St Pauli Striker Send Positive Message To Fans

FC St Pauli are within touching distance of the Bundesliga for the first time since 2011.

They’re unbeaten all season and only missed out on the chance to go into the winter break top of the 2.Bundesliga after succumbing to a draw against Wehen Wiesbaden in the final game of 2023. John Iredale’s 84th-minute strike meant they saw Christmas in second place.

With eight wins and nine draws from their 17 matches, it has been suggested a lack of killer instinct has cost them dearly, and an injury to striker Simon Zoller hasn’t helped that. Signed from Vfl Bochum in the summer, the experienced forward was expected to be among the goals at the Millerntor this season, but instead, he’s been a frustrated onlooker.

That might be about to change. In an interview with German outlet Bild, he hinted at a return in the near future. “It’s well known that I’ve had a hard time in the last few months,” he said, referring to his three outings since signing. “I can train properly again and am on the right track. We can increase the program every day and get me to the point where I’m an option again as quickly as possible.”

That will be music to the ears of the St Pauli faithful, who saw their side draw four of their last five games in the league. They’re two points clear of Hamburg, a side they led 2-0 in December, but ended up drawing 2-2 with.

Koller does have a track record for scoring goals, although he’s not prolific by any means. He started his career with Karlsruher SC before a move to Osnabruck in 3.Liga, where he smashed 15 in 36 outings. He stepped up a division with Kaiserslautern, netting 15 in 30, earning him a move to the top flight.

Since then, his return has been patchy. He grabbed 16 in 91 outings for Koln and 33 in 109 for Bochum, although one season saw him bag 16 in 35 outings and earned them promotion to the top flight.

However, any out-and-out striker will be a huge benefit for St Pauli now as they seek to delight their legions of fans around Europe with a promotion to the Bundesliga.

Site Opinion

Koller might not be prolific, but he is a great team player, and one of the things St Pauli’s sporting director Andreas Bornemann said of him when he signed was he would make his teammates better.

He can’t do that from the sidelines, and news he may be nearing fitness is sure to be a boost for the fervent supporters. They’re solid at the back and rarely look like losing games, but as the streak goes on, they’re becoming the team everyone wants to be.

The cult atmosphere at their home ground makes it like a cup final for visitors, and with a streak to break as well, everyone wants to raise their game. That means having more weapons in their arsenal for the fight ahead is vital if they’re to grace the top flight once again.