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?

When his contract is up, he will become the head South American scout for HSV based in Brazil. He said that the most important factors in chosing Hamburg were the fact that they offered the third year and that his wife and children wouldn’t have to learn a new culture by staying in Germany–he was being pursued by a number of the larger clubs in the Premiership. Oh, and we also signed Robert Tesche from Bielefeld.

In other news, training camp has finally begun, but with only 16 players on the first team roster. The Ze Roberto signing is a real coup for us, but as I wrote throughout all of 2008/09, we need depth in addition to quality. We have national team players at every position on the pitch–seriously think about it. The only two guys who are not starting for their national side are Frank Rost and Alex Silva. But there is *zero* second line talent, particularly up front. I would like very much to see Labbadia give youngsters like Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Anis Ben-Hatira a chance.  According to Bild, the negotiations for Eljero Elia have ceased with Lyon now looking at Elia to replace the departed Karim Benzema (and this part of the Hamburg Offside is a HUGE Benzema fan, but I wonder where the hell he is going to play. AND since Real now have Benzema, could we have KJH? Just a thought . . .).  In light of these developments, HSV have shifted their affections attention to acquiring (in no particular order) Vagner Love (25) of CSKA Moscow and Welliton (22) of Spartak Moscow.

Same story goes on to say that Bruno is kinda pissed at BMJ for setting such a late start to camp, but what are you going to do? His focus right now is to get the players he has right now prepared for the Europa Cup qualifying matches and the first round of the Pokal . . .

So that’s all for now from the Hamburg Offside. If you are reading this outside the USA, enjoy your weekend. If you are in the States, have a happy Fourth and celebrate the independence of our nation by blowing up a small part of it! Cheers!

Sylvie van Der Vaart, the lovely and talented TV-presenter-wife of our boy Rafa, recently underwent surgery for breast cancer. Sylvie’s prognosis for recovery and cure is good, as the cancer was detected in its early stages. As part of her treatment protocol, she will need to undergo a course of chemotherapy this summer.

I hope that I speak for all HSV supporters (and citizens of Hamburg) when I say that I wish Sylvie the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.  Of course, this news allows the Hamburg Offside to post more pictures of our favorite WAG . . .

By the way, the comment I have been trying to vet was on a radio report that HSV had signed Twente striker Eljero Elia . . .

•I have been continually questioning Jerome Boateng’s absence from the starting XI, especially in light of the injuries to Thimothee Atouba and Marcell Jansen. Well, I guess we have our answer:  BMJ has “Big plans with him, which he knows well. . .” Jol says that because he has Trochowski on the right side in the midfield, he feels that he needs to play Guy Demel at right back.  OK, but what about left back? As many readers of this blog may or may not already know, despite all of my travel to Germany, I still speak very little German. So I didn’t catch the last bit in the linked article above about why Jol feels that Boateng can’t play left back, and the phrases used don’t translate well either. Can somebody help a brother out?

•As previously noted, Nigel de Jong and Glass Joe Marcell Jansen (OK-the Glass Joe reference comes from a video game for the original Nintendo Entertainment System, circa 1989. Glass Joe was the first opponent in a game called “Mike Tyson’s Punchout,” and as his name suggests, he was quite frail and easily knocked out. Kinda like Jansen. But I digress. . .) returned to training this week and Jansen is set to go for Saturday’s match at The ‘Bank versus Dortmund. De Jong and the team medical staff will make a decision on his status following Thursday’s training session. I have mentioned that matches versus Dortmund in Hamburg have a special place in my heart, and I am praying that HSV feel the same way. Their record at home in the Bundesliga–4 victories, 1 draw, zero defeats, 9 goals scored and 4 conceded–this year suggests that they should be able to pull it off . . .

•Seems that Frank Rost is tired of getting goals scored on him but that he was largely to blame for 2 of the goals (the first 2) versus Hannover. BUT, he also decries the fact that HSV suffers from a collective loss of focus in road games.

•It seems that Jol is starting to lose patience with Thiago Neves’ lack of progress adjusting to the Bundesliga. Neves has only come on at as late substitute in the matches versus Leverkusen and Köln back in September. Jol says that the Neves he sees right now is not the same Neves he saw in Brazil. Jol points to Alex Silva as an example of what it takes to get into the starting XI.

•Jol discusses the state of the nation in an interview with Bild. He states that he has considered changing his tactics by putting a more defensive player in the midfield, but that there is no one on the bench who could fulfill that role who is more talented than Piotr Trochowski, Mladen Petric or Paolo Guerrero.

