'I hope Bayer 04 win'

The 43-year-old now works as a players' agent but also still regularly puts on his boots for the Bayer 04 Veterans. We spoke to him about the match, his former club and the Werkself pre-season.

Jens, what is your relationship with your former club Karlsruher SC where you spent six years as a player?
Of course, as an ex-player you have a certain connection to KSC. And with me because it's where I come from – I was born and grew up 20 kilometres away from Karlsruhe. My parents, my brother and a lot of friends still live there today. And it's always the case that people are happy when I watch a game at Karlsruher. That includes people I don't know saying 'Ah, Jens is here again – great to see you.' Older people pinch your cheeks and shake them a bit (he laughs). That really makes you feel at home. Definitely.

 The new season in the third division has started with a draw and two defeats for KSC. The team under coach Marc-Patrick Meister picked up their first win at the weekend. What's your assessment of the start of the season?
It's definitely a mixed bag but you can expect that in the season after relegation. You have a new team that has to find its feet and get used to a different type of football played in the new league. The opponents now are mostly clubs that perhaps don't have such a professional infrastructure compared with Kaiserslautern or Braunschweig for example. It takes time to settle in. So the start isn't that dramatic. But KSC have to turn a corner.

What's special about the club
These days I can only judge that from afar. KSC used to be like a big family. We trained together week after week and at the weekend we were joined by our wives and children. Everybody felt at home, it was always great and very heartfelt. The same went for the fans. Our strength was that we acted as a team. We didn't perhaps have so much individual class but we were united as a team. That's really what KSC has always been about.

What's your assessment of the situation at Karlsruher after being relegated last season?
KSC are expected to be successful and they need to get promoted again as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the club could languish in the third division. And then it's like going into a downward spiral where it isn't attractive enough for youth players. When the first team is not successful everybody at the club notices that of course: Consistent savings have to be made and changes introduced. And that doesn't primarily affect the first team but the club that’s behind them. But just in terms of the club, its management and infrastructure, KSC deserves to be in the second division at least, in my view.

You and your family live in Kürten, not far away from Leverkusen. What connection do you have to Bayer 04 these days?
Of course, I do have good connections to the club living so close: I'm part of the Veterans team. That's moving in a very good direction and we are organising more and more events. I'm often at the BayArena to watch a game and my oldest daughter is a Bayer 04 fan times ten (he laughs).

What's your assessment of the Werkself pre-season?
Even though the results in the friendlies weren't so positive, the atmosphere overall seems to be good. I wouldn't presume of saying whether Heiko Herrlich is doing a good or bad job. I don't know him well enough for that. When I was playing, we had mixed pre-seasons and we still went on to make a good start to the campaign. On the other hand, we had a good pre-season and then suddenly we got knocked out of the Cup. You don’t achieve much if you win all the preceding matches and then lose the first competitive game. That's just a waste of time. It’s more important to keep free of injury as far as possible during the pre-season and get together as a team. And then you have to improve match by match. Good results in the pre-season are secondary.

What do the Werkself have to expect at the Wildpark Stadium?
The Baden crowd is never hostile. The KSC fans would rather support their own team than have a go at the opposition. That makes it very pleasant to play there. Ideally, we can look forward to good weather, great atmosphere and beautiful Baden song (he laughs). And if everything goes to form the Werkself will go home with the win.

What sort of game are you expecting and who are you crossing your fingers for?                                                                                                              Normally, you always hope the little team can trip up the big club. But I hope Bayer 04 win. It's important for the club to qualify for Europe by the league or via the Cup. And it's a matter of keeping options open. In contrast, KSC need to get back up quickly. And in my mind, it makes complete sense to concentrate on the league – even though going through in the Cup can give you a boost. However, I think it's better if Bayer 04 go through.

Interview by Jens Kopke