Meet Marcus “the Mountain” Berg, ex- of FC Groningen of the Eredivisie, and newest member of HSV. The story broke Friday evening (European time) by the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. Berg’s arrival was announced on the German part of the HSV website, but not the English version (Time out:  If anyone associated with the club reads this stupid blog, how about keeping the English version of the club site up to speed with the German side? Is that asking too much?) If you have been following this story, you know that Berg is a true goal scorer, and in the mold of a KJH–equally deadly with his head and his feet. In the past two seasons for Groningen, Berg has tallied 32 goals in 56 Eredivisie matches. Not too shabby.

You know what else is nice? Scooping somebody else for a change, instead of being owned by other Bundesliga bloggers. So I got that goin’ for me. Which is nice.

Next up is to sign another defender and the two names which continue to come up are Philippe Senderos of Arsenal and Rasmus Bengtssen of Trelleborg (Sweden). I’d put my money on Bengtssen if I were a wagering type.

Also, there has been some scuttlebut that VDV *may* be on his way back to Hamburg, and those same stories are quick to point out that the lovely and talented Sylvie has been pushing him for such a move. HSV are even said to be trying to track down a wealthy benefactor to foot the bill for such a move so as not to jeopardize the financial solvency of the club. The problem is not the transfer fee, though, but Rafa’s €4M+ wage packet. Hoffman has said there is no money to bring in VDV, but he is our Prodigal Son and I know that many HSV supporters would welcome him back with open arms.

The Europa League draw was this morning and we ended up with the winner of FK Suduva (Lithiuania) or Randers FC (Denmark). Third round qualifying takes place July 30 (away) and August 6 (home).  Randers won the first leg 0:1 yesterday.

Final thought–Bruno has decided to pick his own captain, which leaves David Jarolim in a tight spot. Jaro is on the wrong side of 30 and plays a position where we have a WHOLE lot of depth (Ze Roberto, Rincon, Tavares, and maybe even Lorik Cana)–is he expendable at this point or am I reading too much into the situation?

In the 57′ of yesterday’s 0:1 defeat to Austrian 2. Bundesliga side Wacker Innsbruck, Alex Silva twisted his knee and and had to be substituted due to the extreme pain. He was carried from the pitch on a stretcher and replaced by Kai-Fabian Schulz. Team physician Dr. Oliver Dierk will examine Alex Silva today (Wednesday) and give an initial diagnosis, probably after an MRI. If it is a torn ACL or MCL, Alex Silva will miss the next 6 months at a minimum, and could miss the entire season–a HUGE blow to our already thin ranks on the defense.

If Alex Silva’s knee injury is as feared–a tear and not a sprain–the transfer strategy will have to change in order to replace the defender. As I mentioned yesterday, he was moved to central defense by Bruno. Jerome Boateng can certainly play CD, and excelled in that role at the recent Euro U21’s, but behind him on the depth chart is a whole lot of nuthin’. Yesterday, I wrote that Philippe Senderos of Arsenal, late of AC Milan, was a potential target, and that pursuit may speed up in light of Alex Silva’s current health. But what does that do to the transfer of Groningen striker Markus “the Mountain” Berg? Well, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, nothing–he’s already signed a 5 year deal with HSV. NOW, I travel to the Netherlands occasionally (though not as much as I used to), but I can’t vouch for the journalistic credibility/verascity of De Telegraaf’s football coverage. German television NDR also picked up the Telegraaf story, and they were not able to get a confirmation from the club. The Hamburg Abendblatt also picked up the story, so who knows where this is. Either way, I think they pursue another defender–maybe on a loan?–for depth, and move Boateng into the starting XI. OR, do they call ol’ Bastian Reinhardt back and say Dude, this whole thing where we said we didn’t think you could cut it anymore has been a total mixup.