Bonhof looking forward to a night to remember
Borussia’s vice-president is excited about returning to Scotland and meeting old friends, finds Ross Dunbar
THE Borussia-Park, the home stadium of Borussia Monchengladbach, sits like a portal to the 1970s, a period when the club were riding high in the German and European football. There is nothing spectacular about this place as it lies miles outside of the city centre. However, its corridors and pathways are lined with a pantheon of legendary figures, and two stand out for any Scottish visitor.
Berti Vogts and Rainer Bonhof, inseparable as part of the generation-changing team known as the Foals, collected nine league title medals between them. When Vogts became Scotland manager in 2002, he swiftly recruited his former team-mate to take charge of the Under-21 squad.
It may have been a largely forgettable period in the history of the national team, but Bonhof, now vice-president of the German club, maintains his association with Scotland. The 64-year-old is still in touch with Maurice Malpas and Jim Leighton, as well as a number of others from his backroom team, and expects to reunite with them in Glasgow this week.
Borussia Mon chen glad bach’ s visit to the city to face Celtic in the Champions League has become even more significant given their defeats to the group’s dominant pair, Manchester City and Barcelona. They qualified for the competition for the first time last season, when their hopes of progress were disrupted by a change of coach two games into the campaign.
“It wasn’t an expected goal for us [to be in the Champions League],” Bonhof admits. “There is so much competition in Germany, like in the Premier League, for a place in the top four, so it’s hard to get in. We are always ready to take advantage of bigger teams not performing, though. Of course, we are now [in the group stage] two times in a row, which is good for the club and the supporters.”
Borussia are now preparing for the white-hot atmosphere of Celtic Park on a European night. Many teams have fallen under the weight of pressure. The sporadic bursts of volcanic ferocity from the stands in Britain are revered in German football culture. Although Bonhof’s side hail from a country famed for its atmosphere and jam-packed stadiums domestically, he is recommending that the Gladbach players savour the experience in Glasgow.
He observed with special interest Celtic’s high-octane style that asked questions of Manchester City. “First of all, we want to enjoy the atmosphere at Celtic Park,” Bonhoff said. “This is one of the biggest moments we can expect in the group.
“In England, there was no atmosphere. In Spain, we don’t know what to expect, but we play there in the last round of matches, so if everything is sorted, it won’t be so loud. I know exactly what happens at Celtic Park, and this is what we have to enjoy. It’s not the same as Schalke or Dortmund or Bayern. It will be a test for the players.”
Despite his illustrious playing career, Bonhof is the forgotten man behind Vogts from that era. Bonhof outstayed his compatriot and was pivotal in the development of many players, who would go on to be mainstays in Scotland teams under Walter Smith and Alex McLeish.
Darren Fletcher, capped 76 times and now the national team captain, was given his debut under Vogts in August 2003. The two Germans, impressed by his outstanding stamina and tactical intelligence, took Fletcher under their wing, promoting him to a key role in the heart of Scotland’s midfield. “It gives me a great pride,” said Bonhof, when asked about seeing Fletcher as captain.
Reflecting on his work as Under-21 coach, he continued: “There are a couple of other guys, too. I’m thinking about Gary Caldwell and Scotty Brown, who has done so well with Celtic, too. James McFadden as well. We had a couple of good youngsters at that time. But I’m really proud to see Fletcher do so well.”
Now Bonhof is also keeping an eye on the most expensive Scottish footballer of all time, Oliver Burke, who moved from Nottingham Forest to RB Leipzig for £13 million in August. Burke, 19, played a role in their winner against Borussia Dortmund on his debut, and scored in the recent 1-1 draw at Gladbach’s rivals Cologne.
“The experience will be more valuable than the culture of the country,” said Bonhof, who played outside his homeland with Valencia. “The influences he has are positive and he brings them back to the national team and it creates better understanding of different styles.
“Overall, it makes Scottish football stronger to have a couple of players abroad. If they come back and tell the other players about the daily work they are doing in Spain, or Italy, or Germany, this is very important; it’s one point of the youth development.
“It’s important to learn early about behavioural things, body language and tactical organisations of other nations. Young players can bring back a lot of experience, if they learn from the opportunity.”
Colt teams are high on the agenda in reshaping Scotland’s fortunes. Germany, with its strong roots in amateurism until the 1960s, has held a liberal approach to clubs having a second team in the league system. Those from the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Mainz and Stuttgart have regularly competed as high as the third-tier, which is their limit.
Bonhof has seen the benefits but emphasised that the Foals have earned their place in Germany’s highest regional division, the fourthtier, by winning championships from the bottom. “I would say it can only be good, if teams are playing competitively every week,” he says. “If you’re not playing competitively, then it doesn’t make sense from my point of view. It’s important for the players, for the staff, the managers, and maybe at the end, it develops the standard of the game as a whole.”