Falling Down and Getting Up Again

SV Werder Bremen’s relegation to the second Bundesliga was an incredibly negative experience for all of us (I am assuming that all the readers of this column are Werder fans!). To be honest, even that description does not really go far enough.

We fell down, we lost, we really took a pounding, as they say. Does that mean everything that we were doing wrong? Does it mean we should slink off and disappear for ever? Absolutely not! Even as a child you learn that losing is just as much a part of sport as winning. That’s why they say, “If you can’t stand losing, don’t play!” And if you fall down, you have to get up again! All that is easy to say, of course, and much more painful and difficult when it happens in real life. When children lose, they often cry – but it is true nonetheless.

For me personally, though, it was one reason, if not the only one, that I decided not to stand for re-election to the supervisory board. But I will bounce back again. And I will try to reflect on what I’ve experienced in a way that is constructive so I can learn from mistakes and be better in the future. Werder will also manage to win back its faith in its own philosophy and values, as well as to develop something new. In the end, Werder will play first-class soccer again, I hope. As they start in the second division, that’s also a positive way to kick off the next chapter!