Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen is one of the major soccer clubs playing in the German Premier League, the Fussball-Bundesliga.
History
Werder Bremen was founded on February 4th, 1899. After numerous regional successes and cup wins, its first nationwide success was the German Cup 1961. When the Bundesliga was formed in 1962, Bremen was the champion in its second season, 1965.
It left the Premier League in 1980 for one season, and returned with its new coach Otto Rehhagel to a string of successes: second places in 1983 and 1986, and another champion title in 1988. In the German Cup, Werder was a finalist 1989 and 1990, and finally won it in 1991. In the subsequent Cup Winners' Cup, Bremen was also successful and won it 1992. 1993 Werder became champion for a third time. The German cup was won again in the following year, 1994.
Current Events
In 1995, Rehhagel left the team to coach Bayern Munich, and that caused a crisis was not resolved until 1999 by freshly appointed coach Thomas Schaaf; Bremen won against Bayern München in the cup final. In the years afterward it stabilized itself in the top half of the league.
In 2004, five years after Thomas Schaaf took over, Werder Bremen won its fourth Championship, establishing a 9 point lead with 2 matches left in an away game at arch-rival Bayern München, winning 3:1 (3:0). They also defeating Second Bundesliga side Alemannia Aachen 3:2 in the German Cup final, winning the cup for the fifth time. Winning both in the same season is called a Double, a feat that now only four teams, including Bayern Munich, have achieved.
Famous Players
