Were You Interested in German Football, Before You Lived in Germany?

Kevin Coyne Of Football by Karl Bruckmaier

When we watched the Bavaria Munich play recently against the club from Nuernberg with you, did local patriotism become apparent there?

To my surprise: Yes. When I saw the club fans standing there in such a way, a little lost in the round. . . after 17 years in Nuernberg obviously so feelings adjust themselves.

Were you interested in German football, before you lived in Germany?

Yes, since I am interested in everything which has to do with football. I am a football Freak, have even football easily in my youth. And not at all once so badly. That was briefly after Germany the first time world champion became, with the club player max of Morlock. Then were there the final game of 1966 and four years later from English view the disaster of Mexico, when the Germans came so spectacularly back.

Do not divert now: In it or not in it?

The third gate of you Englishmen in Wembley.

To say with difficulty. That depends nevertheless always on which film chip one gets straight shown. Anyhow the gate bought from the Germans the gumption and Geoff Hurst had the 4:2 to only shoot. Before was it condemns close play. In it or not in it? I do not know it also.

Has itself now actually which changed at the football? Or only is the marketing gossip?

Actually only the sums are higher, which one converts with football. From the play a commodity became, a part of the unterhaltungsindustrie such as American football or basketball. But the play is unchanged in the reason: Either one can do it, or one cannot do it. Either one runs with the heap, or one stands out and is a star. Well, the ball is today around some lighter, the Klamotten looks more sportiver, no longer as heavily and anciently as in my childhood. But if a player has certain the something, then he would have shone at each time. This whole gossip that the play is more athletic nowadays that it is not more variable that tactics plays a much larger role, understands I. At all times it depended on whether a crew had strength, which was because of the coach, and whether she could develop her own style, was because of it. Tactics: Those do today often, as if Moses would also down have brought this word of the mountain to Sinai. Overrated.

Me it is sometimes correctly embarrassing, if I must see play cutouts from the 70's: Under fashionable criteria this decade was a disaster, these ultraknappen panties, the colors. . . Assistance. It must do simply with the sexual revolution to have had. Another apology does not give it. But came with the beknackten colors only into the 80ern. Particularly federal league clubs presumed there to grey extremes? up to the use of black-red- golden on the leotard the national team. That was considered then internationally suddenly as trendy. Today most associations eingekriegt themselves again. But, hmm, these short trousers. Kevin Keegan with its hell hair-style and practically not existing leg dresses. A halfnaked Englishman with Afro, which plays for Hamburg. Strange times.

Keegan trains now Manchester town center.

Yes, and with some success. As a national coach it was a Flop. Also he knows, how I, to begin with all the tactics gossip nothing. For it there is only attack. Defenders are a necessary evil. There one cannot win internationally much. But if it functions, is beautiful it to look at.

When did you have your first appointment with men in short trousers?

My father carried me forward around 1950 to a friendship game between Derby County, my association for local history, and Burton Albion. Burton is a neighboring place of Derby, it was a charity play. It noticed to me at that time that hardly women were present: I was not still another small child and any more from the play saw than man legs without end, hie and there a piece of a leotard.

Sounds terrible. Did your father force you to go to the football?

In the opposite. It was my father, who hardly went into the stadium, because it was a Cockney from the Londoner Eastend and actually Leyton Orient fan, that did not have the smallest interest in Derby County. Since Derby and Leyton did not play in the same league, I would never particularly often have come with it to the football. No, I began to go with my friends. We traveled later to all away games also, until I began to study. I remember gladly all the strange football fields, which we saw there in the course of the years.

Schaun those not all equivalent out?

O no. But for me they radiate all such a feeling of confidenceness, of homeland. Warm beverages in the half time, Oxo, you know in Germany not, that are Bruehwuerfel. In the half time hot water is spent and one throws its Bruehwuerfel in and drinks it then.

Is there actually possibly something, which the British do not throw into hot water, in order to then drink it?

I know that their German you endlessly over so which amuse can but like that was that. In addition it gave? after German yardsticks likewise poorly? or something Hamburg-well-behaved or a small sausage sand-yielded. A Limo for the small ones. All of this constituted a soccer game, was part of a ritual. This disinhibited roar of the grandstands, the separate fan blocks, did not give it yet. One went around rather friendly with one another. Thought I, Hooliganimus am an English invention.

I already evaded to this phenomenon with its emergence. When I lived still in London, I went to end of the 70's with my son not to arsenal or Chelsea, because it was already so bad there that at the exit cages were set up, in which the racquets was stored temporarily, until one could bring it after playing to the district. I rather drove with him to Wimbledon, which kickten at that time in an amateur league. They put short time down later a cometful ascent into European competitions. At that time they had a beautiful stadium for at the most 15,000 spectators; in the half time one got its hot water and chatted themselves with the native ones. With success those of hooligan came. The last mark that I went to Wimbledon, was with a play against Portsmouth. On ranks of the actually urgemuetlichen stadium suddenly war, fists prevailed flew, police dogs barked. One four years before could do in such a way which not. I cannot understand also, why it took over hand in such a way in England. It is clear to me that English football fans, if they come to Europe, with whom all time available alcohol deal cannot. By our idiotischen curfew laws we are gedrillt to drink very fast very much.

