Football clichés in Hamburg

Football clichés in Hamburg

Celebrations in Hamburg. Last night was cup night for the city. As a result, two Hamburg teams are in the quarter-finals today for the first time since 1997 and only the second time in cup history!

After St. Pauli’s match against Borussia Dortmund at Hamburg’s Millerntor, Sebastian Schweinsteiger stood at the microphone and criticised BVB for a will to win that was not always apparent, and for lacking the mentality that ultimately brought the local side success.

That statement could fill football’s famous “cliché piggy bank”, yet it captures Dortmund’s defeat precisely:
Success does not come from a collection of superstars, an ensemble of gifted technicians or BVB’s pre-match declaration that it intended to reach this year’s cup final in Berlin.

Because—cliché alert—THE TRUTH IS ON THE PITCH! That is where the will to win and the team’s unity decide success.

The same applies to organisational change: slogans, colourful PowerPoint slides and a collection of top scorers from the leadership talent rating do not bring success. It is leadership’s visible determination and unity that decisively influence the game of change.

Friday is derby time, then. Fingers crossed once again for Hamburg’s promotion to the Bundesliga. May the better team win—come on HSV! 😂