Hard path awaits Hamburg

By Mark Bennett

After a disappointing end to the 2004/05 Bundesliga season, Hamburger SV hope to start the new campaign on a high as they tackle FK Pobeda in the UEFA Intertoto Cup second round this weekend.

Disappointing finish
Hamburg went into the last four games of the season in sixth place, which would have been enough to secure a UEFA Cup berth. However, after a 1-0 defeat by VfL Wolfsburg, a goalless draw with VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach, and further losses to Hannover 96 and VfL Bochum 1848, the 1983 European Champion Clubs' Cup winners found themselves in eighth.

'We blew it'
Both the players and coach Thomas Doll were furious with their failure. "I am very disappointed. We had a huge chance to qualify for the UEFA Cup and we blew it," fumed Doll. "Our results in recent weeks have wrecked our season," added skipper Daniel Van Buyten.

Relegation threat
Hamburg would have had every reason to be happy had they finished in the top six in the Bundesliga. When Doll took over from Klaus Toppmöller in October, they were rock-bottom and battling against relegation. But the former German international quickly found a team he could rely on.

"Huge club"
None the less, Doll simply refuses to be happy with a mid-table finish. "I am not prepared to play for seventh or eighth place every year," said the 39-year-old. "HSV are a huge club and we have the ambition to qualify for Europe every season. We are simply too good to be happy with anything less."

Van der Vaart capture
Club officials appear ready to back their coach's dream by spending big this summer. Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart has been brought in from AFC Ajax for an estimated €5.5m - money well spent should Hamburg manage to qualify for European competition on a regular basis in the five years of the 22-year-old's contract.

Further additions
The club have also landed defensive all-rounder Guy Demel on a free transfer from Bundesliga rivals BV Borussia Dortmund, and still hope to capture Tottenham Hotspur FC midfielder Thimothée Atouba. "He is the player I want," insisted Doll.

Internationals absent
However, a deal is unlikely to be agreed in time for the start of Hamburg's Intertoto Cup campaign and therefore Doll will have to make do with a squad that has been reduced in numbers by the absence of international players.

Extended break
Van der Vaart will not return to training until the day of the Pobeda match after being given an extended rest following the FIFA World Cup qualifiers earlier this month. The situation is the same for Van Buyten, Emile Mpenza, Khalid Boulahrouz, Raphaël Wicky, Mehdi Mahdavikia, Sergej Barbarez and Mišo Brecko.

Return leg
All eight will be back for the return leg on 10 July, and Doll will certainly have them well prepared. He travelled to Skopje personally to watch the second instalment of the first-round tie between Pobeda of F.Y.R. Macedonia and FK Smederevo.

No pushovers
"They have a good side and we won't make the mistake of underestimating them," said the coach. With the competition giving him a second chance of grabbing the UEFA Cup slot that eluded his team in May, Doll is in no mood to be the victim of a European upset.