bet365.com had Stuttgart as 3.5-1 favorites. I don't control what the media writes. You played a solid game, brother.
VfB Stuttgart Suffer Worst Season Under Frenchie; Future of Club, Manager in Flux Stuttgart - There's no way to sugar coat it - this was the worst season in Frenchie's tenure as manager of VfB Stuttgart. The team earned promotion through expansion of Serie B to 12 teams following a successful run that saw the team earn 29 points in season 6... and then suffered a collapse that nobody saw coming in season 7. The Reds stumbled to a 2-3-13 debacle of a record and, despite having a middle-of-the-table 1.61 goals-against, the Ghosts of Seasons Past returned to haunt the Schwaben locker room, and the team could manage only a paltry 11 goals in league play this season, having been on the wrong side of a clean sheet a staggering 11 times. "This was a humbling and embarrassing season for me," Frenchie said. "Having played a number of friendlies and warm-up matches before the season started, I really expected to finish in the middle of the table, but we just couldn't find our form. We changed formations and lineups so many times, looking for answers, we started creating problems that didn't exist to begin with. It was a case of too much tinkering in the middle of the season and it killed us." Defensively, Stuttgart is still among the elite in the entire league, regardless of division. But too often, they have found trouble finding the back of the net. Only very late in the season did Frenchie stumble upon a lineup and formation that seemed to click, by which time it was too late and a string of meaningless games stretched out before them. "I'm not sure what the future holds for me or this team," Frenchie added soberly. "I expect we'll lose Zdravko Kuzmanovic in the January transfer window. He's a valuable commodity at the end of a contract year and we don't want to lose him on a Bosman. As for me, ownership is meeting in Switzerland during the offseason to determine whether I will return to manage this club again. My heart is here. I believe we have finally found a formula to capitalize and scratch out some wins and score more goals. I sincerely hope they allow me that opportunity."
Stuttgart steals early draw; Barely escapes Scotland intact as enraged fans attack team bus GLASGOW - One game does not a season make. But if the first match of VfB Stuttgart's Season 8 campaign is any indication of what's to come, women, children and those with weak constitutions may wish to avert their eyes. Stuttgart's team bus was literally stoned through the streets of Glasgow after escaping Celtic Park with an ugly, come-from-behind, stoppage-time goal that stole three points from a Celtic squad that was probably already looking forward to pints at the pub after the game. Die Roten stole away with a draw, and didn't even bother changing out of their boots before hopping on on the bus for the frenetic trip back to Germany. Celtic took the lead at home midway through the first half with a pinpoint accurate cross from a corner to the head of the lanky Georgios Samaras, and doubled down just two minutes later in the exact same manner, from the same corner, to the same spot, but this time the ball was headed in by Anthony Stokes as both German defenders were drawn to Samaras. "At that point, I was pretty frustrated, and frankly worried," Frenchie said in an interview on the team plane somewhere over France. "I was concerned he was just going to start raining corners in on me all night, as it was obvious my diminutive defenders were not going to be able to compete with that γίγαντες." The second half started just as badly for the visiting Germans, as defender Gotoku Sakai earned a deserved yellow card for a reckless challenge just outside the box, but Celtic were unable to capitalize on the free kick opportunity - and it would come back to haunt them. The teams traded blows for the next 30 minutes as Stuttgart shifted to a counterattacking strategy with 20 minutes remaining. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Tamas Hajnal was brought down about 5 yards outside of the Celtic area, setting up Stuttgart's best chance to get back in the match. Zdravko Kuzmanovic, who had been warming up on the sideline, came in and was immediately tapped to take the free kick. His shot looped over the wall, past the diving Fraser Forster... and off the inside of the right post. The ball fell to the feet of a Celtic defender and, before he could clear it away, Stuttgart's Serdar Tasci clipped the ball away and just over the line. Stuttgart really ramped up the pressure for the remaining 10 minutes, doing all it could to wrest control of the ball and find a decent shot on frame. When the clock showed 90, it seemed all was lost. Celtic issued one final clearance that trickled over the Stuttgart end line for a goal kick. "I thought that was it," Frenchie said. "I fully expected to hear those dreaded three blasts. But Ulreich sent a great pass up to Shinji Okazaki, and Okazaki reached midfield without a whistle being blown. I knew then we had one final gasp of air." Okazaki, not known for his footwork, deftly danced around his counterpart in the midfield, turned on the speed, made two good forward taps with the ball and sent and long, looping, early cross into the Celtic box. And prayed. And waiting on the other end of that cross was Bosnian striker Vedad Ibisevic, whose driven header was sent low and hard into the bottom right corner of the Scottish net for the stoppage time equalizer. Celtic was given the opportunity to kick off after the goal, but the whistle blew just seconds later, ending the affair. Statistically, the match was very even - possession, shots, shots on target, tackles, fouls, cards ... goals. But while Celtic and BigSmooth33 played the Beautiful Game, Stuttgart scraped two ugly tallies, snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat, and proved that you don't have to play pretty to get a decent result.
