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Werder Bremen^[1]

Full name	Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V.
Nickname(s)	Die Werderaner (The River Islanders)[2] Die Grün-Weißen (The Green-Whites)[1]
Founded	February 4, 1899; 113 years ago  (1899-02-04)[1]
Ground	Weserstadion[1] Bremen[1] (Capacity: 42,500.[3])
President	Klaus-Dieter Fischer
Coach	Thomas Schaaf[4]
League	Bundesliga
2011–12	Bundesliga, 9th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen,^[1] in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899^[1] as Fußballverein Werder^[2] by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize of sports equipment to set them on their way.^[5] They took their name from the seldom used regional German word for “river peninsula”, describing the riverside field they first played football on. Werder Bremen has grown to 39,100 members.^[1]

Bremen have been a mainstay in the Bundesliga, top flight of German football. Bremen have been crowned champions on four occasions and have won the DFB-Pokal on six occasions. Their most recent achievements in these competitions came in 2004, when they won an historic double.^[4] Bremen have also tasted European success, beating AS Monaco^[6] in the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, 2–0.^[4][6] Bremen also reached the final edition of the UEFA Cup in 2009,^[7] before it was rebranded as the UEFA Europa League,^[8] where they met Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar won the final 2–1 in extra time.^[9]

History[link]

Predecessor side SV Werder played its first ever match on 10 September 1899 against ASC 1898 Bremen coming away with a 1–0 victory. In 1900 FV Bremen was represented at the founding of the German Football Association (DFB) at Leipzig. The club then enjoyed some early success, fielding competitive sides and winning a number of local championships. FV took part in the qualification play for the national championships in playoffs held by the Norddeutscher Fussball Verband (NFV), one of the seven major regional leagues after the turn of the century, but were unable to advance. They became the first club to charge spectators a fee to attend their games and to fence in their playing field.

In April 1914, the club became a department of Allgemeiner Bremer Turnverein 1860 and was briefly known as Sportabteilung Werder des ABTV. However, the relationship was short-lived and the club went its own way again less than two months later.

Steady growth after World War I led the club to adopt other sports and, on 19 January 1920, change their name to the current Sportverein Werder Bremen. Football remained their primary interest, so much so that in 1922 they became the first German club to hire a professional coach. The team made regular appearances in year-end NFV qualification round play through the 20's and on into the early 30's, but did not enjoy any success.

German football was re-organized under the Third Reich in 1933 into sixteen first division leagues known as Gauligen and Werder became part of the Gauliga Niedersachsen. The club scored its first real successes, capturing division titles in 1934, 1936, and 1937, and took part for the first time in national level playoff competition. The shape of the Gauligen changed through the course of World War II and in 1939 the Gauliga Niedersachsen was split into two divisions. SV played in the Gauliga Niedersachsen/Nord where they captured a fourth title in 1942. As the war overtook the country, the Gauligen became progressively more local in character. The Gauliga Niedersachsen/Nord became the Gauliga Weser-Ems and then the Gauliga Weser-Ems/Bremen over the next two years. Werder's 1944–45 season was cut short after just two matches.

Like other organizations throughout Germany, the club was disbanded on the order of the occupying Allied authorities after the war. They re-constituted themselves 10 November 1945 as Turn- und Sportverein Werder 1945 Bremen, which was changed to Sport-Club Grün-Weiß 99 Bremen on 4 February 1946. The team took up play in the Stadtliga Bremen, and after capturing a title there, participated in the northern German championship round, advancing to the quarterfinals. They were able to reclaim the name SV Werder on 25 March 1946 before taking part in the playoffs.

At the time, professionals were not permitted to play in the German game, so it was normal for football players to take on other jobs, often with the club's local patron. In the case of Werder, a number of the players worked at the nearby Brinkmann tobacco factory, and so the side took on the nickname Texas 11 after one of the company's popular cigarette brands.

Between the end of the war and the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963 the club continued to do well, being recognized as one of the top two teams in northern Germany along with the Hamburger SV. In 1961 they managed their first German Cup win. Their performance was good enough to earn them a place as a charter member of the Bundesliga, and in the league's second season Werder took the championship. They earned a second-place finish in the 1967–68, but then languished in the bottom half of the table for a dozen years. An attempt to improve their lot by signing high-priced talent earned the side the new, derisive nickname of the Millionaires and turned out to be an expensive failure. The club dropped out of the Bundesliga for the first and only time, being relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga-Nord for the 1980–81 season after a 17th place finish.

