Nick Davidson - Pirates, punks & politics: FC St. Pauli: falling in love with a radical football club

pirates
punks
& politics

Nick Davidson

SportsBooks Limited
www.sportsbooks.ltd.uk

Copyright Nick Davidson 2014
This ebook edition first published in 2014

The right of Nick Davidson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

Cover designed by Nick Davidson

ISBN 9781907524455

In memory of Helen and Elijah
YNWA

Also by Nick Davidson
Team Shirts to Ticket Stubs:
A Visual History of Watford Football Club 19772002

By Nick Davidson & Shaun Hunt

Modern Football is Rubbish

Modern Football is Still Rubbish

CONTENTS

Theyre not a team, we are a club
Sankt Pauli til I die, Sankt Pauli til I die,
The Totenkopfs the flag I fly,
Sankt Pauli til I die, Sankt Pauli til I die,
And when I dream:
Im wearing brown and white,
standing under Millerntor lights,
singin: Sankt Pauli til I die

FOREWORD

I will never forget the moment I first stepped foot into the Millerntor; I just knew that I belonged to this club. Everything about the place was special: the green grass, the towering floodlights, the intimidating Totenkopf hoodies being worn by almost everyone inside but more importantly the incredible atmosphere. Im sure that is a feeling recognisable to those people reading this who have visited our club.

As a player, the first thing you do when you sign to play for FC St. Pauli is take a tour around the district. It is a tradition that will live with the club forever, so that every player who is lucky enough to wear that shirt knows that you dont just represent a football club, you represent a community, a political movement, a religion. The walk around St. Pauli made me proud to be a KiezKicker because I knew that if I could help our club have success we could give our fans the opportunity on a national level to have their voice heard and they did not disappoint. Being part of the squad that won promotion from the wilderness of the Regionalliga back to 2. Bundesliga in 200607 was one of the highlights of my professional career.

The fight against racism, homophobia, sexism, discrimination and other political movements is a world issue that fans of FC St. Pauli will forever stand up for and it makes me proud to represent FC St. Pauli for the rest of my life.

This book explains why FC St. Pauli is a special club to support; it is also a very special club to play for. Whether you are a player or supporter, there is no better feeling than being at the Millerntor when it is full to the brim, floodlights on, Hamburger Dom whirring and spinning in the background as the opening clang of Hells Bells kicks in. Even now it makes me want to pull on that Number 3 shirt and get on the pitch.

I hope you enjoy the book and it helps you to understand the unique atmosphere and culture of St. Pauli.

Forza!

Ian Joy
FC St. Pauli 200506 to 200708

Ian Joy grew up in Scotland and spent time on the books of Manchester United and Tranmere Rovers as a youngster. He made his professional debut for Montrose in a career that also took in clubs in England, Germany and the United States. Joy arrived in Hamburg for the 200405 season playing for Hambuger SVs reserve team. A year later, he journeyed across town to join FC St. Pauli. His time at the Millerntor saw him play 87 times for the club, scoring one goal. He slotted into the side at left back and quickly became a popular figure both in the dressing-room and on the terraces, where his no-nonsense tackling was particularly appreciated by the fans.

Joy helped the club escape from the Regionalliga, winning promotion to 2. Bundesliga in 2007. He went on to play for Real Salt Lake in the MLS and captained the Portland Timbers in the USSF Division 2 Professional League. Since retiring from professional foootball in 2010, Joy has worked as sports presenter on US television. Ians time at FC St. Pauli left a mark on him in more ways than one: he has an enormous Totenkopf (skull and crossbones) tattooed across his back. He remains a huge fan of the club and all it stands for.

MATCH

...and I know why I stand here

FC St. Pauli 1 Bayer Leverkusen 0
DFB Pokal first round
Saturday 4 August 2007, 3.30pm, Millerntor Stadion

A sweltering hot afternoon in August. Whatever the weather the football season has always started this way. My old man and I find ourselves in a tightly packed crowd, edging our way closer to the narrow stadium entrance. It takes ages to get into the ground, but no one is complaining, after all, there is still an hour and a half until kick-off. The sun is beating down and has turned the neck of the bloke in front of us lobster pink, but the weather only adds to the mood and the crowd around us has that air of optimism that the first Saturday of a new season always brings.

Weve started so many seasons this way, a fatherson bond stretching back over a quarter of a century to 1982, when my Dad took me to my first ever match at Vicarage Road. Only this season is slightly different. Weve not parked the car in our usual spot at the bottom of Whippendell Road, or made the familiar trek through the streets of west Watford. Weve not stopped at our regular newsagent, round the corner from the ground, to buy our chewing-gum (for the tension) and the Mars Bars (for half-time sustenance). And, unusually, we cant understand more than the odd word uttered by the crowd that surrounds us. We are a long way from Vicarage Road. A long way from Watford FC.

We are at the Millerntor Stadium in Hamburg to watch FC St. Pauli play Bayer Leverkusen in the first round of the German cup. FC St. Pauli are on a high, having secured promotion back to the second division after four seasons in the relative wilderness of the Regionalliga (the regionalised third tier of German football) but Leverkusen are formidable opposition and will provide a real test.

Over the last few years things have changed for my Dad and me. We stopped our Watford season tickets a couple of years back and, as each season passed, we found ourselves going to fewer and fewer games. There were reasons: wed both moved further away; Ive got young kids and couldnt afford or justify the time or expense of watching football every other Saturday; and, on top of all that, my old man beat cancer although he lost a kidney in the process. But truth be told, the real reason I packed it in was because I fell out of love with English football. Watfords season in the Premier League in 19992000 was the beginning of the end. It wasnt the 1980s any more. Watford simply couldnt compete. In 198283 wed marked our debut season in the top flight with a runners up spot behind Liverpool. Seventeen years later we finished bottom with 24 points and a paltry six wins. So, by the time Gianluca Vialli replaced Graham Taylor as manager and the fall-out from the ITV Digital debacle began to bite, Id lost faith. Football had sold itself down the river. The Premiership had distorted everything. Salaries and admission prices had gone through the roof, kick-off times were at the mercy of television executives and the very soul of football had been sold to the highest bidder.