Next week is the last round of matches in the 2. Bundesliga. Mönchengladbach and Köln are promoted; three others are in with a shout.

Kaiserslautern are still 15th, the last relegation spot.Four sides can be relegated (Koblenz mathematically could go down as well, but that would require an outlandish sequence of results). K'lautern play Köln at home; if they win, they stay up, because of the other sides in danger of relegation, two (Osnabrück and Offenbach) play each other. So whatever the result in that game, a win will see K'lautern leapfrog either one into safety. The other team in danger is Augsburg, a point ahead of K'lautern, but with a worse goal difference,. They play bottom club Jena at home.

At the top, Hoffenheim (57 points), Mainz (55) and Freiburg (55, vastly inferior goal difference) are in the running for the final promotion spot. Hoffenheim are at home to Fürth (6th), Mainz at home to St Pauli (8th), and Freiburg at home to SV Wehen (9th).

If Hoffenheim go up, and K'lautern go down, that would be a rather dramatic reversal of fortune.

An interesting afternoon:

Kaiserslautern equalise at relegated Jena with three minutes to go, thus keeping their hopes alive.

Aue are down, having let slip a two-goal lead away to Koblenz with twelve minutes to go. A win, and Koblenz would have been finally, mathematically safe.

Paderborn are relegated, having lost their mathematical chance of safety when in the Fernduell of the British squaddie bases, they only drew with Wehen and Osnabrück picked up a point at 1860 Munich.

Offenbach drew at home to Hoffenheim, a result which neither team will be happy with, and Augsburg could have been safe, but lost to Fürth in the second minute of injury time.

So next week, there are only two dead rubbers: relegated Paderborn and Aue against champions-in-all-but-name Mönchengladbach and mid-table 1860 respectively.

At the top, all three clubs in contention are at home to mid-table teams. Hoffenheim (57 pts, +15 goals) play Fürth, Mainz (55, +22) play St. Pauli and Freiburg (55, +7) play Wiesbaden.

At the bottom, five teams are fighting to avoid the last relegation spot. Koblenz (38, -3) are away to Aachen, but would have to lose by about fifteen goals to be in any danger.

Osnabrück (37, -14) play Offenbach (38, -19).

Augsburg (37, 12) are at home to relegated Jena and Kaiserslautern (36, -3) are at home to Köln, who could be champions if they win by eleven clear goals and Gladbach lose.

Stranger things involving those two teams have happened in German football, but I wouldn't put my shirt on it.


And in any case, my father-in-law is a fan of FK Pirmasens (who missed out on being in the original Bundesliga by that much), so fuck Kaiserslautern anyway.

Could that be the most boring post on OTF ever?

I think I'll have a look at the Regionalliga Nord and see if I can top it.

You clearly haven't been reading my European promotion and relegation threads.

1. KFC are still reaping the Karmic whirlwind from having abandoned their red shirts for maroon. I still would prefer them not to go down, however (though if it comes down to them and Offenbach, Devils for the drop, no question).

Sorry ursus, I have, but fancied a bit of foreign league lower division summarising and got carried away a bit. No offence intended.

No suggestion of offence intended here.

I was merely contesting your assertion as to "most boring post ever".

I fully intend to link to your summary when I get around to updating the German part of "Going up" tomorrow.