Fortuna Düsseldorf Thread

[Tommy]

3 minutes ago, nudge said:

Did you win? We played them a few days ago and won 4-0; they looked very poor.

Yea, 3:2, forgot to mention that. Were they so aggressive against you as well? There were quite a few confrontations between a number of players. 

[nudge+]

1 hour ago, Tommy said:

Yea, 3:2, forgot to mention that. Were they so aggressive against you as well? There were quite a few confrontations between a number of players. 

Nah wouldn't say so; maybe a bit clumsy and late going into challenges but nothing over aggressive or malicious... Granted they seemed to give up completely after going two goals down so maybe that played a role as well.

[Tommy]

Yesterday was the season opening party. Great turnout: 

 

[Tommy]

 

 

Yesterday we signed 18 year old Kelvin Ofori. Apparently he is considered a bright talent in Ghana, and already had several European top clubs interested in him. He is out of contract too. Bit strange that he ended up with us then, but he already scored a great goal in a friendly, so he can definitely play football. 

[Michael]

How well will Fortuna Dusseldorf do this season in the Bundesliga? What do you guys think?

Personally, I think that losing both Raman and Lukebakio is a huge blow for them. They were arguably their two best players last season. Fortuna did very well to retain the services of Kownacki though, I think there is a lot more to come from him. He's an impressive young striker. 

Fortuna have brought 4 Ghanians to the club this summer. Opoku Ampomah, Kelvin Ofori, Bernard Tekpetey and Kasim Nuhu. But I think that the jury is still out on all of them. 

Opoku Ampomah did well last season at mid-table Belgian club Waasland-Beveren who finished in 12th position in the league. But as we have seen many times, doing well in the Belgian League doesn't mean much. The Bundesliga is a competition that is levels stronger.

Kelvin Ofori joined on a free from the Ghanaian League. He is only 18, so he is definitely one for the future if he comes good and not for this season. With all due respect, the standard of the Ghanaian League is probably similar to the German Regional Leagues. So Ofori is still an unknown quantity, so as I said, one for the future perhaps.

Bernard Tekpetey did play a big role in getting Paderborn promoted to the Bundesliga last season and I have to admit he does look good. He is again unproven at Bundesliga level, but I am actually optimistic with him. He is only 21 and he seems to have improved over the last season.

Kasim Nuhu is the only 1 of the 4 who has had regular Bundesliga football in his career. None of the other 3 have played as many games at the high level that Nuhu has. He looked quite a solid defender at Hoffenheim last season, so I think he could do well on loan at Dusseldorf.

Of their other significant signings, Suttner on a free transfer from Brighton is a decent deal. Suttner could do a decent job at left back for Fortuna. He is usually a reliable left back and he has good experience behind him.

Erik Thommy on loan from Stuttgart is an average Bundesliga midfielder. He might do ok, but he is not a standout player.

Lewis Baker on loan from Chelsea is again another average standard midfielder for a top league in my opinion. He has done relatively well on loan at Championship clubs, but he has yet to fully prove himself at a top league. Like Thommy, he is still only 24 and there is still maybe room for improvement for the pair, but they both still have a lot to prove.

Thomas Pledl from Ingolstadt I rate even less than Thommy or Baker. Pledl used to be a very highly rated player as a teenager, but now at age 25, he has not lived up to that promise. He's an average attacking midfielder who I don't see helping Fortuna much in the very competitive Bundesliga.

Lastly, Zack Steffen, I think that he is an excellent loan acquisition from Manchester City. It is generally agreed that Steffen is the best American goalkeeper, he is now always 1st choice for the US national team and for good reason. He has put in some super performances both at club level and for the US national team. So I think that that he is a real improvement to the goalkeeping position, with all due respect to Rensing.

In conclusion, I believe that there are still question marks over the ability of some of Fortuna Dusseldorf's siginings this summer. As it stands, I do not think that they have replaced the offensive firepower that was offered by Lukebakio and Raman. Even though Dusseldorf may have strengthened in other areas of the pitch. Kownacki can't do it all alone in attack and he will need support like he was given last season by the 2 departed star players I've mentioned. Maybe Tekpetey or one of the other offensive players could prove me wrong. But I think Dusseldorf's season won't be as successful as last season. I think they are probably too good to get relegated, but I think they will finish much lower than last season's 10th place finish. 

 

[Tommy]

23 hours ago, Michael said:

How well will Fortuna Dusseldorf do this season in the Bundesliga? What do you guys think?

