ONTD FOOTBALL

You know my Austrian introductory posts by now, I suppose. This one is going to be particularly sappy, as the team at hand is my club, the only one I cheer for as passionately as I do for Liverpool.


SK Puntigamer Sturm Graz

Puntigamer is an Austrian beer (not a very good one in my opinion, though), and Sturm Graz have been everbody's second-favourite team in recent years because they were forced to practically rebuild their team and management from scratch after going bankrupt, and the result is a lively group of bright young Austrian talents that have achieved more than anyone dared to hope a few years ago. Sturm Graz today is no longer the glorious team of 2000/01 that became the first and only Austrian club to reach the then second group stage of the Champions League. They are more like a provincial team with very limited resources now, but thanks to their heart and passion, they are still a force to be reckoned with in the league.

( And they proved it again today )

( the pyrotechnics issue )

( Sturm players picspam )

I promised I'd make a post about the Austrian NT or clubs from time to time so the new shiny tags don't go to waste. :) Let's concentrate on Bundesliga, since the miracle of our NT's sensational last-gasp qualification for WC-qualifying play-offs obviously didn't happen (*sobs*).

Our four Europa Leaguers (or shall I say "The Big Four" :P) faced each other this weekend, and the results were both a bit surprising.

( Austria Vienna v Red Bull Salzburg 1-0 )

( Sturm Graz v Rapid Vienna 1-0 )

( The Table )

Sorry for the watermarks, don't know any decent sites for Austrian Bundesliga pics.

Particularly taking into account the dire Premier League results, these two games totally made my weekend. Thanks for reading again. :)

Sources: www.bundesliga.at, www.picturedesk.com, derstandard.at, www.fk-austria.at and www.sksturm.at.

OK, so I know hardly anyone will care, but after today's Europa League events I just can't shut up any longer.

Hi, remember us? We're Austria. We co-hosted the most exciting tournament of all time, EURO 2008.



The whole rest of Europe usually rejoice when they draw our national team or one of our clubs as an opponent in a competition because it usually means an easy win. Last time we qualified for a World Cup was 1998, and even though our team has been getting better and beat France and Romania in the ongoing qualifying campaign, we can only make it to South Africa if a) France lose to Faroe Islands, b) we then beat France a second time, and c) we then beat whoever we draw in the playoffs. Highly unlikely, of course.

Every once in a while, one of our clubs qualifies for the Champions League (though it hasn't happened in a while) and takes a few good beatings there. In recent years we didn't even manage to pull off any particularly good performances in the UEFA Cup. Which is why national TV didn't even bother to get the rights for the Europa League this year.

Right now, they are kicking themselves, because a while ago the unthinkable happened: all the four clubs from our league who were entitled to try qualified for Europe. You might have heard, it was the day Rapid Vienna kicked out Aston Villa. It was one of the best football nights I ever experienced in my life, and the euphoria since then has been quite unbelievable. People all over the country, regardless of club allegiance, flock to pubs where they can watch our teams play against some big-name clubs from countries like Spain, Italy and Germany. And so far, we haven't been disappointed. Only England and Spain have collected more points for the UEFA country ranking in the current European competitions. We collected more points than Germany, even though none of our clubs play in the Champions League.

( Presenting... the four teams nobody thought would be any threat )


This is Daniel Beichler, the 20-year-old local boy who just can't seem to stop scoring. He's an absolute delight to watch on the pitch, and I just hope with all my heart that no big European club snatches him away from us before he's had a chance to win a few long over-due trophies with the club.


OK, so that got a bit out of hand. Long story short: When Liverpool and England do well, I'm happy. But any small success for my country - even if it involves a club I despise domestically - just means the fucking world to me.

Thanks for reading if anyone made it through, and viva Europa League.