All the tech problems cannot stop the Going Deutsch podcast, but they can delay it. The DFB Pokal sees Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart sail through against St. Pauli and Kiel, Horst Steffan is sacked at Werder Bremen in a, at best, sideways move to Daniel Thioune, the Bundesliga title race might be on (but probably isn't), and Kaiserslautern and Elversberg's seasons reverse in the second tier. Also on the pod: a dated reference, a proposal, I'm a Celeb, football being like a vampire, and what Bayern's 'defence' is built on. For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Music by ⁠Anastasia Chubarova⁠ from ⁠Pixabay⁠.

This week on Going Deutsch, Bayer Leverkusen open the champagne as Bayern lose their chance of an invincible season against Augsburg, Eintracht Frankfurt concede three once again, and Nadiem Amiri pushes Mainz to victory against a hapless Wolfsburg. In the Zweite: Edin Džeko returns to German football with a bang as his Schalke comeback against Kaiserslautern, Dynamo Dresden win Elb Classico, and Arminia Bielefeld capitalise on a red card to draw with Kiel. Also on the pod: what Fürth fans might have been singing, which side literally have no fans, and why Alex didn’t watch the Hamburg derby.  For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Music by Anastasia Chubarova from Pixabay.

Going Deutsch (finally) returns for 2026! Dino Toppmöller is sacked as Werder Bremen strike again, Frankfurt's 3-3 draw with SV is the final straw, Freiburg blow a 2-0 lead against Augsburg, and the pressure on Lukas Kwasniok eases as Köln beat Mainz. In the Zweite: Hertha and Schalke's 0-0 draw is marred by events off the pitch, Dresden win a crucial relegation six pointer against Fürth, and Hannover lose another lead in a defeat to Kaiserslautern. Also on the pod: which fanbase can't take it anymore, which player is stuck at their club forever, Pistol Piet, and which manager was very angry with his team. For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:Most Memorable Moments from Bundesliga Matchdays 1-15 (2025/26)Most memorable moments from 2. Bundesliga hinrunde (2025/26)Music by Anastasia Chubarova from Pixabay

Going Deutsch gets into the Christmas spirit before embarking on a winter break: Freiburg beat Wolfsburg 4-3, Bayer Leverkusen don't score controversially to beat Leipzig, no matter what the hosts said, and Mainz and St. Pauli bring little festive cheer in a 0-0 draw. In the Zweite: Paderborn and Darmstadt draw 2-2, Magdeburg continue their revival with a 3-2 win over Kaiserslautern, and the ghosts of Christmas past haunt Schalke as they lost 2-1 to Braunschweig. Also on the pod: what Sportschau think "dragging themselves" means, carbon neutral football, popular toys, the best Christmas jumper ever, and what you can buy for just over €1900 in the Köln store. For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.End Music - "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Going Deutsch returns following an impromptu break forced by technical difficulties: Urs Fischer gets a draw in his first game as Mainz manager, 2-2 away at Bayern, Union Berlin beat Leipzig 3-1 as Alex regrets comments made about Aljoscha Kemlein, and St. Pauli win their first game since September. In the Zweite, the Berlin Wall falls as Hertha Berlin draw 3-3 with Fürth, Magdeburg and Kiel draw by the same score, and a red card leads to Paderborn beating Karlsruher 4-0. Also on the pod: not being able to mention a five-goal thriller, falling down, Team Fortress 2, Big City Hertha, the return of Sven Mislintat, and an idea that will make the NFL billions. For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.End Music - "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

On a Christmassy episode of the Going Deutsch podcast: Dortmund get an impressive 2-1 away win at Leverkusen thanks to not so secret weapon Karim Adeyemi, Hoffenheim's 3-0 win against Augsburg results in Sandro Wagner's sacking (apparently clubs other than Werder can get managers sacked), and Freiburg demolish Mainz 4-0. In the Zweite: Schalke go top thanks to a 2-1 win against prior league leaders Paderborn, Magdeburg benefit from horrific Nürnberg defending in a 3-0 win, and Hertha have the opposite of Der Club's performance as they keep another clean sheet and win another game against Kiel. Also on the pod, Wolfsburg's sporting director search keeps getting worse, Heidenheim's comeback, Uwe Rösler's shorts, and Petrik Sander's views on whether Magdeburg can beat Leipzig in the DFB Pokal. For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.End Music - "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The run to the winter break begins on Going Deutsch: Deniz Undav is the star of the weekend as he drives Stuttgart to a 3-3 draw with Dortmund, Frankfurt are back to the spectacle following a unnecessarily close 4-3 win over Köln, and Bayern remind us there is no hope after overturning a 2-0 defeat into a 6-2 win against Freiburg. In the Zweite: Elversberg score in the 95th minute to beat Karlsruher in a game that shouldn't have been that close, Hannover shock the league with a dominant win over Paderborn, and Düsseldorf's late winner against Magdeburg keeps Markus Anfang in a job. Also on the pod: no hope for Wolfsburg, an amazing statement from Anwar El Ghazi, a mystery box, and an envy of turtlenecks. For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:⁠⁠⁠⁠2025: The Season from Hell⁠⁠Kit Clash 2025/26: The Fifteen Best Kits in GermanyEnd Music - "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

On this special episode of Going Deutsch which is also a special episode of 1000 Hours, Woodward, Towells, and Tant-Brown get together to discuss the newest edition of Football Manager and recommend teams. Some can only be used on the new game, others can be used by those sticking with older versions of FM. Woodward intros the pod by discussing why a 30-minute conversation of the beta was cut, before we go on a journey from Brazil to South Korea via Portugal and Sweden, with discussion of the men's and women's games. Also on the pod: mad owners, financial irregularities, books, and The Thick of It. For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:⁠2025: The Season from HellKit Clash 2025/26: The Fifteen Best Kits in Germany1000 Hours music - "Shaving Mirror" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Going Deutsch returns for after longer than planned ... before going on another break for a week thanks to international football. Before then: Bayern Munich are actually able to drop points, drawing 2-2 with Union Berlin, St. Pauli continue to stumble thanks to a 2-1 defeat to Freiburg, and Heidenheim lose 6-0 to Bayer Leverkusen. In the Zweite: Hannover and Darmstadt play in the game of the round, the latter winning 3-2 away, a 1-0 Düsseldorf defeat increases pressure on Markus Anfang, and Uwe Rösler's barmy army march on as Bochum beat Braunschweig 2-0. Also on the pod: Schalke celebrate wildly, a cry for help from Ulm, Werder Bremen's (figurative) coach killing continues. For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:Kit Clash 2025/26: The Fifteen Best Kits in GermanyEnd Music - "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 1000 Hours music - "Shaving Mirror" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

On the most echoey episode of the Going Deutsch podcast: Frankfurt drop Kaua for Zetterer, but it doesn't matter as St. Pauli offer no threat in a 2-0 win for Die Adler, Augsburg lose 6-0 to Leipzig but Sandro Wagner sees few problems, and Paul Simonis saves his job (for the time being) as Wolfsburg beat HSV 1-0. In the Zweite: Hannover win 3-0 in the Lower Saxony Derby, Maurice Krattenmacher's 96th-minute heroics give Hertha a win against Düsseldorf, and Nürnberg save themselves with a late equaliser against Kaiserslautern. Also on the pod: Alex rushes, the Grand Prix, El Clasico, and a boring spin-off of Llamas in Hats. For writing, follow my ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, I can also be found on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠:End Music - "Voxel Revolution" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/