Personally, I think that losing both Raman and Lukebakio is a huge blow for them. They were arguably their two best players last season. Fortuna did very well to retain the services of Kownacki though, I think there is a lot more to come from him. He's an impressive young striker. 

Fortuna have brought 4 Ghanians to the club this summer. Opoku Ampomah, Kelvin Ofori, Bernard Tekpetey and Kasim Nuhu. But I think that the jury is still out on all of them. 

Opoku Ampomah did well last season at mid-table Belgian club Waasland-Beveren who finished in 12th position in the league. But as we have seen many times, doing well in the Belgian League doesn't mean much. The Bundesliga is a competition that is levels stronger.

Kelvin Ofori joined on a free from the Ghanaian League. He is only 18, so he is definitely one for the future if he comes good and not for this season. With all due respect, the standard of the Ghanaian League is probably similar to the German Regional Leagues. So Ofori is still an unknown quantity, so as I said, one for the future perhaps.

Bernard Tekpetey did play a big role in getting Paderborn promoted to the Bundesliga last season and I have to admit he does look good. He is again unproven at Bundesliga level, but I am actually optimistic with him. He is only 21 and he seems to have improved over the last season.

Kasim Nuhu is the only 1 of the 4 who has had regular Bundesliga football in his career. None of the other 3 have played as many games at the high level that Nuhu has. He looked quite a solid defender at Hoffenheim last season, so I think he could do well on loan at Dusseldorf.

Of their other significant signings, Suttner on a free transfer from Brighton is a decent deal. Suttner could do a decent job at left back for Fortuna. He is usually a reliable left back and he has good experience behind him.

Erik Thommy on loan from Stuttgart is an average Bundesliga midfielder. He might do ok, but he is not a standout player.

Lewis Baker on loan from Chelsea is again another average standard midfielder for a top league in my opinion. He has done relatively well on loan at Championship clubs, but he has yet to fully prove himself at a top league. Like Thommy, he is still only 24 and there is still maybe room for improvement for the pair, but they both still have a lot to prove.

Thomas Pledl from Ingolstadt I rate even less than Thommy or Baker. Pledl used to be a very highly rated player as a teenager, but now at age 25, he has not lived up to that promise. He's an average attacking midfielder who I don't see helping Fortuna much in the very competitive Bundesliga.

Lastly, Zack Steffen, I think that he is an excellent loan acquisition from Manchester City. It is generally agreed that Steffen is the best American goalkeeper, he is now always 1st choice for the US national team and for good reason. He has put in some super performances both at club level and for the US national team. So I think that that he is a real improvement to the goalkeeping position, with all due respect to Rensing.

In conclusion, I believe that there are still question marks over the ability of some of Fortuna Dusseldorf's siginings this summer. As it stands, I do not think that they have replaced the offensive firepower that was offered by Lukebakio and Raman. Even though Dusseldorf may have strengthened in other areas of the pitch. Kownacki can't do it all alone in attack and he will need support like he was given last season by the 2 departed star players I've mentioned. Maybe Tekpetey or one of the other offensive players could prove me wrong. But I think Dusseldorf's season won't be as successful as last season. I think they are probably too good to get relegated, but I think they will finish much lower than last season's 10th place finish. 

 

Having individual talent was never our strength. Of course Lukebakio and Raman are great players, but I think our unity and the whole team effort made them look like that. Let's see how they'll do at Hertha or Schalke respectively. I think we have a decent chance to stay in the league, and that's really all I want. The new signings looked promising in the pre-season friendlies, especially Ampomah. We managed to keep a great core of last seasons team, including Kaan Ayhan, who could have left us for a "bigger" team some time ago, but wants to stick around by the looks of it. And I disagree that Lukebakio and Raman were our best players by far last season. Gießelmann was outstanding, Fink had a great second half of the season, Ayhan was our boss on the field, Zimmer and Zimmermann were amazing... they just didn't score spectacular goals (except Zimmer against Dortmund) and made the headlines. 

[Michael]

9 hours ago, Tommy said:

Having individual talent was never our strength. Of course Lukebakio and Raman are great players, but I think our unity and the whole team effort made them look like that. Let's see how they'll do at Hertha or Schalke respectively. I think we have a decent chance to stay in the league, and that's really all I want. The new signings looked promising in the pre-season friendlies, especially Ampomah. We managed to keep a great core of last seasons team, including Kaan Ayhan, who could have left us for a "bigger" team some time ago, but wants to stick around by the looks of it. And I disagree that Lukebakio and Raman were our best players by far last season. Gießelmann was outstanding, Fink had a great second half of the season, Ayhan was our boss on the field, Zimmer and Zimmermann were amazing... they just didn't score spectacular goals (except Zimmer against Dortmund) and made the headlines. 