Werder Bremen recovered themselves under the direction of newly hired coach Otto Rehhagel, who led the side to a string of successes: Bundesliga runners-up in 1983, 1985 and 1986, champions in 1988; appearances in the final of the DFB-Pokal in 1989 and 1990 with a win there in 1991; followed by victory in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1992. In 1993, the club earned its third Bundesliga title and, in the following year, its third German Cup. Rehhagel left the club in June 1995 after this impressive run for a short-lived turn as coach of Bayern Munich. The impact of Rehhagel's departure was felt immediately, and a succession of coaches (Aad de Mos, Dixie Dörner, Wolfgang Sidka and Felix Magath) led the club into a critical position. In May 1999 former defender and amateur coach Thomas Schaaf took over the team and stopping a slide toward relegation and leading the team to a cup victory only weeks later.

Werder Bremen won the DFB-Pokal in 2004

The team's performance stabilized in the following seasons as they regularly finished in the upper half of the table. In 2004, they managed to take both the Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal – one of only four German sides to make the Double. Their performance qualified them for the 2004–05 Champions League play and they advanced to the Round of 16 before a dismal exit on a 10–2 aggregate to French side Olympique Lyonnais. Werder again qualified for the Champions League in 2005, this time through a third place Bundesliga result following a difficult injury-prone season. They once more advanced to the Round of 16, this time being put out by Italian club Juventus on away goals after a 4–4 aggregate score. A second place in the league ensured the third consecutive Champions League qualification for Werder Bremen.

In the 2006–07 season, Werder Bremen claimed the "winter champions" title, being the first place team in the Bundesliga before the winter break period, but eventually came in third behind VfB Stuttgart and Schalke 04. A third place in the Champions League group stage sent Bremen to the UEFA-Cup where they lost in the semi-finals to Espanyol. After the season Werder lost their famous striker Miroslav Klose to Bayern. As in the previous season Bremen finished third in the Champions League, but this time lost in the Round of 16 to the Rangers. A vice-championship in the Bundesliga qualified Werder for their fifth consecutive Champions League attendance.

Bremen struggled in their Bundesliga campaign of 2008–09, eventually finishing tenth thus completing their worst performance in more than a decade. Nevertheless Bremen made it to the UEFA-Cup final after yet another third place in the Group stage of the Champions League as well as to the national cup final. After Naldo equalized an early goal by Shakhtar Donetsk Bremen lost the UEFA-Cup final 1–2 after extra time. In the final match of the 2008–09 season Bremen defeated Bayer Leverkusen 1–0 to win the DFB-Pokal. In 2008–09 UEFA-Cup, Bremen were dubbed as "Italian Killer" as they managed to send 2 of 3 top Italian Clubs, AC Milan and Udinese Calcio SpA to elimination from European Competition.

Sponsorship[link]

Companies that Werder Bremen currently has sponsorship deals with include:^[10]

• Targobank – Main sponsor, formerly "Citibank"
• Nike – Official Kit Suppliers
• Beluga Shipping – Official sponsors
• Coca-Cola – Official sponsors
• PSD Bank – Official sponsors
• EWE TEL – Official sponsors
• Volkswagen – Official sponsors
• Deutsche Bahn – Official Sponsors
• Könecke – Official sponsors
• Uhlsport – Official sponsors
• Derbystar – Official sponsors
• Meyerhoff – Official sponsors
• Haake Beck – Official sponsors

Club culture[link]

The Ostkurve at the Weserstadion.

Werder Bremen has a long-standing rivalry with northern German club Hamburger SV,^[11] another major club in northern Germany,^[12] known as the Nordderby and other big clubs like Bayern Munich in particular. They have developed a recent but intense dislike of Schalke 04 after the Gelsenkirchen side lured top players (including Ailton, Mladen Krstajić, Frank Rost, Oliver Reck (goalkeeping coach), and Fabian Ernst) with lucrative contracts to join them.

There are a few Ultra-Groups in Bremen: "Racaille Verte",^[13] "Wanderers-Bremen", "The Infamous Youth" and "Ultra-Team Bremen", they support the team in each match.