He also states that Bastian Reinhardt and Joris Mathijsen had really bad games versus Hannover and Hoffenheim respectively. And he lastly declares that the defense must be more mobile and push forward more. I agree with the first point and COMPLETELY disagree with the second. Regardless, look for Alex Silva to start taking more starts in the central defense, probably for Mathijsen. I’m thinking that Mathijsen may have a case of dead legs, given that he played approximately 50 matches for HSV last season, plus Euro qualifiers for Holland, then Euro matches for Holland, then had a WHOLE month off before the start of the Bundesliga and the UEFA Cup runs.

•Former gaffer Huub Stevens weighs in saying the side is just as good as last season (less VDV) and that HSV has added more talent. He just doesn’t know what the problem is. In the same vein, Jol questions whether the tactic of sending four players forward negatively affects the pressure on the defense, particularly compared to last season when only VDV and Guerrero were going forward.

•And speaking of Van der Vaart, what the hell’s happened in Madrid? Since his hattrick versus Sporting Gijon, Rafa’s been on the bench for the most part. He’s really been getting it in the Spanish sporting papers, particularly following a crucial error in the last La Liga match versus Almeria. We’ll see if he gets in the match tonight versus Juventus.

The club addressed the loss of goal-scoring production from Rafael van der Vaart by trading for Mladen Petric of Dortmund on 17 August.

They filled the hole in central defense created by Kompany’s departure with Alex Silva of São Paolo.

They attempted to add depth to the defense by going after left back Luciano Monzon of Boca Juniors, and when their target was hijacked by another side, they quickly and decisively switched their focus to another young talent, Marcell Jansen of Bayern.

And finally, they are adding a true number 10, a creative midfielder to fill VDV’s rather sizeable shoes. Hamburg supporters, I give you Thiago Neves of Brazilian side Fluminense. Neves is considered somewhat of a late bloomer by Brazilian standards but does hold the rare distinction of having scored a *hat trick* in a major cup final (the 2008 Copa Libertadores), but his supreme efforts were unable to lift Flum past all-time underdog LDU Quito of Ecuador (one commenter posted that LDU winning the Copa was like a team from Belgium winning the Champions League, it was that big an upset).  Neves also bagged a brace at the Olympics in Brazil’s 3-0 victory over hosts China. He is known for his endurance, his pace and his accurate long passing. What’s not to love? 

This is it folks. HSV have ponied up the dough and are serious about mounting a challenge for the CL next season. Even if we don’t get rid of Atouba (and as much as I don’t like the guy, keeping him makes some sense for the purpose of depth in the back), this is a strong side. To quote Bundesliga Meister Jan:

Hamburg:

-van der Vaart

-Kompany

-Zidan

-Atouba(?)

+Petric

+Alex Silva

+Marcell Jansen

+Thiago Neves

+Jonathon Pitroipa

= Stronger HSV? 

Ja, Jan, I do agree.

According to a story here, the deal is done and done. The source of the report is Cadena Ser, which is, according to Wikipedia, “the principal radio station in Spain” and “a leader in covering sports.” OK, so maybe a slightly  more credible source. . . BUT, doesn’t this strike anyone else as odd that this is the literally the same “story” (read:  fabrication) that Asreported earlier this week. This is followed up by statements from HSV management that there has been no contact from Real since they (RM) made their initial €5.5m offer–almost as if HSV management were saying, Hey look guys, if we’re gonna make a deal, you at least have to talk to us. A final check of the most credible source on the subject–The Hamburger Morgen Post–yielded this gem. To paraphrase, Mopo seems to think that we will be witnessing Rafa’s last matches in an HSV kit this weekend. If Real is going to buy him, HSV had better stick to their hard line approach and get the €12m they really want for VDV. This is starting to become a distraction for the club, not unlike the search for a new manager this spring.

Saturday, HSV square off against the aforementioned Real in an Emirates Cup match. The match starts at 2PM BST (9AM EDT) and every eye in Emirates Stadium will likely be on Rafa to see whether he can tempt RM into offering more dough. Sunday, Serie A giants Juventus are on the docket (2PM BST/9AM EDT).  And best of all, both matches are going to be televised (GolTV) in the US. I’m not going to offer a prediction for either match . Here’s hoping for some really entertaining football, especially if it’s the last we’ll see of VDV in the Rothosen.