When the 3. Liga outfit Hansa Rostock take on Europa League participants Hertha BSC on Monday 14th August (20:45 CEST) in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, Stefan “Paule” Beinlich will have split loyalties. With Hansa, the 45-year-old achieved two promotions to the Bundesliga as a player (in 1995 and 2007) before taking the team up to the 2. Bundesliga as head coach in 2011. In addition, the Berlin-born midfielder spent three years at Hertha between 2000 and 2003. Beinlich also won five caps for the Germany national team and made a total of 288 appearances in the Bundesliga for Hansa, Hertha, Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburger SV.
Though he still has many friends and relatives in the capital city, he rarely goes to games at the Olympiastadion anymore. “I watch the games from the comfort of my sofa,” Beinlich admits. He won’t be present at the game between his two former clubs either; however, his interest in both clubs remains strong. In an interview with DFB.de, Beinlich looks ahead to the tie and gives his thoughts on the developments at both Hansa and Hertha.
DFB.de: Mr. Beinlich, you played in many DFB-Pokal games during your career. Do you remember the game on 27th November 2001?
Beinlich: (deliberates) I must have been at Hertha then.
DFB.de: On that day, you played for Hertha in a second round game against third-division side Rot-Weiß Erfurt. You made it 1-0 before being replaced at the break by Pal Dardai, who scored the winner in extra time as Hertha ran out 2-1 victors.
Beinlich: I can’t remember that. And I scored a goal in that game? That’s awful! (laughs)
DFB.de: It was a classic David vs. Goliath battle. Before games like that did you ever get a queasy feeling in your stomach?
Beinlich: No, I never got a feeling like that before games. But you know, in those sorts of matches, you can only lose. You have to be completely switched on. Any team down to the 4th division can put on a gutsy performance. If the game is still goalless after 70 minutes, it becomes very difficult.
DFB.de: In the meantime, your former teammate Pal Dardai has been successful as Hertha head coach and he will be in the dugout when they take on Hansa in the first round. Which side will you be supporting in this tie?
Beinlich: I have a very big affiliation to Hansa. I was promoted twice as a player and once as a coach with the club. The Hertha fans won’t want to hear it but I will be crossing my fingers for Hansa. It is a big chance for the club, for their image and of course a chance to secure some extra income.
DFB.de: Hansa’s league season started a few weeks ago, whilst for Hertha it will be their first competitive game of the season. Do you think that gives the underdogs the upper hand?
Beinlich: It is definitely an advantage, if you have played a few competitive games. You already know where you’re at. You don’t have that benefit if you come straight from pre-season. Hansa have also started well in the 3. Liga. I hope that will continue next Monday.
DFB.de: You played alongside Pal Dardai for three years at Hertha. Was it clear then that he wanted to be a manager after his playing career? And what was he like?
Beinlich: No it wasn’t obvious at the time. He was still a young player and he didn’t really talk about a managerial career. As a man, he was direct, open, honest and always straight-up.
DFB.de: What do you think Hansa can achieve in the next few years?
Beinlich: The 3. Liga is very hard to negotiate, financially. I would love to see them playing in a higher division. Anything else is purely speculation. If you are successful on the pitch, then the other aspects follow from there.
DFB.de: What are the biggest differences between Hertha and Hansa?
Beinlich: The identity of the fans of the two clubs is extremely strong. Apart from that, you can’t really compare the clubs. On the one side, you have Berlin with a population of 4.3 million and on the other you have the whole state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with just 1.7 million residents. It is like comparing apples and pears. Hertha also have much larger financial capabilities. Hansa have to get the best out of very limited resources.
DFB.de: A big example of how football as a business has changed is the transfer of Neymar from Barcelona to PSG. Is 220 million Euros for a footballer comprehensible?