The official anthem of Werder Bremen is "Lebenslang Grün-Weiß" by Bremen-based band Original Deutschmacher.^[14][15][16]

Honours[link]

National titles[link]

Bundesliga

• Winners (4) – 1964–65,^[1][4] 1987–88,^[1][4] 1992–93,^[1][4] 2003–04^[1][4]
• Runners-up (7) – 1967–68, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1994–95, 2005–06, 2007–08

2. Bundesliga

• Winners (1) – 1980–81^[1]

DFB-Pokal

• Winners (6) – 1960–61,^[1][4] 1990–91,^[1][4] 1993–94,^[1][4] 1998–99,^[1][4] 2003–04,^[1][4] 2008–09^[1][4]
• Runners-up (4) – 1988–89, 1989–90, 1999-00, 2009–10

DFB-Ligapokal

• Winners (1) – 2006^[1][4]
• Runners-up (2) – 1999, 2004

DFB-Supercup

• Winners (4) – 1988,^[1][4] 1993,^[1][4] 1994,^[1][4] 2009 (unofficial)^[17]
• Runners-up (1) – 1991

European titles[link]

UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup^[8]

• Runners-up (1) 2008–09^[7]

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

• Winners (1) – 1991–92^[4][6]

UEFA Intertoto Cup

• Winners (1) – 1998^[1]

International titles[link]

Kirin Cup

• Winners (2) – 1982, 1986

Youth titles[link]

German Under 19 championship

• Champions: 1999

Under 19 Bundesliga North/Northeast

• Champions: 2007, 2009

Players[link]

For recent transfers, see List of German football transfers summer 2011 and List of German football transfers winter 2011–12.

Current squad[link]

Correct as of 12 July 2011^[18]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 1 GK Tim Wiese 2 DF Sebastian Boenisch 3 DF François Affolter (on loan from Young Boys) 4 DF Naldo 6 MF Tim Borowski 7 FW Marko Arnautović 8 DF Clemens Fritz (captain) 9 FW Denni Avdić 10 MF Marko Marin 11 FW Markus Rosenberg 13 DF Lukas Schmitz 14 MF Aaron Hunt 15 DF Sebastian Prödl 16 DF Mikaël Silvestre 17 MF Aleksandar Ignjovski 18 MF Felix Kroos 20 MF Mehmet Ekici

No. Position Player 21 GK Sebastian Mielitz 22 DF Sokratis Papastathopoulos (on loan from Genoa) 23 MF Zlatko Junuzović 24 FW Claudio Pizarro 25 MF Tom Trybull 26 DF Florian Hartherz 31 MF Predrag Stevanović 32 MF Özkan Yıldırım 33 GK Christian Vander 34 MF Aleksandar Stevanović 35 MF Florian Trinks 36 FW Lennart Thy 37 DF Leon Balogun 38 DF Clemens Schoppenhauer 41 FW Niclas Füllkrug 44 MF Philipp Bargfrede 46 FW Onur Ayık

Retired number(s)[link]

12 – Club Supporters (the 12th Man)

Coaching staff[link]

Manager Thomas Schaaf, who has been managing Werder Bremen since 1999.

Position	Staff
First Team Coach	Thomas Schaaf[4]
Assistant First Team Coach	Matthias Hönerbach
Assistant First Team Coach	Wolfgang Rolff
Goalkeeper Trainer	Michael Kraft
Club Doctor	Dr. Götz Dimanski
Physio	Holger Berger
Assistant Physio	Florian Lauerer
Reserve Team Manager	Thomas Wolter[19]
Youth Team Manager	Uwe Harttgen

Werder Bremen II[link]

Werder Bremen's reserve team currently plays in the 3. Liga and has been a regular fixture at 3rd level football in Germany. It plays its home matches at Weserstadion, Platz 11, adjacent to the first team's ground, and it is coached by Thomas Wolter,^[19] a former Werder player.

Notable players[link]

• A list of notable Werder Bremen players can be found here. For a list of all past and present players who are the subjects of Wikipedia articles, see Category:SV Werder Bremen players.

Managers since 1963[link]

Werder has had 19 managers since the beginning of the Bundesliga era in 1963. Otto Rehhagel served the longest term, being in office for fourteen years. Hans Tilkowski, Willi Multhaup, Rudi Assauer, and Otto Rehhagel served two terms each while Fritz Langner served three.

