Mark Uth was the homegrown hero on the pitch in the rout of Gladbach but the fans are eating out of the manager’s hands
An outpouring of emotion at FC Köln is always taken with a pinch of salt by the rest of German
Football. It’s boom or bust, on top of the world or on hands and knees on the floor. This was the former, with local boy and goalscorer Mark Uth telling Sky at full time he’d be lobbying Steffen Baumgart for “two days off and a beer,” a request that was swiftly validated. “If he’s asking for it,” said Baumgart, “he’ll definitely get it.” Yet even in the glow of derby day victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach this felt like something a little different.
Seeing the coach be so accommodating wasn’t the greatest surprise. Normally stoic on the touchline in his trademark flat cap – even when top scorer Anthony Modeste whips it from his head and attempts to instigate a samba with him – Baumgart had willingly approached the Südkurve and (literally) tipped his hat to the supporters. The occasion called for it and since arriving in the Cathedral City, Baumgart has very rarely misjudged the temperature.