The grounds for this discrepancy can be better understood by listing a few of the players who came to epitomise the Frankfurt footballing school over the course of more than two decades, until well into the 1990s: the likes of Jürgen Grabowski, Manni Binz, Uwe Bein and Anthony Yeboah.
Temperamental diva
The name Eintracht was itself synonymous with style, paired with a certain capriciousness. The temperamental diva performing at her most captivating was more often than not the precursor to a horrible flop.
Frankfurt supporters, accordingly, ran the full gamut of emotions on an almost weekly basis, in a cycle of celebration and suffering. Even in defeat, there was normally the consolation of an attack-minded outfit having gone down with a certain style.
In more recent times however, that image has changed radically. Pragmatism increasingly came to rule the roost at Eintracht, a policy which most likely saved the club from relegation on more than one occasion, but which also proved hard to swallow for many regulars accustomed to finer fare. Perspiration replaced inspiration, the trophy cabinet gathered dust and the supporters had to forego their regular adrenaline rush.
Skibbe turns things around
Friedhelm Funkel provided years of solid returns, but the fans' thirst for spectacular offensive football remained unquenched. The management realised the time had come to bring on board a coach for whom attack was indisputably the best form of defence.
Their solution appears to have paid off. The hiring of Michael Skibbe had an instantly vitalising effect which is still ongoing. "The most important thing is for the fans to have the feeling, 'Right, when I go to the game on Saturday there's going to be fireworks.' They should be looking forward to it from the moment they wake up?, the new coach summarised before the league action got underway. So far, he has been as good as his word.
Good season start "unexpected?
Skibbe marked his Bundesliga comeback with a surprise 3-2 victory at Werder Bremen on matchday 1. His previous posting, at Galatasaray, had ended in a premature parting of ways with the Istanbul club in February.
"That good start to the season was perhaps a bit unexpected?, the former Leverkusen and Germany coach admitted to bundesliga.de, "but of course it served to give the team a lift and in the games that followed we continued to produce some good football and picked up a few points.? The first home victory was not so quick in arriving however, with the supporters eventually celebrating their team getting off the mark by beating Hannover 2-1 on matchday 9.
Hamburg scalped too
That result left Eintracht ninth in the table, a placing achieved through some good attacking performances by what is still essentially a workmanlike side. With just two defeats to their name, they have claimed the scalp of high-flying Hamburg as well as Bremen along the way. Not bad for starters, even if Skibbe admits he is not yet in a position to fully switch over to the style of football he propagates: "In terms of the current potential within the squad, it's necessary to adjust a little, for sure. But we want to give it our best shot regardless and so far we've been pretty successful with an attack-orientated approach.?
Ex-skipper hitting the target
Not that everything has been plain sailing from the start. One of Skibbe's first moves was a controversial one, relieving fans' favourite Ioannis Amanatidis of the captain's armband. "I wanted him to identify more with his own performance?, the coach tactfully explained. One burden of responsibility having been lifted from his shoulders, the injury-prone Greek striker has responded with three goals so far and is currently the club's top scorer.
Skibbe was also quick to come to the defence of Caio, who had endured a pretty miserable first season-and-a-half in Frankfurt, as well as a lot of criticism for being continually overweight.
The 23-year-old midfielder may not be sporting the perfect six-pack under the new coach either, but Skibbe has retained his faith in the Brazilian's ability to inject quality into Eintracht's play and at least on occasion trigger memories of days gone by: "The yearning for great football is what makes Caio so incredibly popular with the fans. I think Caio reflects that yearning, which everybody has.?
Man with a plan
If all goes to plan, Michael Skibbe hopes in the medium term to oversee the renaissance of the classic Eintracht Frankfurt style. That plan, in a nutshell, is, "To win more points playing attractive football, to introduce a forward dynamic to the city, which in turn will open up new resources, allowing us to keep good players here or bring in even better ones.?
At the end of the day, that means reviving Eintracht's status as a stylish Bundesliga heavy hitter. Should Skibbe's masterplan come to fruition, the accompanying adrenaline surge would be a price the fans would doubtless be happy to pay.
Johannes Fischer / translation Angus Davison