The Pub opening times apply nevertheless also in Scotland? and there one hardly knows hooligan.

Is correct, it was the also straight Celtic fans in Munich and one nothing here heard or read that Scottish fans would have taken the city apart.

The English football fan is considered today as racquet, but all wars soft knees, if he begins to sing.

One sang always on our football fields, in addition, that is more aggressively become, many more obszoener, many more provoking.

The Gesinge went to me however always rather on the nerves.

No, I love football. And cricket. That is one of the tragedies, if one lives in Germany: One does not experience anything over cricket. But back to the football: The only one, which would know me the play bad, is this commercial Overkill, which is in the meantime zugemutet to one, even if one into the stadium goes. They saw it yesterday: Because of that roaring music and the importunate advertising messages read can one in the break hardly still with one another talk. The associations use physical force against their spectators, because they still another few euro can earn more.

If you are of small English stages swarms, then you surely no fan residents of Munich of the olympia stadium?

Naturally not, that is a greyful place actually needs one binoculars, in order to be able to recognize on the other place half something. Someone told me times, the architect was submerged after the Olympiad and never seen again. Isn't correct? Harm. Under artistic criteria the stadium may turn on, as functional structure is it a disaster. And even if it is empty to two thirds then still like yesterday, then it is the howling misery. In my hometown Derby was opened before not at all long time a new stadium, free view, good atmosphere. That is a football experience.

Football a crew sport is natural, but there is the highly gifted single players, who constitute its attraction. Did they have favorites?

Against Nuernberg only one stood out: Sebastian Deisler. It played the last 30 minutes on the right side. My schlagzeuger quatscht me for two years fully, which for a large player is Deisler. Now I could see that he is right: Ball guidance, duel behavior, speed? everything as with the completely large ones. That could become one like Stefan EFF mountain, one, which coins/shapes the crew. EFF mountain was perhaps the best passport giver from the defensive range, which I was allowed to experience in all the long years. In England I estimate Alan Shearer, today with Newcastle United. It meets still. An English football hero. Then: Ronaldo. Football looks always so simply out, if it is at the ball. Nearly I would have forgotten Beckham: That finds the way back with material to old size.

Beckham is naturally the ark-typical Fussballpopstar. But Pop and football had always a very intimate relationship.

Credit also we Englishmen invented. The first Popstar on the football field was George Best, which had to play internationally unfortunately for Northern Ireland, otherwise would be today as famous it as Pele. I saw playing it times against Derby County, my God, he had as the first long hair, looked as from this Argentiniern later. A highly gifted player. A drunkard. A rock star.

But none could sing real!

Mmh, Beckenbauer. Was also a good player. But no soccer player let radiate the Glorienschein of the Pop by his singing more brightly.

Kevin Coyne, you became straight 60 years old. We introduce ourselves, you go into Nuernberg walking, in a park come a ball to you. Which. . .

I would naturally try to shoot it back!

Times honestly. If you watch the young men on the playing field, how they run off there untiringly on and not only the Bavaria players yesterday: Beschleicht it there not something envy on the youth?

No. That would be ridiculous. One must accept that one becomes older. Is not appropriate for dreams for me. I was always interested in the reality. That distinguishes me before all other things. It did not contribute straight to make a large star from me because the people do not have it so gladly, if they are confronted with the reality, but so are it now times: I hold it with the reality. And to the reality it belongs that I am too old for sport.

How do you deduce? In the stadium Robbie Williams bawled at us recently that he would like to maintain us gladly. I mean, what for an attitude to thelife?Let ME duck should be„Let Me Entertain You“? It does not maintain me with it, but obviously millions of other humans. On the other hand: McDonalds sells also millions Hamburg ones. That does not make however from so a Hamburg one yet leaking first of all meals on this planet. Robbie Williams is a large Entertainer, me is said. In addition it needs however decades. It is a Entertainer Imitator. That is me not well enough. It is enough, in order to deceive children and young people. But straight children one should. . . oh which. Robbie, all property!

Kevin Coyne, born 1944 in Derby, writes since forty years Songs, which sound like the impacts of a Mittelgewichtsboxers, drying, hard, briefly. In the swingenden London of the 60's its songs must just as deplatziert have worked as today in these panischen times, but could Coyne first for John Peel, later for Richard Bransons Virgin label records successfully take up: From Punks respected, from Avantgardisten estimated, dear by its fans and colleagues, nothing seemed to stand to a large career in the way? except the life, the alcohol and the whole remainder. Today Kevin Coyne in Nuernberg lives, draws, paints, tourt and writes. And endlessly sport on the television looks.