But let’s take a look further back: When Erich Ribbeck returned to the dugout at Bayer 04 in April 1995 for the second stint as coach after 1985-1988, one of his first decisions was to play 35-year-old Bernd Schuster as the sweeper in the UEFA Cup semi-final second leg away to AC Parma. His decision was completely incomprehensible for many people. And although the coach did not take it on his own he was the one to carry the can in the end. Ribbeck tried to continue with this experiment in the final matches in the 1994/95 campaign and at the start of the following season. But the Werkself had serious problems in defence in the home game against FC St. Pauli on matchday 4 that ended in a 1-1 draw. So Erich Ribbeck declared his experiment was over two days before the away game in Stuttgart and he told the press that Bernd Schuster would be on the bench on Saturday.
That marked the start of a smouldering conflagration between the super star, the coach and the club. The midfielder remained calm, he came off the bench in the second half at Stuttgart with the scores level at 1-1, and he often played up to the winter break. But Bernd Schuster was banned from training with the team from January 1996. Nevertheless, he regularly came to training and did his runs along the Dhünn. An unsatisfactory solution for everybody involved that finally ended in March 1996 with the cancellation of Bernd Schuster’s contract.
Back to the match at VfB Stuttgart. It is 9 September 1995 and Bayer 04 have the following line-up: Dirk Heinen – Christian Wörns, Holger Fach, Markus Münch, Rodrigo, Hans-Peter Lehnhoff, Ioan Lupescu, Paulo Sergio, Mario Tolkmitt, Ulf Kirsten, Rudi Völler
Bayer 04 are kept very busy defending in the first half. But the Werkself secure a hard-earned 0-0 scoreline at half-time because VfB fail to take their chances. Bayer 04 go behind on 47 minutes but Rudi Völler levels eight minutes later. The Black and Reds get a grip on the game and win 4-1 in the end thanks to two more goals from Ulf Kirsten and a strike from the Brazilian substitute Ramon Hubner to pick up three valuable points on the road.
The next home game ends in a 2-0 win against Eintracht Frankfurt. Matchday 7 brings the top-of-the-table clash in Munich between leaders FC Bayern and second-placed Bayer 04. The result of this top match is decided by a dubious penalty for the hosts on 89 minutes. Despite the defeat, the rest of the Hinrunde up to the winter break is thoroughly positive for the Werkself. But Bayer 04 slide ever further down the table in the Rückrunde. The last matchday of the season sees a showdown to stay in the Bundesliga against FC Kaiserslautern and Bayer 04 stay up thanks to a late goal scored by Markus Münch.
Zoltan Sebescen was born on 1 October 1975 in Ehingen and he started playing football as a child. His talent stood out early on and he was accepted into the youth section at Stuttgarter Kickers in 1982. There he progressed through all the youth teams and continued to develop. His breakthrough in the men's game came in the mid-1990s, when he moved up to the Kickers first team squad. With his speed, dynamism and attacking drive, he soon made a name for himself beyond the region. He and his team were promoted from the Regional League South to Bundesliga 2 in 1996 and stayed in the league with Stuttgart for three years.
Show moreJens Nowotny was born on 11 January 1974 in Malsch, Baden-Württemberg. As a youngster, he played for SV Spielberg and Germania Friedrichstal and later joined the youth section at Karlsruher SC. As a 15-year-old, he became an integral part of the DFB national youth set-up and played for all of the Germany junior teams. One highlight was an U15 international against England at Wembley.
Show moreIt is Tuesday, 20 October 2015 - a Champions League night at the BayArena. The visitors: AS Roma. What awaits the spectators is a memorable football match full of drama, speed and emotion. The Werkself get off to a flying start and literally overrun the slightly favoured Italians in the early stages. The scoreline was 2-0 after just twenty minutes - both goals were scored by Mexico international Chicharito. Bayer 04 put the visitors under constant pressure with their aggressive pressing and bold attacking play and even had a chance to make it 3-0. Then the AS Roma captain Daniele De Rossi brought his team back into the game with a brace making it 2-2 at half-time.
Show moreIn the video you can see impressive and important goals in Bayer 04 history from the month of October. It's not always about the beauty of the goals, but also a reminder of special games and players.
Show moreOn 23 October 1960, a highly anticipated local derby took place in the DFB Pokal, which the team had to qualify for via the regional association cup competitions at the time: SV Schlebusch hosted the Werkself from Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Around 2,000 spectators flocked to the "Am Bühl" stadium to watch the game kicking off at 3 pm.
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