Goalkeeper Fred Bockholt is the most prominent newcomer. The 32-year-old came from Bundesliga club Kickers Offenbach and he became the number one keeper the Werkself for the next two years.
Peter Klimke was signed from Bonner SC. The hard-running and battling 22-year-old defender was brought in to strengthen the defence.
Hans-Jürgen Scheinert is the youngest new signing at the age of 19. He came under the Bayer Cross from Olympia Bocholt.
Norbert Ziegler was brought in to play up front. The 21-year-old previously played for the Fortuna Düsseldorf second team.
And Bayer 04 also signed a champion of Germany: Defender Walter Posner only played two games for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the previous season but did get to hold the Schale. Like the four previously mentioned, he too became an important part of the Werkself over the next few years.
Peter Fleischheuer (24), a defender from SC Leichlingen, Willi Quasten (19), a midfielder from Rot-Weiß Oberhausen, Hermann Klebs (21), a striker from FSV Frankfurt, and Wilfried
With these signings, Bayer 04 followed the established direction of not signing expensive new players but instead relying on proven reserve players and players from Bundesliga 2. The only exception was goalkeeper Fred Bockholt, who together with Hubert Makel formed the goalkeeping duo for the Werkself over the next two years.
Football boss Hermann Büchel and coach Manfred Rummel are happy with the squad for the new season. Hermann Büchel dictates the following sentence for the journalists:
"No player who comes to us exceeds the financial limits we have set ourselves. There is no need for additional money as we have covered all expenditure from our reserves."
And coach Manfred Rummel says:
"We have strengthened our squad so much that our immediate future looks secure. Above all our attack will gain in penetration and we have two players for each important position."
The two directors Dr. Jürgen Schwericke and Dr. Udo Schulten come to welcome the players to the first training session. They also go into the new season in confident mood and hope for a solid mid-table position. But above all they want a good relationship between the team and the fans. People realised things are significantly better together back then too.
On the first day of training on 14 July 1975 there was only a practice match. And none of those present could have guessed that these new signings would be the first foundation for a rosy future under the Bayer Cross.
Michael Ballack was born on 26 September 1976 in Görlitz, in what was then East Germany. His talent for football became apparent at an early age. After his family moved to Karl-Marx-Stadt – now Chemnitz – he began playing football for BSG Motor ‘Fritz Heckert’ Karl-Marx-Stadt, where he steadily developed his skills. From Year 7 onwards, he attended the Children’s and Youth Sports School and received systematic sporting support, which, in 1988 – due to his growing skill as a player – led to a move to FC Karl-Marx-Stadt. At the age of 16, he had to take a six-month break due to growth problems, but after that, Michael was unstoppable.
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José Elias Moedim Júnior, known as Zé Elias, was born on 25 September 1976 in São Paulo. He received his football training at Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, or Corinthians for short, and was promoted to the first team at the age of just 17. PSV Eindhoven had already taken notice of him by this stage, but the move to Europe was still too early for him. The tenacious defensive midfielder established himself in the first team over the following three years. With Corinthians, Zé Elias won the São Paulo City Championship and the Brazilian Cup in 1995. With his excellent vision, his determination and his assured ball control, he made a significant contribution to his team’s success.
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In their second season in Bundesliga 2 North, the Werkself face Fortuna Köln at their home ground, the Ulrich Haberland Stadium, on matchday 7. Both teams are level on seven points, sitting eighth and ninth in the table.
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In this video you can see impressive and important goals in the history of Bayer 04 from the month of September. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
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September gets off to a disastrous start, though not for the Werkself: the German national team, featuring Bayer 04 players Jens Nowotny, Michael Ballack and Oliver Neuville, suffer a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of England in a World Cup qualifier at the Olympic Stadium in Munich. Jens Nowotny, in particular, came in for sharp criticism. With this defeat, Germany’s direct qualification is now hanging in the balance.
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