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Stratos and BFC Dynamo: "Then I'd just stay at home"

Big stages for small clubs. The DFB Cup throws Germany’s amateur clubs into the spotlight. Village teams can face German champions; ambitious Regionalliga sides can go head-to-head with Champions League participants. There have been plenty of cup upsets and shocks in the over 70-year history of the competitions. The cup has its own rules and its own history. Over the next two weeks, DFB.de will preview all 18 amateur clubs who are featuring in the first round of the 73rd DFB Cup. Today it’s Berlin-based BFC Dynamo from the Regionalliga Nordost.

Stratos: "You have no chance against Bayern or Dortmund"

“If I thought we had no chance then I’d just stay at home,” says Thomas Stratos decisively. The manager of BFC Dynamo from Berlin’s Regionalliga knows what he’s talking about. During his playing career the defender played 19 times in the DFB Cup and experienced a few surprises himself – in 1995 he knocked the mighty HSV out in the first round whilst playing for second-division Arminia Bielefeld. But only one year later they floundered themselves against unfancied SpVgg Unterhaching.

On Friday, 7th August, Stratos begins his third DFB Cup campaign as a manager when BFC play FSV Frankfurt at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in the first round. A jackpot for the 48-year-old. At the press conference after winning the Berlin Cup against SV Tasmania, one of the first questions he faced was whether he was hoping for Bayern or Borussia Dortmund. “You have no chance against such teams. The probability of an upset becomes zero,” says Stratos. You always have a chance against teams from the 2. Bundesliga – and BFC want to take it.

The Greek-born former professional is hoping to make it third time lucky and finally progress to the second round with the Berliners. Two years ago be just lost out to 1. FC Union with his side Jahn Regensburg and in 2011/12 1. FC Köln were too strong for him and SC Wiedenbrück. “We can play football as well,” says Stratos aggressively. “Of course it will be more difficult than in the Regionalliga, but we want to use this opportunity.” These sort of games, such as against Frankfurt, are also much more interesting for the spectators. “It can be a real cup match, Bayern or Dortmund should have a look at the fans on TV,” gushes the 48-year-old.

3-0 home defeat to start Regionalliga

The tension keeps rising for Stratos and his players. Ahead of the opening Cup match, which the manager still sees as a highlight despite his experience, BFC Dynamo have already played their first league match in the Regionalliga Nordost. The team, who play their homes games at the Sportforum Hohenschönhausen, opened the season against fellow promotion favourites FSV Zwickau, but they suffered an emphatic 3-0 defeat at home. “We could’ve played for hours and still not scored,” said a disappointed Stratos to a Berlin-based sports newspaper.

Two years after promotion, the former East German champions are definitely still ambitious. “Many see us as favourites and we will happily take on this role,” says Stratos, who doesn’t count himself amongst the managers who prefer to be modest and shun risk. “When I have a good team, like I have here, then I want to achieve the maximum with them,” continued the manager.

Last season BFC finished in fifth place after Stratos took over the position in November from Volkan Uluc, the manager who secured promotion for the team. And in 21 matches, there was only one defeat, with Dynamo being third in the table for the second half of the season. There was, however, a relatively large upheaval in the squad with twelve departures and eleven arrivals. “I looked at the team in the first season and have now shaped the team according to my needs along with sporting director Angelo Vier,” says Stratos.

Stratos: "It’s getting better and better"

Pre-season went smoothly, and Dynamo have already made a very good impression in their friendly matches. “It’s getting better and better, I’m rightfully happy,” says Stratos. Promotion this year, however, is not a must. “We have a plan over three to four years, but I am not that patient.”

This self-conscious approach is quite to the liking of the “Wine Reds’” fan groups. Dynamo fans have longed for success in the years since the team’s downfall. Founded in 1966, BFC soared to the highest level of East German football at the end of the 1970s, and between 1979 and 1988 they won the East German Championship ten times in a row under manager Jürgen Bogs and with players such as Andreas Thom, Falko Götz and Thomas Doll. BFC was a regular in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, the precursor to the Champions League, and twice reached the quarter finals.

Downhill after reunification, revival since 2004

BFC’s success was at the very least highly controversial within the country, because of the public support from Erich Mielke, the head of the Stasi, Dynamo quickly became known as the club of the Stasi. Dubious refereeing decisions and favouritism from the sporting leaders, who wanted to establish the flagship of East German football in Berlin, facilitated the winning streak and made BFC the image of the enemy for opposition fans.

After reunification, however, things went quickly downhill. In 1990 the club changed its name to FC Berlin and missed out on qualification to the Bundesliga by finishing eleventh in the final East German Championship. The club reverted to its original name in 1999, but financial problems shortly after led to do file for insolvency and drop down to the Verbandsliga Berlin. BFC returned to the fourth division in 2004, and in the last five seasons has won three Berlin Cups and achieved promotion to the Regionalliga to show a real revival.

Whilst the club and the youth section have been more and more professionalised, BFC has still not got to grips with its violent fans. But against FSV Frankfurt, only the sporting side of things should be the centre of attention. “I’m now looking forward to the game,” says Stratos. If the first question in the post-match press conference after the first round is again: “who are you hoping for now, Bayern or Dortmund?” then the joy will certainly be a bit greater.

