In two days’ time, 2025 will be upon us. Therefore, it’s about time to take a look back at the Green-Whites’ 2024 and what a special year it was. There was much cause for celebration, both on and off the pitch, but there were also hurdles to overcome together. One thing in Bremen is clear, though. SVW are heading into the new year full of momentum.
Werder were founded 125 years ago, on 4th February 1899. However, there was already something historic to celebrate for the first team on 21st January, when they defeated FC Bayern München for the first time in 28 meetings. The 1-0 victory in Munich was a clear example of many of the traits that would characterise head coach Ole Werner’s team throughout the year. On show were a focused defensive performance, a brilliant display from Michael Zetterer in goal and some courageous attacking play that led to the Mitchell Weiser’s winning goal.
It was then fewer than three weeks before the very special birthday celebrations began as the home game against Heidenheim marked the anniversary of Werder’s founding. Breathtaking choreos and raucous applause formed the backdrop for the numerous SVW legends who took to the Weserstadion pitch. Many of them also attended the official anniversary celebrations at the Alte Werft the following day. As Per Mertesacker aptly summed up, “It is important to recognise how special this club is, with so many great people who have been a part of and led this club, just as I was lucky enough to do for five years.”
The club shop’s special anniversary collection, which ranged from a kit to a retro collection, was also very popular. SVW also revived a location that holds a very special place in green and white history in order to mark the 125th anniversary. The ‘Grüne Bude’, the clubhouse when Werder were founded in 1899, is now available to fans once again following collaboration with club partner MATTHÄI.
The narrow 2-1 defeat to Heidenheim in the anniversary match did admittedly serve to slightly dampen the celebrations. However, that did not detract from a remarkable second half of the season. SVW collected 25 of a possible 42 points – the sixth-best tally following the midway point of the campaign. In the end, the team only missed out on qualifying for Europe by two points. However, coach Werner did not let this bother him. Rather, he saw the positive end-of-season form as the highlight. “It provided a good indication for the future,” said the 36-year-old in his review of the season, seemingly aware of what was to come.
Even before the new season commenced, a number of Werder players had already made a name for themselves. While Milos Veljkovic and Serbia were unlucky to be eliminated at the group stage of the EUROs, Romano Schmid reached the round of 16. The Austrian played a major part in this with a goal of his own. In the final group game against France, he netted his nation’s second goal with a diving header as they went on to win 3-2. That arrived halfway through of a year that he would later crown the best of his career so far.
Schmid’s goal at the Olympiastadion in Berlin was symbolic of a year that saw an exceptionally large number of travelling SVW fans repeatedly able to celebrate their team’s success on the road. The aforementioned victory in Munich was just the start of a run of good away form that carried through to the most recent trip to face St. Pauli. The performances in the cup were no exception either, as Cottbus and Paderborn were seen off in their own stadiums. The victory in Darmstadt ensured that Werder’s DFB-Pokal journey would continue into 2025, with a quarter-final clash away in Bielefeld on the horizon...
Only Bayern (17) have recorded more points away from home than Werder (16) in the current campaign. Perhaps the highlight of this success was the sensational comeback in Hoffenheim. On matchday 5, SVW were 3-0 down with just 12 minutes on the clock. However, the team refused to give up and fought their way back into the game, scoring goal after goal and even finding a winner shortly after the break to make it 4-3. And who was the player to net that strike to secure victory? Yet again, Jens Stage!
“It’s all about keeping a cool head and that’s what I was able to do today,” explained the Dane, describing his excellent performance in a level-headed manner. In a single game, hattrick hero Stage equalled his best tally for goals in a Bundesliga season, but he was far from done. Werder’s number six went on to score thrice more before the end of a 2024 in which he demonstrated great form.
Stage has established himself as part of the crucial framework of the team, one that will remain in place in Bremen for years to come. Along with teammates Michael Zetterer, Mitchell Weiser, Justin Njinmah and Anthony Jung, the 28-year-old extended his contract with Werder this year. However, the past twelve months were also repeatedly characterised by those departing. Notable faces such as Jiri Pavlenka, Christian Groß and sporting director Frank Baumann left the club.
The SVW family also had to bid a painful farewell to club legends Wilfried ‘Willi’ Lemke and Dieter Burdenski, who both passed away in autumn. They were two exceptional personalities who helped shape SV Werder on and off the pitch, as the club went on to achieve great things. We hope to honour their legacy with further victories in 2025. As this review of 2024 has demonstrated, a stable framework has been established in Bremen and one which aims to bring success for years to come. The hope is to utilise the current momentum and continue the club’s upward trend into 2025.
