Bayer 04 were in the Second Oberliga West 50 years ago. The Werkself had been trying to get into the top-flight for five years. There is a top match against Wuppertal SV on matchday four in the 1961/62 season. The date is 27 August and 12,000 spectators want to watch this clash. Against a defensive Wuppertal team built around central defender Erich Ribbeck, Bayer 04 go top after a 2-1 win. At the end of the season, the team with the two future Bundesliga players and coaches Heinz Höher and Uwe Klimaschefski achieve promotion to the First Oberliga West.
A certain Manfred Manglitz is in goal for Bayer 04 – both a very good Bundesliga keeper as well as involved in the Bundesliga scandal of 1971. And the Ribbeck with Wuppertal is THE Erich Ribbeck who led Bayer 04 to winning the UEFA Cup 27 years later. The goals for Bayer 04 were scored by the captain Werner Röhrig, who ends his playing career at the age of 28 because his professional opportunities in the works were more important, and Hans Zimmerman.
21 August 1966 brings the first matchday in the Regional League West. The visitors at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium our newly promoted SSV Hagen and the local newspapers discuss the possible margins of victory. The newcomers from Hagen put up a battle. The Werkself win 18 corners to four and create lots of goalscoring opportunities but again and again are denied by the Hagen keeper Müller – and the physical approach of the Hagen players.
Above all, the defender Stöcker takes care of Karl-Heinz Ripkens, Helmut Brücken and Fredi Hennecken one after the other – and back then there were no substitutions leaving the Werkself to search for victory with only seven outfield players. The three injured players, as usual, remained on the pitch but were unable to play an effective part in events. In the last minute, SSV Hagen make it 3-2 and the visitors take both points from the game at the Ulrich Haberland Stadium.
Tranquillo Barnetta was born in St. Gallen in Switzerland on 22 May 1985. Quillo, as he was called in the football world, has Italian roots. His great-grandfather emigrated from Italy to the east of Switzerland. Quillo was interested in football early on and he played for the St. Gallen club FC Rotmonten from the age of six. He joined his favourite club FC St. Gallen at the age of 11. There he became a youth international. He won the European Championships with his teammates in the Switzerland U17 team in 2002. The youngsters from Switzerland beat France 4-2 on penalties in the final to become U17 European champions.
Show moreSince the establishment of the Bundesliga on 28 July 1962 for the 1963/64 season, there have been five Regional Leagues: North, Berlin, West, South-west and South. The champions of those five leagues qualified directly for promotion play-offs that were played in two groups of four teams. That included the two second-placed teams in the West and South-west Regional Leagues. The two runners-up from the North and the South played a qualifier for the eighth place in the promotion games.
Show moreIn this video you can watch impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 in the month of May. It is not always about the beauty of the goals but also about remembering special games and players.
Show moreThere were high summer temperatures in Leverkusen on 25 May 1985. Matchday 32 brings FC Köln to the Ulrich Haberland Stadium with only 13,000 spectators at the derby. That is primarily due to the Werkself with Bayer 04 rarely impressing in that season and they are eleventh in the table before the game just three points ahead of sixteenth, the play-off spot. But with the two points for a win rule back then – two points were awarded for a win – and with the significantly better goal difference, the Werkself need every point to get out of trouble.
Show moreIt was all or nothing on the final matchday in the Verbandsliga in the 1974/75 season. Only now would it be decided who were champions and thereby participate in the promotion games to the Bundesliga 2 North. The earlier rivals Viktoria Köln, SC Jülich 10 and Bonner SC have fallen by the wayside.
Show more