Bielefeld versus Gladbach – this is not just any Bundesliga game, not even just a West Derby. Despite all the differences in sporting success, there is a lot that connects Arminia and Borussia. And also at least one historical game.
The young Uli Borowka in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s dress. In 1982 he left the field in tears in the game against Bielefeld.
imago images
They were once enthroned on two of the most famous German football hills. While the Gladbacher Bökelberg gave way to a residential area and the Bielefelder Alm has long been officially called the “Schüco-Arena”, there are a lot of connections between the two old West German soccer women Arminia and Borussia – but less in the sporting successes in which they were on this Saturday “Foals” appearing as guests are probably unreachable ahead of the newcomers from East Westphalia.
What unites both clubs are the people involved. Some of them worked in various functions for both sides, in particular four trainers. In the Bundesliga, for example, Michael Frontzeck stood on the sidelines 50 times for Bielefeld and 56 times for Gladbach. Horst Köppel once looked after the Bielefeld team for a season and also coached 40 games of the Elf from the Lower Rhine. Ewald Lienen was first division coach in Gladbach and second division coach in Bielefeld, while Frank Geideck once briefly occupied the command bridge at Arminia in the top class and has now been assistant coach in Mönchengladbach for many years.
Only against Bayern there were more home defeats
16 players in the Bundesliga also wore both the jersey with the “B” in the diamond and the one with the “A” in the flag on their chest. Seven of them also scored in the Bundesliga goal for both clubs, most often Lienen (48), Siegfried Reich (26) and Horst Wohlers (eleven), plus Jörg Böhme and Michael Sternkopf (seven times each) as well as Thorben Marx (five times) and Marco Küntzel (four times).
Arminia has currently been waiting for a goal against Gladbach for four home games, eight defeats at home against this opponent, more only against Bayern (twelve). But also two of the historically greatest triumphs of the DSC came against VfL. Freshly remembered, for example, is the 5-4 win on penalties in the 2014/15 cup quarter-finals. One of the two highest Bundesliga victories in Bielefeld to date is much longer back. It was once 5-0 against Darmstadt in 1979, 5-0 also on May 8, 1982 in front of 28,000 fans against Borussia trained by Jupp Heynckes and with greats like Lothar Matthäus, Armin Veh or Uwe Rahn, which had not been occupied for 16 years had lost so high. In the Bielefeld team, among others, Wolfgang Kneib (previously in Gladbach competitor of his this time counterpart Wolfgang Kleff) and, as a goal scorer for the interim 3-0, Ewald Lienen cheered.
A certain 19-year-old player named Uli Borowka was not at all happy on the Borussia side. In his only eighth game, the future national player received the red card from referee Brückner after 73 minutes for a foul on Herbert Reiss from Bielefeld – and left the field in tears and supported by Gladbach’s assistant coach Wolf Werner. Borowka, who was to experience his heyday at Werder Bremen, told the waiting reporters for the day after the final whistle: “No, please don’t ask me anything! Please leave me alone.”
