"That's misery against misery!": Glory of past times shines sadly over the Revierderby

The two clubs facing off today in the top match of the 2. Bundesliga have seen better days. But although the present is tough, FC Schalke 04 and VfL Bochum can look back on a glorious past. And together they hope for a better future.

"I just think it's a shame that the derby is only a second-division clash," Thomas Reis said recently – and in doing so, he hit a nerve. The former coach of VfL Bochum and FC Schalke 04 will be watching this evening's match (8:30 p.m./NITRO, live ticker at ntv.de, stream on RTL+ ) from faraway Turkey and will therefore likely have barely noticed that expectations among fans in both camps have reached a truly low point, as this brief conversation at a gas station cash register in Wanne-Eickel demonstrates: "It'll be a miserable 0-0, or something like that. Man, it's misery against misery, I tell you. The question is, who's who?" "But you're still going, right?" "Yes, sia. What else am I supposed to do?"

The mood is as bleak as the fact that this season, for the first time since the Bundesliga's founding, there won't be a first-division derby between two neighbors in the Ruhr region. And this in the so-called "Land of 1,000 Derbies." What times were those, for example, when the Ruhr region celebrated successes together in 1997? BVB won the Champions League, Schalke won the UEFA Cup, and Bochum advanced to a European competition for the first time. Back then, Franz Beckenbauer famously said: "The heart of German football beats in the Ruhr region."

During those unforgettable May days, the trade magazine "Reviersport" wrote with a mixture of wonder and pride: "In the Ruhr region, football, with its history and stories, with its stadiums and the people who feverishly care about the fortunes of the clubs, is a piece of culture. And that's why it also has the power to influence people's attitudes to life. Because you can't approach the phenomenon of football in the Ruhr region with reason alone. It can't be explained anyway. It remains endearingly paradoxical and completely unpredictable." And it is precisely this "unpredictability" that is currently striking the Ruhr region more mercilessly than ever before in the history of German professional football.

"We are real dreamers"

And so, this Saturday evening, FC Schalke 04 and VfL Bochum will face each other in the second division for the first time in their shared history. According to the Ultras, VfL supporters ("Herne-West from the gym"; "We're real dreamers at VfL," according to fan forums) are expected to "all in white for the derby" in Gelsenkirchen. A request that brings back memories for older fans of both clubs. On the evening of April 27, 2007, Schalke also played in white shirts in Bochum . The motto was: "Nordkurve in your city." And the entire club—right up to the top management around Clemes Tönnies and Peter Peters—joined in with pride and anticipation.

The Royal Blues had been at the top of the table since matchday 20, and nothing seemed to be able to stop them. And when Kevin Kuranyi then scored the opening goal for Schalke in the eighth minute at the Ruhrstadion, amidst S04's apparent dominance, it was clear: only a miracle could save VfL Bochum and its fans from a debacle that evening. But in football, things sometimes turn out differently than expected. Ultimately, FC Schalke 04 suffered the sporting catastrophe. Bochum sent the visitors, in their white shirts, home with a 2-1 defeat. It was the beginning of the end of the great dream of the first German championship since 1958.

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Currently, Schalke are miles away from being able to indulge in such distant illusions as a championship title. Just like VfL Bochum, they have three points after two league matchdays. So, not much has really happened for either club yet – but the cup weekend is still weighing heavily on the minds of both Schalke and Bochum fans. Despite progressing, neither team presented itself in the best shape that could fuel any hopes of a fast-paced and entertaining game. Therefore, only the most persistent optimists are looking forward to the match with optimism.

"We don't need to get married anymore"

But despite all the pessimistic views on what could be a real treat, both fan bases are still secretly looking forward to the match. Even if some Schalke fans try to downplay the game's significance in a peculiar—and, let's be clear, not very historically conscious—way (Miron Muslic: "The Schalke fans told me it's a neighborhood duel. We play derbies against the teams that faced each other in the cup on Monday evening"; ( referring to Rot-Weiss Essen and BVB, editor's note )), the vast majority are still looking forward to the derby. In Bochum, however, the older, more superstitious fans look back with some apprehension on April 27, 2007, when Schalke wore all white in Bochum. But they also revel in other memories, of course.

Just like in this typical story of Klaus and Claudia. The ardent VfL fan Klaus celebrated his bachelor party at Schalke on May 9, 1981. It was the day VfL Bochum returned home with a 6-0 away win. The next morning, Klaus said to his (future) wife: "Claudia, we don't need to get married anymore. Yesterday was already the best day of my life."

Schalke were forced to endure the bitter relegation to the second division at the end of the season. Now, 44 years later, this Saturday marks the first meeting between the two Ruhr-region neighbors at this level. The glorious glory of bygone times will linger sadly over this derby – and hope for a better future for both clubs. Perhaps someday they'll be back together in the first division. Thomas Reis, and not just one of them, would certainly be delighted.