Country	Head Coach	Years Coached	Notes
	Willi Multhaup	1963–65
	Günther Brocker	1965–67
	Fritz Langner	1967–69
	Richard Ackerschott	1968–69	Replacement for Fritz Langner in games 11, 12, 13, and 34
	Fritz Rebell	1969–70
	Hans Tilkowski	1970
	Robert Gebhardt	1970–71
	Willi Multhaup	1971
	Sepp Piontek	1971–75
	Fritz Langner	1972	Replacement for Sepp Piontek in games 31 and 32
	Otto Rehhagel	1976
	Herbert Burdenski	1975–76
	Hans Tilkowski	1976–77
	Rudi Assauer	1977–78	In cooperation with Fred Schulz
	Fred Schulz	1978	In cooperation with Rudi Assauer
	Wolfgang Weber	1978–80
	Rudi Assauer	1980	In cooperation with Fritz Langner
	Fritz Langner	1980	In cooperation with Rudi Assauer
	Kuno Klötzer	1980–81
	Otto Rehhagel	1981–95
	Aad de Mos	1995–96
	Hans-Jürgen Dörner	1996–97
	Wolfgang Sidka	1997–98
	Felix Magath	1998–99
	Thomas Schaaf	1999–present

SV Werder Bremen in Europe[link]

Recent finishes and attendance[link]

SV Werder Bremen in Forbes Magazine[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Werder Bremen

• Official website (German & English)
• The Abseits Guide to German Soccer
• Werder Bremen statistics
• Werder Bremen formations at football-lineups

Thomas Schaaf

Personal information
Date of birth	(1961-04-30) 30 April 1961 (age 51)
Place of birth	Mannheim, West Germany
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Werder Bremen (coach)
Youth career
1972–1978	Werder Bremen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1978–1995	Werder Bremen	281	(14)
Teams managed
1987–1988	Werder Bremen U17
1988–1995	Werder Bremen U19
1993–1995	Werder Bremen (assistant)
1995–1999	Werder Bremen II
1999–	Werder Bremen
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Thomas Schaaf (born 30 April 1961 in Mannheim) is a German retired footballer who played as a defender, and the current coach of SV Werder Bremen.

A true one-club man, he spent his entire playing career with Werder Bremen. He starting coaching the team in 1999, making him one of the longest serving coaches in the Bundesliga.^[1]

Playing career[link]

Schaaf arrived at SV Werder Bremen's youth academy in 1972, turning professional six years later. After a slow start with the first team, where he made only 21 league appearances in four years combined – 19 of them coming in 1980–81 with the team in the second division – he eventually became an important squad member; he made his debut in the Bundesliga on 18 April 1979, in a 0–3 away loss against VfL Bochum.

Schaaf went on to play in 260 top flight games in the following seasons, eventually retiring in 1994 at the age of 33. During his time with his only club, he helped the Hanseatic outfit win two national championships (he was already a fringe player by the time of the 1993 conquest, appearing in only five matches) and as many domestic cups; in the 1991–92 edition of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, he was on the bench for the final against AS Monaco FC, but replaced injured Thomas Wolter after 30 minutes in an eventual 2–0 win in Lisbon.

Coaching career[link]

Schaaf began his coaching career while still an active player, taking care of Werder's youth sides. After this he proceeded to manage the reserve team, before succeeding Felix Magath on 9 May 1999 as the senior side's coach, with the club under serious threat of relegation until the last day of the season: he managed to steer the team clear out of relegation, going on to win the season's German Cup immediately afterwards.

Schaaf led Werder to the double in 2003–04, as well as the team's first-ever League Cup two years later. From 2004, the club managed to qualify five consecutive times for the UEFA Champions League,^[2] coming short in 2008–09 but winning the cup (his third as a manager - fifth overall - and Werder's sixth), thus qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.

On 14 December 2009, Schaaf signed a new contract with Werder Bremen.^[3]

Honours[link]

Player[link]

• Fußball-Bundesliga: 1987–88, 1992–93
• DFB-Pokal: 1990–91, 1993–94; Runner-up 1988–89, 1989–90
• DFL-Supercup: 1988, 1993, 1994; Runner-up 1991
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1991–92
• 2. Fußball-Bundesliga: 1980–81

Manager[link]

• Fußball-Bundesliga: 2003-04
• DFB-Pokal: 1998–99, 2003–04, 2008–09;
• DFB-Ligapokal: 2006; Runner-up 1999, 2004
• UEFA Cup: Runner-up 2008–09

Managerial statistics[link]

See also[link]

• List of one-club men

References[link]

External links[link]

• Werder Bremen coach profile (German)
• Bundesliga stats at Fussballdaten (German)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Thomas Schaaf