Stuttgart gets early win; looks to retain form Stuttgart - Die Roten earned its first victory of the year against visiting Dutch side PSV Eindhoven and redwings8831 in a match that would be remembered as much for its physicality as it was for the quick first strike that got the home side on the board. Stuttgart was lethal in its passing just minutes into the game, finding tiny pockets of space in which to operate, and capitalizing when William Kvist drew two defenders and offloaded to Tamas Hajnal, whose weak foot blast was too much for Przemyslaw Tyton to handle. PSV tried repeatedly to draw equal, launching cross after cross into the Stuttgart box, but the German defense was able to either out-leap their Dutch opponents, or give enough of a jostle that few of those successful tries ultimately ended on target. Stuttgart twisted the dagger by scoring seconds before the half when pacey winger Ibrahima Traore floated a pinpoint-accurate cross onto the head of Cacau for the first of what would ultimately be a brace for the Brazilian-born striker. Cacau struck again shortly after the half when Martin Harnik was hauled down on the right side of the pitch, about 20 yards from the end line, giving a perfect position for a crossed free kick. At 52 minutes gone, the home side were up 3-0 and looking to cruise. But the Dutch had different ideas. The tempo and physicality of the match ticked up decidedly, as PSV mixed its attacks with long shots, crosses and attempted through balls to try and penetrate the German defense. At 69 minutes, they were ultimately successful when Dries Mertens sent a cross right along the length of the end line onto the waiting head of Ola Toivonen. But that was all the visitors were able to muster. Despite the scoreline showing 23 shots and 12 on target for them, many of those were deflected by the German backline, and the game wasn't so one-sided as the numbers might suggest. It was, beginning to end, a tense affair. Even up 3 goals, Stuttgart knew that PSV and redwings8831 could be back in the match in a matter of seconds.
Stuttgart surpasses season 7 in points, goals just Six games inBELO HORIZONTE - Stuttgart was immediately able to right the ship after suffering a late, heart-wrenching loss to Spartak Moscow in a match that had fans of die Roten still shaking their heads in disgust. But the visiting German side were able to put the loss in the back of their minds and get down to business against the dangerous Brazilians of Atletico Mineiro and manager thebouncer24. Stuttgart dominated much of the run-of play, with possession and shots falling in their favor, but they were largely unable to find the frame, with shot after shot finding the stands or the advertising boards to the sides of the home net. "Clearly, we haven't been spending enough time on shooting drills on the training ground," Frenchie said. "Were the net twice as wide, we still would have missed. We've fired the team optometrist and posted a job opening that we hope to have filled immediately." Stuttgart managed to hit paydirt shortly before the half on a series of long passes around the Mineiro area that stretched the Brazilian defense from one touchline to the other. Martin Harnik's long pass to Cacau drew two defenders and the German striker slid the ball to his attacking partner, Vedad Ibisevic. The Bosnian had a yard of space and a tick on the clock to size up his opportunity, and he didn't miss with a pinpoint blast into the side netting past a diving Victor for the game's only tally. Stuttgart's subbed-on left winger Shinji Okazaki was lucky to escape with just a yellow card int he dying minutes of the game when, having just had the ball taken off his boot, he made a rash challenge that sent his Brazilian counterpart Arsch uber Teekessel halfway into the Brazilian end. It was only the Japanese national's fervent apologies that he'd slipped and that the tackle was purely unintentional that prevented his sending off "A win is a win, and we'll happily go back to Schwaben with this one," Frenchie said. "@thebouncer24 is a good opponent and he could have drawn level a number of times. We'll scurry away with our three points and look to do better in our next three matches."
