CM10: Life after Mario Gomez

[m_vaughan]

Mario Gomez breaks record to join Bayern

Super Mario leaves Stuttgart after eight years

Striker Mario Gomez has made his switch from VfB Stuttgart to Bayern Munich in a deal that makes him the most expensive Bundesliga player ever.

Both clubs and the player confirmed they had agreed a deal of €30m. This is the biggest in German league history.

Manchester United paid €25m for Owen Hargreaves in 2007.

"I am looking forward to Bayern," Gomez told the club website at the start of an Asian tour with the German national team. "The club is something special. I want to compete for the championship with it and look forward to the Champions League."

Gomez scored 24 times for Stuttgart this season, a personal best, and has long been on Bayern's shopping list. He also won the 2007 championship with Stuttgart.

The move could increase the chances of Bayern playmaker Franck Ribery staying on.

Ribery, courted by most major European clubs, has repeatedly called on Bayern to buy other players to create a more competitive team.

"We managed to hold on to him twice," Stuttgart sporting director Horst Heldt said about Gomez. "But he has now decided on a change and we respect and understand that."

The 23-year-old German, whose father is from Spain, has won 23 caps for Germany, scoring six goals, the last more than a year ago.

Gomez said he understood why some Stuttgart fans would be surprised that he was joining rivals Bayern.

"But I hope they will fondly remember the amazing times we lived through together," he added.

"We are delighted that Mario Gomez has decided to join us," said Bayern General Director Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. "He is a first class striker, one of the best in Germany."

 

[Deleted member 13648]

You should buy Sergio Ramos. He's quality.

 

[m_vaughan]

Cannot afford.

 

[m_vaughan]

Horst Heldt takes board place

The VfB Stuttgart supervisory committee have called Horst Heldt to take a place in the club's Board of Management as from July 1st 2009. The 39 year old will be responsible on the board for the area of sport. Horst Heldt has been sport director at VfB since January 2006, prior to which he made 359 Bundesliga and two international appearances.

Dr. Dieter Hundt, chairman of the supervisory board: "In recent years, Horst Heldt has played an important role in the sporting development of the club. His being called to join us in the Board of Management is our way of expressing how highly we rate his work. At the same time, we made this decision as for structural and organisational reasons, the groundwork can be laid for the continued sporting and economic success of the club."

Erwin Staudt, VfB president: "Horst Heldt has made an impressive development from player to functionary expert, which has been acknowledged throughout the league, and he has become a pillar of our sporting department. We are looking forward to a long and successful collaboration with him."

Horst Heldt: "I'm delighted about the trust that the supervisory committee have place in me by making this decision. Together with the rest of those involved, we wish to continue along the road we have taken and set ourselves up for future success."

 

[evertonfan]

Is CM10 the new Championship Manager? When did that get released?!

 

[hedger_14]

about to ask the same question. I've got 08 and I liked it (alot easier tham FM09) so I might think about buying it.

@m_vaughan Is it a good game and better than the previous version

 

[m_vaughan]

The demo releases on the 14th, and the full game on the 11th of September.

 

[hedger_14]

so how are you doing it now.

 

[m_vaughan]

Just wait and watch this space.

 

[shantanu_rooney]

I never noticed this story. I love reading your stories sid, your Bengal one was my fav. Looking forward for this one. great start mate, Stuttgart will find it difficult to cope without Mario Gomez but I am sure you will buy a good replacement for him.

KIU, love the writing and the presentation.

 

[hedger_14]

well its only been here for around 12 hours. Anyway, good work so far.

 

[m_vaughan]

Big names lie in wait

Having taken third spot in the Bundesliga table, VfB Stuttgart will join the race to make the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in the final 'Play-Off' round - and they could have quite a task ahead of them!
The five 'Play-Offs' to decide the final places in the group stage of the competition will take place on August 18th/19th and 25th/26th. Now that the rest of the European leagues have, almost, all played their final games for this season, the definitive list of participants for the qualifiers is complete - although there is one game to go in the Romanian league, it is already clear that Dinamo Bucharest will be the representatives.

Teams from five top nations directly to the 'Play-Offs'

Aside from VfB, the places for the top five nations will go to the other highest ranked leagues in Europe with FC Arsenal London, Atl?tico Madrid, AC Fiorentina and Olympique Lyon all waiting to join the other qualifying nations, who will face each other in the first qualifying round on July 28th/29th and August 4th/5th (the draw for this round will be made in Nyon on July 17th). The first round of qualifiers will be battled out by the third placed side in Russia, Dynamo Moscow, and the nine runners up from the next most highly ranked leagues.

Three clubs ranked higher than VfB in the pre-qualifying round

For the 'Play-Off' draw, which will take place on August 7th in Nyon, Switzerland, the individual clubs ?UEFA Coefficient' rating will play an important role. The five clubs with the best rating in the 'Five-Year-Rankings' will be seeded and will not face each other. Only if all three clubs (Sporting Lisbon, Shakhtar Donetsk and Panathinaikos Athens) with a higher status in the UEFA rankings make it through the qualifiers, will VfB slip back into 'Pot 2' and will then face one of the top five teams in the 'Play-Offs'.

The 'Placement-Ruling' qualifiers at a glance:

Directly qualified for the 'Play-Offs':


ENG FC Arsenal London (106.899 pts.)
SPA Atl?tico Madrid (41.853 pts.)
ITA AC Fiorentina (42.581 pts.)
GER VfB Stuttgart (45.339 pts.)
FRA Olympique Lyon (91.033 pts.)

The ten automatic participants in qualifying round 3:

RUS Dynamo Moscow
ROM FC Timisoara
POR Sporting Lisbon (68.292 pts.)
NED FC Twente Enschede
SCO Glasgow Rangers
TUR Sivasspor
UKR Shakhtar Donetsk (74.370 pts.)
BELR SC Anderlecht
GRE Panathinaikos Athens (56.632 pts.)
CZE Sparta Prague

 

[shantanu_rooney]

Well I am sure you would love to avoid Sporting and Shakhtar and I feel you will get Sparta Prague. Well written mate, KIU

 

[OffCutters]

Just started reading this, and its top quality. Will be interesting to see how Stuttgart goes this season.

 

[m_vaughan]

Babbel goes back to school

Since Tuesday, VfB team boss Markus Babbel has been studying for his full coaching licence at the Hennes-Wei?weiler-Academy in Cologne. Munich born Babbel is working together with 23 further participants, from Monday to Wednesday, and will be hitting the books at the sport school until February 2010. Babbel and his colleagues have theoretical and practical lessons daily from 8am until 7pm. Amongst those participating are some familiar faces from his active playing days such as Christian Ziege and Dirk Lottner.

The course is being led by former Aalen, Pfullendorf and Reutlingen trainer Frank Wormuth. During his time on the course, the VfB team boss will be staying at a local hotel and then travelling between Stuttgart and Cologne by train. As part of the training, a ten week internship is necessary, which the European Champion from 1996 will be able to serve at VfB Stuttgart. During his absence, training for the VfB first team will be taken by Rainer Widmayer and new coach Alexander Zorniger, who has come from Normannia Gm?nd. "I'm completely convinced that our players are motivated enough themselves that it won't make any difference if I am absent from training on one or two days of the week," explained Babbel on the effect of his double role as trainer and student.