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Big stages for small clubs. The DFB Cup throws Germany’s amateur clubs into the spotlight. Village teams can face German champions; ambitious Regionalliga sides can go head-to-head with Champions League participants. There have been plenty of cup upsets and shocks in the over 70-year history of the competitions. The cup has its own rules and its own history. Over the next two weeks, DFB.de will preview all 18 amateur clubs who are featuring in the first round of the 73rd DFB Cup. Today it’s Berlin-based BFC Dynamo from the Regionalliga Nordost.

Stratos: "You have no chance against Bayern or Dortmund"

“If I thought we had no chance then I’d just stay at home,” says Thomas Stratos decisively. The manager of BFC Dynamo from Berlin’s Regionalliga knows what he’s talking about. During his playing career the defender played 19 times in the DFB Cup and experienced a few surprises himself – in 1995 he knocked the mighty HSV out in the first round whilst playing for second-division Arminia Bielefeld. But only one year later they floundered themselves against unfancied SpVgg Unterhaching.

On Friday, 7th August, Stratos begins his third DFB Cup campaign as a manager when BFC play FSV Frankfurt at the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark in the first round. A jackpot for the 48-year-old. At the press conference after winning the Berlin Cup against SV Tasmania, one of the first questions he faced was whether he was hoping for Bayern or Borussia Dortmund. “You have no chance against such teams. The probability of an upset becomes zero,” says Stratos. You always have a chance against teams from the 2. Bundesliga – and BFC want to take it.

The Greek-born former professional is hoping to make it third time lucky and finally progress to the second round with the Berliners. Two years ago be just lost out to 1. FC Union with his side Jahn Regensburg and in 2011/12 1. FC Köln were too strong for him and SC Wiedenbrück. “We can play football as well,” says Stratos aggressively. “Of course it will be more difficult than in the Regionalliga, but we want to use this opportunity.” These sort of games, such as against Frankfurt, are also much more interesting for the spectators. “It can be a real cup match, Bayern or Dortmund should have a look at the fans on TV,” gushes the 48-year-old.

3-0 home defeat to start Regionalliga

The tension keeps rising for Stratos and his players. Ahead of the opening Cup match, which the manager still sees as a highlight despite his experience, BFC Dynamo have already played their first league match in the Regionalliga Nordost. The team, who play their homes games at the Sportforum Hohenschönhausen, opened the season against fellow promotion favourites FSV Zwickau, but they suffered an emphatic 3-0 defeat at home. “We could’ve played for hours and still not scored,” said a disappointed Stratos to a Berlin-based sports newspaper.

Two years after promotion, the former East German champions are definitely still ambitious. “Many see us as favourites and we will happily take on this role,” says Stratos, who doesn’t count himself amongst the managers who prefer to be modest and shun risk. “When I have a good team, like I have here, then I want to achieve the maximum with them,” continued the manager.

Last season BFC finished in fifth place after Stratos took over the position in November from Volkan Uluc, the manager who secured promotion for the team. And in 21 matches, there was only one defeat, with Dynamo being third in the table for the second half of the season. There was, however, a relatively large upheaval in the squad with twelve departures and eleven arrivals. “I looked at the team in the first season and have now shaped the team according to my needs along with sporting director Angelo Vier,” says Stratos.

Stratos: "It’s getting better and better"

Pre-season went smoothly, and Dynamo have already made a very good impression in their friendly matches. “It’s getting better and better, I’m rightfully happy,” says Stratos. Promotion this year, however, is not a must. “We have a plan over three to four years, but I am not that patient.”

This self-conscious approach is quite to the liking of the “Wine Reds’” fan groups. Dynamo fans have longed for success in the years since the team’s downfall. Founded in 1966, BFC soared to the highest level of East German football at the end of the 1970s, and between 1979 and 1988 they won the East German Championship ten times in a row under manager Jürgen Bogs and with players such as Andreas Thom, Falko Götz and Thomas Doll. BFC was a regular in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, the precursor to the Champions League, and twice reached the quarter finals.

Downhill after reunification, revival since 2004

BFC’s success was at the very least highly controversial within the country, because of the public support from Erich Mielke, the head of the Stasi, Dynamo quickly became known as the club of the Stasi. Dubious refereeing decisions and favouritism from the sporting leaders, who wanted to establish the flagship of East German football in Berlin, facilitated the winning streak and made BFC the image of the enemy for opposition fans.

After reunification, however, things went quickly downhill. In 1990 the club changed its name to FC Berlin and missed out on qualification to the Bundesliga by finishing eleventh in the final East German Championship. The club reverted to its original name in 1999, but financial problems shortly after led to do file for insolvency and drop down to the Verbandsliga Berlin. BFC returned to the fourth division in 2004, and in the last five seasons has won three Berlin Cups and achieved promotion to the Regionalliga to show a real revival.

Whilst the club and the youth section have been more and more professionalised, BFC has still not got to grips with its violent fans. But against FSV Frankfurt, only the sporting side of things should be the centre of attention. “I’m now looking forward to the game,” says Stratos. If the first question in the post-match press conference after the first round is again: “who are you hoping for now, Bayern or Dortmund?” then the joy will certainly be a bit greater.