German soccer fans are fed up with clubs' empty promises and underachieving players

I know it is an opinionated headline but that's the way German soccer fans feel these days, especially those who cheer for the Hamburger SV and Borussia Dortmund. And who could blame them? After convincing, or should I call it brainwashing, the media and fans into believing how wonderful this upcoming 2003-2004 season would be and that all the off-season praise was well deserved and will be repaid in the form of attractive and successful soccer, both teams' performance was dreadful so far.

But to tell the full story, we must go back to the end of last season and explain how different those two clubs finished their year. On the hand, Hamburg probably wished the league would keep on playing. That is how well the club performed, finishing in fourth place and returning to Europe's elite by securing a UEFA Cup bid.

Dortmund, on the other hand, fell out of the title race and Champions League early on and quickly adjusted its seasonal outlook to securing second place in the standings and an automatic Champions League bid. And with the talented squad at hand, coach Matthias Sammer and the entire front office seemed confident in achieving this goal, especially against challenger Stuttgart, who's squad supposedly lacked maturity and consistency. Despite these deficiencies, Stuttgart kept on winning and challenged for second place until the last game day. But the odds continued to be stacked against Felix Magath's men, since Dortmund's last game was at home against already relegated Energie Cottbus. But as we have witnessed so many times in sports, the unexpected came true. Stuttgart easily won its game, while Dortmund's unmotivated millionaires struggled through its game. Even though Sammer's team led throughout the game, Cottbus shot a dagger in the heart of Dortmund's fans, executives and coaches by equalizing with a few minutes to go. All of sudden, Stuttgart had the automatic bid and Dortmund was forced to play the qualifying round against FC Bruegge.

During the off-season, the two clubs continued to grab the headlines at every opportunity. Hamburg, glowingly praising its squad and coach Kurt Jara and Dortmund promising to better itself and to reach the Champions League through the qualification round. After listening to weeks of glowing promises, even the most disappointed fan couldn't wait for the start of the new season. As the exhibition season started, Hamburg and Dortmund seemed like improved teams. Hamburg went undefeated and won the League Cup for the first time against the likes of Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Hertha BSC Berlin; Dortmund also played an impressive preseason, winning game after game.

But today the picture has dramatically changed. Sammer once again struggles to find ways to get his players to raise their performance level. After losing the Champions League qualifiers to FC Bruegge, losing not only prestige but also approximately $10 million in guaranteed earnings, another third place finish will not be tolerated. As for Hamburg, the self-proclaimed championship challenger, things went from better to worse. After Week 4, Jara's team finds itself in second to last place and with a tough schedule ahead, things don't look too promising. So much for title aspirations!

The story of these two clubs is an excellent example why we love sports so much. From last season's heroes to this season's losers. Of course the clubs' standings are likely to improve, but their struggles should remind all clubs that a little bit of humility, and not pompous rhetoric, goes a long way. Especially with the fans.