14.12.2009

Players visit fans

Hot off the press, the Day at the BORUSSIA PARK news sheet lay punctually in its training-ground pigeonhole on Sunday morning, but there were no spectators, and thus readers, around.

No, Borussia coach Michael Frontzeck had not given his players the day off after the 5-3 win over Hannover. He had sent his first-team regulars and reserves out into the 'country' for a run, which meant that the only place the fans saw their sweat-covered heroes was on the stairs leading to the dressing-room.
As the spectators left for home later that morning with a copy of the news sheet put out by the Borussia press office after the game tucked under their arm, the players set off for the now traditional meetings with the supporters clubs. With one exception: the shin injury sustained by Jean-Sébastien Jaurès was bad enough to prevent him from travelling to Bergisch Gladbach with Filip Daems. Jaurès will be able to see what he missed on Fohlen.TV tomorrow. The Frenchman stayed at the ground for treatment along with Logan Bailly, who suffered a slight injury in the situation that led to the sending-off of Didier Ya Konan. He was able to make the journey to Oelde, however.
It was the first time since Borussia started travelling the length and breadth of the country to visit their loyal supporters in the run-up to Christmas that they did so on the back of a victory. It was Frontzeck himself who had the longest journey, flying to Berlin, though Rob Friend and Gal Alberman also had some distance to cover between Mönchengladbach and Munich. So it is just as well that the players have the day off today. They will resume training at four o'clock on Tuesday.