Beinlich: It is utopian, not tangible and very hard to understand. But it is a part of the corporate development of football. When there is supply and demand, something like that can happen. And in football, such transfers are worth the hefty fee because of the shirt sales and other income that they generate. Therefore I’m not going to make a fuss about it.
created by mmc/dfb
When the 3. Liga outfit Hansa Rostock take on Europa League participants Hertha BSC on Monday 14th August (20:45 CEST) in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, Stefan “Paule” Beinlich will have split loyalties. With Hansa, the 45-year-old achieved two promotions to the Bundesliga as a player (in 1995 and 2007) before taking the team up to the 2. Bundesliga as head coach in 2011. In addition, the Berlin-born midfielder spent three years at Hertha between 2000 and 2003. Beinlich also won five caps for the Germany national team and made a total of 288 appearances in the Bundesliga for Hansa, Hertha, Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburger SV.
Though he still has many friends and relatives in the capital city, he rarely goes to games at the Olympiastadion anymore. “I watch the games from the comfort of my sofa,” Beinlich admits. He won’t be present at the game between his two former clubs either; however, his interest in both clubs remains strong. In an interview with DFB.de, Beinlich looks ahead to the tie and gives his thoughts on the developments at both Hansa and Hertha.
DFB.de: Mr. Beinlich, you played in many DFB-Pokal games during your career. Do you remember the game on 27th November 2001?
Beinlich: (deliberates) I must have been at Hertha then.
DFB.de: On that day, you played for Hertha in a second round game against third-division side Rot-Weiß Erfurt. You made it 1-0 before being replaced at the break by Pal Dardai, who scored the winner in extra time as Hertha ran out 2-1 victors.
Beinlich: I can’t remember that. And I scored a goal in that game? That’s awful! (laughs)
DFB.de: It was a classic David vs. Goliath battle. Before games like that did you ever get a queasy feeling in your stomach?
Beinlich: No, I never got a feeling like that before games. But you know, in those sorts of matches, you can only lose. You have to be completely switched on. Any team down to the 4th division can put on a gutsy performance. If the game is still goalless after 70 minutes, it becomes very difficult.
DFB.de: In the meantime, your former teammate Pal Dardai has been successful as Hertha head coach and he will be in the dugout when they take on Hansa in the first round. Which side will you be supporting in this tie?
Beinlich: I have a very big affiliation to Hansa. I was promoted twice as a player and once as a coach with the club. The Hertha fans won’t want to hear it but I will be crossing my fingers for Hansa. It is a big chance for the club, for their image and of course a chance to secure some extra income.
DFB.de: Hansa’s league season started a few weeks ago, whilst for Hertha it will be their first competitive game of the season. Do you think that gives the underdogs the upper hand?
Beinlich: It is definitely an advantage, if you have played a few competitive games. You already know where you’re at. You don’t have that benefit if you come straight from pre-season. Hansa have also started well in the 3. Liga. I hope that will continue next Monday.
DFB.de: You played alongside Pal Dardai for three years at Hertha. Was it clear then that he wanted to be a manager after his playing career? And what was he like?
Beinlich: No it wasn’t obvious at the time. He was still a young player and he didn’t really talk about a managerial career. As a man, he was direct, open, honest and always straight-up.
DFB.de: What do you think Hansa can achieve in the next few years?
Beinlich: The 3. Liga is very hard to negotiate, financially. I would love to see them playing in a higher division. Anything else is purely speculation. If you are successful on the pitch, then the other aspects follow from there.
DFB.de: What are the biggest differences between Hertha and Hansa?
Beinlich: The identity of the fans of the two clubs is extremely strong. Apart from that, you can’t really compare the clubs. On the one side, you have Berlin with a population of 4.3 million and on the other you have the whole state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with just 1.7 million residents. It is like comparing apples and pears. Hertha also have much larger financial capabilities. Hansa have to get the best out of very limited resources.
DFB.de: A big example of how football as a business has changed is the transfer of Neymar from Barcelona to PSG. Is 220 million Euros for a footballer comprehensible?
Beinlich: It is utopian, not tangible and very hard to understand. But it is a part of the corporate development of football. When there is supply and demand, something like that can happen. And in football, such transfers are worth the hefty fee because of the shirt sales and other income that they generate. Therefore I’m not going to make a fuss about it.
