The Hoffenheim fairytale was particularly appealing to us Brits who love an underdog story. But this was the pinnacle of underdog stories, you could not have made it up.
Until 2000 the club were sitting in the German fifth division, when German software entrepreneur Dietmar Hopp decided to make his dreams reality. A life long Hoffenheim fan, Hopp took control of the club and had the vision of making them a top flight German side. In just eight years his dream had come true. Hoffenheim were a Bundesliga team.
For the first half of the 2008-2009 Bundesliga season, Hoffenheim were holding there own and even had an outside chance of winning the league. With a devastating strike force of Ibisevic, Ba and Obasi they were crowned the 2008-2009 'Herbstmeister', which if I recall from higher German translates as Autumn Champions. Ibisevic had scored 18 of his clubs 42 goals in the first 17 matches. But this was to be the peak for the club.
As a result of cruel injuries and suspensions to key players, which included Ibisevic being out of action for the remainder of the season, Hoffenheim's season somewhat derailed. A run which saw no wins in twelve saw them finish seventh in the league. The small town club's 'fun in the sun' had come to an end.
Fast forward three years and much of Hoffenheim's talented young side that overachieved in their first Bundesliga season, were being sold off - Luiz Gustavo to Bayern, Demba Ba to West Ham, Carlos Eduardo to Rubin Kazan, Vedad Ibisevic to Stuttgart. Soon after, manager Ralf Rangnick who had masterminded their rise to the top, resigned. Hoffenheim were fast becoming a run of the mill team. As the big names left, so did their exciting style of football, and eventually the media began to turn against them. Hoffenheim were now writing the headlines for the wrong reasons.
The club's lack of tradition and a proper fan base was the focal point of the criticism. The village from which the club hails has only 3,300 inhabitants. Does the word Gretna ring any bells? And we all know what happened to them.
Further criticism was drawn after a home match with Cologne. Away fans complained of a loudspeaker placed above the end designated to travelling supporters, aimed at drowning out their noise. Hoffenheim obviously ridiculed these claims, although later investigation found the allegations to be true, and that the ploy was used in other matches. In a country that prides itself on its traditions and passionate supporters, this was seen as nothing short of a disgrace.
This season Hoffenheim have failed to break the shackles of mediocrity, and sit five points off bottom place in the league. After being destroyed 7-1 by high flying Bayern a few weeks ago, things must change quick, or else Dietmar Hopp's dream might soon become a nightmare.
Scottish overachievers Gretna promised much in their first season with the big boys, before a similar collapse to that of Hoffenheim saw them fold. Romanian outfit Unirea Urziceni also found themselves in a similar situation. After receiving colossal financial backing, Unirea won their domestic league and subsequently made Urziceni the smallest town to have a team in the Champions League. However their wealthy owner soon got bored and a year after winning the league withdrew his investments from the club. They were forced to sell their big name players and were relegated. The season after relegation Unirea decided against enrolling in the Romanian second tier and as a result dissolved.
Unfortunately, in the current economic climate, wealthy businessmen do not have money to waste on football projects. The two examples above are just two of many. For Hoffenheim's sake, lets hope Dietmar Hopp does not lose interest in his beloved Hoffenheim or German football might find themselves a club short.
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