Borussia Mönchengladbach Need to Turn Things Around, Again!

'Tis the season to be jolly, but not at Borussia-Park. Borussia Mönchengladbach are a club in crisis. The club is dead last in the German Bundesliga and co-trainer, former technical director, and former German international Christian Ziege announced his resignation from die Borussen last week. The struggling side are on the verge of another turn-around.

Still, this is business as usual in Mönchengladbach. The club has been in turmoil for several seasons. According to chairman Ralf Könings the club needs stability and continuity. The only continuity the club has had has been Könings' prolonged stay, but stability is yet to be seen at Gladbach.

"Baustelle Borussia," that's how the German papers have dubbed the club. The club is a construction site. Managers are coming and going, each of them has his own vision and his own set of players he wishes to use. None stay for long and Borussia are stuck with a large and unbalanced squad and no long-term vision.

This means the team morale is not very good. Players like Sasha Rösler, Soumaila Coulibaly, Sharbel Touma, Alexander Voigt, Marcel Ndjeng, Roel Brouwers, Christofer Heimeroth, and Sebastian Svärd are deemed surplus to requirements and are looking for new clubs. These players are unhappy and complaining. Not good for a club near the bottom.

Another example of poor long-term vision. New manager Hans Meyer has to save the team from relegation with a talented but awfully young squad. Players like Marko Marin, Alexander Baumjohann, and Michael Bradley are hot young stars, but they are now being forced into a role they are not yet ready for. You cannot expect them to carry the team and lead the team to safety.

Meyer has acknowledged this and aims to bolster the team with a few more experienced players. According to rumours, he's looking to bring in his former Nürnberg-protegé Tomáš Galásek, Dortmund-substitute Diego Klimowicz, and former Werder Bremen winger Paul Stalteri. Galásek can come in transfer-free from Czech Banik Ostrava, Stalteri is looking to move away from Tottenham Hotspur.

All three are undoubtedly experienced players. Galásek and Stalteri are both senior internationals for their respective nations and have played at top level clubs in respectable competitions, whereas Klimowicz is a seasoned pro who has scored his goals for clubs on the highest level in both Spain and Germany.

I do feel however that Gladbach are acting rash and irresponsible. Sure, these players have loads of experience. On the other hand, Galásek is getting pretty slow, which is not a good thing for a midfield captain. Stalteri has not seen any playing minutes at all White Hart Lane, so he's bound to lack rhythm. Klimowicz is a reserve player at Dortmund, so why would he be good enough for Gladbach?

Still, it could work. Let's not be too pessimistic. These guys have tons of experience and they could really tutor these youngsters and learn them the ropes of professional football in one of Europe's toughest leagues. The one condition is that these youngsters stay at the club.

This is where yet another problem begins to take form. Marko Marin is Germany's new "Wunderkind," a new prodigy. The young Serbian-German midfield-playmaker has been a revelation at Gladbach, despite his team's poor form. This has attracted interest from several other Bundesliga teams and he is expected to move away from the club.

The same goes for Alexander Baumjohann. Bayern München are looking for a back-up midfielder, as young Toni Kroos is not content with a spot as a back-up. Bayern's Paul Breitner has been spotted several times at Borussia-Park and it is rumoured that Bayern will wait until the end of the season to make an offer for Baumjohann, so they can sign him for free when his contract expires.

So all in all there's a pretty fair chance that the two biggest young assets will leave the club this season. That pretty much makes signing these veterans a short term solution. Sure, they may help save the club, but they don't represent any transfer value. They are not cheap as far as wages are concerned and the team can never recoup this spent money.

With Baumjohann probably leaving for free, this makes Borussia totally dependant on Marin for extra income. The club could also use Marin on the pitch, so this is another dilemma the club faces. The club needs money to sign reinforcements, yet the money is gone. The club could generate money by selling its last remaining young star, but that would hamper the team performance.

So yeah, Borussia Mönchengladbach are facing yet another turn-around. Another manager has come in to save the day and do things his way.

I wonder how it will turn out this time.