up to the better Bundesliga sides, but Hertha's firepower up front should see them stay in the league - which is all that matters this season.
Fun fact: Hertha players Levan Kobiashvili (Georgia), Roman Hubnik (Czech Republic), Nikita Rukavytsa (Ukraine/Australia), and Andre Mijatovic (Croatia) often communicate in Russian on the pitch.
Author: Matt Hermann
Editor: Sean Sinico