Hi Tommy, I too think that Dusseldorf are probably too good to be relegated. They have much better players than Paderborn for example. But I just think as of now, that they don't have as much offensive strength as they had last season with Lukebakio and Raman. I am not suggesting that they were Dusseldorf's only good players, but they were Dusseldorf's best offensive players along with Kownacki. They were certainly both very impressive offensively last season. But I am not sure if Dusseldorf have succesfully replaced them. Like I said, Tekpetey may prove me wrong or Ampomah may make the succesful transition from the Belgian League to the Bundesliga and become a big asset for Dusseldorf like you suggest. We shall wait and see. I hope that I am proven wrong and that Raman and Lukebakio are succesfully replaced.

[Tommy]

41 minutes ago, Michael said:

Hi Tommy, I too think that Dusseldorf are probably too good to be relegated. They have much better players than Paderborn for example. But I just think as of now, that they don't have as much offensive strength as they had last season with Lukebakio and Raman. I am not suggesting that they were Dusseldorf's only good players, but they were Dusseldorf's best offensive players along with Kownacki. They were certainly both very impressive offensively last season. But I am not sure if Dusseldorf have succesfully replaced them. Like I said, Tekpetey may prove me wrong or Ampomah may make the succesful transition from the Belgian League to the Bundesliga and become a big asset for Dusseldorf like you suggest. We shall wait and see. I hope that I am proven wrong and that Raman and Lukebakio are succesfully replaced.

On paper, I really wouldn't say we are too good to be relegated. It's the team spirit, fan support and feel of unity that could keep us in the league. But we'll see. Ampomah got injured in the cup match tonight, but i hope it's nothing serious. Kownacki is still recovering as well, Karaman is still injured... there are many questions marks and only time will tell. I'll withold my judgement until the 4th or 5th matchday. Only then you can point out some sort of direction. But I trust in Funkel and his staff to get the best out of our team. If it's not enough to stay in the league, then so be it. 

[nudge+]

Why wasn't Thommy in the squad for the Pokal match? Injured/not fit or just not selected?

[Tommy]

21 minutes ago, nudge said:

Why wasn't Thommy in the squad for the Pokal match? Injured/not fit or just not selected?

He had a little muscle injury, but played in the friendly against Benrath a few days ago. So I guess it was a precaution. 

[Michael]

Well, good luck for the season ahead. The transfer window is still open for the Bundesliga teams, so who knows, maybe Dusseldorf might even make a few more signings before it closes.

[Tommy]

Lewis Baker 

 

[Tommy]

Friedhelm Funkel won the Sport Bild Award "Surprise of the year". 

 

[Tommy]

Andre Hoffmann externded his contract until 2023. 

 

 

And Lutz Pfannestiel hinted on instagram that there is more to come. I hope it's Kaan Ayhan's contract extension 

[Tommy]

More good news. Matthias Zimmer signed a new 5 year deal with us. He was the only player who played EVERY game last season. Considering his history with injuries, that's a miracle. Let's continue that way. 

 

 

[Tommy]

 

[Tommy]

Confirmed! BEST NEWS EVER! 

 

He could have left us for a "bigger" club several times. Good lad. 

[Tommy]

Alfredo Morales, who has been our most impressive player so farr this season, came back from the US National team with a torn muscle fiber and will be out for 4ish weeks. 

 

Fuck international football. 

 

[Tommy]

 

 

 

 

We've signed Dawid Kownacki permanently. Apprently the buyout clause was triggered after four matches with us. Anyway, good news. You can see that he is amazingly talented. Bit wasted on the left wing though, so I hope to see him in the center in the future. I think that's where his biggest strengths lie. 

[Tommy]

 

 

[Tommy]

Good news, everyone!

 

 

[Tommy]

Die Toten Hosen & Fortuna Düsseldorf Special Edition shirt. 

 

The players will wear it in the match against Bayern München. The money from the sales will be donated to Fortuna's junior performance center. 

 

 

[nudge+]

52 minutes ago, Tommy said:

Die Toten Hosen & Fortuna Düsseldorf Special Edition shirt. 

 

The players will wear it in the match against Bayern München. The money from the sales will be donated to Fortuna's junior performance center. 

 

 

Hope they also printed the lyrics of the Bayern song on the inside!

[Tommy]

 

[SchalkeUK]

Thanks for that